About me and my family
A. Assignment A Guidelines
DIRECTIONS: Write a paragraph (at least 100 words) in Spanish that incorporates each of the following:
• Use a form of salutation (start with “hello” in your favorite form in Spanish).
• Introduce yourself (give your name). Tyler
• State how you feel using the verb estar plus an adjective or two. I am happy.
• State where you’re from (include your city and country of origin and/or the corresponding adjective). Leesburg, Virginia USA
o For example, Soy de España or Soy española.
• State your birthday. Be sure to spell it out in Spanish (instead of using digits). You will state the month and date only. November 11th
• Describe yourself using ser plus appropriate adjectives. Describe both your physical appearance and your personality. I am 5’ 9” and have a stocky build. I have brown hair and brown eyes. I like to be with people. I am outgoing and funny.
o For example, Soy morena, delgada y baja. Soy simpática y tímida.
• Say which activities you do in a typical week. Include as many as possible using the present tense of -ar, -er, and -ir verbs that you know. I like to work out at the gym every day. I like to play video games with my friends. I like to play sports, especially basketball and football. I also enjoy hanging out with my friends. We go to eat at restaurants for fun.
o For example, Normalmente, yo paseo a mi perro todos los días por la mañana y por la noche.
• Describe a friend of yours covering all of the topics above. This time, you will use the third person singular form. See below for how to introduce your friend. Then, state where your friend is from, state their birthday, describe them (physical appearance and personality), and state which activities your friend does in a typical week. You will use the third person singular form of each verb in this part of your composition.
My friend is Alex. He lives in Ashburn, Virginia USA. He was born on September 15th. He is short and thin. He has brown hair and brown eyes. He is funny and kind. He likes to play video games and hang out with his friends. He is still in high school, so he goes to school during the weekdays. He isn’t into sports, but he likes to explore outside. He often goes with me when I go to new places.
o How to begin: Mi amigo David es de Caracas, Venezuela or Mi amiga Julia es de San José, Costa Rica.
• End with your favorite form of “goodbye.” Pick one of the goodbye choices
________________________________________
B. Assignment B Guidelines This is separate from the first paragraph.
DIRECTIONS: Write a paragraph or two (between 150 and 200 words) in Spanish describing your home and the members of your family. In this composition, you will do the following:
• Use a form of introduction indicating where you live and with whom.
o For example, I live in New York City with my parents / my girlfriend and two cats / my roommates.
I live in Leesburg, Virginia with my parents. I also live with my brother and our two dogs.
We can do it today.
• Describe the members of your family using possessive adjectives, the verbs ser and estar with adjectives, and other verbs in the present tense.
o For example, My sister’s name is Jill. She is tall and friendly. She has blond hair and studies math.
My mom’s name is Karen. She is medium height and very sweet. She has blond hair and brown eyes. She enjoys studying the Bible and theology. My dad’s name is Pete. He is tall and very fit. He has blue eyes and no hair. He enjoys playing sports and working out. He plays basketball as well. My brother is Alec. He is tall and skinny. He likes to listen to and write music. He is very funny.
• Describe your pets if you have any by using possessive adjectives and verbs in the present tense.
o For example, I have one cat and one dog. My cat’s name is Siri. She sleeps a lot.
I have two dogs. My dogs’ names are Bullet and Finn. They are pit bulls. They are 7 years old. They are very friendly and like to lick people. Bullet sleeps a lot, but Finn is always following us around the house.
________________________________________
C. Assignment C Guidelines
DIRECTIONS: Write a composition (150-200 words) in Spanish that incorporates each of the following:
• Say hello! Use one of the options for hello
• Describe your hobbies.
o For example, I like hiking, playing chess, etc.
I like: playing video games, playing sports, working out, hanging with friends, hanging with family, playing games, watching sports, eating out – any or all of these can be used for this question or next one.
• Describe the activities you like to do.
o For example, I enjoy listening to music, spending time with friends, etc.
Any of the above can be used here as well – whichever ones you didn’t use already.
• Say what your favorite holidays are.
o For example, I like Christmas, New Year’s Eve, Mother’s Day, etc.
My favorite holiday is Christmas because it is the celebration of Christ’s birth. I also like it because we get to spend time with family.
• Describe things you’re doing currently.
o For example, I am taking a Spanish course.
I am currently taking college courses online. I am also working at an ice cream shop.
• Share some of your future plans.
o For example, I’m planning to take Spanish II next semester.
In the future, I plan to continue to take college courses and graduate from college with a degree in Finance. I also plan to become a financial advisor.
• Be specific and include as many activities and plans as possible. If you fall short of the 150-word requirement, feel free to also mention pastimes and plans of a friend or family member. If you do this, you will need to use the third person singular form of the verb (for él / ella).
If not enough words, you can write about my brother’s plans. My brother, Alec, is planning on writing music and selling it to artists. He is also planning on helping buy and fix up homes and flip them for money.
Tips for Success for these three parts:
• Remember to use gender and number agreement between nouns, determiners, and adjectives. Be sure that you have subject-verb agreement, also.
• Use vocabulary and grammar studied in the units you have completed so far. You can use the verbs ser and estar with adjectives to describe people’s (and pets’) personalities and physical traits. You can also use the verb tener, verbs in the present tense, quantifiers, possessive adjectives, expressions with tener que, prepositions, the verb ir, university subjects, and food and meals.
• Review your composition before you submit it to ensure that your composition flows and you can understand the language. Revise the language as needed before submitting, and don’t forget to use conjunctions to make your message flow better.
• Use paragraphs to organize your ideas.
• Remember that Spanish uses stress marks (accent marks) on some words. Review the rules for accent mark placement in Spanish and learn how to use your keyboard so you can type Spanish special characters, since this is part of learning the language. You could also copy and paste from this list: ñ, ¡, ¿, á, é, í, ó, ú, ü
Mac: While holding down the Option key, press “e,” and press the letter you want the accent on.
• For á: Option + e, then “a”
• For é: Option + e, then “e”
• For í: Option + e, then “i”
• For ó: Option + e, then “o”
• For ú: Option + e, then “u”
• For ñ: Option + n, then “n”
• For ¡: Option + !
• For ¿: Option + shift + ?
• For ü: Option + u, then “u”
Windows 10: Change your keyboard settings.
1. Click on the Windows icon on the bottom left corner of your screen.
2. Click on “Settings.”
3. Click on “Time and language.”
4. Click on “Region and language” and choose “Spanish.”
5. Click on “Options.”
6. Click on “Add a keyboard.”
7. Select a Spanish keyboard.
After doing this, you can switch between keyboards by clicking on the keyboard language on the bottom right of your screen. You can also hold the Windows key and press the spacebar until you find the language of your choosing.
Chromebook: Click on the little wheel for settings (on the bottom righthand side).
1. Scroll to the bottom and look for “Show advanced settings.”
2. Scroll down to “Languages and input settings.”
3. Under input method, put a checkmark next to “U.S. international keyboard.”
4. You should be able to see “ENG” on the bottom right of your screen
5. Now you can type special characters:
1. Holding down the Alt key on the right, press a, e, i, o, u, n, ¿, ¡
________________________________________
Rubric for these three parts
Advanced (100%) Proficient (85%) Acceptable (75%) Needs Improvement (50%) Non-performance (0%)
Content (35 points)
The content is appropriate for the assignment and comprehensible. The message is thorough and relevant, and all the tasks have been addressed in detail. The message is relevant and most of the tasks have been addressed. Some ideas might need further development or detail. Most of the tasks are addressed. Ideas are generally present but not necessarily developed. Several tasks are unaddressed, and information lacks substance. Some ideas might be irrelevant, and the minimum word count may not be met. Tasks are very incomplete. Ideas are missing or they are irrelevant, and the minimum word count is not met.
Vocabulary (20 points)
Relevant vocabulary is included and properly used. The student demonstrates an extensive and impressive knowledge of the words studied in the unit. Their use is precise and effective. The student demonstrates an adequate, but not necessarily thorough, knowledge of the words studied in the unit. Their use can include some minor errors, but the message is effectively conveyed. The student shows a limited knowledge of the words studied in the unit. There are some errors that can lead to confusion, as well as some literal translations and made-up words. Words studied in the unit are either not used or their usage is very limited (e.g., the same word is repeated over and over again). Many errors are displayed that hinder comprehension. English words or made-up words are used. No knowledge of the words studied in this unit is shown, either because no studied words are used or because they are consistently used incorrectly.
Grammar (30 points)
Grammar is correctly integrated and properly used. The student uses grammar studied in the unit correctly or with very few minor errors. The student uses grammar studied in the unit, and most of it is accurate. Errors are occasional and can involve subject-verb or gender-number agreement. Errors don’t hinder comprehension. The student uses grammar studied in the unit, and about half of it is used accurately. Errors are significant enough to hinder comprehension at times. The student uses grammar studied in the unit accurately less than half of the time. Errors are frequent, transfer from English is apparent, and comprehension can be challenging. The grammar is inadequate or has not been studied in this course. The work is incomplete or incomprehensible.
Organization and Mechanics (15 points)
The composition is organized and flows well. The ideas are organized in a logical and effective way, the main points and details are well-connected, and the composition flows nicely. Spelling and mechanics are near perfect. The ideas are mostly organized in a logical way. The composition might be a bit loosely organized, but the main points are well-sequenced and the paragraphs are organized. Spelling might have some minor errors, such as with the use of accents and ñ. The ideas are somewhat organized, but may lack some logical sequencing, or the ordering may be ineffective, disjointed or choppy. Spelling errors are more frequent and significant. Sentences are used without an apparent organization, appear to be disconnected, and lack transitions. Spelling errors are very frequent, including errors in punctuation and capitalization. Ideas are completely disconnected. There is a total lack of accents and more than half of the composition contains spelling, capitalization, and punctuation errors.
________________________________________
Submission Requirements for these three parts
The following requirements must be met in order for your submission to be graded:
• All written content must be appropriate for an academic context.
• Composition must be original and written exclusively for this assignment; plagiarism of any kind including the use of online translators, such as Google Translate, to translate full sentences is strictly prohibited.
• Use a readable 11- or 12-point font.
• Your submission should include your name and the date.
• Acceptable file formats include .doc or .docx.
