Course Syllabus

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SPA 101

Aug 20 - Dec 14

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General Information: 

Instructor: Jared Reynolds

e-mail address: jared.reynolds@yc.edu

Office phone: 928-634-6580

Office hours:  24/7  Call or email.  Email and voicemail from my office phone go straight to my cell phone which is usually in my pocket.

Course Description: 

SPA 101. Beginning Spanish I (4). SUN # SPA 1101. Fundamentals of speaking, writing, listening, and reading of Spanish. Introduction to the culture of the Spanish-speaking world. Four lecture.

Holidays:  Mon. Sept. 3rd (Labor Day), Mon. Nov. 12th (Veteran's Day), Wed., Thurs., Fri. Nov. 21-23 (Thanksgiving), 

Class Materials:

Mandatory:

Access to a computer and internet that will allow you to watch videos and do your homework.  (You have access to the YC lab computers if needs be.)

eTextbook (print or have on tablet/computer for each class)  It's in the course navigation. 

Suggested:

Barron’s 501 Spanish verbs link or online verb conjugator at link

Harper Collins Spanish Dictionary link or dictionary at link

Course Content:

1. Formulaic expressions (e.g., Of course!) 

2. Courtesy expressions (e.g., Thank you, good evening) 

3. Basic needs 

4. Question formation and interrogative words 

5. Basic biographical information (e.g., name, age, origin, profession, phone number, address) 

6. Telling time 

7. Comparisons 

8. Descriptions of activities 

9. Narrations of daily routines 

10. Descriptions of objects, places, and people 

11. Spanish phonetic and stress systems 

12. Spanish spelling system 

13. Accent marks in Spanish 

14. Reading authentic Spanish passages that relate to basic survival vocabulary and/or current events 

15. Components of the Spanish-speaking culture: physical (e.g., personal space, customs), non-verbal (e.g., gestures), geographical (e.g., maps), and the arts (e.g., music, arts)

Learning Outcomes:

1. Use and respond to formulaic expressions and courtesy expressions (e.g., Of course!, Thank you), formulate questions to satisfy basic needs (e.g., What time is it?) and express basic needs (e.g., I'm looking for the bus to Guadalajara). 

2. Describe objects, places, and people. 

3. Express basic biographical information on oneself and others (e.g., name, age, origin, profession, phone number, address) 

4. Narrate daily activities and routines of oneself and others (e.g., At seven, I wake up, shower, and shave. After I get dressed and eat breakfast, I go to the university.). 

5. Respond and contribute to very simple face-to-face conversations with limited spontaneity using frequently used phrases.

Study Recommendations

How often: 

Throughout the day, every day.

For how long: 

Short amounts of time. 5-20 min. sessions.

Meaningful: 

Make it fun by looking up things that apply to you. (Things that you say, shows that you watch and music that you listen to.)

With whom: 

Study and practice with someone else. Don't study alone! Study (and practice) with someone else as often as possible.

Reading / Listening comprehension: 

Look for keywords and go for the overall meaning. Don't become frustrated if you don't know all of the words.

Watching TV shows: 

Find a show or movie that you like a lot. Watch it with Spanish subtitles and in Spanish.

Speaking: 

Don't think that you have to be perfect to communicate! The important thing is to do your best and be happy when you do your best. This takes time! Have fun with it! You are learning a foreign language!

Recommended learning tools:

Anki and Smartcards+ are two flashcard applications that integrate images, audio and text to practice recall.  Additionally, they alert you when you need to study cards based on how well you recall the information.  The algorithms that they use are based on a proven memory technique called Spaced Repetition Systems.   iTalki.com is a great place to practice with native Spanish speakers.  Make a list of questions and practice them online with a native speaker.  If you are interested in continuing language learning I recommend the book Fluent Forever and/or Fluent in 3 months.

Tutoring:

Use the tutoring services in the learning center to practice with Trini our native-Spanish speaking tutor.

Purpose:

If you do not have a reason to take a class other than for graduation, then I suggest you find a better reason to take any class.  Students that have a purpose or are strongly motivated to take a class, are much more likely to do better and remember the information covered long after the class has finished.

Make-up policy:

Our schedule is flexible, but there will be deadlines.  There will be 5 self-paced chapters.  Make sure that you finish the chapter by the deadline posted on the chapter.  Sections can be found under 'Modules' on the left.  Any assignments not finished by the deadline will be given a zero.  Pay attention to the dates.  

Late work

Late work will not be accepted.  Finish your chapter materials on time.

Skills Assessments (45%)

To check your comprehension of the material, there will be a skills assessment.  These will be one-on-one, on Fridays during available times.  See this video on how to schedule your Skills Assessments and pass them off online.  The purpose of these is for you to show what you can 'do' with the language.  Examples of Skills Assessments are greeting someone, describing a family member, or describing your daily routine.  If you do not pass a skills assessment you will need to study more and re-take the assessment before continuing with the material.

Homework / Assignments (45%)

Homework will consist of online activities.  There will be reading, writing, listening and speaking activities.  It is important to do all of these activities because they will allow you to remember the information better.

Attendance (10%)

We will meet for 16 weeks on Mondays and Wednesdays.  That is 32 class meetings (minus holidays).  You are allowed to miss four classes and stay in the class.  More than 4 absences will result in you being dropped from the class.  There will be 100 points for attendance and each absence will result in a 10 pt deduction.

What to expect in class:

Since you will be familiar with the material before coming to class, we will focus on practicing in class.  You will practice as a class and in groups.  We will practice making statements and asking questions in class.

YC Policy

Response Time:

Instructors will state a time frame for returning graded assignments and responding to student correspondence. For example, I will do my best to address student correspondence within 5 min - 2 hours.

Do not use the links below to navigate this course.  Use the modules button in the upper left-hand side of the screen.

Course Summary:

Date Details Due