This year's Spanish IV class is
quite small--Megan Lansing and Julie Champion. Because of its size,
this class has been combined with
sixth-period Spanish II, which has sixteen students. They receive
their assignments at the beginning of the week, and they are always prompt
in completing them. Julie and Megan work very independently and are
quite responsible.
After having reviewed the verbs studied in Spanish III last year, they are now using the brand-new Spanish III textbook, Realidades III, to expand their vocabulary and practice grammatical concepts previously learned. This new text also offers many interesting readings, especially on cultural topics. Julie and Megan are continuing to learn about Hispanic folklore and improve their reading techniques by using an intermediate reader, Leyendas Latinoamericanas. The students also use the computers in the lab or media center to enhance their skills. They also go to the media center to watch lengthy videos on artists and other topics not of interest to the Spanish II students. They will also read a novel in Spanish, El Ultimo Secreto, which is the sequel to a novel read in Spanish III. Although we wish we could have an entirely separate Spanish IV class, these students demonstrate good study habits and take responsibility for their own learning.
The curriculum of Spanish IV emphasizes
the advancement of reading and writing skills. The students have a copy
of the Quality Core Curriculum Standards for Spanish IV and are preparing
themselves to take placement tests in college. These standards are
available in full at the Georgia Department of Education's website:
http://www.glc.k12.us/passwd/search/srchqcc/Standard.asp?SubjectID=9&9-12.