Spanish 1411
Syllabus

Blended Class

 

I. COURSE INSTRUCTOR:

Professor: Marino de León
Department of Foreign Languages
San Antonio College
Office: Academic Instructional Center 132
San Antonio, Texas 78212--4299
Telephone: (210) 486-0974 Fax: (210) 486-1534
E-mail: mdeleon@alamo.edu

 

II. Class schedule and information

Elementary Spanish I, 1411.080 is a blended class. It meets only one time per week, Tuesdays from 2:00pm – 3:40 pm. It will meet in the Academic Instruction Center (AIC) 103. Students will do activities in the classroom from the textbook and will do the workbook and lab homework in Quia (pronounced Kia). Instead of doing your workbook and lab manual with paper and pen, Quia allows you to complete your work electronically. You get instant feedback to the questions you answer in a variety of activity and game formats. Created in conjunction with Quia Corporation, the Web-SAM (Student Activities Manual) is the electronic version of the printed Plazas Workbook/Lab Manual. The Web-SAM delivers these ancillaries online with automatic scoring.

You have 24-hour access to workbook, and laboratory activities with instant feedback and grading.
As your instructor, I will be able to see the work that you do and your scores. You will not have to e-mail me any of the work.

II. TEXTBOOK

Plazas, 3rd edition by Hershberger/Navey-Davis/Borrás A,. published by Heinle/Cengage.

 

There are 3 book options:

 

1. A new hard cover textbook package. The new book package comes with the iLrn (pronounced I learn) book key (access code). With this book key, you have access to the textbook exercises, the online workbook exercises and the online lab exercises. This is the most expensive package.

 

2. A new loose leaf text. This loose leaf text has all the features of the hard cover text but all the pages are loose. You can put the book in a three ring binder. This is cheaper than the hard copy.

 

3. You can purchase the iLrn book key by itself online. This gives you access to everything the other two options have but you don’t have a paper textbook. You have everything online. The textbook is an e-Book. If you feel comfortable using an electronic book instead of a paper textbook, this is the least expensive way to go. To buy the iLrn book key, go to the following site. 

 

http://books.quia.com/books/bookstore.html

Under discipline, choose Spanish

Under Title, choose Plazas

You can leave Author blank

Under Publisher, choose Heinle

 

On the next page, you will see a picture of a textbook, but you are not buying the paper text but the book key that gets you the e-book. Choose Plazas 3rd edition, iLrn: Heinle Learning Center. This gets you into the place where you can do the online textbook exercises, workbook exercises and lab manual exercises. The price is 94.95.

 

[NOTE: If you buy the textbook online it will probably not include the book key. You need to have the book key to do the online work. Therefore it will be more expensive or just as expensive as a package from above if you buy a used book and then buy the book key separately].

The next step is to register yourself into the journey through my iLrn class account. You will need to use the following information::

Course: Spanish 1411
Code: CDNH674
Book: Plazas, 3rd edition

You are already registered at San Antonio College but before you can access Quia, the place where you will be able to see your assignments and do your online homework, you will need to create a Quia account and enroll yourself in the Quia course Spanish 1411. In Quia, the course is Spanish 1411 and class is the same as section. For example, Spanish 1411.080.
1. Go to http://books.quia.com/books/students.html and click on Create a new account.
2. Select a username and password and enter your information, then click Submit.

Note: Remember to write down your username and password and be sure to select the correct time zone. Also, please enter a valid e-mail address so your password will be sent to you if you forget it.

Entering the book key and course code
Enter the pass key (book key) and course code (CDNH674) to complete the enrollment process. The book key is usually packaged with your textbook. Once you have completed this step, the system lists the course and book on the Student Workstation home page. The book key is good for 18 months and can be used for Spanish 1411, 1412 and 2311.

To access your Student Workstation in the future, go to http://books.quia.com and log in. Here, you can open your book, submit activities, view your results, and view your instructor's feedback. If you have any questions, contact Quia Support at http://books.quia.com/support.html

Do I need to enter my book key every time I use my book?
Your book key is a one-time-use key. Once you have entered the book key, you will not need to enter it again. To access your book, simply log into your account by entering your username and password.

III. EXAMS:

A. REGULARLY SCHEDULED EXAMS:
Please check the Exam Schedule on my Home Page in Blackboard Vista for the exam dates. There will be an exam after every chapter, except Chapter 5. It will be included on the final exam. The final exam is comprehensive, lessons 1 - 5.


B. MAKE-UP EXAMS:
When you click on the Exam Schedule, you will see the dates for the chapter exams and the final exam. Make-up exams will be given only in extenuating circumstances. Every effort should be made to take the exam as scheduled. All make-ups must have the instructor's approval. If an exam is missed, you must inform the instructor immediately. Should you not contact the instructor, he/she may drop you from the course. Should you schedule a make-up examination and fail to appear at the designated time, a grade of zero will be assigned for that test.

IV. HOMEWORK:

Homework will be assigned through Quia (iLrn). The assignments will include exercises dealing with  the Workbook and the Lab Manual. I will be able to see the results when you click on Submit. Homework will be due before midnight of the date indicated in the Homework page in Blackboard Vista. Failure to turn in homework for two weeks will result in a drop from the class.
The semester is divided into 15 weeks. In Spanish 1411 chapters 1 – 5 will be covered.

V. GRADE DISTRIBUTION:

The student's final course grade will be determined by his/her performance in the following:

 

Homework from the online Workbook and Lab Manual

20%

Exams

50%

Final Exam

30%

 

In accordance with the San Antonio College grading standard, final course grades will be assigned on the basis of the following scale:

 

100 - 90 = A

89 - 80 = B

79 - 70 = C

69 - 60 = D

Below 60 = F

VI. Drop policy:

A. April 12 is the last day to drop a class with a grade of W. Students continuing with the class after that date will receive a performance grade of A, B, C, D or F.

B. If you stop taking the course and do not officially withdraw, you will receive a grade of F. The student must initiate the drop procedure. If you feel that you cannot continue with the class, simply e-mail me or call and I can turn in the drop slip for you.

VII. COURSE DESCRIPTION AND GOALS:

Preliminary chapter

Communicative goals: Greet others, introduce yourself and say good-bye. Exchange personal information (origin, address, etc.). Identify quantities of objects. Ask and answer questions. Vocabulary: Greetings and good-byes. Numbers 0-30. Interrogative words. Structures: Subject pronouns and the present tense of the verb ser. The verb form hay and numbers 0-30. Question words and inflection.

Chapter 1

Communicative goals: Identify people and things in the classroom. Specify colors. Describe everyday activiites. Talk about academic courses and university buildings. Tell time. Vocabulary: In the classroom. The colors. Foreign languages and other academic courses and majors. University places and buildings. The time and the days of the week. Structures: Definite and indefinite articles and how to make nouns plural (gender of nouns). Present tense of regular -ar verbs.

Chapter 2

Communicative goals: Define and ask about family relationships. Indicate ownership and possession. Describe people and things. Indicate nationality. Express physical states. Count from 30-100. Describe daily activities at home or at school. Vocabulary: The family. Physical features and personality. Nationalities. Numbers 30-100. Structures: Possessive adjectives. Possession with de(l). Common uses of the verb ser. Agreement with descripitive adjectives. Presnet tense of -er and -ir verbs. Common uses of the verb tener.

Chapter 3

Communicative goals: Describe leisure-time activities. Express likes and dislikes. Express plans and intentions. Describe basic actions, places, and activities in town. Talk about the months, seasons, and the weather. Vocabulary: Sports and leisure-time activities. Places. The months, the seasons, and weather expressions. Structures: Gustar + infinitive and gustar + nouns. Ir a + destination or infinitive. Irregular yo verbs. Saber, conocer, and the personal a.

Chapter 4


Communicative goals: Describe the features of your home or personal residence. Talk about furniture and appliances. Describe household chores. Make commands. State locations and describe feelings. Describe actions in progress. Count from 100 and higher. Vocabulary: Home and furniture. Appliances and household chores. Numbers 100 to 1,00,000. Structures: Present tense of stem-changing verbs (e>ie, o>ue, e>i). More idioms with tener. Affirmative commands. Common uses of estar.

Chapter 5


Communicative goals: Identify parts of the body. Describe daily routines and hygienic practices. Talk about waht you have just finished doing. Talk about illnesses and health conditions. Describing people, things, and conditions. Pointing out people and things. Vocabulary: The human body. Health care (illnesses, symptoms, and medical treatments). Structures: Reflexive pronouns and present tense of reflexive verbs. Acabar de + infinitive. Ser vs. estar. Demonstrative adjectives and pronouns.

 

Culture


Another very important goal of the course is for you to be more aware and appreciate the Hispanic culture.


VIII. NETIQUETTE:

 
All students shall show respect for properly constituted authority, and observe correct standards of conduct, when utilizing the Record Chat and the e-mail.

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The professor reserves the right to make any changes to this Syllabus if he deems it necessary.