Elementary Spanish II
College of Southern Maryland
Summer SPA 1020-64654 (TeleWeb course) 3 credits
|
Profesora Carolin McManus |
Oficina: C 310 (Leonardtown campus) |
|
Teléfono: (240) 725-5452 |
Horas de oficina: by appt. |
|
regular e-mail address: carolinm@csmd.edu Please use WebCT email once class begins |
WebCT address: http://webct.csmd.edu/webct/entryPageIns.dowebct |
Course prerequisite: SPA 1010
Course description: You will continue the work you began practicing listening to, speaking and writing in Spanish, working with basic dialogues, and writing short compositions in Spanish. You will also read about and view on video various cultural aspects of the Hispanic and Latin American world.
Course Objectives: Upon completion of this course, you should be able to communicate in Spanish in the following ways:
· read at a basic level
· understand basic clearly spoken Spanish in the present tense
· write simple compositions in the present tense and preterit (past) tense
· have a better understanding of the Hispanic and Latin American culture
Course Requirements:
Required Text: Blanco, José A. and Philip R. Donley. Vistas 3rd edition. Boston: Vista Higher Learning, 2008 (standard package). Please purchase your book from the CSM bookstore or Vista Higher Learning (the publishing company) at www.vhldirect.com. Students who attempt to find a less expensive source usually end up starting late and often end up falling behind and withdrawing from the course. Note: All new students will be required to use Vistas 3rd edition with the Vistas electronic Supersite. Students who are continuing from SPA 1010 or are retaking the course and have an active pass code (they are active for 18 months) do not need to purchase a new book or code.
Special Equipment:
High-speed internet. Although some students have successfully completed this course using dial-up, they had to find a computer with high-speed access for certain exercises and for viewing streaming videos. DSL works fine for me, but may not work well if you are at the “end of the line.”
Microphone. Some of the electronic exercises require that you record your voice to respond to the questions or pronunciation exercises. If your computer does not have a microphone built into it, you will need a microphone attachment for your computer. Fairly inexpensive microphones are widely available where electronics are sold. Mine is a microphone-headset combo. This is a terrific tool for us to work on pronunciation.
WebCT Instructions: This is a TeleWeb course. The “Tele” portion refers to DVD videos you will be viewing, which used to be accessible only on television. We now have copies of the series, which students check out for the semester. The “-Web” aspect of the course refers to the use of the Internet to access both our WebCT course page and the publisher’s site. You will be using both of these sites to submit most assignments, to access supplemental materials, and to communicate with me and your classmates (optional). In this course, we use WebCT to post the syllabus and schedule of coursework, to email, to post messages on the bulletin board (optional), to access the course calendar, and to view your online grade book. The course site can be accessed from any internet-connected computer, including those at the Waldorf, PRIN, LEON, and La Plata campuses or public libraries, etc. Note: WebCT course sites do not become accessible until 8:00 a.m. on the first day of the class in most cases.
CSM’s WebCT Access (your “virtual classroom”): The URL for the WebCT is http://webct.csmd.edu/webct/entryPageIns.dowebct. To get into the WebCT site, you will need a password and a USER ID. Login information is provided at the above URL. Generally, your user ID is your first and middle initial and your last name (all one word, lowercase) and your password is your student ID number. If you have any trouble logging into WebCT (not Vista), please call the CSM Help Desk at 301-934-2251 or help@csmd.edu. I cannot “get you in” to WebCT. Only they can.
Check WebCT frequently. Students should check the course email and announcements daily. I will check the course email daily Mondays through Thursdays and occasionally on weekends. Read all announcements. Grades will be posted to the online grade book or sent via email within one week of receipt of the assignment. Exam delivery may be delayed by Testing Center and mail service procedures, especially if you take an exam on the La Plata or Prince Frederick campus.
Vista’s Online activities (This refers to your textbook publisher, not WebCT). You will be completing a significant portion of your work for this course on the textbook publisher’s Supersite. In order to access this website, you will need the code that came with your text. Instructions for accessing the Supersite are posted on the WebCT homepage. You should only need to input your code once. Then you will set up an account with a password, which will allow you to access the electronic exercises from any internet connected computer. Do not lose the book key code before you input it or you will have to purchase a new one from the publisher. Keep the code where you can find it if you have problems later. Because people try unsuccessfully to transfer and sell these valuable codes, the publisher will not replace it or reset it if you lose it.
Online Assignments
In order to help you keep to a schedule, I will ask you to complete online exercises electronically for each chapter (Lecciones 7-12) by a certain date. You may always submit early. I will check your exercises and record your grades within one week of the last deadline for the lesson if you completed them on time. If you submit late, the grading will probably be delayed. Some exercises require instructor grading before the points are granted, so keep in mind that your overall score will probably increase after I have reviewed the exercises. You will receive the full 5 points if you complete them on time with an overall score of 90% or higher. If your score is lower, it will be multiplied by 5. The later they are, the greater the deduction. See below. The exception is the last set, which must be submitted by the deadline to be counted.
|
Deduction for late completion of exercises for Lecciones 7-11 : 3% deduction per day |
|
Note: The computer takes this deduction automatically. Also, the computer considers missing or misplaced accents and misspellings as incorrect submissions. Learn the accent mark when you learn the word. |
Advice about completing the exercises:
1. Know the vocabulary thoroughly before you attempt the exercises. “Know” does not mean “glance at” or even “read carefully.” It means if you cover up the Spanish and look at the English, you can say 80% or more of the words. This is one of the two hardest parts of completing the course. I recommend using index cards with the English on one side and the Spanish on the other. One word per card (or two associated words, such as opposites).
If you complete the exercises with the book open in your lap copying from the book, you are not likely to learn or retain much. Copying does not increase retention, in general.
2. Use my Powerpoint tutorials and/or view the Vistas tutorials (the cartoon Professor Gómez) while studying the book for each grammar component (four per chapter), and then complete the exercises that go with that component.
3. Communicate with me when you don’t understand something.
4. Review the material from the last session and quiz yourself on the vocabulary before you move on to the new material.
5. Conjugate every new verb in every verb tense we have learned so far. Check it against the verb conjugations on the Vistas verb wheel (on the Supersite) or on the Internet site WordReference.com (see Web Links on our homepage). Drill yourself regularly. Switch subjects, switch tenses, etc.
Destinos DVDs—One of the requirements of this course is that you view the Destinos episodes. (This is not the same as the short video vignettes [fotonovelas] that are part of the textbook materials.) After you register for the class, you can pick up your Destinos set at the La Plata library or call the circulation desk (ext. 7134) and request that a set be sent to another CSM campus library nearer you. This is an excellent series, a multiple-episode drama following a Los Angeles lawyer, Raquel Rodriguez, as she attempts to help a dying client find a son he never knew he had. The series takes you all over Spain and Latin America. As you watch it, you will probably not be able to understand each word. The actors use a full conversational vocabulary. Your job is simply to follow the storyline and to give yourself credit for each word or phrase that you do recognize. Relax as you watch. Imagine that you are Raquel’s English-speaking cousin who is traveling with her to keep her company. I have no graded assignments associated with the tapes, but I do have simple questions on the exams that require knowledge of episodes. It adds up to as much as 10% of your exam grade. I would like you to take notes about the story as it unfolds. For example, know who each of the main characters are and what cities they travel to. The questions on the exam will not require 100% understanding of the dialogue to answer. Enjoy this well-produced series. I believe you will be given the series on DVDs. One of the advantages of this format over the VHS version is that you should be able to turn on the Spanish subtitles (using your remote), so you can read the Spanish as well as hearing it. Subtitles are not available in English. Destinos is also available on streaming video accessible by any Internet-ready computer. See the link in the our WebCT page.
Exams—You will have three required exams during the semester. The first covers chapters 7 and 8. The second covers 9 and 10. The third covers chapters 11 and 12. I will include questions about the Destinos series in the exams as well. You must take the exams in the testing center on the campus of your choice. Waldorf does not have a testing center. You may use pencil or pen and scratch paper. You will have 2 hours to complete the exam. You must bring your student ID and a photo ID to take a test at the testing center. Remember to allow enough time before the center closes to take the exam, particularly if you are taking them on the Prince Frederick campus, where you are required to make an appointment. If you are driving a distance, I recommend that you call the testing center to make sure it is open when you expect it to be. I have a link to the Testing Center’s webpage on my WebCT site.
Exam and Final Make-up Policy—The syllabus schedule shows the deadlines for taking the tests. You will have one week window to take the exam. After that week, the exams are returned to the Leonardtown testing center where they will remain for an additional week, but a late penalty of 20% will be incurred. No excuses/explanations are required. At the end of week two, the exams will no longer be available. If you have travel plans or a work conflict, plan to take the exam early. Notify me if you need the exam earlier than one week before the deadline.
Listening and Speaking You will be tested on your listening comprehension, pronunciation and sentence structure throughout the semester using the recorded online exercises. Toward the end of the semester we will complete an oral exam together usually via telephone. The oral exam will consist of a passage you read aloud and a series of question I will ask you in Spanish that you will answer in Spanish. A list of questions reflecting the type I ask is (or will be) posted on the web page.
Grading for the course—Your grade is based on the following:
|
1. Exams (3 @ 20 pts. each) |
60 pts. |
60% |
|
2. Online activies chapters (6 @ 5 pts. each) |
30 |
30% |
|
3. Recorded exercises (5 @ 1 pt. each) (Lecciones 8-12) |
5 |
5% |
|
4. Oral exam (5 pts.) |
5 |
5% |
|
TOTAL |
100 |
100% |
Final grades are based on this traditional scale:
90-100 pts = A 80-89 pts = B 70-79 pts = C 60-69 pts = D 0-59 pts = F
Students with disabilities who believe that they may need accommodations in this class are encouraged to contact Disabled Student Services in the Learning Assistance Department (301) 934-7614 as soon as possible to better ensure that such accommodations are implemented in a timely fashion.
Withdrawal date—The last day to withdraw from this or any fall credit course or to change credit/audit status is Monday, July 14, 2008.
General Education Values incorporated in this course—By the close of this course, you should have practiced the skills and expanded the categories of knowledge listed below:
conceive ideas, select materials, and organize contents effectively for a purpose
set study goals and priorities to attain stated course objectives
plan for completion of both long-term and short-term assignments
prepare for different types of examination or evaluations
adapt to a variety of methods of instruction
locate and use resources outside the classroom
ask pertinent questions
accept constructive criticism and learn from it
interpret, analyze, and evaluate spoken messages
recognize cultural diversity in others
know about major cultures, religions, and ethnic groups
have an awareness of philosophies and religions and their influence on culture
understand that cultures are influenced by myths, rituals, and shared beliefs
Below is a list of topics covered during the course and a general timeline. Specific dates and assignments will be available on the course schedule posted on the course SPA 1020 WebCT site.
Week 1: Review of Lecciones 1-6....
Lección 1: Nouns and articles, Numbers 0-30, Present tense of ser, Telling time
Lección 2: Present tense of –ar verbs, Forming questions in Spanish, Present tense estar, Numbers 31-100
Lección 3: Descriptive adjective, possessive adjectives, Present tense of –er and –ir verbs, Present tense of tener and venir
Lección 4: Present tense of ir, Stem-changing verbs, Verbs with irregular yo form
Lección 5: Estar with conditions and emotions, Present progressive, Ser versus Estar, Direct Object Nouns and Pronouns
Lección 6: Numbers 101 and higher, indirect object pronouns, Preterite tense of regular verbs, demonstrative adjectives and pronouns
New Material...
Week 2--Lección 7: Reflexive verbs, indefinite and negative word, Preterite of Ser and Ir, gustar
Week 3--Lección 8: Preterite of stem-changing verbs, double-object pronouns, saber y conocer, comparisons and superlatives (Exam 1)
Week 4--Lección 9: Irregular preterite verbs, Qué and Cuál, Pronouns after prepositions
Week 5--Lección 10: Imperfect tense, Preterite and the Imperfect, Constructions with se, adverbs (Exam 2)
Week 6--Lección 11: Tú commands, por and para, reciprocal reflexives, stressed possessive adjectives and pronouns
Week 7--Lección 12: Relative pronouns, formal (Ud./Uds.) commands, the present subjunctive
Other: The future tense and conditional tense. (Exam 3)
¡Bienvenidos y que tengan un gran semestre!