Syllabus SPN 102
Foreign Languages
Primavera del 2011
Instructor:Margarita Casas
Office & telephoneNSH-117; teléfono 917-4558 / BentonCenter: BC 102 A
Web-Page
Office hoursLunes a jueves de 10:30-11:00, y lunes y miércoles 1:00 a 2:00 o por cita (NSH-117),BC before/after class, or by appointment.
Required Texts1)Exploraciones, Early adopter edition. This is a bundle that includes the textbook, the student manual and access to a website where the audio and video are available: ISBN 1111622418
2) A good Spanish-English dictionary
Bring Spanish to your life!!!
In order to learn a language, you need to practice it. The resources to practice and use Spanish are unlimited. You can hear and read Spanish basically everywhere. These are some ideas to make Spanish part of your everyday life:
Read books from the Corvallis Public Library collection in Spanish.
Explore some of the thousands of internet sites in Spanish, including radio stations, audio files, grammar and vocabulary resources. Check the links from the SPN 102 web-page.
Univisión (Channel 31) and Telemundo (channel 30) broadcast in Spanish.
Participate in chat rooms or forums in Spanish related to your interests.
Use the SAP option on your T.V. to hear your favorite shows in Spanish.
Look for Spanish language free weekly newspapers, and keep your eyes open for all Spanish around you (product instructions, food, commercials, etc.)
Meet friends who speak the language! Try meeting someone with interests similar to you and start a friendship. Find a language partner at the MulticulturalCenter in Corvallis, or volunteer to help international students learn English (for more info, call the International Office at OSU).
What to expect from the class? (General Objectives and Outcomes)
En este curso vas a mejorar tu habilidad para entender, hablar, leer y escribir el idioma español. Es muy importante hablar español en la clase. Vamos a cubrir los capítulos 5-8 del libro de texto.
La clase es en español, pero es posible usar inglés para explicar un poco la gramática. Ask questions if things are not clear, but remember that it is also important that you guess from the context (which is one of the best strategies to learn a foreign language). Class time is just enough to introduce new materials and concepts and practice them, but learning a language requires a lot of exposure to it. At the very minimum, you should be prepared to spend two hours of study for every hour of class (plusthe time required for completing homework and preparing for an exam/quiz).
At the end of this class you will be able to:
Communicate information related to events that occurred in the past.
Better understand the history, culture and traditions of more Spanish speaking countries.
Shop for food, order in restaurants. find accommodation in a hotel
Understand better some of the perspectives of people from other countries.
Improve your general proficiency through a better understanding of Spanish grammar, and feel more confident about your ability to speak, read, write and listen to Spanish.
WEB PAGE for SPN 102:
You can check the homework and practice with on-line exercises about the materials covered in class. This page is updated regularly. It is the place where to check for changes in the homework if you have to miss class one day. Visit also the links to other resources listed in this web-page.
Tutors and other campus resources
The LearningCenter offers tutoring at no cost to you. Tutors can help you to understand and practice difficult concepts. They can also help you to become more confident in your language skills through practice. Consider also signing-up with another classmate!
In order to use this service, you need to sign up at least 24 hours in advance. Check at the LearningCenter to find out available times for sign-up. You may also practice with software and books placed at LBCC library (main campus).
Evaluation
The grading in this class is optional (A-F, or Pass/Fail). If you want to take the class as a Pass/Fail option, you must notify the registration office by the end of the 6th week. If you take the pass/no pass option, a passing grade is 70 points and up. This is also the minimum grade recommended to continue to SPN 102. The following is the make-up of grades for SPN 102:
ASSIGNMENTS:PERCENTAGE Exámenes (2) 25%
Pruebas (3)20%
Tareas20%
Composiciones20%
Participación en clase10%
Conversaciones 5%
Total 100%
A = 90-100 points; B = 89-80 points; C = 79-70 points (PASSING GRADE); D= 69-60 points; F = 59 or less.
YOUR GRADE
Your grade depends onmany different activities, many of which occur towards the end of the term, so it is not possible to know the grade that you are getting without doing some guessing.
In general, the best predictor of your grade is the average you are getting in for quizzes and exams. Your grade may come up if you have excellent grades in everything, including participation. By the same means, your grade will come down one or two letter grades if you have missed a lot of assignments
ExamINATIONs and Quizzes
There will be one midterm and one final exam (see calendar), plus 3 quizzes.
If you cannot attend class on the day of an exam/quiz because of a MAJOR reason, notify me inadvance, so arrangements can be made to take it within the following 2 days.
TAREAS
Completing the homework in a timely manner is a key to your success. Homework improves your understanding of everything we study and gives indispensable practice.
The calendar at the end of this syllabus gives you all due dates for assignments. Homework includes the activities listed in the calendar and may include other activities that will be assigned in class through the term (you are responsible to check for any changes through the web page, or simply by checking the board in the classroom).
I accept homework that is one day late, but it will receive half the credit. There is no credit after that. If you know you will be absent from class on a certain day, turn in your homework ahead of time (for full credit), or e-mail it to me on the day it is due.
Composiciones
Vas a escribir 3composiciones. These compositions give you the opportunity to practice the language learned in class. After I return your first draft with annotations/suggestions for improvement, revise your composition (incorporating the corrections) and turn it in again on the assigned date.
You will receive a grade for each composition only AFTER corrections are made
Always correct your first draft! The maximum grade you can get for a first-draft-only is 50 points (out of 100). Try to do your best effort in the first draft –it will make your final draft a lot better!
Late compositions will be accepted only up to a week late and they will be assessed a 5%.penalty for every day they are late. Because work can be submitted by e-mail, everyday counts. Example: a composition is due on Thursday, but you turn it in on Monday → you will have lost 20% of your grade.
Good compositions...
use a wide vocabulary, are organized in a logical way and are not repetitive
incorporate what we learn in class, but go slightly beyond it
are thoughtfully written and have good syntax/grammar.
Go beyond minimum requirements.
Evidently, what you write on your composition needs to be your own work. If someone helps you to phrase an idea, keep in mind that you need to understand why you are doing it, otherwise it is considered cheating (I may ask you to prove that you wrote it by rewriting the entry under controlled circumstances). Electronic translators are considered cheating. They result in an automatic ZERO for the assignment the first time, and an F in the class if it happens a second time.
TEMAS PARA LAS COMPOSICIONES
Composición # 1: “Mi vida ahora”. First, write about yourself in general: What are you like? In your second paragraph talk about your life this term: What are you studying? Where are you working? How do you feel these days and why? (i.e., are you worried about exams, happy because of a special event? etc). In the last paragraph talk about profession now or in the future. Where do you want to work? Use a wide vocabulary from Chapter 5, and pay attention to the use of ser and estar. Write at least 210 words.
Composición # 2: Write about your daily routine from the time you wake up to the time you go to sleep. Then, in the last paragraph, talk about what you DID yesterday or over the weekend. Use many different reflexive verbs and a wide vocabulary from Chapter 6. (Minimum 230 words).
Composición # 3: Write a narration (no dialogues!) about the last time you went to a restaurant. Who did you go with? What did you talk about? What did you order? Was it good? Use a wide vocabulary from Chapters 7 & 8, plus preterite and direct/indirect object pronouns. If necessary, make up things that you did before or after going to the restaurant. (250 words).
CONVERSACIONES
This is a group assignment to demonstrate oral proficiency. I will give the details later in the term.
Asistencia, Participacion y comportamiento en clase
Come to class well prepared and willing to participate in all the activities.
Volunteer even if you are not sure! Ask questions!
Be respectful and friendly to everyone, keep a positive attitude
Arrive punctually and remain in the classroom until the class has finished. Do not start packing your books before the class has been dismissed.
Don't do homework while we are in class.
Participation is 10% of your grade. Obviously, you cannot participate if you are not in class.
EXTRA-CRÉDITO: PRESENTACIONES
You may present one aspect of the countries that we will study through the term. The presentation should be 8-10 minutes, and involve the use of some Spanish.You cannot read it and it is strongly suggested that you prepare an audiovisual presentation for the class. (Topics: 1) Important people of the country; 2) Geography and demographics; 3) Celebrations and traditions; 4) History; 5) Food). The presentation should involve the use of some Spanish, and you need to sign-up for it early in the term.
DISABILITY STATEMENT
Students who have emergency medical information I should know of, or who might need special arrangements in the event of evacuation, or students with documented disabilities who have special needs, should inform me no later than the first week of the term. If additional assistance is required, please contact the LBCC Office of Disability Services at 917-4789.
INTEGRITY STATEMENT
Be advised that all the assignments must have been written by you. While it is OK to ask for help to other people, every assignment should have been written and created by you. You may use models, but it is not acceptable to copy full sentences or use any type of electronic translators -- you will not learn anything if you use them, and they result in incomprehensible chains of unrelated words, without any syntax, grammar or meaning. Assignments that are considered cheating will automatically receive an F.
CALENDARIO PARA SPN 102All homework is due on the day it is listed.
SM = Student activities manual; TB = Textbook Numbers indicate PAGE numbers (complete all)
Lectura: Read the reading on the assigned pages and answer the section called "Comprensión”.
MARTES JUEVES
Semana 1Marzo 28-31 / Syllabus
Capítulo 5
Reciclar SPN 101
Vocabulario: Expresiones con estar
presente progresivo / Tarea: Estudiar vocab TB 148
Estudiar TB 151-2 & 156-7
SM 61-2, 63-4
Expresiones con estar, presente progresivo, ser/estar
Semana 2
Abril 4-7 / Tarea:Estudiar vocabulario TB 162
SM 65-6, 67-8
Ser vs. Estar (reciclar), Vocab: Las profesiones, yo irregular / Tarea: Estudiar TB 165-6
TB 160-1 Lectura: Comprensión, SM 69-70
Vocab: Las profesiones, verbos con yo irregular
Saber vs Conocer
Semana 3
Abril 11-14 / CHILE: presentaciones
Prueba # 1
Tarea:
SM 71-2, 73-4, TB 169, Comparaciones / Capítulo 6
Tarea: Estudiar TB 184 (vocabulario) y TB 187-8
TB 174-5 Lectura (contestar Comprensión),
Composición # 1
Las partes del cuerpo, Verbos reflexivos
Semana 4
Abril 18-21 / Tarea: SM 75-6
Estudiar TB 192-3
Verbos reflexivos, Palabras y expresiones negativas / Tarea: Corrección # 1, SM 77-8 y 79-80
Vocabulario: los pasatiempos,
Preterite, stem-changing preterite
Tarea: Estudiar TB 198 (pasatiempos)
Semana 5
Abril 25-28 / SM 81-2 (6-17 only)
Preterite, stem-changing preterite
URUGUAY / Preterite, stem-changing preterite
Tarea: Estudiar TB 201-2 & 206, SM 83-4, 85-6, 87-8
Composición # 2
Hora # 2:Prueba # 2
Semana 6
Mayo 2-5 / Capítulo 7
Tarea:Estudiar vocabulario: en el hotelTB 220,
Presentaciones:
Vocab: en el hotel, números +100, por vs para, irregular preterite / Tarea: Lectura TB 232-3 Comprensión
SM 89-90, 91-2
Corrección # 2
Vocabulario, por vs para, irregular preterite
Semana 7
Mayo 9-12 / Vocab: en el restaurante
pretérito irregular, direct object pronouns
Tarea: Estudiar vocabulario TB 234 (restaurantes)
SM 93-4, TB 232-3 Comprensión / Direct object pronouns, pretérito
Tarea: SM 95-6, 97-8, 99-100, TB 242 (estudiar)
MIDTERM
Semana 8
Mayo 16-19 / Capítulo 8
Estudiar vocabulario TB 256: frutas y verduras
SM 101-2
Vocab: frutas y verduras, indirect object & verbs like gustar, impersonal se / indirect object & verbs like gustar, impersonal se
vocabulario: actividades de la niñez, double object pronouns
Tarea: Composición # 3
SM 103-4, 105-6, 108 (written portions)
Semana 9
Mayo 23-26 / Presentaciones: COSTA RICA
Tarea: SM 110-12
indirect object & verbs like gustar, impersonal se
vocabulario: actividades de la niñez, Imperfecto, double object pronouns / vocabulario: actividades de la niñez, Imperfecto, double object pronouns
Tarea: 113-14, TB 268-9 Comprensión
Corrección # 3
Semana 10
marzo 7-9 / Prueba # 3
Tarea: SM 115-16 (written portions) y TB 282-3 Comprensión / CONVERSACIONES