Fall 2007
SPANISH 1013: Elementary Spanish I
Instructor: Dr. Verónica P. Kurth
214-C
664-9113
kurth@lambuth.edu
COURSE DESCRIPTION
AND OBJECTIVES
The first semester of beginning Spanish offers three hours credit and serves as the first phase of a four-semester beginning and intermediate Spanish series.
The primary objective of this course is to provide the fundamentals of Spanish grammar and pronunciation so that students can use Spanish in oral as well as in written communication.
The Dos Mundos program includes also cultural and linguistic information that will help students to learn about history and daily life in several Spanish-speaking countries, and to understand cultural and individual diversity as well as cultural differences, gaining a greater understanding of Hispanic communities.
REQUIRED TEXTS
1. Dos Mundos: En Breve by Terrell, Andrade, Egasse, and Muñoz, 2003.
2. A Spanish-English, English-Spanish Dictionary
CLASS POLICIES AND
PROCEDURES
Roll will be taken every day at the beginning of class. Quizzes, tests, or assignments missed due to absences will not be made up except in cases of emergency. Late work will not be accepted. Any student who misses more than 25% of the course meetings will automatically receive a grade of F for the course. Participation grades will be lowered for each absence. Additionally, final averages will be lowered THREE points for each absence in excess of six.
Participation grades take into account students’ completion of assignments in a timely manner, preparation for class, willingness to speak Spanish in class, and attendance. No one is expected to speak perfect Spanish! However, the only way to improve oral expression in Spanish is to practice. You are expected to use Spanish in class.
Students will gain the greatest benefit from the course by devoting some time each day to Spanish, 30 minutes to an hour at minimum. Various assignments and cultural activities will further enhance your development of proficient Spanish. This is a skills oriented course. The development of any skill requires regular practice in addition to regular study. Reading, even careful and repeated reading of the material will NOT adequately prepare you for class. Grammar explanations in the text are always very short, and seldom require more than 10 or 15 minutes to read. Most of your preparation for class should involve written and oral practice of the concepts introduced in the text. The online learning center is an excellent place to begin to practice.
Class work is NOT merely a repetition of information that is in the book. We will work with grammar, readings, and dialogues by doing oral and written activities. Your study should include working enough of the exercises in the textbook to be sure that you understand the concept being presented.
In case of emergency, you should call me at the office or at home to let me know your situation. I will be happy to work with you when problems arise, but you must let me know immediately if you are not able to fulfill your responsibilities as outlined on the syllabus. A brief conference is usually all that is necessary to work out problems. I will be happy to meet with you as often as is needed. Be sure to also make use of the effective tutors if needed.
.
NO QUESTION OR PROBLEM IS INSIGNIFICANT. In language study it is very common to need to hear an explanation several times, or to hear the same concept expressed in a different way. None of the concepts you will study this semester are extremely complex when studied by themselves; however, since the concepts are interdependent, they will seem more difficult if you try to master too many at one time.
EVALUATION
o
Quizzes will be brief and will usually be taken at
the beginning of class.
o
Your exams
will have both oral and written components.
Tests are used to evaluate your progress in oral proficiency, listening
comprehension, reading comprehension, writing, grammar, and cultural
information.
o
The online learning center at http://www.mhhe.com/dosmundos6 is a
required part of the course for all students. Any student who does not complete
these activities on a regular basis will FAIL THE COURSE. The online activities are due on the day
of each exam.
To access the online activities:
1. Go to www.mhhe.com/dosmundos6
2. On
the left side of the screen, under
3. Choose the appropriate chapter on the drop-down menu.
4. After you click “submit answers”on each section, you will need to enter my e-mail address to send them to me at
kurth@lambuth.edu or veronicakurth@aol.com
o Every student taking a Foreign Language class at Lambuth is also required to work on our language Lab (AURALOG) to further enhance the development of proficient language. Auralog will help students to become more understanding of linguistic concepts, and apply those on the written and oral world. You are expected to spend approximately one to two hours a week in Lab.; a total of 20 hours per semester. As the semester progresses you will see that you are spending more time in Lab. I will be checking your lab attendance on a weekly basis.
To access Auralog:
1. Go to www.tellmemorecampus.com
2. Type user name (your complete last name and your first name’s initial: kurthv)
3. Enter Password (kurth). You may change it later.
4. Choose everyday situations
5. Do placement test
o
Your participation and performance are a
part of the final grade. The criteria
used for evaluation are attitude, evidence of effort, preparation for class,
and improvement during the course of the semester. It is important to note that you may attend
class each day, however, if you do not participate in class your participation
grade will be significantly lowered.
Oral Presentations will be an important component for your participation
grade as well as written assignments.
Tests, assignments, online activities, Auralog, attendance, and class participation are all used in determining your final grade. The relative weight given to each category is indicated in the summary following:
10% Oral
Participation A 92-100
10%
10% AURALOG
(20 hours) C
75-83
15% Quizzes
D 65-74
35% Exams F below
65
15% Written
Final Exam
5% Oral Final Exam
SPANISH 1013 FALL 2007
DR. KURTH
WED 22 AUG Introduction, Placement Exams
FRI 24 AUG Paso A
MON 27 AUG Paso A
WED 29
AUG Paso
B
FRI 31 AUG Paso B
MON 03
SEP Labor
Day
WED 05
SEP Paso
B, C Quiz #1 (Paso A-B)
FRI 07 SEP Paso C
MON 10
SEP Paso
C
WED 12
SEP EXAM
I (Paso A,B,C)*Online act.
FRI 14
SEP Chapter
1
MON 17 SEP Chapter 1
WED 19
SEP Chapter
1
FRI 21
SEP Chapter
1 Quiz # 2
MON 24
SEP Chapter 1
WED 26
SEP EXAM
II (Ch.1) *Online act. due
FRI 28
SEP Chapter
2
MON 01 OCT Chapter 2
WED 03
OCT Chapter
2 Quiz # 3
FRI 05
OCT Oral Presentations
MON 08
OCT Chapter
2 (Reaction Paper Due)
WED 10
OCT EXAM III (Ch.2)*Online act. due
FRI 12
OCT Chapter
3
MON 15
OCT Fall
Break!
WED 17 OCT Chapter 3
FRI 19 OCT Chapter 3 Quiz # 4
MON 22
OCT Chapter
3
WED 24
OCT EXAM
IV (Ch.3)*Online act. due
FRI 26 OCT Chapter 4
MON 29
OCT Chapter
4
WED 31 OCT Chapter 4 Quiz # 5
FRI 02
NOV Chapter 4
MON 05
NOV Chapter
4
WED 07
NOV EXAM
V (Ch.4) * Online act. due
FRI 09 NOV Chapter 5
MON 12 NOV Chapter 5
WED 14 NOV Chapter 5
FRI 16
NOV Chapter
5 Quiz # 6
MON 19
NOV Oral
Presentations
WED 21 NOV THANKSGIVING
FRI 23
NOV HOLIDAYS
MON 26 NOV Chapter 5 (Reaction Paper Due)
WED 28
NOV EXAM
VI (Ch.5) *Online act. due
FRI 30
NOV Review
MON 03 DEC FINAL ORAL EXAM
WED 05 DEC FINAL ORAL EXAM
FINAL WRITTEN EXAMS:
Dec. 6-7; 10-12