20802215Spanish 5
Course Information
Description
This course is for students who have successfully completed 4 years of high school Spanish OR 4 semesters of college Spanish OR have been placed in this level after taking the Language Placement Test. Spanish 5 is an advanced language and culture course that focuses on developing proficiency in advanced grammar in both speaking and writing. Students will continue broadening their vocabulary, advancing their reading skills, expanding cultural knowledge and understanding, and improving both oral and written communication skills. Readings of cultural, historical, social, and literary significance will be used to advance students’ Spanish proficiency.
Total Credits
3
Course Competencies
  1. Write well-developed summaries and essays
    Assessment Strategies
    Complete weekly writing activities
    Write an argumentative essay
    Write an essay based on your own portfolio-topic
    Criteria
    use appropriately the gender, number, and verbal agreement rules
    use advanced structures to convey clear ideas in paragraph-like writings by using the appropriate tense and mode verbal conjugations.
    include vocabulary that you have learned during class, your own readings, and your own topic of research.
    provide explanations and details to support your ideas in your essays.
    incorporate transition words to make your writing more coherent and cohesive.

  2. Demonstrate oral proficiency in the target language
    Assessment Strategies
    Participate in oral weekly discussions
    Record weekly videos answering to specific topics and answering to peers’ questions
    Criteria
    provide details to express complex ideas and produce paragraph-length communications to clarify your message.
    embed transition words to make your speech more coherent, and cohesive.
    use communicative strategies to stay in the target language to convey your message.
    identify cultural significant details within the topic and explain them clearly when having a conversation, a discussion, or when providing video response.
    have accurate pronunciation that makes your message clear and understandable to other people.

  3. Demonstrate presentational skills in the target language
    Assessment Strategies
    Discuss (verbally) social issues affecting Spanish speaking cultures based on research.
    Do oral presentations
    Criteria
    provide details to express complex ideas and use paragraph-length communications in your presentations.
    do oral presentations providing details and sustain target language use throughout the presentations.
    use transition words to make your presentations more coherent, cohesive, and engaging.
    identify cultural significant details within the topic and explain them clearly in the presentations.

  4. Converse, discuss, ask, and answer questions at an intermediate level related to familiar and researched topics
    Assessment Strategies
    Complete writing activities communicating with other people
    Complete listening, speaking, and recording video responses to other people
    Criteria
    respond in paragraph-length, both orally and written.
    use different communicative strategies to convey your message in the target language and avoid the use of English.
    communicate accurately in paragraph-length messages orally.
    use different question formation structures to sustain conversations with others, including peers and other native speakers.
    create complex questions when speaking and writing on both familiar and unfamiliar topics.
    use different questions to ask for clarification.

  5. Analyze written texts
    Assessment Strategies
    Conduct reading portfolio based on research
    Participate in class discussion based on different topic readings
    Criteria
    express opinions based on the readings and other researched topics.
    cite from the readings when expressing opinions or thoughts.
    maintain conversations with others by providing specific details and opinions connected to readings and other written sources.
    identify important details that are culturally significant in the texts.
    expand the vocabulary based on the readings.
    employ different reading and taking notes strategies for different types of texts.

  6. Comprehend high-level spoken Spanish
    Assessment Strategies
    Participate in class discussions
    Record videos
    Participate in oral exams and interviews
    Perform oral presentations
    Criteria
    interpret messages containing advanced grammar.
    use new vocabulary learned from the readings, oral discussions, and video recordings.
    employ effective listening comprehension strategies.
    use different communicative strategies to convey your message, ask for clarification in the target language, and avoid the use of English.
    comprehend oral paragraph-length messages.

  7. Compare and contrast cultural perspectives, traditions, places, people, practices, and tools
    Assessment Strategies
    Discuss readings researched for their portfolio
    Participate in topic discussions
    Discuss class topic readings
    Criteria
    use both adjectives and adverbs in both comparative and superlative structure to express comparisons and contrasts.
    contrast cultural differences and appreciate them.
    describe key aspects of Spanish-speaking cultures.
    connect history and current events to culture.
    use complex structures in paragraph-length communications about this topic, both orally and in writing.
    recognize culturally significant details in both written texts and spoken messages.
    compare your own cultural experience, practices, and perspectives with those of other cultures.
    identify the value of knowing different languages and understanding different cultures.

  8. Express opinions and hypothetical situations about familiar and researched topics
    Assessment Strategies
    Read and write weekly paragraphs about different articles
    Listen and record spoken video responses about read articles or informational videos
    Criteria
    use accurately structures such as “si” clauses to discuss hypothetical situations.
    use correct verb forms, including the subjunctive, to express opinions and complex ideas.
    use complex structures to express opinions and hypothetical situations through speaking and writing on both familiar and researched topics.
    ask others about their opinion to engage in further conversations while staying in the target language.

  9. Narrate familiar and researched topics, in both writing and speaking, using paragraphs most of the time
    Assessment Strategies
    Writing, reading, speaking, and listening activities
    Criteria
    use accurately the preterit and the imperfect conjugations to narrate events in the past.
    use a variety of verbs in the future to narrate events in the future.
    use complex structures in both speaking and writing messages, using adverbial phrases and transition words to have a coherent and cohesive narration.
    use different communicative strategies to stay in the target language to convey your message while avoiding the use of English.