Middle-school
students begin their study of a world language (Spanish or French) in 7th
grade. The programs consist of
vocabulary acquisition, cultural awareness, and mastery of grammatical concepts
with emphasis on all five language components (reading, writing, listening,
speaking, and culture). These skills
form the foundation for further study in high school. In order to complete level one of a world
language program, students must begin in the 7th grade and continue
their study in the 8th grade.
Two years of middle-school instruction is comparable to one year of
high-school instruction.
The State
of Michigan requires that students earn two credits of a World Language in
order to receive a high school diploma.
Additionally, as part of our commitment to educational best practices,
Portage Public Schools requires two years of a World Language at the
middle-school level. One of these
required credits may be earned at the middle-school level, provided that
students successfully complete two years of the same World Language in seventh
and eighth grade. Upon successful
completion of a World Language in middle school, students would go on to Level
II of their World Language as freshmen in high school.
Essential Learning
Expectations:
By
the end of the second year of middle-school study, students will have focused
on the grammar, vocabulary, and cultural norms related to the following topics:
- Discussing
food and food preparation, ordering in a restaurant
- Talking about
the body, healthy, and healthy leisure and dietary habits
- Giving advice
- Naming
clothing, colors, and discussing shopping and prices
Provided
that the first and second years of middle-school study are successfully
completed, students will enroll in Spanish II for their freshman year of high
school.
Text used and other
recommended materials:
¡Exprésate!
Level 1B Textbook
Evaluation:
At the end
of a nine-week marking period, the teacher will total the points earned by each
individual student as well as the total
points possible in accordance with Regulation #5200. A student’s points may be those from tests,
daily quizzes, specific assignments, etc.
Portage
teachers have two options in computing student grades: (1) recording scores by categories,
such as tests/quizzes, homework, special projects, etc. or (2) recording all
points together, without the separation into categories.
In this class, the student’s
percentage score is comprised of the following:
Assessments are worth 90% of the student’s
final grade.
Other practice is worth 10% of the
student’s final grade.
Formative assessments are worth 0% of the student's final grade.
Student
scores that result in .05 or higher should be rounded up. The
following percentage scale applies.