INTENSIVE INTERMEDIATE SPANISH 210
Prof. Amanda Amend
Spring Semester 1999
Time/Room: 8:30-9:20, M-F, SE305
Office hours: 9:30-11:00, T, Th. 1:00-2:15 Wed.
and by appointment
Office & Phone: SE 217B, x2280
Required Texts:
- Samaniego, Bloomers,
Lagunas-Caracho, et.al. ¡Dímelo tú!,
3rd. Edition. Holt, Rinehart & Winston, 1998.
- Samaniego et. al. ¡Dímelo
tú!, Cuaderno de actividades y manual de
laboratorio. 3rd. Edition
- Spanish/English dictionary.
(Recommended: The New World Spanish/English
English/Spanish Dictionary)
Course Description:
This course is an intensive
introduction to Spanish language and culture. Through
class activities, reading and writing, lab sessions,
Internet activities, videos and broadcasts, and
interactions with other speakers of Spanish, you will
develop oral and written basic communication skills.
Topics include greetings and introductions, expressing
likes and dislikes, making requests, obtaining
information, and discussing family, friends, home,
school, work, hobbies, foods, customs, dates, weather,
schedules, and cultural events. For an overview of the
skill level you will develop in these topic areas, please
refer to the Learning Outcomes Framework, Stage II
included in this packet.
Spanish is spoken in class. You
may ask questions in English before or after the class
meetings, but in class you will communicate in Spanish.
Support:
Want to know where your grade
stands? Need help? Have a problem? Want to practice
speaking? Don’t understand something? Looking for
study or organizational strategies? Getting behind?
Wanting to keep up? Have ideas or suggestions for the
class? Would like to have your learning style better
accommodated? Want to hear more about a subject mentioned
in class? Interested in study abroad or a major or minor
in Spanish? See me before or after class, during office
hours or by appointment.
Remember, you are
responsible for your own learning experience. We are here
to provide instruction, guidance, and support; however, you
are ultimately responsible. You will be successful if you
study daily and visit me during my office hours to keep
tabs on your progress and get help with study strategies.
Grading:
Oral
proficiency...............................................................................................25
%
Oral proficiency checks, in-class oral participation,
dialogs, skits, presentations
Writing
proficiency...........................................................................................25%
Compositions, in-class writing prompts, living labs,
responses to readings, written homework, written sections
on exams
Listening
proficiency.......................................................................................17%
In-class responses, listening sections on exams and
quizzes
Reading
proficiency........................................................................................17%
Responses to reading homework, reading sections on
quizzes and exams
Grammatical
proficiency.................................................................................16%
Grammar sections on exams and quizzes
At the end of the semester a series
of proficiency tests will be given (one in each of the
areas above), which together will comprise the semester's
final exam. Each section of the final exam is weighted as
approximately 1/3 of the grade in its category. The tests
will be spread out over several days, so that that you
can pace your studying and so there will be less pressure
on you on a given day.
Missed work/exams/quizzes
Missed homework, exams or quizzes
may only be made up in the case of an excused absence,
which would consist of an absence due to illness or
family emergency which is substantiated by a note from
Health Services or from the Associate Dean’s office.
Needing to leave early before a vacation does not
constitute an excused absence.
Course Requirements:
- Daily class attendance is
critical to developing your skills. Therefore,
you are expected to be in class unless you have a
medical or school-related reason for being
absent. Students with justifiable reasons for
missing class must discuss their absence with me before
the class that you miss. As described in the
College Catalog, students with excessive absences
(5 or more) will be reported to the Dean and may
be dropped from the course.
- Participation. Periodic
proficiency grades will be given based on your
use of Spanish in class. Homework assignments
must be prepared before class, so that you are
prepared to participate.
- Homework: practice of oral and
written activities, readings, grammar exercises,
vocabulary study, Internet, etc. While a specific
homework assignment may not be collected or given
a letter grade, your proficiency with that
material factors into your proficiency grades.
- Compositions (3, one-page in
length, typewritten and double spaced)
- Quizzes and/or exams
- Oral proficiency checkpoints
(2, plus the final exam)
- Living Labs (6). Living Labs
are language experiences of your choice, outside
the classroom. They provide you with essential
language contact and give you the opportunity to
have fun with Spanish, learn more about Hispanic
culture, and meet new people. You'll do six (6)
labs, two involving listening, two in reading,
and two in speaking. For each lab, photocopy and
fill out the form attached to this syllabus. The
labs will be weighted as quizzes and will
contribute to your proficiency grade in the
listening, speaking and reading categories. Three
labs should be turned in before mid-sem, and
three before the last week of classes. Again, you
choose what these activities will be. Options
include:
- Lectures and special
cultural events in Spanish which focus on
topics relevant to Spanish or Hispanic
art, society, politics, culture, people,
etc. Keep your eyes and ears open for
special campus and community events.
- Spanish masses (every
2nd and 4th Mon. or
Tues., 8:00 p.m., in the Upper Room of
the Chapel. Social time follows the mass,
so you will be able to speak Spanish with
other participants.)
- Cartoons in Spanish (Es
increíble.) In the Listening Lab,
ask attendant for the tape. If you choose
this option more than one time you must
view a different cartoon.
- Destinos. This
is an entertaining and educational video
series, in which an investigation into
missing persons is followed through
Spain, Argentina, Puerto Rico and Mexico.
Destinos is an excellent way to
improve listening comprehension. It's
available on the campus cable network, or
you can check out individual videos at
the library reserve desk.
- International Coffee
Hour (Wednesdays, 3:15, Foyer of St.
Ed’s). In order to receive credit
you must attend an I.C.F. that features a
Spanish-speaking country, and you must
use the opportunity to get to know
Spanish speakers. For info. about which
country will be featured check your
e-mail weekly or call Bev Colston at
x-2303.
- Chat sessions with
native Spanish speakers or with other
Spanish students (in Spanish!!)
Arrange to get together for coffee (for
20-30 min.) with some of your new
Spanish-speaking friends from class and
campus!
- La mesa española
(Spanish table, during lunch or dinner).
If several of you are interested in
gathering to speak Spanish during a meal,
please let me know. We can invite
students from other classes.
- Spanish periodicals.
The library has both Cambio 16 and
El País, La Opinión, and
Perspectiva. (Perspective is a
newspaper for students, so it is easier
to read than the native language press.)
Many newspapers are available on the
Internet.
- Internet penpals or
chat groups. Call User Support at x-2020
for help getting started.
- Triple Play Plus
computer vocabulary-building games at the
Language Lab. This would count as a
listening lab.
- Latin dances TBA.
- Listen to a Latino
music radio show (Wednesdays, 12:00
– 2:00).
- Co-host or sit in on a
Latino music radio show.
- Any other activities
in Spanish which you can imagine. Please
run your idea by me to verify that you
can receive credit for it.
Expectations:
In order for you to learn Spanish
as naturally as possible, you need to be immersed in the
language. To create this environment for you, only
Spanish will be spoken in the classroom! Speaking
English slows down your learning process and that of your
colleagues. (It also lowers your grade and in extreme
cases can lead to removal from class.) Please commit
yourself to this Spanish-only experience. Here are some
hints:
You won’t understand
everything that’s going on at all times, but you
will learn Spanish if you actively listen, watch and make
guesses about what is being said and done.
You don’t need to know what
every word means, just go for the gist of what’s
happening.
Let yourself use all your resources
to communicate. Use pantomime. Use gestures. Draw. Use
the words you do know to get your meaning across.
Communication is a kind of game!
Keep up with your work. This
course requires a third of your class and study time,
and you must study daily! Expect to devote a
minimum of an hour (outside of class) to Spanish homework
every day.
Tentative Syllabus
[under construction]
See the calendar for major due
dates. Daily homework will be assigned in addition.
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