Wilson, Karen

Room: 356

Phone Ext: 2356     Email Ms. Wilson

 

Dear Students and Parents,                                                               

Hello and welcome back to school.  I am looking forward to a very productive year of acquiring language with my new students. I would like you to know of my plans and expectations for them.

This year, we will develop communication skills through vocabulary acquisition with a strong emphasis on listening, speaking writing and reading.  My goal is to use the immersive approach, conducting class in 90% Spanish and 10% English. We will also learn Spanish through cultural exposure. We will develop our communication skills through a high level of student collaboration.  Participation is essential to successful collaboration and language development.  Below are my general class rules to insure that class time is not wasted.

CLASS RULES OF CONDUCT:

1. Arrive to every class on time with textbook, supplies and assigned work completed
2. Stay alert, pay attention, be engaged and participate
3. Respect each other’s space, property and right to learn
4. Keep your cell phone or electronic devices turned off and put securely away.
5. Remain seated during class until you are dismissed.

CLASS PARTICIPATION RULES:

1. Listen with the intent to understand the lesson of the class.
2. One person speaks and the others listen.
3. Avoid all insults and profanity
4. Respect your learning process and the learning process of others.
5. If the teacher is not clear, let her know.
6. Do your part.
7. No cell phone use during class

 We will review and have a test on these basic rules to guarantee complete understanding.

In addition to my classroom rules, students are expected to adhere to all school rules.

1. Attend all classes promptly and be prepared with completed homework and appropriate supplies. Students are to be in their seats when the bell rings or they will be counted as tardy. Students are to do their own assignments and have them ready at the beginning of class or it is counted as late. Late homework receives no credit.  If students don’t have their supplies, they must quietly borrow or share with someone close by. Students are to remain in class for the entire session. There are no passes out of the class during the first and last 10 minutes, except for an emergency. Excessive passes without a valid reason will result in a Teacher/Parent conference and/or loss of participation credit.
2. Actively participate in the target language throughout the class. Class time is for class activities. Participation will be graded and recorded on an accumulative scale.            Students will receive better grades by completing their work, by being actively involved in the tasks of the class, by remaining in their designated areas, and by following the class rules.  Conversely, students will lower their grades by failing to do any of these things.
3. Maintain a courteous atmosphere by treating everyone respectfully.Students should expect to be treated with courtesy and respect by everyone in the classroom.  Students should allow and should be allowed to speak and work on class lessons without disruption or interruption. Students should refrain from using profanity and put downs. Students should refrain from invading other’s personal space or property.  Failure to do so may result in a referral to the office.

4. Follow all school rules and avoid the use of all personal electronic devices in class. Failure adhere to the school rules will result in a referral to the office.

HOMEWORK:

Homework practice reinforces the language skills learned in the classroom. For that reason, students will have 2-3 homework assignments weekly.  No late homework will be accepted.  Homework is late if it is not ready when checked in at the beginning of class. Cheating is not acceptable. In addition to insuring that homework is completed regularly, here are some general language learning strategies that can help your child succeed.

1. consistent nightly language review of 3 to 5 minutes
2. review of the lessons on the internet at phschool.com, Quizlet.com, Duolingo.com, StudySpanish.com and other sources
3. exposure outside of the classroom to as much of the target language as possible.

GRADES:

Students will be graded on their progress in the following areas

2. Interpersonal communication (the amount of involvement in all Spanish communication in and outside of the classroom)                              25%
3. Presentations (Oral presentations and Projects which are in Spanish)                                                                                                           25%
4. Interpretive tasks (their understanding the written and spoken word)                                                                                                          25%  
5. Tests and quizzes (including a final quarterly assessments)                                                                                                                         25%

SUPPLIES NEEDED FOR CLASS:

         Students will need a spiral notebook, pencils and paper.

CONTACTS:

         I would like to speak with you if you have any concerns or comments, please feel free to contact me at 510 618-4600, ext. 2356, or send me an e-mail at kwilson@slusd.us. My conference period is from 8:15 a.m. to 9:00 a.m.  I can also meet with you either before or after school. I look forward to a very positive school year and to seeing you at one of our school events.

 

Respectfully,

Karen Wilson