Spanish 103:  Fall Quarter 2006

Advanced First-Year Spanish

Instructor:

                 M. Renatta Fernández

 

 

Office:

R-230

 

Office Hours:

 

By appointment

Office Phone:

(425) 564-22298

E-Mail:

mfernand@bcc.ctc.edu

 

 

 

 

 

Class Materials / Resources

Required Materials:  (Sold as a package at the BCC bookstore)

 

  • Rusch, Imágenes, Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston-New York, 2003 (w/Audio CD)
  • Workbook/Lab. Manual, Student Interactive CD-ROM, Audio CD-Program(5)
  • Notebook and stapler

Optional Materials: (But highly recommended)

 

  • English-Spanish, Spanish-English Dictionary

Print and Carry with you to Class:

 

  • Syllabus and Calendar

Students Procedures

Recommended Resources

 

·         http://college.hmco.com/languages/spanish/students/

·         http://www.college.hmco.com/languages/spanish/rusch/imagenes/1e/students/index.html

·         www.conjuguemos.com   (verb conjugation)

Audiocassette Tapes/CD’s

It is absolutely essential to devote a lot of time and effort to working with your audio materials in order to improve your listening comprehension of spoken Spanish. This will also help prepare you for the listening portion of your exams.

It is strongly recommended that you practice your work daily. Expect to do at least one and one half hour of homework for this course every day. To master another language you must listen to the spoken language and practice speaking it.

 

 

Course Description and Objectives

The course covers Capítulos 9 to 12 of the textbook.

This quarter you will be learning to listen, speak, read, and write more Spanish than ever. At the end of this course, if you complete your assignments and participate in class, you will achieve fluency and a great improvement in your writing and reading skills. You will also acquire basic cultural information, and develop an awareness and appreciation of the Hispanic culture, rich with traditions and customs that are integral part of the language learning process as representative of a highly diversified group of people living in all the Spanish-speaking countries and beyond.

In a functional, integrated skills approach, equal emphasis is given to the four basic language components: listening, speaking, writing, and reading, in which culture plays an integral and pivotal part of the learning experience.  Awareness and respect of other people’s culture that is different from one’s own is not only appreciated but expected in the era of globalization. You are encouraged to develop a genuine interest in Spanish by embracing its cultures. You are invited to establish connections in and out of the classroom setting to enrich your newly acquired knowledge and foster understanding of the Hispanic world.  The library, Hispanics on campus and in the community, the Internet, Spanish TV and radio stations, videos, music, newspapers and magazines are all great sources to accelerate progress, making the learning process more meaningful, productive, and enjoyable.

You should acquire competency in the material covered by constant practice both in and out the classroom. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Material Description

 

Textbook:

 

For in-class use and daily study.

Audio CD to accompany Textbook:

For practice at home with the textbook sections that present dialogues.   Look for the headphones icon next to these sections in the textbook.

 

Activities Manual Workbook:

For use at home, the Workbook has written exercises that support the textbook assignments.  Please ask for help and clarification if you need support.  Use the Homework as a review for the test. 

Activities Manual

Lab Manual:

For at-home use, it contains listening and written exercises that support the textbook assignments.  Answers are imbedded in the CD’s or tapes that accompany the Lab Manual and for certain activities. Use your Lab Manual as a review for the test.

Audio CD’s to accompany Lab Manual:    

It is absolutely essential to devote a lot of time and effort to working with your audio materials in order to improve your listening comprehension of spoken Spanish. This will also help prepare you for the listening portion of your exams. These provide the major listening practice you will get outside of class and they are vital to your success.  Use them to complete the Lab Manual activities.

CD-ROM:

Use at home or on campus.  These CD’s offer 1) Extra practice for each chapter. 2) Review before tests. 3) A link to the publisher’s web site with web-based activities.

 

 

 

WORKSHEETS AND HANDOUTS:

 

 

I provide extra practice and reference material for each chapter.  I usually e-mail the materials to you at the beginning of each chapter.

We will be using these materials in class so bring a copy to our class of all the material from a given chapter when we first open that chapter.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Classroom Policies

·         Student Procedures/Attendance & Other Policies and Standards

 

Become familiar with the Arts and Humanities Division Procedures and expectations. THEY ARE CONSIDERED PART OF THIS SYLLABUS. You can find them at: www.bcc.ctc.edu/artshum/ click on student procedures.

The procedures will inform you that attendance for students  “at all scheduled class meetings is mandatory.” When absences go beyond 20% instructors may give a grade of F for the course.  Other policies on dropping the course, maintaining an appropriate classroom environment, etc. are included in these procedures. 

 

·         Courtesy and Good Conduct

Be courteous and conduct yourself appropriately for learning. This means respecting the rights of other students and the Instructor at all times.  It includes turning cell phones and pagers off for each and every class period.  It also means being quiet and attentive when the Instructor and/or individual students are asking questions or participating in class.  Please do not expect to be told to be quiet constantly because it wastes valuable student/instructor time for everyone.  If you are habitually disruptive—arriving late, talking out of turn, studying for other classes, or sleeping – I will ask you to leave for the day.    I ask that you pay very close attention to these matters and you will find the class running more smoothly and productively for you and for all other students.

 

  • Classroom Standards
  • You may bring drinks into class but you must dispose properly of the containers.
  • Please write homework and/or tests with black or blue ink, and when making corrections use red ink.
  • Stealing, cheating and plagiarizing will not be tolerated.  A student caught engaging in such activity will receive 0 points for the assignment in question and will be reported, without exception, to the Dean of Student Services.

 

Learning  Tips

·         Read, Study, and Come Prepared

While in class you can discuss, ask questions and practice a variety of material, but come prepared by developing good study habits.  If you’re lost the first week, if the class seems to go too rapidly for you, hang in there…it will start to make some sense as you come to class regularly.

Supplemental material may be provided for you to augment concepts, grammar, and other content covered.   Notice the websites recommended in this syllabus, and the suggestions for tapping into the Hispanic community.  This can include reviewing magazine articles, music videos and related Internet resources.   It can also mean making new friends who speak the language or keeping those that you already know to give you a hand from time to time.  

 

·         Get a Study Buddy

In class, ask for the phone number and email address of a study buddy or two to keep up with assignments.   If you miss a class, please contact a classmate to bring you up-to-date and be prepared for the next class.

·         Doing Your Homework

As soon as possible after each class, complete the corresponding work in the Workbook/Lab Manual.  Turn in the Homework on time. Make sure the pages are stapled (if applicable) and in order, with your name and course clearly identifiable. Remember: Do not wait until the last minute to do your homework or practice material.  Reading, spelling, pronouncing the language in a regular and consistent effort will yield its rewards. You will notice this in better class performance and class contributions.   I will discuss the more difficult work in your assignments and the right answers, or how to arrive at the right answers, as time allows.

 

EVALUATION

Participation 20%

  • Attendance and active participation in class are essential to your success.  You will receive points for each day you attend! You will engage in a lot of group and pair work for which you must prepare, and we will all try to speak Spanish as much as possible during class.
  • If you miss 20% (4 classes or more) of the class days, you may fail the class.  At the very least, your final grade for the course will be lowered by one letter grade.  In case of illness or emergency, please inform me --in advance of the class you will miss-- by email, or through another student.   If you miss class, you are responsible for obtaining any missed information from a classmate.
  • For every 4 times you arrive tardy (15 min. later or more), you’ll get 1 absence.

Oral Test 10%

  • REQUIRED ORAL PRESENTATION to be given in front of the class during the quarter. You will be evaluated as a pair. The work is prepared outside class time. The presentation is a way to evaluate your pronunciation, oral expression, vocabulary and structure usage, understanding of the culture, as well as creativity to put together all the concepts learned during the course of the quarter. 

         (See calendar as well as Oral Test handouts for more details).

Homework 20%

  • Workbook   25 pts per Cap           
  • Lab Manual 25 pts per Cap

         This grade is based on completed Workbook and Lab Manual assignments. If you only turn in half of the Homework or it’s incomplete then you will get only 25 points.

         I will accept homework the day after it is due in case you miss class but you will only receive half credit.

 

I will not accept homework more than one day late.

 

EXAMS  50%

We will have three short tests, one for each chapter and the final exam. The Instructor may also add testing components from time to time in the form of announced or unannounced quizzes.

 

  • There are three short tests that you will have 30 minutes to complete for each chapter and one comprehensive final exam for a total of four. The Final Exam will be comprehensive and consist of the last chapter, plus the more important grammar, vocabulary and related topics studied throughout the course and will have 120 minutes to complete it.

You will be able to drop one of the four grades for the chapter tests.

 
Chapter Tests= 30%

Final Exam= 20%

 

  • Makeup lesson exams are, as a rule, not permitted. If you miss a test you will be able to drop that test but you will lose the chance to drop another chapter test.

 

 

GRADING SCALE

A:  94-100

B+:  87-89

C+:  77-79

D+:  67-69

A-: 90-93

B  :  84-86

C  :  74-76

D-:  60-66

 

B-:  80-83

C-:  70-73

F:   59 or below.

 

 

 

 

 

Syllabus and Calendar Modification:  

Occasionally, I may need to change the syllabus or calendar.  Such changes could include, but are not limited to, the number and dates of tests, homework assignments, etc.  I will announce changes in class.  Students who are absent when changes are announced are responsible for obtaining this information. 

 

 

Tutoring:

Visit www.bcc.ctc.edu/tutoring or see the tutor coordinator to sign up for individual tutoring or show up at group tutoring sessions that begin usually during the second week of classes. Both tutoring options are free.

 

 

BCC Disability Statement:

Students with disabilities who have accommodation needs are required to meet with the Disability Support Services (DSS) office, room B233-G (telephone 425.564.2498 or TTY 425.564.4110), to establish their eligibility for accommodation. The DSS office will provide each eligible student with an accommodation letter. Students who require accommodation in class must review the DSS accommodation letter with each instructor DURING THE FIRST WEEK OF THE QUARTER.

Students with MOBILITY CHALLENGES who may need assistance in case of an emergency situation or evacuation should register with Disability Support Services, or review those needs with the instructor as well.

 

Drop Procedure:

Don’t give up too soon, but if you decide to get out, you must withdraw officially with the Registration Office by the date set by the college. “W” will be posted in your transcripts.  If you simply stop coming, you will receive an F for the class, which will really mess up your GPA!!!  L

 

 

 

 

I will speak as much Spanish as possible, so please try to do the same!

 

¡ Bienvenidos !