Cherry Creek High School

Spanish 1 Syllabus
Clase de Español 1

¡Hola a todos! Bienvenidos a mi clase de Español 1. Estoy muy contenta de teneros en mi clase
de español este año y poder compartir el idioma y la cultura tan bonita como el español. Soy Ms.
Liza Veysikh y soy originalmente de Rusia. Desde mi niñez, siempre quería ser profesora y mi
abuelo era muy influyente en perseguir esta meta. En la Universidad estudié español y relaciones
internacionales y luego fui a España por un semestre. ¡Tengo un montón de cuentos de mis viajes
por Europa! Hace cuatro años, he recibido mi maestría y he enseñado niños pequeños y
adolescentes también. Este año, he decidido enseñar aquí en Cherry Creek y me alegro de estar
aquí con vosotros. Me encanta viajar, bailar, tocar piano, escuchar música, y pasar tiempo con mi
familia. Yo sé hablar el ruso, el español, el inglés, un poco de portugués y un poco de francés.
Hi all! Welcome to my Spanish 1 class. I am very happy to have all of you here in my class this
year and being able to share the beautiful Spanish language and culture. My name is Liza
Veysikh and I am originally from Russia. From my childhood, I always wanted to become a
teacher and my grandpa influenced me to pursue my goals. In University of Denver, I studied
Spanish and International Relations and later went to study in Spain for a semester. I have a lot
of stories to tell about my trips in Europe! Recently, I have received my Masters degree and I
have taught both elementary kids and high school kids. This year, I have decided to teach here at
Cherry Creek and I am very happy being here with all of you. I love to travel, dance, play the
piano, listen to music and spend time with my family. I know how to speak Russian, English,
Spanish, a little bit of Portuguese and a little bit of French.
I would love to share all the stories about my travels and have prepared many different types of
activities and materials for you to succeed and enjoy my class. I hope you will grow to like my
class, and if not, please let me know because I am willing to be flexible and share your ideas
about what we can change so that you can succeed. If you have any concerns or problems, please
talk to me directly and we will resolve any issues that you might have. I really want to get to
know all of you, your family, what you and dislike, your interests, and everything you want to
learn in Spanish this year.
Ms. Veysikh

Spanish 1
2021
Instructor: Yelizaveta (Liza) Veysikh
Email: [email protected]
Office Phone number: (720) 554-2041
Office: IC 705A
Classroom website: schoology
Tutoring hours: 2nd period or by appointment
*Please do not come in during lunch if you need tutoring. You can make up a quiz/test during
that time. There are plenty of other times you can come in if you need extra help. The same
goes for emails. I will answer emails promptly from Monday to Friday. I don’t check my
emails over the weekend.
Spanish 1 Course Description
Spanish I is a broad based course designed to introduce the student to all aspects of foreign
language study. I will be focusing on reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills and use the
CI approach as well to help guide my students through the first level of Spanish. This course is
modeled on the communicative approach where emphasis is placed on communicating a message
through meaning-bearing input and structured output rather than repetition and rote
memorization. We will do grammar and vocabulary as well, but our primary focus is to be able
to communicate in Spanish on a basic level. While it is still important for you to study
vocabulary and produce the language, our approach will be directed toward the exploration and
deeper understanding of the language.
Cultural information is provided and taught throughout the duration of the course. Students will
do research on various cultural topics. This is achieved by groups, partners and individual
practice dependent on the subject. Emphasis is placed on conversation, vocabulary and correct
usage of the language. Correct pronunciation and oral proficiency are the primary goals. This
requires a daily emphasis on listening and speaking. The classroom experience will provide an
appreciation and development of cultural awareness through various readings, media resources
and authentic materials.
This course teaches basic language patterns and vocabulary, focusing on all four language skills
listening, speaking, reading and writing. Culture is also an integral part of the course and is
introduced through the use of media, adapted readings and class discussions. In addition to
written tests and quizzes, students may also be assessed by means of listening and speaking
activities. Homework assignments are an integral part of this course; they reinforce and build
new connections between concepts/skills explored in class, which enable students to participate
in class in a more meaningful way. Active participation is expected to excel in this course.

Most of the class will be in Spanish, however some things will be reinforced in English, such as
directions and grammar concepts. I will be speaking Spanish 80% of the time.
Goals
● To communicate in Spanish
● Gain understanding and knowledge of other cultures
● Connect with other disciplines and acquire literacy in the language
● Gain insight into the nature of language culture
● Connect with other disciplines and acquire information
● Discuss the significant contributions of Hispanic people and cultures
● Review and expand the study of common vocabulary topics
● Participate in expanded conversations in the target language
● Read, write, speak, and listen for meaning in Spanish
 ● Students will be able to describe the world that surrounds him/her in the present tense,
compare and contrast, talk about events in present and planned future events, and give
commands.
● Students will use Spanish almost exclusively. If the student lacks the specific lexical
knowledge to express an idea, the student will develop the ability to maneuver within the
same context by using Spanish and gesticulation rather than falling back on English.
● Student’s speaking will be evaluated daily during output activities as part of their
participation score and twice during the semester via oral interviews. •
● Listening: The majority of the course will be taught in Spanish. Students will be
responsible for self-advocating; if the student doesn’t understand something or if the
instructor is going too fast, student will request repetition (Repita, por favor) or a slower
pace (Más despacio, por favor). Aside from pronunciation practice, students will not be
expected to simply parrot information back to the instructor or to his/her peers.
● Writing: Students will demonstrate mastery of material and individual point of view.
Students will use wordreference.com or a dictionary of their choosing to best express the
desired message efficiently and accurately. I will be happy to help you with early drafts
of all writing assignments and you may receive help on grammar points and vocabulary
selection, but the expression must be your own and use of translation websites will be
cause for an automatic fail on that assignment

Recurring Content
● Vocabulary- new set of vocabulary words pertaining to a theme. Each topic is presented
in context and with stories and then the vocabulary is further practiced through a variety
of interactive activities. Students will receive vocabulary lists every unit.
● Grammar- each unit will have new grammar patterns. The concepts will be introduced
first and then practiced in different interactive activities throughout the unit.
● Culture- each unit will present different cultural aspects of Spain and Latin-American
countries through short videos and presentations.
● “Out-of-seat” activities- several times during the year, students will be expected to use
the language outside of the classroom. These activities are important to be able to interact
in a genuine way with the Spanish language and culture. Such examples could include
projects or interviews.
● Speaking and writing activities- Every unit, students will have speaking production and
writing activities (Timed-writings). These might include writing in homework
assignments, free writing in journals as warm-ups, or writings through exams. These
activities give students a chance to become familiar with the speaking and writing
patterns of the Spanish language.
● Listening and Reading Comprehension Activities- each unit contains both listening and
reading comprehension. Throughout the year, we will read several readers/novels and
some other shorter stories in the target language. These activities will challenge students
to work on their literacy skills and identify main ideas and significant details.
● Assessments- Listening and reading comprehension activities, vocabulary quizzes,
chapter tests, the midterm and the final will be given throughout the year. Students will
also do oral exams, presentations, and other authentic activities to intensify their learning.
● Pronunciation-pronunciation is very important and will be presented and reinforced by
me.
 ● Webquests and Projects- every unit, there will be a project or webquest where students
will use each other and authentic sources from the Internet to help them learn the
language.
Major assignments
Daily Homework- Homework will be assigned every class period because learning a language is
a skill that needs to be practiced and reinforced at home. Every THURSDAY AND FRIDAY , I
will stamp your homework sheet and you get to keep all the packets, worksheets and other
activities. *Homework will be posted on schoology weekly. Please let me know if I forget to post
by messaging me on schoology or google classroom. I WILL NOT PRINT THE PACKETS. If
you need to print, you can always use the library or let me know if you don’t have access to a
computer at home. The packets will be uploaded in pdf format on schoology as part of the
assignment. That way we don’t use as much paper and you will have the work for homework
done in a separate notebook labeled: HOMEWORK/TAREA. Practice from flextext will also be
assigned. Homework is for completion but it is necessary to be completed. Every homework
will be a stamp which is worth 5 points each. I will collect your homework stamps every two-
three weeks. On a daily basis, students should review vocabulary with flashcards because
vocabulary quizzes come up quickly. We will check homework on the weekends (they will be
posted on schoology) to make sure you got correct answers.
Oral presentations- Students are expected to demonstrate oral proficiency through mini-dramas,
simulations, conversations with other classmates, and presentations in class. These presentations
will be worth around 50 points each.
Projects-Each unit there will be a project that will include a written part and an oral part.
Students will be expected to present their projects to the class. Projects will be around 50 points
each. We will have some time in class, but students will be expected to work on the projects at
home as well. Group projects will be monitored to make sure everyone contributes.
Quizzes- There will be small grammar and vocabulary quizzes throughout the unit to measure
mastery of the material. They are worth 10-20 points each.
Unit/chapter tests- These tests will measure students’ ability to master the content within each
unit. They are generally worth 50-80 points depending on how much is covered. They will
usually be given every unit and include matching, multiple choice sections, sentence writing and
short answer responses. A lot of the exams will be on the production of language, not just
recognition. The format of the exams is subject to change due to the hybrid learning model.
Classwork: : Students will be responsible for completing this work in class, often as a bell ringer
or extension activity after a concept is introduced for the first time. These assignments may be
online, written, or oral.
Classroom participation- Everyday students receive 3 points by coming to class on time, having
their homework ready, asking and answering questions and working with others. It is extremely
important. Even if students are shy, their willingness to speak the language in class, their
preparedness, is counted towards participation.
Warm-ups: Some warm-ups that are from the textbook will be written in the Classwork
notebook. If there is a warm-up not from the textbook, I will provide Calentamiento pages
(warm-up sheets) that I will collect every two/three weeks for points. Your notebook checks will
be done towards the end of each semester.
Active, Engaged Participation: Participation cannot be underestimated! Participation means
more than simply answering the teacher’s questions. It includes:
 - listening to the teacher and not tuning out
- minimizing distractions & taking responsibility for your own learning
- volunteering to ask/answer questions in Spanish
- helping others learn (especially your partner and/or group members!)
- communicating in Spanish for the entire class period to the maximum extent possible
- taking notes both in and out of class
- coming to class prepared and ON TIME
I will hand out a separate rubric for you to see how participation works. Coming to class late or
using your phones will not give you any participation points.

Semester Exams- At the end of the semester, students will be given a final which comprises all
the content presented during the semester. The percentage of the exam will be determined.

Re-Do Policy
Students must submit completed work to receive full points required classwork, projects, or
presentations. I will know when you use google translate and will not give points for that. If the
work is not completed, you can still turn it in for full credit at any point during the semester.
However, please note that by turning in work the last day of the school year, you are being
disrespectful to teachers who have to grade everything at the last minute. Please be proactive and
turn in late work in a week/two week time frame. That way, we are able to grade it efficiently
and you are able to track down missing assignments more easily. I do not allow retakes on
quizzes or exams and there are no test corrections. We practice a lot on vocabulary structures and
it is your responsibility to come prepared to ask questions if you are struggling, and to come in
for tutoring. Because we are focused on the communicative approach, not showing up to class
will affect your grade.
Late-work Policy
Students with excused absences from school may turn in missing work for full credit prior to the
end of the semester. . Students who fail to take a required assessment or submit a required
project will receive a “0” until they are completed. If you have not completed a quiz for a week
after your absence, it will stay a zero. I will put in a missing grade and then after a couple of
weeks, the “M” will become a 0 until you complete it. Also, students are expected to come in to
make up a quiz or a test during my off period, or after school by appointment. If they fail to show
up, the grade will remain a zero.
Absent Students
Students who are absent will either find the work posted on schoology scanned, let a friend or
classmate know to pick up missing work, or come in to receive the work after they return. It is
their responsibility to keep track of what assignments are missing and to catch up. Please
remember that you are required to make up missing work (readings and writings, not the
listening activities) and follow the guidelines as indicated in the Parent and Student Handbook. If
a student wishes to make up an item after school, they may do so by appointment only.

Oral and listening activities as well as partner activities will be exempt from.
Extra help
If you are struggling, please be proactive and come in for help. I am here for you during my off
periods as well as by appointment. Please come in to my classroom and we can work on missing
assignments and vocabulary with individualized whiteboards. We can also set up a zoom
meeting to discuss missing work or for tutoring. If you are not understanding something from
the beginning, it is imperative that you come in to get maximum input of the language.
Attendance/tardy policy: If student is 10 minutes late to class, the student will be marked
absent unless you have a pass from the administration or another teacher. If you come in after the
late bell, I will change the attendance at the end of class. Failure to do so will result in being
marked absent and your parents will get notified. Be aware that after 10 minutes you will be
marked absent. The door will be locked when class begins.
Grade Setup: Grades will include classwork (warm-ups, exit slips readings, writings, listening
activities, oral activities, etc), participation, assessments, homework and projects/presentations.
Grades will have a range of listening, reading, writing, and speaking as well as individual, group
activities. Participation and interpersonal communication is essential in this class. If you are
engaged, not speaking in English, actively listening, you will succeed with the Participation. You
will also have free writes, presentations, and compositions that will be added to the Product
grade.
Here is the grading scale:
Grading Scale:
90% - 100% = A
80% - 89% = B
70% - 79% = C
60% - 69% = D
Below 60% = F
Extra credit: I will give extra credit only ONCE during a semester. I will post a variety of
options for you to choose from. There will be free homework stamps occasionally and your not
used bathroom passes will also give you a free homework stamp.
Required Materials- pencils or pens, paper and notebooks. I would suggest you buy a
smaller notebook for TAREA (HOMEWORK) and one notebook labeled for TRABAJO
DE CLASE (CLASSWORK). Don’t worry as you will be keeping the class notebooks in
class and occasionally taking it home to study for exams. Please bring it back to the
classroom. The notebook for class will be used for taking notes and writing/asking questions/etc,
writing activities, reading comprehension, etc. Often, we will cut out speaking and listening
activities to glue into our notebooks or we will glue verb booklets and foldables, vocabulary
pictionaries, stories, and rubrics. This notebook will serve as your “progress portfolio” where
you will see how much of your Spanish language skills have grown and use that notebook next
year. You will also need a textbook, homework and other materials given out to you. I suggest
you keep a binder with the units clearly labeled and into separate sections such as (Class
Syllabus, Vocabulario y Grámatica, lecturas, tarea, calentamientos (warm-ups) and
miscellaneous including all handouts, packets (if printed) and worksheets given in class, weekly
assignments/stamps and a notes section if you decide to use loose-leaf paper for that) It is
strongly suggested that you keep it in that order so that you stay organized and not lose anything
until the end of the semester. Also, please bring notecards to practice vocabulary. Remember,
you don’t have to keep everything!
You can also bring your own laptop for work done on the computer. That is optional.
Textbook: We will follow the Entreculturas Level 1 text as a guide for the structure of the
curriculum. We will occasionally use other resources to enhance learning.

Classroom Expectations- Rules and guidelines set forth by the school will be adhered to.
General classroom rules include be responsible, be respectful, and be ready to learn. It is
important to be prepared for class, make an effort, and show respect for all students and teacher
in class. Bathrooms- students will be given two bathroom passes every grading period, or every
6 weeks. If you decide to use them, I will punch them. If you don’t decide to use them, they will
end up as a free homework stamp. Keep in mind that I am not punishing you and there are
always emergencies, but these are meant to make sure you are accountable of school work and
the time we have for class. We don’t have time to waste. You CANNOT leave class without a
pass and I suggest you go to the bathroom before or after class. Please ask if you can go the
bathroom in SPANISH, fill out the bathroom pass if needed, get a classroom bathroom pass, and
quietly leave the room. The first 10 min and the last 10 minutes of class/ You cannot leave.
Food/drinks- no food nor drinks (except water) is allowed in the classroom. If you have my class
after lunch, no food will be allowed. If you are non-compliant about it, there will be
repercussions. We have a lunch break and it is your responsibility to eat during that time.
Occasionally, I will provide you with snacks or food for parties. Again, this is meant for us to
keep the classroom clean and sanitary. Cellphones, headphones, spinners, and other electronic
devices- ARE NOT ALLOWED. I will assign you a number at the beginning of the year for your
phone pockets* camitas. You are expected to put your phone in there, and if you don’t, I will
have a chat with your parents, and talk to the deans. . Your phones will not be stolen, and you
will pick them up at the end of class. . If you have an emergency call, the main offic will always
call you, but aside from that, chatting with family or friends should be done outside of the
classroom. We will have occasional breaks when you are able to use your phones.
Academic Honesty: A student who is caught cheating on a test or quiz or on any assignment
will receive a zero on the assignment. Additionally, the school may assign days of suspension
for such an infraction.

Behavior Contract- students will sign a contract with teacher and parent agreeing to follow the
following rules:
● Come to class as much as possible. Skipping class will lower your grade and will not help
you succeed in class.
● Follow instructions the first time without debate. Insubordination and talking back will
result in either a phone call to the parent, a referral to the dean, and after school talks with
me, depending on the severity of the problem.
● Respect teacher and classmates. Do not distract class.
● Take care of personal business before class or during activity period.
● Come to class on time or a tardy slip will be issued.
● Food and drinks are not allowed- I will confiscate any item that I consider distracts the
student.
● Do not cheat. The grade will be a zero without any questions. The use of online
translators is NOT acceptable. Parents will be notified.
We will also include these rewards throughout the semester:
● 5 min extra phone/free time during a block day
● Reward from a prize box
 ● Free homework stamp
● Lunch with me
● Sit by a friend
● No homework pass
If a classroom as a whole is doing a wonderful job behavior wise you can choose from:
● Crazy sock party
● Zumba during a block day
● Cultural Food Party (food from the Spanish-speaking world)
● Free choice of game in Spanish
● Movie day
If you are non-compliant, you choose not to participate or are being rude to your peers or to me,
these are the consequences:
● email/phone call home
● Staying after school to complete work
● Referral to the administration

Scope and Sequence: we will be following the Entreculturas 1 textbook

I am pleased to be given the opportunity to teach your child in my class. Your involvement is
key to his or her success in this (or any) class. It is very important that you go over this syllabus
with your child. After reading the entire syllabus, please sign and date this letter in the space
provided at the bottom. Have your child return this page to me (signed and dated) no later
than January 15th It will be part of the homework grade. Keep the rest of the syllabus to
consult in the event of any future questions about the course. If you still have any questions or
concerns, please contact me by email at [email protected] or by phone as
soon as I get my number. I look forward to communicating with you to discuss your child’s
progress in this class.

Thank you,

Liza Veysikh
Spanish Teacher
Cherry Creek High School

My signature confirms that I have read the class syllabus and understand the expectations and
requirements of the class.

______________________________________________
Student’s First and Last Name (Print)
X__________________________________________Signature of Student
_________Date Signed

X________________________________________Signature of Parent or Guardian

___________________Phone number of Parent/Guardian