Criteria and Expectations for Spanish Classes
Middlebury Union High School Fall Semester 2010 ~ Sue Perna
GRADING
All homework, class work, writing assignments, quizzes, oral assessments, and tests will be assigned a
point value based on the length, difficulty, and importance of the assignment. For example, a
homework assignment might be assigned a value of 20 points. If you receive the grade of 16/20 you
have earned 16 of a possible 20 points (or 80% for that assignment). The marking period and semester
grades will be determined by dividing the sum of the denominators into the sum of the numerators (for
all assignments) to determine a percent based grade point average. The percentage will be converted
to a letter grade as per MUHS policy.
BONUS POINTS
Oral class participation and work ethic will be rewarded in the following manner: ‘bonus’ points will be
awarded for classroom participation (as well as for extra effort outside of class). These points will be
recorded and tallied. At the end of the marking period (quarter) those students whose total bonus
points are in the top third of the class will have 2 points added to their cumulative average. Students in
the middle range of points will have 1 point added. Students in the bottom third will not have any
points added to their cumulative average, nor will they lose points or be penalized. Enthusiastic
participation can only help your grade!
REVISION OF ASSIGNMENTS
Students may elect to redo certain assignments in order to earn more points. This includes all
compositions, some exam essays, and most written work (for obvious reasons NOT a True/False
exercise or exercises we have gone over in class). The added points will be recorded in a separate
column on the grade spreadsheet so that students and parents can compare original effort to second
effort. Mathematically a grade of 6+2 is equal to a grade of 8 but shows that the grade was produced
through two attempts. Please remember that although I encourage students to redo assignments the
energy and INITIATIVE to do so must come from the student him/herself and revisions must be
completed in a TIMELY manner, which in the case of compositions, should be before the NEXT
composition is due. Please consider: revisions are not just a point boost for your grade; they are a great
learning strategy as they help you to avoid repeating mistakes.
LATE ASSIGNMENTS
All homework will have a due-date -- assumed to be the next day unless otherwise stated.
SIGNIFICANT point reductions will be made for late/overdue work (10% per day). NO CREDIT will be
given if assignments have already been corrected in class. NO late assignments will be accepted after the
end of a marking period, interim marking period, or after the end of a unit of study to which that
assignment pertains. The reason for this is that language learning is a very cumulative endeavor. Each
new skill builds on previous skills. It is in the best interest of every student to strive to stay current with
the sequence of assignments. Assignments will be posted on the MUHS page: www.muhstigers.org
(under academics /world languages /Susan Perna /course title) with live links to copies of assignments
whenever possible.
CLASS ABSENCE
When classes are missed for sports or other anticipated absences it will be the responsibility of the
student to inform him/herself of assignments and to complete all homework and hand this in ON
TIME. A student should anticipate that he/she would take a test or quiz on the first day back after such
an absence. In the event of an unforeseen absence, such as illness, an arrangement must be made to
make-up work as soon as possible. In the case of willful unexcused absence (‘SKIPPING’) the student
will forfeit his/her right to any and all make-up work.
TRANSLATORS AND WRITING
Good writing is a skill that MUHS as a school strives to teach, and the World languages Department
supports this goal by incorporating much writing practice into our classes at all levels. Pocket or
computer (internet) translators may not be used to assist in writing compositions. Students may use a
bilingual dictionary and they may use a pocket translator to translate isolated words for use in writing,
but text must be composed directly in Spanish by the individual. The garbled language that electronic
translators produce is immediately recognizable. Composing a text in English, having a computer
translate it, asking me to read and grade it, is a waste of everyone’s time! I will not give ANY credit for
assignments done in this manner. If I suspect that a student is using a translator I will require that
he/she complete writing assignments in a supervised environment such as detention.
VIDEO
The use of video is a key element in our curriculum, as it is so useful for practicing listening
comprehension and exploring cultural themes, and is very engaging for students. On occasion these
videos may contain material that some parents and students may find objectionable. The teacher will
endeavor to advise parents of upcoming movie titles and ratings so that they may inform themselves of
content or preview them. Parents-- if you have concerns in this regard please contact me.
EXTRA HELP AND TUTORING
I am available for extra help at certain times for drop-in and at others upon request. My planning block
first semester is Block III, period 7 and Lunch II. During that time I will be either in my room, D-103.
If you wish to meet with me before or after school, you should make a verbal arrangement with me prior
to meeting since many days I have duties (detention/bus) or meetings. Students who need more
assistance during the school day may wish to seek a peer tutor. I strongly encourage any student who
feels lost or confused to seek help IMMEDIATELY! Again, the cumulative nature of language learning
means that problems can quickly snowball. Be a pro-active and assertive learner. On the flip side, if
you are willing to offer your help to other students as a tutor, PLEASE DO sign-up in the Learning Lab!
It is a great way to strengthen your own language skills-- helping yourself while helping someone else.
SUPPLIES
All students will need a three-ring binder for Spanish class and a supply of note paper. Students in
intermediate level and above should consider purchasing a bilingual dictionary.
¡Que todos pasen un excelente semestre! (Have a great semester!)
Sue Perna (382-1139) or email me at: sperna@acsu.k12.vt.us
Please Note: My new classroom is D-103