Teacher

AP Spanish Language


Course Description: Spanish AP Language is an advanced third-year college level course that emphasizes advanced proficiency in the four main language skill areas of reading, speaking, listening and writing. This class will be conducted exclusively in Spanish and students are expected to speak in Spanish at all times. Failure to do so will result in a lower particiaptiongrade for the semester. There will be ample practice of the aforementioned language skills as well as high-level vocabulary building and intense grammar review. We will discuss in detail cultural topics that include music, art, folklore, history of Spanish-speaking countries, and how culture varies among the Spanish-speaking countries. There will also be a significant focus on Spanish literature.Throughout the course students will be required to express themselves through speaking and writing on topics presented through aural and written media originally created for Spanish speakers.

Program
In our school, admission to AP Spanish is based on successful completion of level 3 Honors, level 4 or level 4 Honors Spanish. A student may also gain admission by taking a placement test and oralinterview. All students who take the AP Spanish class will sit for the AP exam. The vast majority of students take the AP class after completing four years of study. Although the level four classes are not designated as pre-AP, it is noteworthy that during the fourth year of study students complete a thorough review of grammar utilizing a text frequently used in AP classes: Abriendo Paso-Gramática. Students also receive an introduction to Spanish literature, mainly short stories and poetry utilizing the texts Encuentros Maravillosos and Graded Spanish Reader. These former texts are also widely used in AP classrooms. Level four students, exactly like their AP counterparts, also present current events/news articles on Fridays as described below. This is designed to increase their confidencein speaking Spanish in public as well as to acquaint them with integrated skill activity although it is not expressly taught as such. Therefore, the vast majority of students entering the AP course have had previous experience with reading authentic literature, skill integration, and they have reviewed all major grammatical topics necessary for advanced proficiency in the language. Finally, levelfour students study Hispanic culture by region throughout the year utilizing En Español 4 and select topics from the Miraflores cultural readings and activities series as a catalyst for discussion and further research and activity.

Course content, objectives, and assessment:

• Formal Essays/Writing: One formal essay 200 words in length every two-three weeks. Source material include readingsfrom Abriendo Paso: Lectura, prompts from AP Spanish, and selected authentic material from periodicals and broadcasts. In the first semester most essays are done outside of class and are based primarily on the reading assignments. This is done to provide ample time for the teacher to provide quality feedback on the essays and to give students confidence in their writing. In the second semesterthe 200 word essays are based on prompts from authentic listening and reading sources and are written in class and timed. Many of the Formal Essays are linked with unit exams on grammar and vocabulary.
• Informal Speaking: A lab-type exercise in Informal Speaking takes place approximately once per week in the first semester and once per two or three weeks in the second semester. Although lab-typeexercise is conducted throughout the year, in the second semester, emphasis is shifted toward Formal Speaking. All informal speaking activities are recorded or downloaded onto the school server into the teacher’s folder. These are later assessed by the teacher, and written feedback is provided to the student. Many of the prompts originate from authentic material sources and the AP Spanish text...