COURSE SYLLABUS—SPRING 2016

Spanish 111 First Year Spanish I (SPAN 111)

T/TH 11.00-12.45 p.m.

REYN 101 (Carson) and VRGH 309 (Fallon)

Number of credits: 4
Transferability of course within Nevada: Transfers as SPAN 111 to all Nevada colleges and universities

Instructor:Maxine Cirac

Phone:775-445-4281

E-mail:

Office:Bristlecone, 350L (Carson Campus)

Office hours:Monday 1.00- 2.00 p.m. and 4.00- 5.00 p.m.

Tuesday 2.00- 3.00 p.m.

Wednesday1.00- 2.00 p.m. and 4.00- 5.00 p.m.

If you cannot make one of my office hours, please don’t hesitate to call and/or e- mail me and we’ll set up an appointment.

Required Texts:1. Potowski, Sobral, Dawson, Dicho y hecho, 9th edition, c. 2012

ISBN: 978-0-470-91782-4

2. Potowski, Sobral, Dawson, Dicho y hecho, 9th edition Activities Manual,

c. 2012

ISBN: 978-0-470-90702-3

Recommended:1. A Spanish-English dictionary and/or app (www.spanishdict.com/)

Course Description

Develops language skills through practice in listening, speaking, reading and writing; and structural analysis.Includes an introduction to Spanish culture.

Course objectives

Spanish 111, the first semester of first year Spanish, is designed to help students acquire beginning communication skills within a culturally significant context. Upon completion of this course, students are expected to:

  1. Write Spanish in full sentences and basic paragraphs incorporating vocabulary and grammar learned over the course of the semester. (*GE1)

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  1. Communicate orally using basic Spanish to ask and answer questions on a variety of everyday topics, describe people and places and narrate recurring (present) events. (*GE1)
  1. Read and translate selected basic texts. (*GE1)
  1. Understand some Spanish spoken slower than normal pace and develop skills and coping strategies for filling in the gaps. (*GE1)

E. Identify selected cultural traits of Spanish-speaking countries. (*GE1)

* GE1 refers to General Education Student Learning Outcome 1: Intellectual Skills. Demonstrate working knowledge of key concepts, principles, themes and major content areas needed to explain and solve discipline-specific problems.

Policies and Procedures

Grading

Your grade for the course will be determined in the following manner:

3 tests(75 points each)225 points

1 midterm exam150 points

1 final exam (comprehensive)150 points

2 in-class oral presentations(100 points each)200 points

10 in-class activities (10 points each, ungraded)100 points

Homework (points vary, ungraded)175 points

900-1000 pointsA

800-899 pointsB

700-799 pointsCto determine final grade

600-699 pointsD

below 600F

IMPORTANT:

  • The last day for a student to withdraw from this class is Friday, April 1, 2015. This is also the last day to change credit to audit or audit to credit.
  • Students who do not formally withdraw from the class will receive the grade they have earned based on the points accumulated for the course.

Classroom/Communication

We will cover lessons (capítulos) 1-5 of the text. In addition to completing the exercises in your Activities Manual, you will also be assigned additional homework assignments, some of which count towards homework points. Counted homework assignments will be corrected, recorded as

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homework points and returned to you on a regular basis. Homework must be completed when submitted in order to receive credit. Late homework is accepted provided it’s submitted 24 hours before the following test/exam.

In the case of absence, it is your responsibility to find out from another student what was covered, what the homework is, and what will be expected of you on your return. If you cannot contact a classmate, please e-mail or call me at my office and I will be happy to e-mail you the homework assignment.

Note: Unless I am off-campus for specific meetings or conferences, I check my e-mail and messages constantly throughout the day during the work week. I rarely check my e-mail over weekends or official holidays. During the work week, I usually respond to questions from students within 24 hours of receiving e-mail. Please note that correspondence after 3 p.m. on Fridays is usually not answered until the following Monday or regular business day if Monday is a holiday.

I will be happy to meet you outside of class time if you need me to clarify any part of a lesson which you've not understood. The Academic Skills Center normally provides tutoring at no extra charge.

In the event of my absence, I shall send an e-mail via my class roster on MyWNC. Cancelled classes will be shown on the college website home page. Click on Cancelled Classes for Today:

Western Nevada College is committed to providing reasonable accommodations for all persons with disabilities. This syllabus is available in alternate formats upon request. Any student with a documented disability needing academic adjustments is requested to speak with Disability Support Services and the instructor as early in the semester as possible. All discussions will remain confidential. Please contact Disability Support Services, Carson campus, Cedar 209, 775-445-4459 or .

Participation and Attendance

Regular practice is an essential part of language learning; one cannot do well without it. Your participation in class includes being prepared when called on, turning in assignments on time, listening to the audio regularly, doing the exercises in the manual, and coming in for extra help when you need it. Regular exposure to a language is of the highest importance in the learning process; you should make every effort to attend each class. There are 10 in-class activities (see Grading) worth 10 points each which are given over the course of the semester. In-class activities are corrected, but not graded and cannot be made up.

Tests

Dates of tests are indicated on the syllabus. There will be no makeup tests without prior consent.

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Oral work

Oral work is an integral part of this language program. To access the Student Companion Website, go to Your work with the audio will help to prepare you for the class as well as the tests. The Student Companion Website not only offers the audio you will need for the text and the lab manual, but also some wonderful ancillaries such as Self Tests and Audio Flashcards.

Each of you will be asked to prepare two in-class oral presentations during the course of the semester. Directions and grading criteria will be handed out two weeks before the presentation dates.

Academic Honesty

Acts of academic dishonesty, including but not limited to cheating, plagiarism, falsifying research data or results, using a translation program or translator to complete written assignments or assisting others to do the same will not be tolerated and will result in an F grade in the course. Policies regarding student conduct can be found in the college’s catalog. If I have any doubt that a student is cheating in any way, I reserve the right to require supplementary examinations.

Tips for Success
  1. Be on time and don’t leave early. Sometimes arriving late is impossible to avoid, but consistently arriving late (or leaving early) isn’t fair to the other students who make a point of being on time and stay for the whole class. Except for exam days, I do not let class out early.
  1. Turn off your cell phone and keep it out of sight. There is nothing more annoying than students text messaging. Of course, if you have a special circumstance such as your child(ren) at home sick, please let me know before class and I shall make the exception.
  1. If you don’t understand something, please ask me right away. If you feel too shy, ask a classmate when you are working together doing an activity. Also, please don’t hesitate to come and see me in my office and/or call me. Many times, even 15 minutes of one-on-one time can make a big difference!
  1. Avoid procrastination. This course covers a lot of material. Falling behind or skipping assignments will seriously affect your participation and effort in class, not to mention your test scores.
  1. Respect your classmates. Listen to what they have to say. When someone else is talking, it is not the time to whisper and talk with the people around you.

SPAN 111 – SPRING 2016 SCHEDULE (tentative)

T/TH 11.00- 12.45 p.m.

Week 1Week 9

T 1-26Introduction/Capítulo 1T 3-29Capítulo 4

TH 1-28Capítulo 1 TH 3-31Capítulo 4

Week 2Week 10

T 2- 2 Capítulo 1T 4- 5OP 1*

TH 2- 4Capítulo 1(in Fallon)TH 4- 7 OP 1* (in Fallon)

Week 3Week 11

T 2- 9Capítulo 1T 4-12Capítulo 4

TH 2-11TEST 1TH 4-14Capítulo 4

Week 4Week 12

T 2-16Capítulo 2T 4-19TEST 3

TH 2-18Capítulo 2 Th 4-21 Capítulo 5

Week 5Week 13

T 2-23Capítulo 2T 4-26 Capítulo 5

TH 2-25Capítulo 2 (in Fallon)TH 4-28Capítulo 5

Week 6Week 14

T 3- 1TEST 2T 5- 3Capítulo 5

TH 3- 3Capítulo 3 TH 5- 5OP 2* (in Fallon)

Week 7Week 15

T 3- 8Capítulo 3T 5-10OP 2*

TH 3-10Capítulo 3 TH 5-12Review

Week 8Week 16

T 3-15Capítulo 3T 5-17FINAL EXAM

TH 3-17MIDTERM EXAM (comprehensive)

SPRING BREAK (Week of 3-21)

¡Diviértanse y muybuenasuerte!

*OP indicates Oral Presentation