Spanish 120-First Semester Spanish
Fall 2012 Syllabus
Instructor: María L. Villagómez
Contact Information
Office: BLDG. 1000 - Check my web page for office hours.
Telephone#: 707-253-3178 - E-mail:
Instructor Web site: http://www.napavalley.edu/people/mvillagomez/Pages/welcome.aspx
**Please plan to attend the in person orientation on Friday, August 24th at 11:00am in room 836.
REQUIRED Texts and materials:
VISTAS: Introducción a la lengua española, Fourth Edition by Blanco-Donley
Sound: A combination head-set and microphone is required. Target.com has several microphones. Make sure to purchase one that is compatible with your PC or MAC.
-The text will include one passcode: This code comes inside a manila envelope with an astrobright green label.
-You may purchase the text at the NVC bookstore now or at www.vhldirect.com/store/napavalley.htm You will not be able to find this same text anywhere else. It is a custom made edition just for NVC students.
Have you taken Spanish before? - PLACEMENT: All students need to take the Spanish online advisory placement test to make sure they are enrolled in the right class. You will find a direct link to this test on your instructor’s Webpage or under “T” (for “Testing”) from the A-Z Directory in the NVC Webpage (www.napavalley.edu). After taking the test, email me or print the results and bring them to the orientation. Those who speak Spanish at home should enroll in a higher level class or for Heritage Speakers where the focus is to improve reading and writing skills. Spanish 120 is considered Spanish as a second language and it assumes no prior knowledge of Spanish or very little. No formal rules for accents or spelling are included in this class. Let me know if you need help interpreting the results. Please email me your exam results by next week.
COURSE DESCRIPTION and OBJECTIVES Spanish 120 is an introductory 5-unit college course- there is no prerequisite. It is the first part of a four semester sequence of UC/CSU transfer level Spanish courses integrating listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills in real world contexts. Cultural perspectives and practices are also addressed. The same textbook will be used next semester for Spanish 121. The basis of the work this semester will be Lessons 1-7. This course is characterized by an emerging ability to understand and produce appropriate responses in high-frequency situations utilizing learned materials. Verbal and written expression is limited to short, culturally appropriate communication. Students will acquire knowledge of the geography, culture and people of regions where Spanish is spoken.
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES Upon completion of this course, students will be able to:
· Engage in basic, two-way oral and written exchanges
· Read, comprehend, and write basic Spanish
· Recognize various Hispanic Cultures
DAILY PREPAREDNESS and PARTICIPATION Learning Spanish can be a very rewarding and fun experience, or it can be a real nightmare… it’s really up to you. This course requires at least 10-15 hours per week in assignments. You will be assigned to read, study or work on some exercises as part of your regular homework. Please visit the Vistas Supersite frequently and read/do the assigned material by the deadline. Those students who have fun and do well are those students who have the patience, who practice and persevere through it all, but mainly, those who aren’t afraid to make mistakes and keep trying. Make sure to read the instructor’s emails, weekly announcements, and assigned readings.
STUDENT RESPONSIBILITES Participants enrolled in this course should continually monitor their learning, evaluating their own efforts, and actively seek help when needed in a timely manner. To successfully complete this Spanish course, you will need to assume an active role in the learning process; ask questions, participate in discussion, view all power points, and complete ALL assignments.
HOMEWORK The only way to learn another language is to practice. The online PRACTICE, TUTORIALS, and WEB SAM sections are an excellent tool to improve your language skills. Check your “Tentative Schedule” daily and complete the appropriate exercises in the vistas supersite as they are an essential component of the program. The detailed assignments for the week can be viewed in www.vhlcentral.com You are responsible for keeping up to date with all lessons and assignments. Online courses take as much time (and sometimes more) to complete successfully as traditional courses, so please plan accordingly. Regular practice increases the pace and quality of your performance and is therefore required. It is your responsibility –and extremely advisable - to complete the exercises concurrently with daily class preparation instead of “cramming” it all the night before they are due. Full credit will be awarded only if you have completed ALL the assigned exercises with a minimum of 75% accuracy. Check the tentative schedule for homework due dates. Please note that homework is always due by 9:00 p.m. No late work will be accepted. No exceptions. Please see attachment for instructions on how to set up your super-site account. Please note: The activities you work on in your textbook are not turned in. You only “turn in” the activities that you complete on the vistas supersite. Usually, there will be between 30-40 activities per chapter.
E-MAIL and E-MAIL POLICYEach student MUST have an active e-mail account. This will be the e-mail address that is used for any communication between you and your instructor. When you send an email, please put the title of this course and the topic you are writing about in the "Subject" line (for example: SPAN120, Homework). Also, as email names often do not describe the name of the student, please start all email messages with your full name and phone number for easy identification and communication. It is highly recommended that you copy yourself (CC) when sending an email with homework attached in the rare event that your message gets lost in Cyberspace.
BLACKBOARD We will NOT be using blackboard for this online course. We will use the publisher’s website www.vhlcentral.com
TECHNICAL KNOWLEDGEIt is expected that you have basic Internet skills if you are in this course. Those skills include the ability to login to the course web site and send and receive email with attachments.
If you have any technical difficulties, please email our desk help: http://www.napavalley.edu/apps/Pub.asp?Q=651
INSTRUCTOR COMMITMENTIt is my responsibility to help students grow and learn. This means that I will try to provide clear instructions for all projects, answer questions about the assignments, identify additional resources as necessary, and provide review questions for assessments. In this environment, the instructor is always evaluating, revising and clarifying questions and problems. I will follow the course as detailed in this syllabus. If any changes are required in the syllabus or the schedule of assignments, I will announce them to give you time to adjust. You can count on my availability during weekdays, and you have the right to expect prompt responses to your questions, comments, and requests, usually within 48 hours. Students who e-mail me Friday – Sunday may expect a response by 5 pm on Monday. In this distance-learning course, you will receive at least the same attention and care you would find in a traditional class.
CHEATING STATEMENT
Cheating is the unauthorized giving or receiving of information in examinations, quizzes, assignments or other class exercises. If someone else takes online tests or quizzes in your name, this is also considered cheating. Honesty and integrity are very important in higher education. This standard pertains to what is written as well as what is spoken. To claim to have written something that is not entirely your own work is a violation of academic and personal integrity. You are solely responsible for the preparation and presentation of your assignments. Each homework assignment, written activity, and test should be your own work. Any violation of the items mentioned will cause you to be terminated from the course with a grade of F. If I suspect that you have cheated or received help from a native speaker or someone else, I will ask you to come into my office and take the test in person. Also, you will be referred to the Dean of Students Services for further disciplinary action.
COURSE DISCLAIMER Every attempt is made to provide a syllabus that is complete and that provides an accurate overview of the course. However, circumstances and events may make it necessary for the instructor to modify the syllabus during the course. This may depend, in part, on the progress, needs, and experiences of the participants.
EXAMS There will be 6 chapter exams (includes writing section), and one final exam. Check your “Tentative Schedule” and make a note of these important dates since no make-up exams will be allowed. No exceptions. No one will be allowed to take the final exam early. Please do not make this request.
GRADING Final grades will be determined from chapter tests, a final exam, PRACTICE, and WEB-SAM exercises.
Your final grade will be calculated as follows:
Chapter Exams (6 X 6%) 36%
WEB-SAM activities (7 X 6%) 42%
PRACTICE *recorded activities* (7 X 2%) 14%
Final Exam 8%
Total 100%
NOTE: If you plan on dropping, please officially drop. There is no automatic drop even if you quit “attending.”
What follows is a more detailed account of our future activities. Plan ahead and consult this “Tentative Schedule” daily to make sure that you know what will take place in class. REMEMBER that it is your duty to be well informed as I reserve the right to amend the terms, conditions and dates of this syllabus/schedule as I see fit at any point during the semester.
TENTATIVE SCHEDULE - Calendario de actividades
_____
DUE by: Lección/Actividad _ ___ _ Check if completed.
08/24 Course Introduction/Orientation - IN PERSON (1 hour) at 11:00 a.m. in rm. 836
08/27 Lección 1: Hola, ¿qué tal? – study chapter 1 vocabulary – IN TEXTBOOK & View Student Guided Tour–Supersite Page
08/28 Do: Flashcards, Tutorials 1, 2, and 3 and Hola ¿qué tal?- SUPERSITE (TUTORIALS TAB–Lesson 1)
08/29 Do: Pronunciación -SUPERSITE (PRACTICE TAB – Lesson 1)
Read (pg.12) AND View TUTORIAL 1.1, SUPERSITE AND Do ¡Inténtalo! – in TEXTBOOK
Read (pg.16) AND View TUTORIAL 1.2, SUPERSITE AND Do ¡Inténtalo! – in TEXTBOOK
Read (pg.19) AND View TUTORIAL 1.3, SUPERSITE AND Do ¡Inténtalo! – in TEXTBOOK
Read (pg.24) AND View TUTORIAL 1.4, SUPERSITE AND Do ¡Inténtalo! – in TEXTBOOK
09/09 Lesson 1 HOMEWORK –SUPERSITE *Please note: There are between 30-40 activities.
09/11 Exam #1: SUPERSITE –Available to take on the 10th.
09/13 Lección 2: La universidad – study chapter 2 vocabulary – IN TEXTBOOK
09/14 Do: Flashcards, Tutorials 1, 2, and 3 – SUPERSITE (TUTORIALS TAB–Lesson 2)
09/15 TUTORIALS TAB: View Los Días de la Semana and Spanish Vowels – SUPERSITE
Read (pg. 50) AND View TUTORIAL 2.1, SUPERSITE AND Do ¡Inténtalo! – in TEXTBOOK
Read (pg. 55) AND View TUTORIAL 2.2, SUPERSITE AND Do ¡Inténtalo! – in TEXTBOOK
Read (pg. 59) AND View TUTORIAL 2.3, SUPERSITE AND Do ¡Inténtalo! - in TEXTBOOK
Read (pg. 63) AND View TUTORIAL 2.4, SUPERSITE AND Do ¡Inténtalo! – in TEXTBOOK
09/26 Lesson 2 HOMEWORK –SUPERSITE *Please note: There are between 30-40 activities.
09/28 Exam #2: SUPERSITE - Available to take on the 27th.
10/01 Lección 3: La familia – study chapter 3 vocabulary – IN TEXTBOOK
10/02 Do: Flashcards, Tutorials 1, 2, and 3 – SUPERSITE (TUTORIALS TAB–Lesson 3)
10/03 Do: La familia and Crucigrama -SUPERSITE
Read (pg. 88) AND View TUTORIAL 3.1, SUPERSITE AND Do ¡Inténtalo! – in TEXTBOOK
Read (pg. 93) AND View TUTORIAL 3.2, SUPERSITE AND Do ¡Inténtalo! – in TEXTBOOK
Read (pg. 96) AND View TUTORIAL 3.3, SUPERSITE AND Do ¡Inténtalo! – in TEXTBOOK
Read (pg.100) AND View TUTORIAL 3.4, SUPERSITE AND Do ¡Inténtalo! –in TEXTBOOK
10/13 Lesson 3 HOMEWORK – SUPERSITE *Please note: There are between 30-40 activities. .
10/15 Exam #3: SUPERSITE - Available to take on the 14th.
10/17 Lección 4:Los pasatiempos- study chapter 4 vocabulary – IN TEXTBOOK
10/18 Do: Flashcards, Tutorials 1, 2, and 3 – SUPERSITE (TUTORIALS TAB–Lesson 4)
10/19 PRACTICE TAB –View: El fin de semana and do Escuchar, Ordenar, and ¿Cierto o falso? SUPERSITE
Read (pg. 126) AND View TUTORIAL 4.1, SUPERSITE AND Do ¡Inténtalo! – in TEXTBOOK
Read (pg. 129) AND View TUTORIAL 4.2, SUPERSITE AND Do ¡Inténtalo! - in TEXTBOOK
Read (pg. 133) AND View TUTORIAL 4.3, SUPERSITE AND Do ¡Inténtalo! - in TEXTBOOK
Read (pg. 136) AND View TUTORIAL 4.4, SUPERSITE AND Do ¡Inténtalo! – in TEXTBOOK
10/31 Lesson 4 HOMEWORK –SUPERSITE *Please note: There are between 30-40 activities.
11/03 Exam #4: SUPERSITE - Available to take on the 2nd.
11/05 Lección 5: Las vacaciones –study chapter 5 vocabulary – IN TEXTBOOK
11/06 Do: Flashcards, Tutorials 1, 2, and 3 – SUPERSITE (TUTORIALS TAB–Lesson 5)
11/07 PRACTICE TAB – View: Las vacaciones, Escuchar, ¿Cierto o falso? SUPERSITE
Read (pg. 164) AND View TUTORIAL 5.1, SUPERSITE AND Do ¡Inténtalo! – in TEXTBOOK
Read (pg. 166) AND View TUTORIAL 5.2, SUPERSITE AND Do ¡Inténtalo! – in TEXTBOOK
Read (pg. 170) AND View TUTORIAL 5.3, SUPERSITE AND Do ¡Inténtalo! – in TEXTBOOK
Read (pg. 174) AND View TUTORIAL 5.4, SUPERSITE AND Do ¡Inténtalo! – in TEXTBOOK