To read more reviews and experiences of past students in the Spanish 1 course, please also take a look at the Spanish 1 Second Semester listing — these are reviews from students who took both semester 1 and semester 2 
https://outschool.com/classes/spanish-1-for-middle-and-high-school-students-semester-2-Pp8o0yZi?usid=poHmkuDF&signup=true&utm_campaign=share_activity_link

What is Spanish 1: 
Spanish 1 is for the beginning Spanish student and is traditionally offered in year 1 of high school or in the final year of middle school. There is no prior knowledge of Spanish necessary for this class. This course is the first semester of Spanish 1. Semester 2 will take place after this first semester ends. The combination of both semesters will complete the full year of Spanish 1 and ensure a student is ready to move on into Spanish 2! This is full-curriculum Spanish 1. 

What makes this Spanish 1 course so special?
This class will be educational and fun! I love language and I love to help make the learning of it attainable and enjoyable! My teaching style and curriculum focus on learning the necessary vocabulary and language structure and putting it right into practice. Students get to try their newly acquired knowledge in a safe and encouraging environment while also getting immediate feedback! I also keep the class size small in order to give students ample opportunity to engage with the content and ensure they get lots of time using it as they learn it! 

What else is important about this particular Spanish 1? 
My curriculum is unique in the wide range of grammar and vocabulary taught. The content covered and level of Spanish achieved from my course is equal to what many programs take twice as long to cover. Each class is planned specifically with knowledge acquisition, practice and retention as the goal. Continual use of and exposure to a language is essential to learning it and retaining it which is why we meet 3 days a week. Your student will receive a strong grounding in Spanish grammar and vocabulary taught in a way that gets the student understanding it and using it right away!  Each individual unit covers specific grammar and each will build on the other continually increasing the student's ability with the language. Each unit also includes vocabulary for the student to learn and use throughout the unit both in class conversation as well as written work. The goal is never just grammar rules, but application of grammar and vocabulary to create usable language!

How is a student assessed in this course to ensure mastery?
Students will be assessed throughout the course in and out of class in order to ensure comprehension and continued progress. As part of the class we implement an interactive learning platform in order to allow students to be actively involved in each lesson and to encourage participation and use of the target language. (This will require students to use Nearpod via the app or a web browser during class.) We will also have weekly vocabulary quizzes and unit tests. I will remain in communication with student and parent about the student's progress and where they may need more support. 

The grading scale will be as follows:  
30% in class participation 
20% unit tests
20% vocabulary quizzes
30% homework 

I keep an organized record of each student's progress and grades. Half way through the semester both parent and student will receive a progress report with their semester grade up to that point and feedback on how the semester is going and any areas of growth needed. At the end of the semester the student and parent will receive their overall semester grade and feedback. If you would prefer your student not be graded for the course you may of course choose that as well. 

What is covered in this class?
The full year course is 12 units. I have put each of those units and their content below. This first semester will cover up through unit 6. Each unit pairs the specific grammar with speaking, reading and writing activities to help the students learn and master these concepts. 

Unit 1: Alphabet, Accent / Emphasis Rules for pronunciation, Date /Time, Definite Articles (el, la, los, las), 
Unit 2: Subject pronouns, Present tense verbs (-ar, -er, -ir), Indefinite articles (un, una, unos, unas), Telling time, Numbers 3-100
Unit 3: Ser & Estar conjugations and uses, Adjectives (limiting and descriptive) 
Unit 4: Spanish Dialogue project, Prepositions (with estar), Prepositional pronouns, Formation of questions with and without interrogative words, Present progressive
Unit 5: Irregular "yo" verbs, Stem changing irregulars (o-ue), negative statements, negative responses to questions
Unit 6: possessive adjectives, The verb "gustar" 
Unit 7: "Tener" phrases, "por" phrases, continued "yo" irregular verbs (venir, salir, poner, ver, dar, traer, caer), Conocer vs. Saber
Unit 8: stem-changing verbs (e-ie), Hay / no hay, Weather, "por" and "para"
Unit 9: Clothing (llevar + ropa), Future tense (ir+a+infinitive), direct objects, irregular verbs (uir)
Unit 10: Irregular verbs (e-i),  Demonstrative adjectives, "Tener que", Verbal phrases (poder, deber, pensar, querer) 
Unit 11: Ordinal numbers, Past tense (Imperfect and past progressive), Comparisons 
Unit 12: This will be a review unit

Please feel free to message me with any questions you might have! If you would like to chat "face-to-face" you may request a time for my "Meet the Teacher" section. 

Important Notes for Enrolled Students: 

-The minimum number of students to hold class is 5 students. If this is not met by a week before class starts I will touch base with parents and students with possible options. 

-This class is a 16 week semester course. I have added 2 dates to the end of the course for make-up days or to add a buffer in case we need an extra class. Please note these dates on your calendar in case they are needed. 

-If a class would need to be cancelled by the teacher a make-up class will be scheduled or an additional date will be added at the end of the semester course to make up for the missed class. 

-If a student needs to miss class for any reason they will be responsible to watch the recording to get any information they missed and will still be responsible for homework / in-class assignments. 

-Behavior during class is expected to be respectful and appropriate at all times. The class is a safe environment for students to interact with one another and learn a new language. In the event a student is not following the rules of etiquete as laid out in the syllabus a student may be removed from that day's class or with continued issues the student may be removed from the course. 


CANCELLATION POLICY:

Parents, I follow Outschool's limited refund policy. Please read the cancellation policy before enrollment. With a limited refund policy, you are entitled to a full refund until a week in advance, or within 24 hours of purchase (until class starts). I do not refund for missed classes and do not provide partial or prorated refunds. The recordings will be available for students to view should they need to miss a class during the semester. 

This class must meet the minimum enrollment to avoid cancellation. If this class does not reach the minimum enrollment, I will reach out to parents to transfer/refund your learner. If the class is cancelled by me due to the minimum enrollment not being met, you WILL receive a full refund from Outschool. If it decided (by parent AND teacher) to continue this class without the minimum enrollment, you will not be refunded.