Señor Valerio - Español AP at Fiorello H. LaGuardia HS of Music & Art and Performing Arts

Se encuentran en la página web creada en exclusivo para los alumnos de las clases de AP Español del año 2011-2012 en La Guardia Arts.
El nombre de este punto de encuentro virtual, CLASSJUMP.COM, refleja muy bien la idea que conlleva estar en un curso de colocación avanzada (así se puede decir "advanced placement" en español). Ya que más que dar un "paso" (a step), estar en una clase de AP supone dar un "salto" (a jump). Es decir, un salto de una clase secundaria a una clase universitaria, a un nivel superior de aprendizaje. En el caso de ustedes, la brecha que hay que saltar es más grande todavía por el año entero de preparación que les falta. O sea que un salto, nunca mejor dicho. Y todo esto, claro, implica muchísimo más esfuerzo de parte del estudiante.

Por lo tanto, para amortiguar el impacto que se produzca al saltar, el verano será la clave. Estos dos meses les servirán como el puente que puede llevarlos con bien al otro lado.

Es muy importante que los alumnos de AP Español realicen una serie de tareas para prepararse para el curso. Estas tareas consisten en una variedad de actividades útiles para el desarollo de destrezas puntuales según los objetivos del curso.

I hope you got all that.

Let me now shift to English here to detail what you need to do for the summer homework. Muy importante...

First, register as a student and log in using your new screen name (you have to use your real name for this, not a nickname and don't forget to write the first letter of your first and last names in capital letters) and password. At this point you can also subscribe to receive regular updates AND send me an e-mail (en español, por favor) through the site so I know you're in. This is also a way you may contact me if you have any questions about the course or the homework.
Then, you can look around to familiarize yourselves with this site. Check out the articles on the right hand side, like the article on the profile of a successful language student, for example, click on some of the links (Enlaces útiles) etc.
Now go to the Message Board (below this section) and click on the subject "Presentaciones". Click on "Add reply" and write a short introduction about yourself in Spanish with a minimum of 50 words. Feel free to respond to other students' posts as well.
Now, go back to the home page and scroll further down to start reading about the summer homework. These activities are mostly internet based so prepare to spend a good amount of time on the computer to do them. Some will require you to practice specific language skills, with most emphasizing on integrating these skills which is what makes the new format of the AP Spanish language exam more challenging (more on that later). Others are interactive and will ask you to post and react to your classmates' posts on the message board.

Each activity will require one to two hours of work each so as a suggestion you should do one each week over two months. If you start doing these activities no later than July 1st, you will have ample time to do all of them well. Remember there are no short cuts to mastering a language so do not rush through these activities or do them solely for the sake of getting credit. You are also strongly encouraged to use the summer to hone your Spanish speaking skills. Be creative in doing this and seek out opportunities to SPEAK SPANISH THIS SUMMER! I cannot overemphasize the importance of this one simple task.

All the written portions of the homework will need to be in Spanish, unless otherwise indicated and are due on September 7th, the first day of the Fall term.

Pues ahí lo tienen. ¡Ahora toca empezar a trabajar! --pero no sin disfrutar de cada cosa buena que nos deparan las vacaciones. ¡Un verano feliz a todos!

El perfil de un estudiante exitoso de idiomas
updated March 27, 2011
An AP Spanish Language student…. 1. knows that there are no short cuts to learning a language and is committed to go the distance 2. appreciates the difference between acquiring and learning...

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Upcoming Events and Homework

Ideas para el proyecto final (Homework)

DUE DATE: June 13

A continuación tienen algunas sugerencias para los proyectos finales de la clase. Los alumnos pueden optar por hacer más de un proyecto y puede que sea uno que no está en la lista. La idea es profundizar en temas de importancia histórica, cultural, artística etc. en el mundo hispano. Si se trata de un trabajo que hay que entregar, la fecha tope es el último día del semestre, el 14 de junio.

1. Peer tutoring. For this project, the student tutor needs to record the progress of the student he or she is tutoring by keeping a log in Spanish. There are more students that need tutors. Consult the list I have if you're interested.

2. Video Podcasts. This activity consists of videotaping yourself speaking in Spanish on a subject that you're interested in. It will be like a news report with the student as a correspondent. The project may include a group of students from the class or from other classes. The topic should be approved by the teacher beforehand and should be at least 5 minutes in length and entirely done in Spanish. This should be submitted in DVD format.

3. A term paper. This term paper should be a longer version of the formal essay of the AP Test, on a topic of your own choosing (consult the different chapters of Reflejos for some ideas and even the films viewed in class) and develops a thesis statement using a variety of sources to support it. Remember that this is not a report (and cannot involve just cutting and pasting sources from the Internet) but a well-organized term paper that requires synthesizing ideas and interpreting data.

4. An in-class oral presentation in Spanish of a cultural aspect of the Spanish speaking world. Examples are cooking demonstrations, a Spanish or Latin American musical or dance forms, etc. This will be done in class and need to be scheduled. It should also be accompanied by a written report.

5. A book or film review (including films that have been seen in class).

6. An artistic creation: an original poem, song or composition in Spanish, a painting or drawing etc. representing an aspect of Spanish-speaking world. This should be accompanied by a description of the artist's philosophy and artistic process in Spanish.

7. Help with building the Spanish AP Class website for next year.

Fiorello H. LaGuardia HS of Music & Art and Performing Arts
Señor Valerio - Español AP

articles

El perfil de un estudiante exitoso de idiomas
posted on March 27, 2011

Rincón de conversación
posted on June 26, 2010

Tácticas de conversación
posted on June 18, 2009

Expectativas para la clase de AP Español
posted on July 19, 2008

Mis vacaciones de verano
posted on July 19, 2008

Enlaces útiles
posted on June 26, 2008

Amplia tu vocabulario
posted on June 26, 2008

Sondeos (Polls)
posted on June 26, 2008

Mis cosas favoritas
posted on June 26, 2008

Rincón de música
posted on June 23, 2008