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Syllabus for SPA 112: Beginning Spanish II
Prerequisite: SPA 111 or equivalent (one semester college Spanish) or adequate score on placement exam
Course Description This course is intended for students who have taken one semester of college-level Spanish or its equivalent. The purpose is to help students develop the four basic skills: understanding, speaking, reading, and writing of elementary Spanish. The instructors use the “Natural Approach” methodology and emphasize oral competency. Throughout the course students will learn about various aspects of life and culture in the Spanish-speaking world. In addition to the formal classes, the experience of living with local host families also provides hours of language practice.
All students will take a written and oral pre-test at Universal during their first week in Cuernavaca. At the end of the semester, they will take an ungraded post-test in order to assess their improvement. The pre-test will not serve as a placement exam, rather as an assessment measure and a way for the Spanish instructors to determine students' strengths and weaknesses. That information will then be used to: 1) tailor some of the class sessions to address problem areas; 2) recommend special tutoring for students who are behind others in the class; and 3) divide the group into smaller classes or sub-groups when there are more than six students registered for the same course.
Primary Text and Required Materials Vistas: Introducción A La Lengua Española, Tercera Edición by Blanco, José, Donley R., Phillip. Vista Higher Learning, 2008.
This is a package including supersite access, a fotonovela DVD and a paperback dictionary. It can be ordered through your bookstore under ISBN 978-1-60007-125-6 or over the Internet (www.vhldirect.com) using ISBN 1-60007-125-2. Be sure to place your order six weeks in advance.
Grammatical Structures and Communicative Goals for SPA 111 In Vistas textbook chapters 6-10
Grammatical Structures
Vocabulary
Communicative Goals: By the end of the second semester the students will demonstrate, in oral and/or written form, their ability to:
In addition, they will show their capacity to understand spoken language by answering questions and participating in brief conversations during an oral interview. Their reading skills will be demonstrated in the use of the learned reading strategies and in their understanding of the gist of authentic texts and of some supporting details.
Course Requirements (100% = 100 points) 15% (15 points) Active class participation. Class participation includes punctuality, presence in class, active engagement in class sessions, and completion of all assignments and required readings or listening assignments on time. (See grading criteria listed below.) 30% (30 points) Homework assignments (“Tareas”) from the text and/or workbook. All but one are worth two points each; one worth four points. 40% (40 points) Four Weekly Tests; 10 points per test 15% (15 points) Final Exam
Grading Criteria for Class Participation Ø Full participation involves speaking only Spanish in class, completing assignments on time, coming to class prepared and on time, participating in all class activities with enthusiasm and interest, collaborating with the instructor and other students (as applicable), and demonstrating effort at improving Spanish abilities. Because all Universal classes seek to assist the students in becoming conversational in Spanish, class participation is extremely important. Ø Students must be punctual. One half of a point will be deducted each time you are more than five minutes late to class. Two points will be deducted per unexcused absence. An excused absence consists of absence due to religious holidays, emergencies, and illness when the student has called the Universal Spanish director Irma Salazar (318-2904) and asked her to advise the instructor of her or his absence prior to the start of class and later documented with a doctor's note. Ø You may miss one class during the entire course for a reason other than illness without being penalized if you clear this absence in advance with your teacher or the director (Irma Salazar) and if the reason for missing class is acceptable. Examples of an acceptable absence include the following: a visit from friends or family, an especially heavy workload in other courses at that moment or extenuating emotional circumstances. You may NOT miss class simply because your alarm clock didn't go off and you slept in! For any UNEXCUSED absences in your Spanish classes, you will be docked two points per absence, regardless of your progress in the course. Ø Students are responsible for talking with the instructor about what they missed in class, getting notes or handouts from other students, and for making up any assignments that were completed in class.
Weekly Assignment Schedule for SPA 112
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