THE UNIVERSITY OF THE WEST INDIES, ST. AUGUSTINE FACULTY OF HUMANITIES AND EDUCATION CENTRE FOR LANGUAGE LEARNING COURSE DOCUMENTATION

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1 THE UNIVERSITY OF THE WEST INDIES, ST. AUGUSTINE FACULTY OF HUMANITIES AND EDUCATION CENTRE FOR LANGUAGE LEARNING COURSE DOCUMENTATION COURSE CODE: SPAN 1104 COURSE TITLE: LEVEL 2B SPANISH NO. OF CREDITS: 2 SEMESTER: I, II LEVEL: ALL LEVELS PREREQUISITES: LEVEL 2A SPANISH/SPAN 1103 or a proficiency level of Independent user A2/B1 in the Common European Frame of Reference. COURSE DESCRIPTION: This course is a communicative course designed to work on the four skills, (listening, speaking, reading and writing) and building on the work done in Level 2A Spanish/Span Students will be able to function more independently in all four skills in a variety of familiar situations and topics. The goal is to help students improve their receptive, as well as their speaking and writing skills. In addition to the textbook, the lecturer will provide authentic material which will enable students to become familiar with the sociolinguistic and cultural aspects of the Spanish language, as well as further the language practice. The approach of the course is student-centered and as part of the course the lecturer will encourage the student to build strategies to become autonomous learners. COURSE RATIONALE: This course will give students the opportunity to further their study of one of the languages spoken in the Caribbean region. It will equip them with the necessary communicative skills to be able to deal with most situations likely to arise whilst travelling or working in an area where the language is spoken. It will also enable students to acquire new learning strategies. INSTRUCTOR INFORMATION: Name: Ms. Shawna Sealey Office address and phone: Office 2, CLL second floor, Centre for Language Learning. Ext: Shawna.Sealey@sta.uwi.edu Office hours: By appointment 1

2 LETTER TO THE STUDENT Dear Student, Welcome to the Level 2B Spanish course at the CLL. At the end of this course you are expected to reach an intermediate level, so we are going to work to get you there. We hope we can continue to help you develop your language skills as well as motivate you to expand your cultural knowledge and your ability to be an independent learner. Remember to walk with your tools of the trade when you come to class. We hope you continue to enjoy this educational experience that you ve begun! Warm regards, Your tutor CONTENT: The course focuses on developing students knowledge of the Hispanic language and culture with an aim to achieving an A2/B1 competence in Spanish. The following are the communicative skills and grammar topics that will be covered in this course. Communicative skills Talking about and describing one s living arrangements, furniture, chores, comparing life cycles locally and in Spanish speaking countries, debating social and affective relationships. Grammar Verbs related to the above mentioned themes, the use of the subjunctive mood to give recommendations, state desires, and express emotions. Also the use of the future and conditional tenses to express what will and would happen. Greater detail will be provided in the course calendar. GOALS/AIMS: At the end of this course the student should be in the lower intermediate stage of proficiency, on his/her way to becoming an independent B1 user according to the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) for the language. A more detailed description can be found at bb52. This course aims to help students: Attain a high A2 level in writing, speaking and listening Attain a B1 level in reading Further their understanding of Spanish grammar and syntax Know further characteristics of life and culture in the Hispanic world Continue to develop themselves as adult language learners 2

3 GENERAL OBJECTIVES: Students in this programme will be able to: Communicate simple and routine tasks requiring a simple and direct exchange of information on familiar and routine matters. Describe in simple terms aspects of his/her background, immediate environment and matters in areas of immediate need. Handle very short social exchanges. Understand texts that consist mainly of high frequency every day or job-related language, the description of events, feelings and wishes in personal letters. LEARNING OUTCOMES: By the end of this course, students will: Show appropriate understanding of written texts by summarizing and answering questions in Spanish after reading texts related to the topics mentioned or others that are familiar to them Talk about familiar topics and activities (housing, chores, relationships, lifestyles) Write short simple personal letters and notes/messages relating to matters or areas of immediate need Develop a deeper understanding of basic Spanish grammar and syntax Know further characteristics of life and culture in the Hispanic world Develop a basic understanding of themselves as adult language learners ASSIGNMENTS: Course Assignments During the course students will be expected to fully participate in all class activities. These activities include but are not limited to: Listening to and responding to specific questions. e.g. greetings, housing, chores and relationships Communicating with classmates in the target language Listening to recordings/videos for specific information Reading and locating specific information in articles or other reading materials Applying grammatical knowledge to written activities Writing simple texts on familiar or predictable topics using intermediate Spanish syntax and grammar Engaging in debates Assignments for Credit Students Students pursuing a Spanish course at the CLL for credits will need to submit a portfolio which is worth 20% of their overall mark. This portfolio should be submitted no later than week 12 of the semester in which they are enrolled. The portfolio, which can be submitted online via Edmodo or another online learning platform, should consist of the following documents: 1. One essay 2. Two audio recordings 3. One comprehension activity 3

4 4. One presentation (PowerPoint or video) 1. The essay should be written in Spanish and no more than words. The topic of choice for the essay should be based on a topic covered during the semester. Students have the option of submitting the essay before week 10 for comments and feedback. The essay can then be rewritten and resubmitted. The assignment carries 2 marks. Topics My house and my dream house Chores and my childhood My personal ad Changes I will make moving forward 2. The audio recordings (2) are to be done in Spanish and should be between 30 seconds and 2 minutes long. The topic of choice for the audio should be based on a topic covered during the semester. There is no option for feedback on this item. Each audio recording carries 2 marks. Topics My house and my dream house Chores and my childhood My personal ad Changes I will make moving forward 3. The comprehension exercise requires that students source an excerpt of a written, audio or video (movie, etc.) item in the target language and present a summary of it in English. The summary must be based on their understanding and not an English translation. The excerpt should be approximately 250 words in length or no more than 5-8 minutes of video or audio and the summary should be no more than 150 words. Students should submit both items in their portfolio. This assignment carries 4 marks. 4. The presentation will be based on a social or cultural aspect of a Spanish-speaking country to be chosen by the student. Students should also state why they chose their topic. These aspects can include but are not limited to history, politics, gastronomy, tourism, the environment, current affairs or any other relevant topic. Presentations should be 3 5 minutes in length and can take the form of a PowerPoint presentation with voice overlay or video presentation. The presentation should be in Spanish and carries 10 marks. In-Course Assessment: Students will be assessed on the four language skills (speaking, listening, reading and writing), as well as on aspects of language structure and intercultural competence 1. Students must attend 75% of classes in order to be eligible for tests. Tests will use various formats e.g. limited response, short answers, oral interview, essay, as appropriate to the skill/subskill being tested. 1 Intercultural competence is the ability to develop targeted knowledge, skills and attitudes that lead to visible behaviour and communication that are both effective and appropriate in intercultural interactions. 4

5 Results and exam papers for Test 1 will be released the week following the exam. Results and exam papers for Test 2 will be released during the registration period of the following semester, either semester 1 or 2. MAINSTREAM STUDENTS Assessment 100% in-course testing Test 1* 50% of the overall mark Test 2* 50% of the overall mark CREDIT STUDENTS ONLY Assessment 100% in-course testing Test 1* 40% of the overall mark Test 2* 40% of the overall mark Credit assignment 20% of the overall mark *In each test listening is 30%, speaking 30%, reading 20% and writing 20%. TEACHING/LEARNING STRATEGIES: This course is designed to develop the level of communicative competence of the students by using, the textbook, exercises designed for their level as well as authentic materials where appropriate. It also sensitizes participants to some aspects of Hispanic culture. The course will place special emphasis on developing communicative skills (listening and speaking). Authentic audio material as well as material tailored for this level will be used weekly in the language lab and, while we will work on reading and writing skills, a communicative approach will be used in every class. Classroom sessions These sessions include but are not limited to: Pair work and group discussions Interviews and role plays Vocabulary and grammar drills Use of recordings either in the language laboratory or in the classroom Exercises from the textbook Discussions on pertinent cultural aspects of the language COURSE EVALUATION: Summative evaluation will be conducted using The UWI s SELC System. RESOURCES: Required reading Dawson, L. Farell, J. & González, T. (2012). Dicho y hecho (10 th ed.). New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons. Chapters Students will use internet resources provided by the tutor as well as those at the CLL wikispaces website to review, revise and practice their language learning skills. 5

6 HOW TO STUDY FOR THIS COURSE: Students are required to attend their chosen classes with a total teaching time of 4 hours per week. Remember that you must attend 75% of classes in order to be eligible for tests. Studying commitment: manage your time well. We recommend that students spend at least 3-4 hours per week engaged in studying. This includes reviewing your notes and ensuring that concepts are understood. Jot down any questions you may want to research or ask the tutor. This is also the time you take to complete your assignments. It is also important to read up on what you have learnt and practice with a partner, perhaps someone from your class or another class, but at your level or higher. Preparation time: 2 hours per week. Have a look at the course outline and review or research the material for the upcoming class. Make a note of any questions that may arise, after the explanation by the tutor it may be clearer, if not, ask your question. GRADING SYSTEM: The following is the UWI mark scheme: Grade GPA Mark% Grade GPA Mark% A C A C A F B F B F B COURSE CALENDAR: Week Content Objectives 1 Review preterit tense conjugation rules Review prepositions of place Vocabulary related to parts of the house, furniture 2 3 Review imperfect tense conjugation rules Review adverbs of frequency Vocabulary related to household chores Informal commands (positive & negative) 6 To describe your living accommodations To talk about popular living arrangements in Trinidad vs Spanish-speaking countries To talk about household chores To talk about the difference between your childhood and adult life re: chores To give orders To talk about some aspects of

7 Review numbers Paraguay & Uruguay To talk about what has Present perfect tense happened Review unit vocabulary (rooms in the To understand the difference house, furniture, chores) between the preterit and the Acabar de present perfect To talk about what had Past perfect tense happened Review unit vocabulary (rooms in the To understand the difference house, furniture, chores) between the present and the past perfect tenses To compare and contrast Comparisons and superlatives persons, places and things To familiarize oneself with Hispanic culture: los patios Test 1 LISTENING AND ORAL Feedback from in-course test Vocabulary related to the stages of life Vocabulary related to the stages of life Review question formulation Introduction to the subjunctive mood The subjunctive mood Vocabulary related to telephone calls The subjunctive mood Test 1 READING AND WRITING To talk about the cycle of life To compare Hispanic weddings to local wedding traditions To create a personal ad Learn about Panamá: the Panama canal To express wishes and requests related to other people s actions To express oneself over the phone To express emotional reactions and feelings about 11 other people s actions. To talk about what will and 12 Introduction to the future and conditional would happen 13 Test 2 (READING, WRITING, LISTENING AND ORAL) 7