¡Bienvenidos!

Dear Parents/Guardians and Students,

Welcome to Spanish Class! It is time for another exciting year of learning Spanish!

Here is some information that will help you this year:

 We will begin the year with a review of previously-learned material and then build
upon what you know in order to advance your Spanish.
 This year in 8th grade you will be learning skills that will enable you to describe
physical characteristics, discuss household chores and give excuses, order food in a
restaurant and shop at a clothing store. You will read a short novel that
incorporates vocabulary and grammar you have learned throughout your years
studying Spanish. You will be using the past and simple future tense in addition to
present tense. You will also learn about Spanish culture and customs by reading
about Spanish events such as el día de los reyes magos, learning to salsa dance, and
by tasting foods from different Spanish-speaking countries.
 This year in 7th grade you will be learning skills that will enable you to talk about
what you like or dislike eating and to discuss healthy eating habits, describe family
members, including where they live and what they do, as well as to discuss household
chores. You will also learn about Spanish culture and customs by reading about
Spanish events such as La Tomatina and listening to Spanish music.
 This year in 6th grade you will be learning skills that will enable you to talk about
school schedules and classes, discuss the community in which you live as well as to
give directions on how to get around in your community, and talk about the foods you
like/dislike to eat. You will also learn about Spanish culture and customs by reading
about Spanish holidays and listening to Spanish music.
 It is important to remember that learning a language requires practice over time.
Therefore, you are expected to participate during class and use as much Spanish as
possible, come to class prepared, do all assignments thoroughly and thoughtfully, and
study the vocabulary and grammar every day for 8 minutes. Please come to class
with a positive attitude and a willingness to try. Remember, mistakes are an
important part of learning. It is difficult to learn without mistakes.
 You will be assessed based on: tests, quizzes, homework, dialogues, projects,
partner chats, and daily participation.
--Tests and Quizzes: Tests and quizzes involve both written and oral aspects.
Some tests will require you to speak Spanish and/or respond to spoken Spanish.
 --Homework: Some written homework assignments will be graded and some will only
be checked for completeness as a means of offering practice without penalizing
mistakes. You will not be told ahead of time which way the assignment will be
graded. When absent, it is your responsibility to find out what you missed.
Students are expected to use their own words on homework assignments and to
complete homework assignments by themselves. Using translators to write sentences
or paragraphs is not permitted.
--Projects: Guidelines for projects will be given when the project is introduced.
--Dialogues: You will work with partners to create dialogues that incorporate the
material you are learning. The dialogues should be practiced, but not memorized.
These spontaneous dialogues allow you to learn to use Spanish in a communicative and
practical way.
--Daily Participation: Since it is so important to practice speaking Spanish if you
want to become fluent, you are expected to speak only Spanish in the Spanish
classroom and ask for permission to speak English if you need to. I do not expect
perfect Spanish to be spoken, but I do expect that you make an effort to
communicate in Spanish.
--Partner Chats: Each class will begin with mini informal conversations in which
they will work on speaking with another person without a lot of pauses, keeping the
conversation going, and getting their point across using only Spanish.
 If you are ever confused, please ask questions during class or see me. I am
available during lunch or before and after school by appointment. I would love to
meet with you to go over any areas of confusion. This year I will not be at school
on Thursdays. Please plan accordingly.
 Please feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns. I check my school e-
mail on a daily basis: kkurth@hanb.org or call the school at 262-786-7331.
 For more information, please visit my website.

This should be a great year!

Sinceramente,

Sra. Kurth