AP Spanish

AP^® Spanish Language

Syllabus

2012-2013

COURSE OVERVIEW

The AP^® Spanish Language course is intended for students who have demonstrated excellence in Spanish, who are intrigued by the Latin American and Spanish cultures and who wish to take the AP^® Spanish Language exam. The course offers glimpses into the inner workings of said cultures that are available through this intense study of Spanish. The basis of the course is a comprehensive grammar review, frequent readings from a variety of Spanish and Latin American sources, continuous vocabulary acquisition and daily auditory and oral practice.  Spanish is the official language of the course and will be spoken exclusively.  The students are encouraged to practice Spanish throughout the year with their teacher(s) and peers.  In the AP Spanish Language course, students will use Spanish to:

o   Express themselves orally in a variety of settings on a variety of themes

o   Read and understand selected materials from a variety of sources including short stories, periodicals, the Internet and poetry

o   Initiate, maintain and close a conversation on a familiar topic

o   Hear and understand conversations from a variety of sources in a variety of settings

o   Express themselves formally and informally in writing on class-work, homework, journal entries, quizzes and tests using open-ended questions

o   Correctly use word derivation strategies such as circumlocution, cognates, false cognates to broaden their use of the language

RESOURCES

The AP^® Spanish Language course will be taught using a multitude of resources to cover all aspects of the Spanish language. The two primary texts are:  Album and Avanzando: Gramática española y lectura.  Album is a basic anthology by Spanish and Latin American writers, for reading, prediction, vocabulary enhancement, storytelling and analysis.  Students will be exposed to a variety of literary genres and practice reading at a level comparable to the AP exam.  This textbook provides a supplementary audio CD with listening exercises to accompany each story, as well as a website containing additional activities and information on authors and cultural issues addressed in the readings. Avanzando: Gramática española y lectura offers an extensive grammar review and practice at a third-year college level, vocabulary enrichment, and supplemental historical, geographical, and biographical information.  The grammatical explanations are provided in Spanish alongside grammar and vocabulary exercises.

Other materials used in the course include Spanish-language websites that provide a variety of articles, videos, podcasts with recorded voice fragments and assorted materials selected from other textbooks.

Main Texts

De la Vega, Sara L., Salazar, Carmen. (2007). Avanzando: Gramática española y

lectura (6^th ed.).  Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Renjilian-Burgy, Joy,  Valette, Rebecca M. (2005). Album (3^rd ed.). Boston, MA:

Houghton Mifflin Company.

Websites

Audiria

http://www.audiria.com

BBC Mundo

http://www.bbc.co.uk/mundo

La Conexión Usa

http://www.laconexion.com

CNN en español

http://www.cnnespanol.com

Guía del mundo

http://www.guiadelmundo.org.uy

El Mundo

http://www.elmundo.es

National Public Radio

www.npr.org/series/alt-latino/

Notes in Spanish

http://www.notesinspanish.com

Paperboy

http://www.thepaperboy.com

Prensa Escrita

http://www.prensaescrita.com

Radio Naciones Unidas

http://www.un.org/radio/es/

Radio Nederland

http://www.informarn.nl/news/international/

Univision

http://www.univision.com

Supplemental Texts

Blanco, J.A., Tocaimaza-Hatch, C. C. & García, P. N.  (2011).  Imagina: Español sin

barreras (2^nd ed.).  Boston, MA: Vista Higher Learning.

Cabat, L. & Cabat, R. (1999). Momentos Hispanos (2^nd ed.). New York, NY: Amsco

School Publications, Inc.

Jiménez, F. (2000).  Cajas de cartón.  Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Company.

Kanter, A. (2011). Encuentros Maravillosos: Gramática a través de la literatura

(2^nd ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson Prentice Hall.

Lavoie, D. (2010). 5 Steps To A 5: AP Spanish Language 2010-2011.  New York,

NY: McGraw Hill.

Leech, M. (2010). The Princeton Review Cracking the AP^® Spanish Exam With Audio

CD (2011 ed.). New York, NY: Random House, Inc.

Langer de Ramírez, L. (1999).  Cuéntame: Folklore y fábulas.  New York, NY:

Amsco School Publications, Inc.

Walqui Van-Lier, A., Barraza, R.A., Dellinger, M.A.  (2005). Sendas literarias 1:

Español completo para hispanohablantes.  Needham, MA: Pearson Prentice

Hall.

Wasserman, C. & Wasserman, M. (1997).  Prosa moderna del mundo

hispánico (2^nd ed.). New York, NY: Amsco School Publications, Inc.

UNIT COMPONENTS AND FORMATS

Each unit includes work on the following skills and strategies:

Grammar

This course requires students to update and broaden their awareness of Spanish grammatical structures.  There is a strong focus on the appropriate use of verb tenses and moods, as well as in-depth review of grammatical topics covered in previous years of Spanish study.  Students are encouraged to correct themselves and each other to increase their understanding of grammar, in English as well as Spanish.  

Reading

Each unit includes at least two reading selections.  Many reading assignments are taken directly from our Album or Avanzando texts, and others come from a variety of authentic resources, whether from the teacher’s personal collection or items found currently on the Internet.  Students are encouraged to read each selection on their own, and respond to prepared written or spoken questions.  They will learn to use context clues and other techniques to garner meaning without the use of a language dictionary.

Writing

Students will write in a variety of formats in order to demonstrate proficiency with grammar, vocabulary and facts, and to articulate their opinions.  Writing exercises are completed in class and each unit contains several graded writing samples.  Written assignments will often be read aloud, discussed in class, and used for peer-editing exercises.  Students will regularly write interpersonal entries such as emails, letters and postcards in their journals.  They will also write formal compositions based on the material covered in each unit to serve as practice for the presentational writing portion of the AP^® Spanish Language exam. Students will be able to track their progress and growth in said writing activities.  

Listening

The teacher will conduct almost all instruction, explanation, and exercises in Spanish.  Students will become accustomed to listening to a variety of Spanish accents and dialects as they listen to each other, other teachers at the school and any guest speakers.  They will have many opportunities to listen to a variety of samples by native speakers from audio CDs provided by the textbooks, the Internet, and the teacher’s diverse music collection.  Students will learn techniques to grasp important information when listening to rapidly spoken Spanish, and they will be tested on listening comprehension using multiple-choice and open-ended question formats.  To further hone their auditory skills, the teacher will give weekly dictations. 

Speaking

Spanish is the official language of the course; students are expected to speak Spanish exclusively while in class and to practice Spanish consistently with the teacher, as well as with other adults and peers outside the classroom if presented the opportunity.  Students receive a class participation grade, based in part, on the appropriate use of the language during class time.  Students will practice regularly on a variety of topics, and will learn techniques such as circumlocution to successfully express themselves.  Students will often be asked to orally summarize writing assignments and listening samples in order to improve vocabulary retention and practice, and will practice speaking out loud simultaneously in preparation for the oral component of the AP exam.  Students will be encouraged to use a wide range of vocabulary and sentence structures in order to be creative and more expressive.

The students will also have a weekly assignment of a newscast session.  They will begin each week with a different country. Throughout the week, they will find a current event from both print and audio sources. They will then have two minutes to compare the two sources in a newscast each Friday. These weekly presentations will better prepare the students for the presentational speaking portion of the AP^® Spanish Language exam. 

Assessments

Unit Exams

The unit exams will mostly follow the AP^® Spanish Language exam model in a condensed format, including multiple-choice components, listening, reading and speaking components, and writing samples.  As the formal exam approaches, the unit exams will be replaced with practice AP^® Spanish Language exams to familiarize the students with the formal exam format and content.

Midterm Assessment

The time allotted for the midterm exams is similar to that of the actual AP Exam. We will therefore take our first full practice AP^® Spanish Language exam during our given midterm day, with only slight modifications.

Final Assessment

For our midterm exam, a performance assessment is given. Students will be asked to research a well-known person from Spain or Latin America. They will familiarize themselves with the life and works of that person so as to “become” him/her for our exam.  On the day of our final, we will hold a “tertulia” where they must dress and speak as that person.  I will then speak to all of the “characters” and retrieve information about their research during our conversations.  They must also interact with one another as that person. 

Unit 1 » August-September:  Las identidades personales y públicas

¿Cómo se expresan los distintos aspectos de la identidad

en diversas situaciones?

Grammar

Major review of the basics

Accents

Punctuation

Sentence structure

Verb practice in the indicative: regular and irregular

Reflexive verbs

Spelling particulars: Cognates

Reading

Cajas de Cartón

Various readings from Avanzando: “Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz:voz feminista de Hispanoamérica,” and “Dos poetas chilenos: Mistral y Neruda”

“Corriente latina” in Imagina

Selected newspaper and/or magazine articles pertaining to public identities including:

 “Marlen Esparza, haciendo historia” www.quinceanera.com

“Marcha: Barrondo le da la primera medalla olímpica a Guatemala” www.lahora.com.gt

“Corredor de EE.UU. gana medalla de plata y se la dedica a México”  www.cnnespanol.com

Writing

Creating vivid, accurate descriptions using dynamic vocabulary and sentence structure

Interpersonal writing: Journal entries

Presentational writing: composition on identities, comparing and contrasting based on a variety of sources

Listening

Dictations

Music: Listen to various accents: Mexican in “Me vale,” Argentinean in “Milonga de Marfil Negro,” Caribbean in “Latinos,” Spanish in “Olé”

Internet: Various clips from Univision

Speaking

Recounting and summarizing information previously listened to or written in an informal setting

Question/answer exercises with other students

Imitating the accents of peninsular v. Caribbean v. South American Spanish

Initiating and maintaining a conversation on a familiar topic

Presentational speaking: Current events “Newscasts”

Culture/History

Review of geography of Spain and Latin America

Independence Days in Latin America (September 15^th, 16^th and 18^th)

Beginning of Hispanic Heritage month

Olympics

Unit Exam » September 28, 2012

Unit 2 » October:  Los desafíos mundiales 

¿Cuáles son los desafíos sociales, políticos y del medio ambiente que enfrentan las sociedades del mundo?

Grammar

Verb practice in the past tenses

Verbs that change meaning with verb tense (preterit vs imperfect)

Irregular forms in the preterit and imperfect tenses

Review of the articles (definite vs indefinite)

Impersonal verbs

Pronouns and Adjectives (possessive, demonstrative)

Nouns and adjectives

Words with the prefixes: des-, in-, re-

Spelling particulars: b, v, sc

Reading

“Sala de espera” in Album

 “El eclipse” in Avanzando

“La selva amazónica: biodiversidad curativa” and/or “Recursos naturales: una salida al mundo” in Imagina

Selected online articles including:

“Iceberg más grande que Manhattan se desprende de un glaciar” and  “Aparente imagen de la Virgen de Guadalupe en un árbol” www.cnnespanol.com

Writing

English-to-Spanish translations using covered verb tenses

Creation of appropriate Spanish past-tense verbs without English hints

Interpersonal writing: Journal entries

Presentational writing: composition on global challenges, comparing and contrasting based on a variety of sources

Listening

Discuss themes, various podcasts and audio clips from Internet

Dictations

Music: “¿Qué hacen aquí? Illapu and “¿Dónde jugarán los niños?” Maná

Speaking

Small-group discussions on assigned themes

Initiating and maintaining conversations on familiar topics

Re-telling stories that have been previously read or heard

Spanish tongue-twisters (trabalenguas)

Presentational speaking: Current events “Newscasts”

Culture/History

Hispanic Heritage Month

Día de la Raza vs Columbus Day and Spanish conquest of Latin America

Election year

Unit Exam » November 1, 2012

Unit 3 » November: La vida contemporánea 

¿Cómo influyen los productos culturales, las prácticas y las perspectivas de la gente en la vida?

Grammar

Verb practice of future and conditional

Verbs of being (ser vs estar)

Present and past participles

Infinitive uses

Expressions with verb tener

Confusing words

Perfect tenses in the indicative

The verb haber

Passive voice and expressions with se

Verbs like gustar

Spelling particulars: que, qui, cue, cui, h

Reading

“El tango, baile universal” in Avanzando

“La herencia de los mayas” in Imagina

“Balada de los abuelos,” “Caminante, son tus huellas” and “Peso ancestral” in Encuentros maravillosos

Selected newspaper and/or magazine articles, in print and/or online including:

Writing

Comparing and contrasting stories,

Constructing comprehensive paragraphs using a wide range of vocabulary, transitions, and appropriate sentence structure

Interpersonal writing: Journal entries

Presentational writing: composition on contemporary life, comparing and contrasting based on a variety of sources including the quote “Un pueblo sin tradición es un pueblo sin porvenir”

Listening

Connecting the sound of a word to its spelling and accentuation

“El renacimento de Snoop Dog” www.cnnespanol.com

Dictations

Music: Various songs from www.npr.org/alt-latino

Speaking

Small-group discussions on assigned themes

Informal presentations to the class

Initiating, maintaining, and close conversation on familiar topics

Presentational speaking: Current events “Newscasts”

Culture/History

Día de los muertos, religion in Spain and Latin America, synthesis of indigenous and Catholic practices, , Aztec & Mayan cosmos

Unit Exam » December 3, 2012

Unit 4  » December -January: La familia y las comunidades

¿Cuáles son las diferencias en los papeles que asumen las comunidades y las familias en las diferentes sociedades del mundo?

Grammar

Review of pronouns (subject, direct object, indirect object, personal, reflexive, etc.)

Verb Hacer with time frames ( hace + tiempo + que …)

Spelling particulars: gue, gui, güe, güi

Reading

“El huésped de la maestra” in Prosa

“Juchitán: La ciudad de las mujeres” in Imagina

“Como agua para chocoloate (fragmento)” and/or “La casa de los espíritus“ (fragmento) in Encuentros maravillosos

Writing

Responding to written and spoken prompts

Composing orderly paragraphs

Using transition words and a wide range of vocabulary

Interpersonal writing: Journal entries

Presentational writing: composition on identities, comparing and contrasting based on a variety of sources

Listening

Continued practice with audio and video materials from Internet, television, and radio, critiquing other students’ spoken Spanish.

Dictations

Movies: Excerpts from Como agua para chocolate and/or La casa de los espíritus

Speaking

Continued practice with voice-recording equipment

Informal spoken presentations with written and audio prompts

Practicing caroling in Spanish with Parranda-style songs and performances

Presentational speaking: Current events “Newscasts”

Culture/History

Family life in Spain and Latin America, relationships, diversions, holiday season in Spain and Latin America: parrandas/asaltos, posadas, Tres Reyes Magos

Field trip to the Carolina Theatre for Hispanic Flamenco Balle Latin American Fiesta December 6, 2012

Unit Exam » January 18, 2013

Unit 5 » February:  La belleza y la estética 

¿Cómo se establecen las percepciones de la belleza y la creatividad?

Grammar

Affirmatives and negatives

Commands

Indicative and subjunctive moods

Subjunctive review, expressions that require it, use with various tenses (imperfect, present perfect, pluperfect)

Clauses with si

Spelling particulars: g, j, ll, y, ío, ía, illo, illa

Reading

“Una puerta a la historia” in Avanzando

 “Almodovar genio español que conquistó Hollywood” www.latinol.com

Writing

Responding to written and spoken prompts

Interpersonal writing: Journal entries

Presentational writing: composition on concepts of beauty and creativity, comparing and contrasting based on a variety of sources

Listening

Practice with rapidly-spoken Spanish

Dictations

Music: “Talento en la TV”

Listening to television/radio/internet audio/video programming including:

“Trucos…”

Movies: Various excerpts from Almodovar movies Mujeres al borde de un ataque de nervios, Todo sobre mi madre, and Volver

Speaking

Voice-over of clips from above mentioned Almodovar movies

Presentational speaking: Current events “Newscasts”

Culture/History

Stereotypes of Spanish and Latin American concepts of beauty as portrayed in songs

Miss Universe/Miss World in Latin America (cnn clip)

Movie excerpts

Unit Exam » February 22, 2013

Unit 6 » March:  La ciencia y la tecnología 

¿Qué impacto tiene el desarollo científico y tecnológico en nuestras vidas?

Grammar

Adverbs

Comparatives, superlatives and relative pronouns

Expressions that indicate obligation

Prepositions, those with a or de followed by an infinitive

Uses of por vs para

Uses of pero vs sino

Expressions with the verb hacer

Spelling particulars: r, rr, cognates with slight differences (ph vs f, ch vs qu etc.)