SPA 2020 Intermediate Conversational Spanish

Spring 2010 T/F 2:30-3:45pm

Instructor: Anne Colpitts Office Hours: Tuesday, 10-12 & 4-5 Friday, 1:00-2:00, or by appointment Office: Withey 152 E-mail: colpittsa@greenmtn.edu Phone: x8306

____________________________________________________________________ Course Description:

This course is designed to give you many opportunities to practice the Spanish you have learned in previous classes and to continue building those skills. Grammar review will be minimal and mostly self-directed; this class assumes you have a solid background in basic grammatical concepts. In this course, we will talk, chat, discuss, debate, present, and of course, listen, in Spanish most of the emphasis will be on oral communication, but there will be some reading and writing practice as well. We will work with vocabulary and expressions that you might encounter when traveling or studying abroad so that you can easily navigate those settings when the time comes. We will also have more abstract discussions of culture and society, and will have fun with film, music, games, literature and food along the way. Exposure to various aspects of Latin American and Spanish culture will be an essential part of the class.

Course Objectives:
Upon completion of this course, students will have:

strengthened their oral communication and listening comprehension skills in Spanish. improved their reading and writing skills in Spanish. gained confidence in communicating in Spanish on a range of topics and in a variety of situations. developed greater knowledge of Spanish and Latin American cultures, geography and current events. developed strong oral presentation skills.

Materials:
Revista: Conversacin sin barreras, Jos A. Blanco Comprehensive Spanish/English dictionary. Notebook for journal.

Prerequisites:
Three or more years of high school Spanish or at 2 semesters of college-level Spanish.

Assignments and Evaluation:

Class participation: Since the main goal of this course is to practice spoken Spanish, your active participation will be essential, and will therefore be a significant portion of your grade. Active participation means that you are on time, prepared and a willing participant. Your presence in class is essential, so I will take attendance each day and absences will negatively affect your participation grade. Arriving late to class counts as half an absence. Please let me know in advance if you will be missing class for a family emergency, medical condition, or school-related activity. Written assignments and quizzes: While the class will focus primarily on developing oral communication skills, there will also be written quizzes and other writing assignments throughout the semester. Late work will be discounted 20%. Quizzes may be announced or unannounced. Quizzes may not be made up if you are absent unless the absence is prearranged. Journals (diarios): To give you added practice in thinking in and writing in Spanish outside of class, you will have one or two journal prompts each week. The main purpose of the journal is for you to practice expressing yourself in written Spanish on a regular basis. The journals will be collected for review every other Friday. In addition to responding to the writing prompts, you should use the journal to note questions you have regarding grammar or vocabulary so that recurring questions can be addressed in class or individually. Class presentations: You will give three formal presentations to the class over the course of the semester. These presentations will involve various aspects of one Spanish-speaking country that you will choose as your country for the semester. Topics for the presentations may include basic facts about the country, the countrys culture, current events, or travel to your country. We will discuss these presentations in greater detail as the dates approach. Exams: We will have a mid-term and a final exam. Both will be oral exams, and will consist of a 5-10 minute conversation. You will be evaluated on your ability to communicate effectively, including your use of grammar and vocabulary, fluency, pronunciation, and ability to use grammatical structures of varying complexity. Grading: Attendance & Participation Written Assignments & Quizzes Journals Class presentations Mid-term oral exam Final oral exam 20% 10% 10% 30% 10% 20%

Plan de estudios/Syllabus*
*This course outline is subject to change. Any changes will be announced in class. Fecha/Date Readings from Revista/ Lectura de Revista Enfoque gramatical/ Grammatical Focus Tarea/Exmenes Major Assignments/Exams

Semana 1 1/19 & 1/22 Semana 2 1/26 & 1/29 Semana 3 2/2 & 2/5

Leccin 1: pp. 2-9 Leccin 1: pp. 10-27 Leccin 1: pp. 28-31 Leccin 2: pp. 40, No hay que complicar la felicidad, pp. 51-55 Leccin 2: pp. 32-41, 56-59 Leccin 2: Las cuatro frmulas cientficas de la felicidad, pp. 42-46 Leccin 3: pp. 60-68 Leccin 3: 69-79

Introduccin a la clase Ser vs. estar Ser y estar con adjetivos Ser vs. estar Repaso del pretrito

Quiz de geografa 1/22 Entregar los diarios -1/29 Quiz de ser/estar

Semana 4 2/9 & 2/12 Semana 5 2/16 & 2/19

Repaso del imperfecto Pretrito vs. imperfecto

Semana 6 2/23 & 2/26 Semana 7 3/2 & 3/5

Las preposiciones y los verbos Por vs. para Vacaciones de la primavera

Entregar los diarios 2/12 Quiz del pretrito vs. el imperfecto Primera presentacin oral Entregar los diarios 2/26 Examen parcial

Semana 8 3/16 & 3/19 Semana 9 3/23 & 3/26 Semana 10 3/30 Semana 11 4/6 & 4/9 Semana 12 4/13 & 4/16 Semana 13 4/20 & 4/23 Semana 14 4/27 & 4/30 Semana 15 5/4 Los exmenes 5/7-5/11

Leccin 3: 80-89 Leccin 4: 90-97 Leccin 4: 98 Carta abierta a mi nieto de Juan Gelman, pp. 104-108 Leccin 4: 99, 109-117 Leccin 5: 118-126 Lo que dure el amor, de Mex Urtizberea, pp. 132-136 Leccin 5: 127-131, 137145 Leccin 6: 146-154 Dos vidas, de Bruno Aceves, pp. 165-169 Leccin 6: 155-164, 170173 Repaso

Repaso del subjuntivo El subjuntivo en clusulas subordinadas sustantivas El subjuntivo en oraciones impersonales El subjuntivo en clusulas subordinadas adjetivas El subjuntivo en clusulas subordinadas adverbiales Oraciones condicionales con si - indicativo Oraciones condicionales con si subjuntivo El condicional

Entregar los diarios 3/19 Segunda presentacin oral Entregar los diarios 3/30 Quiz del subjuntivo

Entregar los diarios 4/16 Quiz del condicional

Tercera presentacin oral Entregar los diarios - 5/4

Examen final: Viernes, 7 de mayo, 1:00pm