Senorita Tymchy’s
Classroom Guide
Spanish I
2008-2009
Students and
Parents: Please go over this guide together and
discuss its contents. It is designed to
provide the structure for us to experience maximum learning, and safety. After you have read the packet, please sign
and complete the contact information page, and then please return the packet to
school for future reference. Together,
we can make this a wonderful year!
August
25, 2008
Dear
Students and Parents/Guardians,
Welcome back to another exciting year! This is my third year here at Francis Scott
Key and I look forward to working with such a great group of students in my
Spanish I class. My expectations are
very high; I ask that each student work hard as we prepare for a challenging
and rewarding school year. Your son or
daughter will be challenged to meet and exceed not only my expectations but
yours as well.
The only supplies that I request each student to
come to class prepared with a specific section in their binder for Spanish and
a pen or pencil. This year I ask that all students bring a folder to keep their
student work in. Spanish to English/
English to Spanish dictionaries are recommended but not required.
Communication between home and school is extremely
important. We will be in contact via
phone and mail. Agendas are mandatory to
write homework assignments in and for communication between the teacher and
parents. If you have any questions or
concerns feel free to jot me a note in the agenda. I will be looking at agendas on a daily
basis.
Please feel free to contact me via phone at (410)
396-1503 or email at senoritatymchy@yahoo.com.
Best
Regards,
Srta. Tymchy
Stra.
Tymchy’s Classroom Guide (continued)
Rationale:
Spanish I is a course for students
to learn and develop their skills in speaking a different language as well as
learning the cultural aspects of a different society. Major emphasis is placed on speaking and
writing in the target language by increasing vocabulary skills and learning the
grammar rules.
Expectations:
My expectations are set very high for my students so that they
may all reach a pinnacle of success. All
students who follow the classroom procedures and class goals everyday will do very
well. Students will be held responsible
for their actions; they will be praised for their good efforts and disciplined
for their bad actions. Students must
acknowledge that they earn the grade they are given.
Classroom procedures:
The following is a list of my classroom procedures
that are in place to help the class run smoothly so we can maximize the
learning experience:
1. When arriving to class, come
in on time, sit down quietly, and complete drill.
2. If you are tardy, put your
late pass on my desk and do not disrupt the class. Quietly ask a nearby student to help catch
you up to speed.
3. Heading in the right hand
corner of your paper:
Name
Homeroom
Date
4. During instruction:
Listen attentively; respect others when they
are speaking.
Quietly raise hand to speak or ask a question.
When doing oral repetition
wait until the signal is given for your turn.
To quiet group, teacher
will count down from 10 and raise hand.
During tests there will be
no talking. If a student is caught
cheating, it will be an automatic zero and a copy of the test will be sent home
to the parent.
5. Ask 3 before me- this means if you do not
understand something quietly ask 3 others and if all 3 don’t have an answer
then please ask me.
If you are asked to help,
be kind and offer your best.
6. Classroom movement:
Ask permission to go to the
bathroom, teacher will sign agenda. It
is a school policy that no students use the restroom during the first 15 and
last 15 minutes of class.
If you need pencils or paper,
extras will be available on my desk, please quietly pick them up.
If you have to throw
something away, please do so when you are exiting class at the end of the
period
All papers being collected
will be passed toward the windows to the bins.
During Fire Drills we will
quietly and calmly exit down stairwell B.
7. If you finish your work early, you may begin
homework or books will be available to read in the back of the room.
8. Homework will be checked daily, notebooks will
be checked quarterly, “pop” quizzes may occur.
9. Teacher will dismiss class; the clock does
not dismiss you.
10. If you are absent, it is
your responsibility to get the assignment from a classmate and any worksheets
from the teacher.
Content:
The following is the order
of the units we will be engaging in:
1.
Let’s
Get Started (Introductory unit)
2.
Myself
3.
My
Family
4.
School
5.
Home
6.
Community
7.
Shopping
8.
At
the Restaurant
9.
At
the Market
10.
Sports
and Leisure
11.
Geography
Grading:
Grading will be based off of class work,
participation, homework, projects, and tests/quizzes. The breakdown is as follows:
Class Work 15%
Notebook 15%
Participation 15%
Homework 15%
Projects 20%
Tests/Quizzes 20%
Participation is very important because I need to
hear the students speak the language. By
signing this packet you are acknowledging that the student understands he/she
must give it his/her all when speaking Spanish and use the language as much as
possible in the classroom.
The homework grade will be counted like this- everyone
starts with a 100% homework grade, for each assignment missed or completed
unsatisfactory 10 points will be deducted from the homework grade. Once we have 10 homework assignments, another
set of 100% will be given and we will deduct points from that for any missed
assignment.
Many projects will be given (they may be big or
small); and usually class time will be given to work on them. Some examples of projects are to research a
Spanish speaking country, create a fashion show in Spanish, make a family tree,
design a room, create a community, make a brochure to sell a house, etc. (Typically there will be about 1 project per
unit).
Extra Help:
I understand that learning a second language is a difficult
task; therefore I will be holding a coach class one day a week after school
(will be posted on the board and my website).
If the student can not make the coach class then together we can set up
a time in the morning, at lunch, or another day after school so that student
can reach success.
Discipline:
The classroom goals are listed and will be in place
for the rest of the year. It is
important that students are in a safe environment that enables them to
learn. We can all work together and
commit to the classroom goals that are to be met each and every day:
Prepared
Positive
Patient
Participate
Practice
Pass!
Severe Clause:
Fighting,
profanity to the teacher/disrespect, stealing, and vandalism will result in an
AUTOMATIC REFERRAL to the assistant principal.
Most importantly, let’s have fun and make this year
an enjoyable year for all.
*Please return this packet
signed and please complete the student contact information sheet. (This will be the first homework grade!)
I
__________________, student, have received and understand Srta. Tymchy’s
classroom guide.
I__________________,
parent/guardian of ________________have received and understand Srta. Tymchy’s
classroom guide.