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COURSE SYLLABUS
Spring 2014 Spanish 1A: Elementary Spanish (Sect. 1) (4 units) (Course Call #30809)
Mariposa 1002, MTWR, 11:00-11:50
Dr. Edward Baranowski
Office: 2039 Mariposa Hall Phone: 916-278-6336
Office Hours: Mondays and Thursdays, 1:15-2:45, or by appointment for other times.
E-mail: [email protected]
Faculty webpage: http://www.csus.edu/indiv/b/baranowski/
Department of Foreign Languages webpage: http://www.csus.edu/fl/
Course textbook and materials
1. ¡Con brio!, (3rd
. ed.). Laila M. Dawson, María Concepción Lucas Murillo, Donna Shelton, and Janet H.
Sedlar. Wiley, 2013. (Log into Blackboard CT for course eBook and all homework assignments. For
general orientation or problems, please go to http://www.wileyplus.com/firstday, the 1st Day of Class site
for students, or contact Technical Support directly at http://www.wileyplus.com/support.)
2. (Recommended) A good Spanish-English dictionary.
Catalog description
Beginning Spanish language with primary emphasis on the development of audio-lingual skills. Attention
will also be given to the interrelatedness of language and civilization and culture. Additional attention will
be given to the development of reading and writing. Students will be expected to spend several hours per
week in the language laboratory. Not recommended for students with any previous study of Spanish. 4
units.
Course Objectives
At the end of this semester you can reasonably expect to be able to understand and communicate in
the following areas:
You and the other students: Greetings, introductions and saying goodbye; nationality and
stating where you and others are from; descriptions of people; cognates; numbers 0-59; ex-
changing phone numbers, e-mail addresses and birthdays; telling time, days of the week and
dates.
Campus life: classes and schedules; telling time of events; location of places on campus;
the classroom; colors; expressing to whom things belong; states of being and emotions; Spanish
and Hispanic culture; professions; talking about going places; asking and answering questions.
Family, friends and habitual activities: family and friends; possessions; age; habitual
activities in the present; telling a friend what to do; descriptions of people (continue), places
and things; marital status; family traditions, values, and trends in the Hispanic world.
Activities in your free time and future activities: likes and dislikes, pastimes, and other
activities in the present; opinions, doubts and obligations; telling a friend what to do (continue);
weather and seasons; talking about who and what you know; future activities, and leisure
activities in the Hispanic world.
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1. Demonstrate that you are able to understand and interpret written language on a variety of
topics.
2. Demonstrate that you are able to understand the culture where Spanish is spoken through
comparisons of the culture studied and your own. You will be able to perform internet searches
in the language and explore the perspectives, products, and practices of the culture.
3. Demonstrate that you are able to understand the nature of Spanish through comparisons of
the language studied and your own.
4. Demonstrate that you are able to understand and respond to simple statements and questions
and participate in informal conversation within the cultural context. Method of Instruction
The course is conducted entirely in Spanish using the following elements and techniques:
Lecture/presentation
Discussion and student-teacher interaction
Daily in-class pair and group activities
Assigned exercises and readings from Con brío (available through Blackboard CT)
The study of Spanish-speaking countries’ culture
The use of slides, pictures, cards, music, and videos Grade Breakdown
3 chapter exams 30%
1 final exam 20%
Attendance and Class Participation 20%
Homework 20%
1 oral exam 10% Scores are rounded up or down, i.e., 82.5 will be considered an 83, but 82.25 will be an 82.
Grades are kept in numerical form until the end of the course, at which time they are averaged to
determine the final letter grade (93-100 = A, 90-92 = A-, 87-89 = B+, 83-86 = B, 80-82 = B-, 77-79
= C+, 73-76 = C, 70-72 = C-, 67-69 = D+, 64-66 = D, 60-63 = D-, and below 60= F. Testing
There will be three written chapter exams for this course, an oral exam the last week of class, and
also a final exam. Each written exam will consist of listening comprehension, grammar, reading
comprehension, culture, vocabulary and writing. Exams will be mainly based on the material
covered in class from ¡Con brio! and any additional information (handouts, extra activities, etc.)
provided by the instructor in class. Each exam will include vocabulary and grammar from previous
chapters that you must be able to understand and apply.
Please note the day of the exams on the course calendar. The day and time of the final exam for this class
is Monday, May 19th
, from 10:15AM-12:15PM. All exams must be taken when scheduled and not at
other times.
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Homework
In addition to homework assigned in Blackboard CT, there might be other assignments such as short
compositions which you will turn in to me during class. Guidelines for turning in such assignments
are as follows:
a. Read and understand what you are supposed to do and use a dictionary.
b. Write out all homework on a new, clean sheet of paper. Do NOT combine it with class
notes or other assignments. Identify your homework on the top right-hand corner:
Nombre: John Doe
Fecha: 2 de octubre de 2012
c. I WILL NOT ACCEPT LATE HOMEWORK. And all assignments must be turned
in during class, not later in the day.
Attendance and Class Participation
In order to get full points, you must:
Avoid excessive absences and tardiness. If you are not in class, you cannot participate.
Come to class fully prepared and volunteer to participate in all activities.
Turn off your cell phone, your laptop, and any other electronic devices.
Avoid getting up excessively, arriving late, leaving early, and talking to others in the class when
you should be listening to the instructor.
Participation includes your preparation for class (doing the homework) and your willingness to
participate in all class activities, such as conversations with your instructor or with classmates during
pair/group work. The class period is devoted to speaking Spanish rather than speaking about the
language, therefore, your preparation for class is very important.
You are responsible for preparing the scheduled material BEFORE coming to class. This implies
careful preparation of all assigned homework and material from the text, including grammar
explanations and corresponding exercises.
Attendance Policy
Attendance will be taken at the beginning of each class meeting. Due to the nature and intensity of
language courses, the emphasis on oral practice, participation, and the pace of the course, attendance
is mandatory. Regular attendance at all class meetings is expected and is very important for your
success, since everything that is said or done in class is considered “test material”. The course meets
four days per week and all students are expected to arrive on time and participate actively for the
entire class session. Chronic tardiness and absences will affect your attendance grade.
You are allowed to miss FOUR classes for the entire semester, and do not have to give any reason
for them. If you are absent more than four times during this semester, one point will be deducted
from your final grade starting with the 5th absence. For example, if you miss seven times, you will
lose three points off your attendance grade and final grade. If you know that you cannot be on time
for this class or are going to be missing more than four times, drop this class now and take it at
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another time, if possible, when you don’t have any conflicts. If you are absent more than 12 times,
you will receive an automatic “F” in the class.
Group Work and Scholastic Honesty
Working with other students is an extremely effective means of studying and not everyone in the
group needs to be at the same proficiency level. Get together with other students to practice
conversation or to help each other understand the grammar explanations. Make sure, however, that
you do not simply copy another student’s work and turn it in as your own. Turning in work that you
did not write, for which you had considerable direct help from someone else, or that has been
translated by a translation service or computer program will be considered cheating. Anyone copying
from others, allowing others to copy their work, or using fraudulently-obtained information will
receive an F in this class and will be reported to the Student Affairs Office.
How not to plagiarize: Go to http://library.csus.edu/content2.asp?pageID=353
Classroom Courtesy
Please turn off all laptops, cell phones and any other electronic devices while in the classroom! When
your professor is talking, you and other students need to listen. When time is given for pair and/or group
work, you need to interact with your partner or group. This is not the time to talk to your professor about
matters unrelated to the assigned activity, work on other assignments or talk in a language other than
Spanish: these matters must be handled after class, during office hours, or by appointment. You will be
asked to leave if you engage in disruptive behavior.
Class Procedure and General Goals
The primary focus of this first semester of Spanish is to develop your ability to understand native spoken
and written Spanish and to increase your skill at expressing yourself in basic everyday situations.
Listening comprehension and speaking are the basis for the sound acquisition of a foreign language. As a
child learning your first language, you had lots of time to listen before you attempted to speak. Don’t be
impatient with yourself when you find that you can understand far more than you can produce. That is
only natural—your speaking and writing abilities will always lag slightly behind your ability to
understand.
You cannot expect to acquire native-like competence in a foreign language in one or two years. You can,
however, expect to be able to communicate with native speakers of Spanish even though you make
mistakes. The goal of this course is communicative competence, not oral grammatical perfection.
Grammatical perfection in writing, however--for example, in written homework, quizzes, and tests--is
possible and will make your understanding and practice of the language easier as time goes by.
Therefore, it is recommended that you spend time learning and memorizing the forms covered in class.
This class will use speaking, listening, reading and writing activities to enhance your grasp of vocabulary
and to provide you with opportunities to express yourself in Spanish.
Special Needs
The Office of Services for Students with Disabilities (SSWD) offers a wide range of support services
and accommodations to students based on appropriate documentation, the nature of the disability,
and academic need in order to ensure equal access and opportunity to pursue their educational goals.
In order to initiate services, students must submit medical or professional documentation to SSWD,
Lassen Hall 1008, (916) 278-6955. See details in the SSWD webpage at http://www.csus.edu/sswd/.
Before course accommodations can be made, a student needs to request accommodation from SSWD
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and provide a letter to the instructor from them. Please discuss your accommodations needs with me
during my office hours early in the semester.
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Spanish 1A Tentative Course Calendar (Spring 2014)
Day Material Day Material
Week 1 Week 9
January 27 Introduction March 31 Chavez Holiday—No class
January 28 Chap. 1 April 1 Chap. 3
January 29 Chap. 1 April 2 Chap. 3
January 30 Chap. 1 April 3 Chap. 3
Week 2 Week 10
February 3 Chap. 1 April 7 Chap. 3
February 4 Chap. 1 April 8 Chap. 3
February 5 Chap. 1 April 9 Chap. 3
February 6 Chap. 1 April 10 Chap. 3
Week 3 Week 11
February 10 Chap. 1 April 14 Chap. 3
February 11 Chap. 1 April 15 Chap. 3
February 12 Chap. 1 April 16 Chap. 3 Exam
February 13 Chap. 1 April 17 Chap. 4
Week 4 Week 12
February 17 Chap 1 April 21 Chap. 4
February 18 Chap 1 April 22 Chap. 4
February 19 Chap. 1 Exam April 23 Chap. 4
February 20 Chap. 2 April 24 Chap. 4
Week 5 Week 13
February 24 Chap. 2 April 28 Chap. 4
February 25 Chap. 2 April 29 Chap. 4
February 26 Chap. 2 April 30 Chap. 4
February 27 Chap. 2 May 1
Week 6 Week 14
March 3 Chap. 2 May 5 Chap. 4
March 4 Chap. 2 May 6 Chap. 4
March 5 Chap. 2 May 7 Chap. 4
March 6 Chap. 2 May 8 Chap. 4
Week 7 Week 15
March 10 Chap. 2 May 12 Oral exams—No class
March 11 Chap. 2 May 13 Oral exams—No class
March 12 Chap. 2 May 14 Chap. 4
March 13 Chap. 2 Exam May 15 Review
Week 8
March 17 Chap. 3 Monday, 5/19 Final Exam
March 18 Chap. 3 10:15AM-12:15PM
March 19 Chap. 3
March 20 Chap. 3
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Spanish 1A Student Data Sheet (Please fill out and bring to first class.)
Name: ________________________________________
E-mail: _______________________________________
Phone: _______________________________________
Major: _______________________________________
Year in school: ________________________________
Can you make office hours? _____________
What extra-curricular activities will you be involved in this semester?
Have you traveled to any Spanish-speaking countries? Which ones?
Do you have any special concerns?