This article is an overview of the Freshmen Spanish and AP Spanish Language & Culture classes. Below, Spanish teacher, Ms. Viscarra talks about what the two classes will cover and what to expect.
Who are you?
My name is Ms. Viscarra, I am the Spanish teacher for 9th graders, but I also have the pleasure of teaching Regents level Spanish to the 11th and 12th graders. I have been teaching Spanish for the past 7 years, 5 of those years at WHSAD. I was born and raised in Ecuador, and I moved to the United States at 18 years old. I obtained my Education degree at Stony Brook and got my master’s degree in TESOL at Long Island University. I am proud to say that I am the cool aunt to my beautiful 8 nieces and nephews. I have 2 amazing stepsons, a supportive and really funny partner, and Bizcocho my crazy dog. In the picture above I am with students from AP Spanish. We went to see a play in El Repertorio Espanol about Don Quijote de la Mancha.
What’s the Curriculum like? (Pre-Quarantine and Post-Quarantine).
For AP Spanish the curriculum is based on topics such as the environment, social problems and solutions, among others. In this class, I try to emphasize the four modalities such as writing, reading, listening, and speaking skills in Spanish. Students have to provide many write-ups and project-based activities. Students also focus on the cultural aspect of the language and compare it to their own lives and communities. Pre COVID the class would culminate by students taking the Regents exam; however, due to the pandemic regulation, this year was suspended. Many changes had occurred this year due to the health crisis. One of the problems is that students don’t get to interact and practice the language with each other, which makes it more difficult to practice it. However, having different platforms online has helped the students to practice the language and hopefully obtain the proficiency they are looking for. This year students have been forced to be more autonomous, which in the long run I feel will help them in the future for college or the workforce.
What is the level of difficulty in the class?
The level of difficulty depends on the student’s level of commitment. I try to make classes as interactive and fun as possible. My goal is for students to love the language or at least to have a good time while we learn. Having a 100 in the class is more than possible, and I make it this way because I want students to be successful and hopefully carry on learning Spanish after high school.
What tests do students have to take at the end of the school year?
The Regents exam.
Examples of projects:
