Green River Community College Winter 2009 Span 102 (4 days a week)
Profesora: Marisela Fleites-Lear, PhD.
Office: HS, office 49
Phone: extension 4409 email: mfleites@greenriver.edu
Office hours: Mondays- Thursdays from 12:00 to 12:50 pm plus appointments.
Website: http://www.instruction.greenriver.edu/spanish/index.htm
Course description:
 SPAN 102 (5 credits)
 The first year of the beginning Spanish language sequence consists of 101, 102,
and 103. SPAN-102 is the second quarter of the sequence. The basic tenants of
communications including reading, writing, speaking, and listening are developed
in a dynamic second language acquisition environment enhanced by technology.
Grammar is used as a communication tool to express meaning as students take
part in small group discussions, cultural investigation, and presentation. Authentic
materials will be focused on in the class as well as assessment. Students should
expect to be immersed in the language. English will be used at a minimum.
 Prerequisite (s): Spanish 101 or no more than two years of high school Spanish
with a “C” average or less. Satisfies a humanities/fine arts/English requirement
for AA degree.
 Overview:
Welcome! We are about to continue a great adventure together: learning another
language is one of the most challenging and rewarding experiences we can have, one that
will benefit our awareness of others, that will enrich our life and that will provide us with
a very useful skill. Since language does not exist in a vacuum, our adventure will lead us
into learning not only vocabulary and grammar, but the multiple cultures in which this
language vibrates and exists: Language is a set of human tools (sounds, symbols, words,
corporal movements) to communicate meanings, and meanings exist in and for specific
socio-cultural contexts. That is why the textbook our department has chosen devotes each
chapter to a different Hispanic country, providing us with readings, pictures, website
links, and maps. These will not only serve us as a guide in this immersion in the Hispanic
world, but also will help us understanding the amazing diversity found in these countries
and the rich history that leads to that diversity. The textbook and workbook also include a
very useful set of CDs in which native speakers allow us to listen and get used to the
different accents and idiomatic expressions common in these countries.
In Spanish 102 we will learn how to describe people’s personalities,
characteristics, favorite activities and professions. We will learn to talk about the news
and read the newspapers, express emotions and accept or refuse a date, talk about food
and learn how to order a meal at a restaurant, discuss the weather, talk about your daily
routine, ask and give directions, and use several important idiomatic expressions. We will
study these subjects while we learn about Guatemala, Colombia, Chile and Latinos in the
USA. One essential element of these diverse cultures is their different music styles.
Music plays an important role in the Hispanic world and is an important tool of
communication and human expression. Hence, each class will start by listening to music
from the country we are studying, and talking about their instruments and popular music
styles.
When appropriate, we will watch short videos that will provide visual images for our
journey through these countries. We will also search the web to read from newspapers of
these countries. Our textbook is enhanced with a section called “Viajemos por el
Green River Community College Winter 2009 Span 102 (4 days a week)
Profesora: Marisela Fleites-Lear, PhD.
Office: HS, office 49
Phone: extension 4409 email: mfleites@greenriver.edu
Office hours: Mondays- Thursdays from 12:00 to 12:50 pm plus appointments.
Website: http://www.instruction.greenriver.edu/spanish/index.htm
ciberespacio a…” (Let’s travel in cyberspace to…) which provides internet sites that have
been developed and are maintained in these countries. In the calendar of our course and
in our website, I include other links that provide not only grammar and vocabulary
exercises, but also cultural information. Finally, I will place on reserve in the library
several films for you to watch. You can earn extra-credit by watching these films and
writing short paragraphs in Spanish about them.

Campus Wide Learning Outcomes:
GRCC has identified four college-wide learning outcomes that form the foundation of our
educational emphasis. They are:
1) Written Communication (COM).
2) Critical Thinking (CRT).
3) Responsibility (RSP).
4) Quantitative and symbolic reasoning (QSR)
Our course will address most of these campus wide learning outcomes as specified below
in parenthesis in our course learning objectives.

Course Learning Objectives:
Spanish 102 is guided by the following learning objectives:
1- Students will examine cultural perspectives and values in ways that reinforce or
challenge their own views within a multicultural world. This will be done not only
through readings about the different Hispanic countries, customs, social problems,
power structures and relations with the US, but also through discussions of films
and special topics in class and in conversations hours (CRT)
2- Students will demonstrate a sense of personal responsibility by following the
guidelines stated in this syllabus and being held accountable for this (RSP).
3- Student will understand and apply the basic principles and conventions of
effective oral and written communication in Spanish according to the
requirements of this introductory level. This will be demonstrated through the
different written and oral assignments in the quarter. Instructor will explain in
class rubrics for good oral and written communications that students should
follow in their activities. Please find those rubrics at the end of this syllabus as
well as a handout on Spanish sentence structure (COM).
4- Students will enhance their critical thinking abilities by examining the following
elements of thought not only in the reading materials but also in the answers
provided by other classmates in class conversations and discussions: points of
view, purpose, question at issue, implications and consequences, assumptions,
concepts, conclusion and solutions. In our class, we will understand critical
thinking as a mode of thinking about any subject, content or problem in which the
Green River Community College Winter 2009 Span 102 (4 days a week)
Profesora: Marisela Fleites-Lear, PhD.
Office: HS, office 49
Phone: extension 4409 email: mfleites@greenriver.edu
Office hours: Mondays- Thursdays from 12:00 to 12:50 pm plus appointments.
Website: http://www.instruction.greenriver.edu/spanish/index.htm
thinker improves the quality of her/his thinking by skillfully taking charge of the
structures inherent in thinking and imposing intellectual standards upon them
(CRT).

Instructional Methods:
In teaching language, a method refers to a systematic set of teaching practices
based on a particular theory of language and language learning. We will be using a
combination of several methods:
1- The natural approach to language instruction, meaning that the class will be taught all
in Spanish and all communication in the classroom (with minor exceptions) will take
place in Spanish. This is possible by the use of cognates (words that have the same
meaning and sound similar both in English and Spanish) and by your teacher functioning
as an actor and using props to convey meaning. Students will find this surprisingly easy,
once you get used to it. Students can guess the meanings if they allow themselves to be
immersed in the language.
2- The instructor also will use the “Total physical response” method that connects certain
physical activities with sentences and expressions. The student needs to be willing to
perform certain tasks following commands.
3- The instructor will use also the method of “Teaching proficiency through reading and
storytelling”, for which oral and written short stories will be used to enhance students’
comprehension of vocabulary and grammar, using questions to lead students in
personalizing the stories.
4- The instructor will use also “Audio-lingualism” by modeling sentences and providing
opportunities for practicing patterns.
In summary, the class will not be based on mechanical repetition or drills but on
activities to develop communicative proficiency, with special focus on the message
contained in sentences and discourse. We will play a lot of games in class such as
“charades” (acting out a phrase or words), “Pictionary”, Human Bingo, “Hangman” (los
ahorcados), etc. We will create also “real life situations” for which students will produce
and act out “skits” to use the vocabulary and the structures learned in class related to the
content area studied at the time (you will “go” to the market, to a dorm, to rent a house, to
a clothing store, etc.). All of these will require constant interaction among students and
with the instructor as well as a thorough preparation for each class.
The success of these methods depends to a great degree on students’ completion of
homework, because students are responsible for studying in advance the new
grammatical content and vocabulary from the textbook. Class time will be devoted to
practicing the material with the methods described above. The instructor will work more
as a facilitator to promote students’ participation and interaction. Although Spanish
should be used in the classroom, English is permitted before and after class or during
office hours, and in class when there is no other way of getting the points across.
Green River Community College Winter 2009 Span 102 (4 days a week)
Profesora: Marisela Fleites-Lear, PhD.
Office: HS, office 49
Phone: extension 4409 email: mfleites@greenriver.edu
Office hours: Mondays- Thursdays from 12:00 to 12:50 pm plus appointments.
Website: http://www.instruction.greenriver.edu/spanish/index.htm

Textbooks & Supplemental materials:
1) Required books: From the Dímelo Tú series:
1.1- Textbook: Rodríguez, F., Samaniego, F., et al. Dímelo tú. Boston: Thomson
Heinle Corporation, 2006. (5th edition: ISBN: 1-4130-0637-X)
1.2- Workbook: Cuaderno de Actividades y Manual de laboratorio. Boston:
Thomson Heinle Corporation, 2006. (5th edition: ISBN: 1-4130-1183-7)
1.3- Audio program: Lab Audio CDs (1-4130-1184-5)
1.4- Workbook/Lab Manual Answer Key with Audio Script. Boston:
Thomson Heinle Corporation, 2006. (5th edition: ISBN: 1-4130-1185-3)
1.5- Textbook website: http://dimelotu.heinle.com
2- Recommended supplementary materials:
2.1- Larousse Pocket Dictionary Spanish-English
2.2- Spinelli, Emily. English Grammar for Students of Spanish. The Olivia and
Hill Press, 1990.
2.3- Atajo 4.0 CD-ROM: Writing Assistant for Spanish (ISBN: 1-4130-0060-6)

Technology:
Students will need access to a computer to complete course work. As explained
earlier the textbook comes with a series of supplements that require a computer like to
use the CD-ROM Atajo as a writing assistant, to access the textbook website for
exercises and cultural information, as well as the Spanish department’s website, and
the links provided by instructor in the course catalog. All written assignments
should be typed using double space as format (so that instructor can write
corrections).

Assessment:
The instructor will use several assessment tools which will be reflected in the grading
policies for the course. Each day in class the instructor will use “embedded assessments”,
that is, the instructor will be evaluating each student’s achievement of the course
objectives in regular classroom-based activities in which students participate normally.
This will allow the instructor to adjust instruction to address in a timely manner any
information gaps or communication problems. Other methods include:
1- A comprehensive exam for each chapter: Students must prove they have mastered
the vocabulary and grammar included in each chapter. Each exam will include the writing
of a small essay using the content studied. It will also include questions related to the
Green River Community College Winter 2009 Span 102 (4 days a week)
Profesora: Marisela Fleites-Lear, PhD.
Office: HS, office 49
Phone: extension 4409 email: mfleites@greenriver.edu
Office hours: Mondays- Thursdays from 12:00 to 12:50 pm plus appointments.
Website: http://www.instruction.greenriver.edu/spanish/index.htm
information learned about the country studied in the chapter. These exams will be taken
in the Testing Center on the assigned days (see calendar).
2- ¡Escríbelo!: For each chapter, students will complete and turn in the final draft of the
writing assignment included in the workbook for each chapter (double spaced and typed)
or another assigned by the instructor. This will help you review the vocabulary and
structures learned for each chapter. Since this is worth 30 points, it should be as complete
as possible (At least 10 sentences!)
3- Completion of group skits (obritas): We will form groups that will work preparing
skits with “real life situations” to present to the class using the vocabulary of the lesson.
Each group will be given time in class to prepare and the instructor will choose what
group will present the skit to the class. Each member of the group should contribute as
equal partners to the work of the group and should be allocated an equal amount of words
and “lines” in the skit production. The instructor will evaluate each member separately,
taking into consideration performance and the perceived quality of each member’s
contribution to the group.
4- Composición (final essay): The purpose of writing an essay at the end of the quarter
is to bring together and apply all the knowledge of Spanish students have acquired in
class and to use it to express themselves in Spanish. To make the most of the lessons in
the textbook, use only the vocabulary and the grammar learned. For the purpose of
maximum practice, if you don't know how to say what you want to say, paraphrase it
using the grammatical constructions of the lessons: “If you can't say it in Spanish, don't
say it at this time.”
Your knowledge of the structure of English composition will serve you well in
your Spanish class. That is, you need to THINK about what you want to say and about
how to organize your thoughts logically and clearly. Your composition or essay should
include a topic statement, supporting evidence given in logically related sentences with
transitions from sentence to sentence, and a closing statement or conclusion (follow the
rubric for writing essays included in this syllabus). It should always have a suggestive
title (please, be aware that in Spanish the only word that starts with a capital letter in the
title is the first word; the rest do not use capital letters). You need to document any
sources you use with a “Bibliografía” at the end of your essay. Please, use the MLA
format.
The composition should be typed and double-spaced. The letter size to be used
is #12 (‘Times New Roman”), normal margins. The length will be a minimum of 30
lines (not sentences, but written full lines, that is, a line with 5 words will not be
considered a line). Please, don’t forget to write your name and the time of your class in
your essay for proper identification.
Theme: It will be announced in class. The important thing is to try to use as many
grammatical structures studied in 102 as possible. Remember that you can only use the
Green River Community College Winter 2009 Span 102 (4 days a week)
Profesora: Marisela Fleites-Lear, PhD.
Office: HS, office 49
Phone: extension 4409 email: mfleites@greenriver.edu
Office hours: Mondays- Thursdays from 12:00 to 12:50 pm plus appointments.
Website: http://www.instruction.greenriver.edu/spanish/index.htm
grammatical structures you have learned so far in your Spanish studies. Don’t try to
translate your more complex English structures and idiomatic expressions.
5- Final oral presentation: Each student will tell a story to the class using the
vocabulary we have learned this quarter. The presentation should take a minimum
of 2 minutes. Students cannot read the presentation, it is ORAL. Notes in Spanish
cannot be used either. You will be evaluated on how well you were able to use
most of the grammar and the vocabulary taught during this quarter. The
presentation will be done for the whole class, therefore everybody will be present
and have to attend (if you miss one day of the oral presentations you will lose 40
points). It is our last exercise together for this quarter.
Your oral and written final presentations should prove proficiency in the grammatical
points we will see this quarter, which include:
123456-
Preterite (regular and irregular)
Impersonal/Passive “se”
Direct and indirect object nouns and pronouns.
Irregular verbs in the present (-go verbs, verbs with stem changes in conjugation).
Saber / conocer
Conjugation of “gustar” and similar verbs (faltar, apetecer, encantar, quedar,
hacer falta, interesar, doler, etc.)
7- Ser / estar
8- Verb Dar in present/preterite, using indirect object pronoun.
9- Weather expressions.
10- Mucho / poco as adverbs and adjectives.
11- Reflexive construction.
12- Affirmative “Tú” commands.
Grade distribution:
1. Class participation and daily homework ______ 40%
2. Composición (essay) (1) ____________________________ 10%
3. Written Tests (4) (Pruebas) ____________________ 40%
4- Final oral presentation ________________________ 10%
The METHOD I will use to grade will be as follows:
I will give you points for every assignment for a total of 1000 points:
100 pts every test (4) = 400 points
100 pts for composición = 100 points
400 pts for daily class participation and daily homework= 80 points for attendance; 100
points for daily participation in class; 220 points for daily homework (you will lose 20
points each time you don’t have your homework done, 30 points if you don’t turn in the
Green River Community College Winter 2009 Span 102 (4 days a week)
Profesora: Marisela Fleites-Lear, PhD.
Office: HS, office 49
Phone: extension 4409 email: mfleites@greenriver.edu
Office hours: Mondays- Thursdays from 12:00 to 12:50 pm plus appointments.
Website: http://www.instruction.greenriver.edu/spanish/index.htm
¡Escríbelo! section or any other assignment that you have to turn in and 10 points if you
don’t participate in your group skit).
100 points for final oral presentation =100 points
At the end of the course, I will convert your final total of 1000 points into the
corresponding decimal grading (see list of equivalencies on page 8 of this syllabus).
Please be aware that in order to pass to the next level of Spanish you need to achieve
a grade of 2.0 (600 pts). Please notice in our calendar the dates for assignment
completion. No late assignments will be accepted and examination dates are final
(unless extenuating circumstances occur, for which you need to communicate
immediately with the instructor). Students will find their final grade via the Registrar web
system.
There will be a series of activities students can do to earn extra credit: watching
videos placed on reserve in the library by your instructor and writing about them in
Spanish as well as participating in related lectures, seminars or cultural events announced
in class. I will post the information for these in our website and I will also announce them
in class. You can earn up to 50 points of extra credit.

ATTENDANCE:
The importance of daily attendance cannot be exaggerated. A major goal of the
course is spontaneous, oral communication, which depends on daily exposure to the
language and daily practice. Work in class will often go beyond the textbook, so that
missing class will mean missing important information that may not be available in your
textbook. Since you have all the assignments already in the calendar included in this
syllabus, missing class is not a justification for not doing your homework. After 3
justified absences your participation grade will go down accordingly: each absence will
be equal to 20 points of your final total. You can justify your absence by emailing/calling
the instructor preferably ahead of class time to explain the situation. For the sake of the
class, I will demand punctuality. Three times tardy will equal one unexcused absence.
The policy for withdrawals and incompletes follows the campus established policies for
those. In any case, communication with the instructor is vital to plan for any special
arrangement to accommodate student’s needs while fulfilling the course’s expectations.
Please be aware that email is the preferred method of communication with the instructor.

Academic Dishonesty:
Students are expected to be honest and forthright in their academic endeavors.
Cheating, plagiarism, fabrication or other forms of academic dishonesty corrupt the
learning process and threaten the educational environment for all students. In this course,
sanctions for academic dishonesty will be as follows: If it is obvious that the student
didn’t do an assignment individually as instructed, but either copied from the web, a
book, or got too much help from someone else, the student will not receive credit for
Green River Community College Winter 2009 Span 102 (4 days a week)
Profesora: Marisela Fleites-Lear, PhD.
Office: HS, office 49
Phone: extension 4409 email: mfleites@greenriver.edu
Office hours: Mondays- Thursdays from 12:00 to 12:50 pm plus appointments.
Website: http://www.instruction.greenriver.edu/spanish/index.htm
that assignment. The student who is caught in any form of cheating will receive an
administrative withdrawal from the course. Cheating is defined here as: Copying from
another student’s test paper, allowing another student to copy from a test paper,
collaborating during a test with any person by receiving information without authority,
using the course textbook or other material such as a notebook brought to a class meeting
but not authorized for use during a test, using specifically prepared materials during a test
(e.g., notes, formula lists, notes written on student’s clothing, etc.); using a translator
(electronic or human) to write your essays.

Students with Special Needs:
If you need specific auxiliary aids or services due to a disability, please contact the
Disability Support Services (extension 2318). They will require you to present formal,
written documentation of your disability from an appropriate professional. When this step
has been completed, arrangements will be made for you to receive reasonable auxiliary
aids or services. The disability accommodation documentation prepared by Access
Services must be given to the instructor before the accommodation is needed so that
appropriate arrangements can be made.

Classroom policies:
1- Please turn off your cell phone, beeper, MP3 player, I-Pod or any other electronic
device before entering to class. Text messaging or any other phone activity during
class is not allowed. All of these devices should be stored in your bags during class.
2- Please refrain from eating in class, since this will interfere with our communicative
activities and could make a mess in our classroom. Of course, water or drinks with a
secure lid are allowed.
3- Although the instructor understands the child care needs of some students, children
are not allowed in the classroom following GRCC policies.
Equivalency from the 1000 scale to the final decimal grade:
1000 = 4.0
980 = 3.9
960 = 3.8
940 = 3.7
920 = 3.6
900 = 3.5
880 = 3.4
860 = 3.3
840 = 3.2
820 = 3.1
800 = 3.0
780
760
740
720
700
680
660
640
620
600
580
= 2.9
= 2.8
= 2.7
= 2.6
= 2.5
= 2.4
= 2.3
= 2.2
= 2.1
= 2.0*
= 1.9
560 = 1.8
540 = 1.7
520 = 1.6
500 = 1.5
480 = 1.4
460 = 1.3
440 = 1.2
420 = 1.1
400 = 1.0
380 = 0.9
360 = 0.8
340 = 0.7
320 = 0.6
300 = 0.5
280 = 0.4
260 = 0.3
240 = 0.2
220 = 0.1
200 = 0.0
*2.0 required to be
able to register for
103.
Green River Community College Winter 2009 Span 102 (4 days a week)
Profesora: Marisela Fleites-Lear, PhD.
Office: HS, office 49
Phone: extension 4409 email: mfleites@greenriver.edu
Office hours: Mondays- Thursdays from 12:00 to 12:50 pm plus appointments.
Website: http://www.instruction.greenriver.edu/spanish/index.htm
If you have questions or concerns about this class or me, please come to talk with
me about them. If we are unable to resolve your concerns, you may talk next with Dr.
Kathleen Loucks, chair of the Humanities program. The Chair can assist with
information about additional steps, if needed.
This syllabus and calendar are subject to change in the event of extenuating
circumstances. If you are absent from class, it is your responsibility to check on
announcements made while you were absent. You can email me or check our website
for any announcements. You can also check with other classmates.