Books:
Foerster - Lambright Punto y aparte, McGraw-Hill - 3rd Edition and,
Manual que acompaña Punto y aparte. McGraw-Hill - 3rd Edition
Bookmark in your computer: http://highered.mcgraw-hill.com/sites/0073124486/student_view0/index.html
Punto y aparte is an intermediate level Spanish textbook that focuses on and recycles seven major communicative functions, (descripción, comparación, reacciones y recomendaciones, narración en el pasado, hablar de gustos, hacer hipótesis y hablar del futuro). The philosophy behind Punto y aparte is the concept of review or, more specifically, task repetition and its positive effects on language learning. Both the texbook and the workbook provide an ample variety of communicative tasks designed to elicit and expand vocabulary acquisition as well as grammatical accuracy.
Course goals:
Besides developing your abilities with these seven communicative functions, the course goals include:
- to provide you with an environment where you can exchange, support and discuss your opinions and individual perspectives with peers on a variety of topics
- to engage in communicative activities so that you develop the ability to use what you have learned in a variety of contexts
- to help you achieve greater cohesion in your speaking and writing abilities so that you become an excellent "paragraph maker" in Spanish
- to increase your vocabulary by adding new words to your active vocabulary and point out strategies that will help you understand the meaning of unfamiliar terms
- to provide you with some reading strategies to help you enjoy reading in Spanish
Course Policy
preparation/participation/attendance
Classes will be conducted in Spanish. You are expected to attempt to communicate in Spanish to the best of your ability during the class period.
University classes require 2 hours of study time per class hour. Study the assignments and bring your work and any questions to class. Grammar explanations are in English in the text and ample practice with forms and vocabulary is provided in the workbook and on line.
You are expected to attend all class sessions. Listening and speaking are very important goals in this course and a significant portion of your final grade will be based on achievement in these areas. If you must miss a class, get the assignment from a classmate or your instructor and come prepared to the next session.
Homework/ quizzes
Homework will be assigned daily. Quizzes will be based on homework assignments and class work. Late work will not be accepted and there will be no make-up quizzes.
Compositions
You will write three compositions. Detailed information will be given at a later time.
Oral assessments
There will be 3 oral assessments (see calendar for dates). Regular classes involve extensive oral practice. It is to your benefit to make use of class time to prepare for these exams.
Readings
In every chapter we will deal with a reading that addresses the chapter theme. Readings will be tested separately. Detailed information will be given at a later time.
Written exams and final exam
There will be a written exam after chapter four and after chapter five. The final exam will include material from the last chapter covered as well as the previous ones. See calendar for important test dates. In case of emergency, you must contact your instructor before the exam. Otherwise, no make-ups will be given (official documentation of an emergency is required). The date and time of the final exam cannot be changed! If you cannot attend the scheduled exam time, you should make arrangements to drop the class now.
Kokua
Students with disability-related needs or concerns may contact the Kokua office at 956-7511 or go to room 013 in the Student Services Building.
Evaluation
Final grades will be based on the following categories and values:
Oral exams (3) @ 8% each = 24%
Written exams (2) @ 10% each = 20%
Final exam (1) @ 15% = 15%
Compositions (3) @ 4% each = 12%
Lecturas (3) @ averaged = 12%
Quizzes /tareas / manual averaged = 17%
Total possible = 100%
