Joe Bauman - Teaching With Technology

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Spanish 002

The purpose of this course is to develop and improve communication skills when listening, reading, speaking, and writing in Spanish. The course follows a communicative information-based task approach, which springs from the idea that languages are best learned when real world information becomes the focus of students’ activities. Therefore, during the semester, students will exchange real-life information about themselves and their classmates.

Spanish 002 is designed for students who have successfully completed Spanish 001 at PSU, or the equivalent level at another university, or who have had the equivalent of two or three years of high school Spanish within four years immediately preceding admission to college. Students with course work equivalent to the level of Spanish 002 will not receive credit for Spanish 002. There are no exceptions to this policy.

Topics covered

Spanish 002 covers grammatical aspects of the Spanish language including the preterite, imperfect, and subjunctive. In addition various vocabulary lessons are presented, including (but not limited to) clothing, shopping, weather, food, and professions. Students will utilize new vocabulary in conjunction with the grammatical points, as they progress through the course.

Class meetings

You will meet with your instructor and your classmates twice a week. Class time is tailored to promote speaking skills through communicative activities using the structures and vocabulary that students will have practiced on the computer prior to class. Therefore, your instructor will not provide extensive grammar and vocabulary instruction. Instead, the instructor’s role in the classroom is that of a “communication facilitator.” If you need help with grammar and/or vocabulary see your instructor during office hours. You are encouraged to take advantage of this opportunity. However, please do not expect your instructor to repeat a class that you have missed nor to answer questions about on-line assignments that you have never covered yourself on-line. Do this work first and than see your instructor if you have questions. Finally, please keep in mind that you are responsible for having the required materials for class.

Kinds of homework activities

Homework includes written 'escrituras', which are short, typed writing assignments on a given topic. In addition, a portion of the instruction as well as web-based homework activities are fulfilled on-line.

Off-line homework

Writing assignments (escrituras):

During the course of the semester you will write a total of 8 escrituras, 5 of which are due at the beginning of the class on dates indicated in the syllabus (see syllabus for topics and length). If you are not in class the day an escritura is due, you must email your escritura to your instructor by the time class begins on that day. Do not leave any escrituras in your instructor’s mailbox. You are still responsible for supplying your instructor with a hard copy of the escritura at the next class period. Late escrituras will be downgraded by 1 point if received after class on the due date, and 1 additional point for each day thereafter. These escrituras must be typed, double-spaced, and printed with Times New Roman 12 point font, 1” margins, and legible. If an assignment is not typed, there will be a .5 point deduction in the escrituras grade. The remaining 3 escrituras must be written in class on the dates specified on the syllabus. Your instructor will provide the topic in class on that day and you can use your textbook, notes and dictionary. If you miss class on one of these days, you will have to contact your instructor and provide a documented excuse within 2 class periods to make arrangements to write it in his/her office. All escrituras are worth 10 points each. Grades are based on Evaluation Criteria for Escrituras:http://sip.la.psu.edu/blp/files/criteria_writing.doc.

Assignments that are totally/partially taken from an external source such as published information (book, web page, etc.), produced by a translation program or by another person will receive no credit and will be reported to the University and will remain on the student’s record

On-line homework (ANGEL)

On-line instruction concentrates on the acquisition of grammar and vocabulary, the development of listening, reading and writing skills, and exposure to Hispanic culture. Each week, you will devote a minimum of 6 hours to complete the following on-line assignments:

Grammar and vocabulary: each grammar and vocabulary folder includes a presentation (normally a video with English explanations for grammar and a PowerPoint presentation for vocabulary), questions based on the presentation, structured input and structured output.
Pronunciation (1 activity per week).
Listening comprehension and culture

(1 audio/video activity per week).

Reading comprehension and culture

(1 activity per week).

You will need to use a program called “ANGEL” to do your online homework. At the beginning of the semester, you will receive training on how to use this program (see syllabus for details). Click on https://cms.psu.edu/ to obtain basic information about this program. Your instructor will not address questions related to technical problems with ANGEL/online homework. These questions should be addressed by filling out the help form at the following address: http://sip.la.psu.edu/angel_tech/helpform.htm
Make sure that you review your answers (accents, following instructions for lowercase, capital letters, formatting when needed, etc.) carefully before you submit your assignments. You will have one attempt for pronunciation activities with only 2 possible answers and two attempts for those with 4 possible answers; two attempts for grammar, vocabulary and reading comprehension activities, and three for audio/video activities. If an activity does not follow these guidelines, this will be indicated in the instructions. The final grade of an online activity will be based on the highest score you received on the activity. It is strongly recommended that before you log off, you check to see that your work has been properly recorded (i.e., click on the Tools tab, then click on On-line Grade Report link). In order to receive full credit, all activities in the week’s folder must be completed (approximately 15 quizzes each week). Please refer to the syllabus for due dates and times.
Access to audio and video files: In order to access the audio and video files that you will find in your on-line homework you will need to enter a password when asked. You can find the password inside the front cover of your text book. Once you have completed the authentication process, you will not need to do it again. In the event that you do not have a password inside of your book, please return it to the bookstore and get another copy. You can complete your on-line assignments at any of the computer labs on campus. To access the audio and video files from home, you will need to have the QuickTime 7.1.6 plug-in and Flash plug-in installed on your computer.

Please keep in mind that you are responsible for checking the syllabus for assignments, and completing and submitting on time all assignments indicated for that week. You must also check for any announcements that appear in ANGEL on your profile page. Assignments turned in after the deadlines (dates and times) will not receive credit. Technology failures do not excuse late work. Please plan accordingly. If unable to access the materials from your own computer, you are responsible to go to a lab on campus to complete the assignment on time. We recommend that you do the assignments ahead of time, since this has the added benefit of allowing you enough time to contact your instructor to address questions you may have. Students that show original documentation of attendance to university-approved curricular and extracurricular activities (such as field trips, debate trips, choir trips, and athletic contests) will have the opportunity to make up work, provided they inform the instructor at least one week ahead of time and provide original documentation.

Evaluation criteria

Testing procedures will be representative of the type of instruction, content and practice offered in the course. The assessment components for this course are:

Participation                                       15%
On-line assignments                         10%
Writing activities (escrituras)            10%
Exams

Exam 1 20%
Exam 2 20%
Final exam 20%
Oral exam 5%

_____________________________________

Grading Scale (based upon dept. guidelines)

95.0-100%       A
90.0-94.9%      A-                 75.0-79.9%     C+
87.9-89.9%      B+                70.0-74.9%    C
83.3-87.8%      B                  60.0-69.9%   D
80.0-83.2%      B-                 59.9% ↓          F

Attendance Policy

Active class participation is vital in learning a second language, and, quite simply, you cannot participate if you are not in class. No matter what the reason for the absence is, failure to attend class always results in missed opportunities to hear and speak Spanish. You will be responsible for contacting other classmates to obtain any missed information. If a student arrives more than 20 minutes late, or leaves more than 20 minutes early, it will be considered an absence.
Approved absences include one of the following four situations:
religious observances
2 unexcused absences throughout the semester. These days are to cover things
such as illness, weddings, funerals, job interviews, etc. These are not ‘free’ days; use them wisely. (These 2 absences cover your first two absences.)

Officially documented university- or military-sponsored curricular and nextracurricular activities. Student athletes, band members, and members of other such university organizations should bring an original letter from their supervisor of their specific department by the fifth day of instruction indicating the dates they will miss class.

Valid excused medical absences Flight tickets or other non-medical documents are not a valid document for an excused absence. You need to show original medical documentation to your instructor within 2 class periods of the absence. The main difference between approved and unapproved absences is that you do not receive any participation points for unapproved absences. However, if you have approved absences, your final participation grade will be adjusted accordingly (e.g., if you have a valid excuse for illness for one day, your participation grade for that week would be based on the day you are present).
Family emergencies, accidents If you must miss class due to an emergency, such as the death of a family member, an accident or other circumstance beyond your control that requires missing class, you must contact STUDENT AND FAMILY SERVICES at 863-1260 or tlr11@sa.psu.edu. The office will notify the student's academic departments informing them that the student is going to miss class and when they are expected to return.

No late work will be accepted, and no make-up work or exams will be given without a documented excuse presented within 2 class periods of an absence.
Falsification of excuses will be considered a form of academic dishonesty and will be dealt with in accordance with Penn State University Senate Policy 49-2.
It is your responsibility to drop the course if you decide to no longer attend. For the dates of the drop-add period, the filing period for conflict final exams, late drop, withdrawing from a course or from the university, please see the university calendar for the semester at:
http://registrar.psu.edu/academic_calendar/calendar_index.cfm
For further information on PSU’s policies on adding and dropping courses, withdrawal from the university, and procedures to do so, click on Undergraduate Advising Handbook: http://www.psu.edu/dus/handbook/

Exams

There will be four exams in this course: two exams, one final exam, and one oral exam. Please note that exam/course grades are not curved.

Exams 1 and 2: these exams will include listening comprehension, grammar, vocabulary and a short essay (50 words). These exams are not cumulative. The exams will take place during regular class time on the dates specified in the syllabus.

Final exam: the final exam is cumulative and is divided into two parts:

A) Part I will consist of listening comprehension and writing (SPAN 1: 50 words; SPAN 2: 75 words; SPAN 3: 100 words) and will take place in class during your last class period.
B) A 1-hour 50-minute section (Part II) will consist of the following sections: grammar, vocabulary, and reading. Date and location will be announced during the semester. Do not make any plans (e.g., travel) for the week of final exams until you are notified via email by the Registrar of the date and time of the exam. Even though someone else makes travel plans for you, you are responsible to be at the exam on the day it is given. You are responsible for petitioning for a conflict final exam if necessary. Petitions for conflict final exams must be handled through eLion. See university calendar: (http://registrar.psu.edu/academic_calendar/calendar_index.cfm) for filing period for conflict final exams.

The oral exam: The oral exam consists of a 5-minute dialogue between two people. The pair will receive a card with a brief description of the topic for the dialogue and will be given 5/4 minutes to prepare the presentation prior to the dialogue. The dialogues will provide the students with the opportunity to use the verb tenses and other material learned during the semester. You can use the textbook, a dictionary and your notes to prepare for the presentation, but you will not be allowed to have anything with you during the presentation. These dialogues will take place in class at the end of the semester, and will be graded based on the Evaluation Criteria for Oral Expression: http://sip.la.psu.edu/blp/files/criteria_oral.doc

The Pennsylvania State University. Copyright 2008.
Last updated on: April 9, 2008 12:47 PM
Email: jrb922@psu.edu