IB Course OutlineSpanish B SLBrockton High SchoolKristina Sablevicius

Course description:

The Spanish B Standard Level course is a two year, 150 hour course focused on developing students’ language proficiency and cultural awareness. In this course, students will improve listening, speaking, reading and writing skills in Spanish while discussing authentic literature and film, as well as current events. Cultural perspectives on topics will also be addressed, offering students the opportunity to cultivate a deeper understanding and compassion for people of all ethnicities. Correct use of grammar and syntax will be acquired contextually in situations which range from useful everyday language to that which is analytical and abstract. Students taking this course are required to take the IB Spanish B Standard Level exam in May of the second year.

The Spanish B Standard Level course is intended to improve students’ language fluency, and requires some previous experience with the language. Before entering Spanish B Standard Level, students will have completed Spanish III in accordance with the Brockton High School grade achievement policy. Consent of the department head is required to waive this prerequisite.

While developing fluency in Spanish, students in this course will also mature in their ability to communicate with people in their native language by acquiring the capacity to select language appropriate to different cultural and social contexts. By expressing sensitivity to his or her audience, each student will have dramatically improved communications skills which are valuable for life.

Topics to be addressed:

Listening and Speaking (Oral Communication):In this course students will become proficient at giving and receiving information and sharing thoughts and opinions orally in Spanish. Through frequent listening and speaking activities, students will become comfortable creating language spontaneously, in situations which are both familiar and unfamiliar. Students will also be exposed to different regional dialects of the language so that they may learn to appreciate the variations and causes for those variations in the language. Speaking activities will include everyday conversation, role play, interviews, debates, and formal presentations. Listening materials will include film, television, news programs, music, and radio programs. The internal assessment, to occur during the second year of the course, will be an oral assessment.

Reading:Students will be exposed to a variety of texts in this course in order to develop a deeper understanding of the contexts in which different types of language are used. Students will learn to find and use information in functional texts such as newspaper articles, travel brochures, advertisements, instructions, and schedules. Students will read business

and friendly letters to analyze tone and register. Students will also read a variety of literary works including short stories and poems written by Spanish and Latin American authors.

Writing:Students will produce written language using appropriate form and register by writing multiple types of texts. Students will compare and contrast, develop and support opinions, and generate responses to what they have read or heard. They will write texts for a range of audiences including business and friendly letters, film and book reviews, essays, advertisements, brochures, journal entries, and newspaper articles. Students will learn to analyze and improve their own writing, while reviewing and learning correct grammar and form.

Assessments:

Assessment for IB Spanish B Standard Level will be divided into three parts; quarterly grades, internal assessment, and external assessment.

Quarterly grades: Students in this course will receive quarterly grades following the procedure of Brockton High School. These quarterly grades will reflect multiple assessments to include class participation, homework, projects, quizzes, and tests.

Internal assessment: Internal assessment is worth 30% of each student’s examination grade. The internal assessment is comprised of two activities, the individual oral assignment, and the interactive oral assignment.

The individual oral assignment, which is moderated externally by the IBO, is a brief oral presentation on a topic chosen by the student. Students will have researched the topic, and will be asked to answer follow up questions posed by the teacher after the presentation. This oral presentation will be recorded and scored by the teacher using criterion and rubrics established by the IBO. Samples will be sent to the IBO for moderation.

The interactive oral activity will take place in class between students in groups or pairs. Situations for the interactive oral activity may include debates, discussions, interviews, or role-playing scenarios. This activity will be recorded, but will be assessed only by the teacher.

External assessment: Students will be externally assessed by IBO in the form of a three-hour examination in May of the second year. In the first part of the external assessment, students will be asked to answer questions based on a number of written texts and complete a writing task in response to a text. Students will be provided with and hour and a half to complete this section of the exam, which is worth 40% of the exam mark.In the second part of the external assessment, students will choose one writing task out of four choices. Writing tasks may include, but are not limited to, a letter, an excerpt of a short story, and a news article. Students will be provided with an hour and a half to complete this section of the exam, which is worth 30% of the exam mark.

Teaching Strategies:In order to encourage each student to become a lifelong learner, a variety of teaching strategies will be used in this course, with emphasis on student-centered learning. Students will be encouraged to ask and seek answers to questions. Class time will involve guided discussion, communicative activities, guided independent study, and some lecture.

Resources:

1.What we have now:a. Severely damaged, outdated copies of Albumb. One shared stereo per BHS buildingc. 8 computers with internet access in each of four separate buildings, subject to availability

2.What we need for the course:a. 30 Spanish-English dictionaries b. 30 copies of Album, Third Edition, Houghton Mifflin Co. ISBN 0-618-50718-3c. 30 Album audio CDs for students, ISBN 0-618-51290-Xd. 30 copies of En Marcha, Prentice Hall, ISBN 0-8384-0294-1e. 30 copies of Abriendo Paso Lectura, Prentice Hall, ISBN 0-8384-1774-4f. 30 copies of Abriendo Paso Gramática, Prentice Hall ISBN 0-8384-2624-7g. 2 copies each of Abriendo Paso workbooks, for Lectura and Gramáticah. Access to a computer lab with internet accessi. A large, wall-size world map

3. What is desired for the course:a. A complete, stationary language labb. A laptop computer with CD-RW for use by the instructor (for recording and playback of audio files, as well as presentations)

Internationalism:Students in the Spanish B SL course will begin to understand the importance of Spanish language and culture. Gaining fluency in Spanish, which is spoken by over 400 million people in the world and is the official language in 22 countries, will not only enrich students’ lives, it will also make each student a more effective and competitive individual in today’s global economy.

Through the study of the varying cultures of Spain and Latin America, students will become compassionate members of the global community. They will use the experience with new points of view to analyze their own beliefs and motivations, and to better understand those of others. Students will leave this course well prepared to promote peace and understanding in the world around them.