BELLEVUE COMMUNITY COLLEGE

WORLD LANGUAGES

BEGINNING FIRST-YEAR SPANISH

SPANISH- ESPAÑOL 101

Room: C 161

(no prerequisites)

Print and Carry with you (no copies will be distributed)

http://www.bcc.ctc.edu/artshum/studentinfo.asp

 

Instructor: Beatrice L. Bongiorno     E-mail: bbongior@bcc.ctc.edu

Office: A 245H   Ph.#: (425) 564-2213  Hrs: MTW 2:00-4:00 or by appointment (cita)

 

Required Material (package sold at the BCC bookstore)

♦ Textobbok w/ Audio CD: Rusch, Imágenes, Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston-New York, 2003

♦ Workbook and Lab Manual, Student Interactive CD-ROM, Audio CD Program (also available at  LMC)

♦ Notebook and mini stapler (WKBK /LM assignment will be accepted unstapled!)

♦ Pen and pencil (do not use pink or red ink)

♦ Bilingual Dictionary English/Spanish –Spanish/English (optional yet highly recommended)

 

For your convenience, a copy of the textbook is available on reserve at the Circulation desk of your library.  In addition, the audio program and video are also available at the Library Media Center.

 

Bring the Textbook and Workbook/Lab Manual to class at all times and familiarize yourself ASAP with the layout of the text and its accompanying ancillary material.

 

Course Description and Objectives (and some extras …)

This course will cover Capítulo Preliminar and Capítulos 1-4. You will be introduced to the basics of the Spanish language (vocabulary, grammar) and basic element of culture in order to acquire the communication skills desirable and expected from a beginning student in order to move on to the next level.  It is imperative you develop an awareness and appreciation of the Hispanic culture as integral part of the language learning process.

 

In a functional, integrated skills approach (receptive and productive skills combined), equal emphasis is given to listening, speaking, writing, reading, and culture.   The material introduced is used within the context of real-life situations that may easily relate to your daily life, promoting and facilitating oral comprehension and expression.  Keep in mind that whatever material you learned in a previous chapter, should be integrated to the following chapters and not discarded as “done and over with”.

 

♦ Fluency is NOT achieved in a quarter!  Set realistic goals!  Spend as minimum two hour per day on Spanish outside the classroom.  You have purchased plenty of ancillary material to easily accomplish so.

 

♦ By the end of the quarter, you should have acquired the ability to use appropriately the vocabulary learned, form simple yet well constructed sentences, read brief descriptive passages and grasp the “gist” of the content without recurring to mental translation (no needed!) You should be able to understand what people are saying to you by recognizing vocabulary and grammar learned and deducing meaning from context, images, and, once again, focusing on the “gist” of what said and not in every word heard. 

 

♦ During the learning of a FL, errors, mistakes, misunderstandings are likely to occur.  Do not let those setbacks discourage you, on the contrary, they are expected as you continue the quest to learn the target language.   Be patient with other’s learning styles and encourage those who appear to struggle.   Remember that not everyone learns at the same speed and way.  A positive attitude and an open mind are essential qualities to achieve positive results, and are conducive to create a comfortable learning environment.  ¡Adelante!

 

Awareness and respect of other’s people culture and views is essential in any forum and, particularly, in a foreign language classroom.  You are encouraged to develop a genuine interest in the language and its people. You are invited to establish connections in and out of the classroom setting with native speakers both on campus and in the community at-large.  Utilize all the other sources available  in order to make your language learning experience increasingly more meaningful, productive, and enjoyable by incorporating Spanish in your daily life.  Hispanic classmates, friends, coworkers, libraries, media, Internet are all great sources to get you motivated accelerating your learning process.   

 

Course Requirements

Attendance is mandatory! All absences and tardy are unexcused.  You are allowed to make only 3 absences per quarter with no questions asked and w/o jeopardizing your participation grade.  ¡Ojo! 3 tardy = 1 absence and 30 minutes tardy =  1 absence.  It is your responsibility as well as mine to keep track of your absences and tardy.  I check roster daily.  If you come in late, remind me at the end of class time.   I would truly appreciate if you abstain (do not call/e-mail) from contacting me every time you plan to be absent or late.   In order to see progress, you have to attend class and actively participate.  Absenteeism hurts with negative ramification for the future.

Do not contact me for homework assignment.  It is impossible to get back to you on time with the info.  I have too many students.  Be considerate.  It is highly recommended you exchange e-mails and/or phone numbers with at least two classmates to find out what you missed, 

 

Make-up policy.  No make-ups will be offered under any circumstances.  ONLY EXCEPTIONS:

1)       Official BCC competitions and activities which require your presence.

a) Provide me with team schedule ahead of time.  Coach or program director’s note

2)       Serious illness or injury requiring rest and/or hospitalization.

b) Provide the physician’s note

3)       Death in the family (pet is included)

c) Provide the funeral director’s note

4)       Your death

May you rest in peace wherever you might be.  ¡Qué en paz descanse! (Save me a spot—if nice ;)

 

In the event of an absence due to reasons 1-3, it is your responsibility to approach me to arrange a new time and day for the test or presentation missed.  ¡Ojo! You should turn in the homework before leaving for excuse #1; upon your return for excuses #2 and 3.

 

Tests.  There will be a total of 4 tests, one per chapter at the conclusion of each capítulo.  Each test is worth 100 points.   The lowest test score will be dropped at the end of the quarter.  In the event you miss a test, it will receive a zero making it the one dropped.   

 

Oral presentations.  There will be two oral presentations: one in group and one in pair.  You will be evaluated as a group and as a pair, not individually.  It is imperative each member assigned to the group contributes equally bringing his/her knowledge and creativity to the project.  No slackers allowed!   Most of the work is planned and prepared outside class time.  Try to resolve schedule conflicts among you while yet being considerate and respectful of people’s commitments.   Topic and further instructions will be provided by the instructor as the date approaches.  The two grades will be averaged together at the end.

 

Homework (Deberes or tarea).  Homework will be assigned periodically from the textbook.  Complete every assignment to better participate in class avoiding embarrassing situations.  No assignment from the textbook is turned in—the sole purpose is practice and competent participation in class in order to progress.

Workbook and Lab Manual activities should be all completed and turned in stapled with the pages in order the day of the test.  Please place on top of my desk as you come in.  An assignment not stapled will be returned to its careless owner.  An assignment not turned in when due will receive a zero.  No late assignments will be accepted!  The WKBK/LM portion can be turned in until 4:00pm.  (In this case, feel free to stop by my office and place it inside my box.)   Make sure it is the right office: I am not responsible for misplaced assignments. 

 

Participation is mandatory! In order to monitor you progress and assess your competency accurately you not only need to be present, but should actively take part in all the activity or reply during oral drills.  Spanish should be used to count towards participation, unless the instructor has directed otherwise.  Although it will be difficult at the stage to use Spanish, make a habit of using as much as possible what learned thus far.  Also, use other techniques when a particular word is not available so to be understood.  Resort to cognates, repetition, circumlocution, gestures, or even mix some English and Spanish at first.  Do not be afraid to say the wrong thing, Go for it!  It’s the only way to overcome fear to speak a FL.

 

Final Exam.  It will be comprehensive, which means material from all four chapters covered will be included.  Refer to calendario for specific date and time of final exam.  Exam schedule is also posted on the BCC web page as well as listed on p. 8 of BCC Credit Class Schedule for Winter 2004.

NO CHANGES TO THE FINAL EXAM DATE WILL BE ALLOWED TO ACCOMMODATE TRAVEL PLANS.  ¡LO SIENTO!

 

Classroom Policy.  Courtesy and civility foster a positive and conducive learning environment.

-          Beginning with the second week of class, Spanish should be used at all times.  

-          Avoid interruptions with comments irrelevant to the subject matter.

-          No hats allowed!  Please remove them as you come in (except head cover used for religious reasons.)

-          Rudeness, disrespect, harassment, and disruption won’t be tolerated.  After the first warning, the instructor will ask you to leave.  I have the right to ask you to leave immediately after the offense.

-          Learn to be critical of your culture as your learn about others. Use a sense of humor.

-          No sleeping, smoking, carrying of weapons or consumptions of illegal drugs and alcohol will be allowed. You will be asked to wake-up for the first and security will be called for the other offenses.

-          No reading of magazine, newspapers or preparing other subjects’ assignments will be allowed.  You will be asked to put it away immediately, upon refusal, you will be asked to leave, if you do not comply, security will be called to escort you out of the classroom.

-          Ask permission in Spanish to use the restroom.  Inform the instructor prior to class if you need to leave early. 

-          Do not disrupt the class if late (do not slam the door); take your seat and join the activities.

-          Feel free to bring a soda pop, coffee, tea, juices, water to class.  Discard of the empty container upon exiting the classroom.  No one should clean-up after you!  Common courtesy.

-          Only the instructor has the authority to dismiss class.  Do not gather your material in the backpack while the instructor or a classmate is still speaking.

-          If the instructor is late (there’s always a valid reason), wait patiently at your seat.  After 15 minutes, you are allowed to leave.  If so, make sure you leave quietly.

-          Familiarize yourself with the evacuation procedure posted by the door.

-          Do not take it personally when the instructor corrects your pronunciation and /or answers. You are here to learn.

-          Feel free to contact me and visit me during office hours with any concerns you may have.  If the hours posted are inconvenient for you, schedule an appointment.  Between classes it is not as productive to talk.  I prefer to dedicate more time to your question. 

-          No cell phones and beepers should be kept on.  Use the vibrating mode if necessary to have it on.  In the event a cell phone or beeper goes off, you will lose 3 points on your next test.  In the event the instructor’s cell phone goes off, the entire class will be awarded 3 points.  J

 

Academic Conduct

No act of plagiarism will be condoned or tolerated.   No copying during tests, you will be only cheating yourself.  If caught cheating or plagiarizing material, the work, test, or project in question will receive a O = F.  A second offense will result in a F for the course.  Consult the Students Procedure and Expectations for information on Arts and Humanities Division policy: http://www.bcc.ctc.edu/artshum/studentinfo.html

 

Information on DSS

♦ If you require special accommodations based on a documented disability, have medical information to share, or need special arrangements in case of emergency evacuation, please make an appointment with the DSS office to make the request and complete the mandated procedure.  Remember: It is first and foremost your responsibility to visit the DSS office and make arrangements as soon as possible.  Keep the instructor informed of any changes.   If you would like to inquire about becoming a DSS student, you may call (425) 564-2498 (TTA (425) 564-410) or visit in person the DSS (Disability Support Services)  B132.

 

            Grade Distribution             Bongiorno’s Grade Scale

 

Test

20%

100% - 93% = A

76% - 73% = C

Oral Presentations

20%

92% - 90% = A-

72% - 70% = C-

WKBK/LabManual

20%

89% - 87% = B+

69% - 67% = D+

Participation

15%

86% - 83% = B

66% - 60% = D

Final Exam

25%

82% - 80% = B-

59% - 0% = F

 

 

79% - 77% = C+

 

 

 

 

¡Bienvenidos!