South Plains College Arts and Sciences Division Communication Department Spring 2012 SPAN 1512.253 (5:4:2) TR 2:00 p.m. – 3:20 p.m. Classroom FL1 Professor Ramos Office: FL214 Texas Tech University 742-3145 Ext. 241 [email protected] Office Hours: MWF 9:50 – 10:50 a.m.; M 11:50 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.; TR 10:00 a.m. – 12:20 p.m.; 3:20 – 4:00 p.m.; and by appointment *************************************************************************************************** SOUTH PLAINS COLLEGE IMPROVES EACH STUDENT'S LIFE *************************************************************************************************** Required Materials: Texas Tech Customized Edition of Vistazos, 3rd edition Textbook, VanPatten/Lee/Ballman/Farley Online Manual Access and Online Textbook Activities Access to Vistazos Sol y viento – DVD There will be a 5 class-day grace period to acquire these materials. Course Description: This course is a 5 credit hour hybrid course. The TR classes consist of eighty minutes of classroom instruction, 2 days per week, combined with on Online Interactive Tutorial in Blackboard, work on pronunciation in the Language Laboratory, and work on the Online Manual and Online Textbook Activities. These components are not considered homework as such; rather they are online components that are part of this hybrid course. Hybrid Course: In a hybrid course such as this, it is essential that students regularly do both the online course components and participate in class activities. Course Competencies: The student will be able to perform on a "novice" level, as defined by ACTFL Guidelines and SCANS, which are on file with the Dean at South Plains College in Levelland, TX. Learning Objectives: The main objective of SPAN 1512 is for students to continue to build on the fundamentals of the Spanish language in order to function in real communication situations in a halting way. The student will continue to gain a basic working vocabulary and grammar in the indicative and imperative moods, concentrating on the present and past tenses, and acquire a vocabulary of approximately 1000 words. The student will continue to develop an awareness of different Hispanic cultures and history in different countries. The student will continue to develop abilities in all four skills: Reading, Writing, Listening, and Speaking. Assignments: Assignments are to be prepared before class. Each assignment will be due at the beginning of class unless otherwise stated and will not be accepted late. Assignments will include readings and textbook exercises, Blackboard, Pronunciation Lab, Online Manual and Online Textbook Activities and/or other activities designed to stimulate and reinforce foreign language acquisition. Please prepare your assignments carefully and expect to participate in class. Please do not send any assignments via e-mail and do not put them in my mailbox or slide them under my office door. Assignments will not be accepted incomplete. Grading Procedure: Class Participation; Quizzes.…..………………………………………….…………..15% Pronunciation Lab…………………………………………………..…………………10% Online Interactive Tutorials; Manual and Textbook Activities………………….……15% In-Class Compositions (4)...…….…………………………………………..…..….….15% Oral Evaluations (2)…..………………………………………………..……………...10% Midterm (1)..…………………………………………………..…….……..………….15% Final Exam……………………………………………………..………………...……20%2 Grading Scale: A = 100-90 B = 89-80 C = 79-70 D = 69-60 F = 59-below Spanish 1512 uses Spanish as the medium of teaching. This class will therefore be taught in Spanish, and students are also required to interact with their peers and the instructor in Spanish. This method is highly effective. Research has proven that this is the best way to study a second language. You can only learn it by being exposed to it sufficiently and using it for real communication, so that you can develop your own communicative ability. If you are confused and need some help in English, you can see me, your instructor, during my office hours. Do not try to disrupt the class and ask to be spoken to in English. Online Interactive Tutorials: Vocabulary and grammar are practiced via Online Interactive Tutorials. The Tutorials will count as 15% of your overall course average. The purpose of the Tutorials is to develop mastery of Spanish language fundamentals. Please refer to the Student Calendar for the due dates. Tutorials can be taken as many times as you desire within the available time. Each time you do a tutorial it will be new. You will never see the same tutorial twice. When you get a tutorial answer wrong, you will not be given the correct answer but you will be told why your answer was wrong. Use the diagnostic feedback to learn from your mistakes rather than guessing. Plan accordingly when attempting to log on to the server and submit Online Tutorials. Do not wait until the last minute, as the server may be busy and then it will be impossible to do the Tutorials on time. Remember, after the due date a Tutorial will not be re-opened. Please note: If you do not have a computer or you experience computer/connection problems, you can use a computer on campus. All of them have internet connection and Blackboard is available. Computer malfunction is not an excuse for not turning your work in on time. Missed Online Assignments: Deadlines for the online tutorials and the Manual and Textbook Activities are clearly posted. If you know that you will be away or unable to complete the online assignments on the day that they are due, you will need to complete them ahead of time in order to avoid receiving a “0” (zero). Once the online assignment deadline has passed, you will not be allowed to make them up unless retakes are mandated by Texas or Federal law. In-class Compositions: There will be four (4) compositions consisting of a prewriting portion, the composition and then revision of the composition. The compositions will be incorporating the story line and characters of Sol y viento and the vocabulary and themes within the class textbook. Your four compositions