Spanish Class Vision and Goals

Context
Kensington High School for Creative and Performing Arts, also known as Kensington CAPA or
KCAPA, is a public school in the School District of Philadelphia. As a neighborhood school, it
mostly serves the population of the surrounding Kensington area in which it is located. As of the
2014-2015 school year, enrollment was about 500 students.

From: https://webapps.philasd.org/school_profile/view/5520

The student population is incredibly diverse and particularly has a very large Latino community.
As of the 2014-2015 school year, the ethnicities of the student population are demonstrated
below:

From: https://webapps.philasd.org/school_profile/view/5520

Given the large Latino population, many of the students are bilingual, English Language
Learners, or are at least exposed to Spanish language at home. The chart below demonstrates that
as of the 2014-2015 school year, a significant part of the student population is ELL.

From: https://webapps.philasd.org/school_profile/view/5520

Students with special education needs also make up about 20% of the population, as shown
below:

From: https://webapps.philasd.org/school_profile/view/5520

Finally, 100% of the student body is classified as economically disadvantaged:

From: https://webapps.philasd.org/school_profile/view/5520

The unique characteristics of Kensington CAPAs student body plays a key role in the
development of our Spanish class vision and goals. The Kensington communitys demographics
will greatly influence the culture and everyday proceeding of our Spanish classroom. Another
important influence is the schools appreciation of creative and performing arts. The influence of
the Kensington community and the schools focus on creative and performing arts will greatly
influence our vision and goals.
Everyday life at Kensington CAPA is guided by the vision of being KCAPA Proud. These
values are in line with our Spanish vision and goals. A person who is PROUD is in line with the
following values each and every day:

Prepared: come to class with the materials and tools to learn every day
Respect: treat everyone with respect
On Time: come to class on time and ready to learn
United: work together, work as a team, create a family environment
Dedicated: work hard and show an interest in learning

Access
As an educator, I have a responsibility to each students. It is my mission to ensure that each
individual is given the resources and opportunities to move forward as they continue their
education. My ability to provide each individual with the access to resources that they deserve
should be directly correlated with student progress.
I will work to be a resource for both the beginners and advanced or native Spanish speakers in
the classroom. While course content must be maintained at an appropriate level for all students in
the classroom, more advanced students will be engaged and encouraged to contribute their own
knowledge of the language and culture.

Academic Growth
Students will demonstrate academic growth through mastery of the necessary course content.
This information is outlined in the Pennsylvania State Standards and Performance Unit Plan as
follows:
Students will engage in conversations, provide and obtain information, express feelings and
emotions, and exchange opinions.
Students will understand and interpret written and spoken language on a variety of topics.
Students will present information, concepts, and ideas to an audience of listeners or readers on a
variety of topics.
Students will demonstrate an understanding of the relationship between the practices and
perspectives of the culture studied.
Students will demonstrate an understanding of the relationship between the products and
perspectives of the culture studied.
The preceding objectives will be accomplished with a specific focus on, but not limited to, the
following topics:

Numbers and practical uses

Teen Life
School Life
Food
Family
House and Home
Given the diverse backgrounds and experiences with the language, academic growth will vary
from student to student in the class. Each student is expected to demonstrate their own
appropriate academic progress as the course develops. It is essential that the students complete
all course objectives to maximize their opportunities not only in Spanish class, but also as they
move forward with their academic careers. Students will demonstrate that they value their
education and recognize the importance of academic success.

Personal Growth
The primary impact that this course will have on the personal growth of each student is their
development as outstanding communicators and critical thinkers. While the primary focus will be
their communication in the target language, the skills acquired in this course will also be
applicable to communication in any language. Student growth as effective communicators and
critical thinkers can be described as follows:

Effective Communicators

o Throughout the year, 100% of students exhibit growth in their communication

skills in the target language.
Students will show growth in the areas of reading, writing, speaking,
and listening in the target language.
Students will be able to effectively communicate in the interpersonal,
interpretive, and presentational modes of communication.
o Effective communication will assessed in a variety of ways including but not
limited to:
Students will exhibit growth in reading, writing, speaking, and listening
portions of assessments over the course of the year.
Student communication via the interpersonal, interpretive, and
presentational modes will be both encouraged as well as assessed with a
participation grade.
Critical Thinkers
o 100% of students will develop skills as critical thinkers. Critical thinking skills
enables students to analyze and evaluate objectively to create well-informed
opinions. Critical thinking skills will be applicable not only to the target language,
but also to every day scenarios as students move forward with their education and
into the working world.

Critical thinking skills and effective communication are complementary aspects of personal
growth. As a member of society it is important to critically evaluate a situation, and it is equally
important to be able to effectively communicate the opinions formed through these skills.
Furthermore, the practical benefits of acquiring a second language will contribute to each
students personal growth.

Practical Benefits of Bilingualism

o The increasing role of Spanish on a global scale is rapidly reshaping language and
culture in all scenarios including the workplace, politics, and local communities.
Knowing a second language opens a wide variety of career and educational
opportunities that would not be available otherwise.

Social and Cultural Awareness

Topics of social and cultural significance are an important component of any Spanish class.
While it is necessary that each student gain a better understanding of speaking, listening, reading,
and writing the language, it is equally important that lessons explore the rich social and cultural
components of Spanish speakers.
Of particular importance are the social, political, and cultural implications of Spanish in the
surrounding community. Kensington is comprised of a large population of Spanish speakers. It is
our goal to encourage each student to embrace their community by being engaged in the
classroom each day.

It is important for students to understand that their community and background is a strength that
will guide them through school and give them a stepping stone in their personal and professional
life.
In particular, the following skills particular to social and cultural awareness will be examined in
our Spanish class:

Awareness of Cultural Diversity on a Global Scale

o 100% of students will develop an awareness of cultural diversity as it is exhibited
on a global scale, with a particular focus on Spanish-speaking countries and
regions.
Students will engage in lessons integrated into the course examining
different topics of cultural significance in the Spanish-speaking world.
o Awareness of cultural diversity will be assessed in a variety of ways including but
not limited to:
As it will be integrated into the course on a daily basis, topics of cultural
significance will be integrated into assessments.
Students will be given the opportunity to demonstrate their own
development of cultural diversity on a global scale through a capstone
creative or research project.
o The rich history and diversity of Spanish language and culture