COURSE SYLLABUS: SPAN 2110 W01 - Spring 2011
NOTE: Instructions* on how to prepare for our mandatory first class follow the Calendar, which provides a
basic course outline, including specific vocabulary-and grammar structures for each class. Purchase your Textbook
package (if you are beginning with SPAN 1120) and begin preparing today, by reviewing/studying and completing
specific assignments in portions of Hoy día, Volume 2.*Look for: “Preparation for the First Day of Class.”
Instructor:
Felicia J. Cruz
Email: fjcruz@stkate.edu
Phone: 651-690-6570
Academic Program: International Langs. & Lit: Spanish
Office hours: WH 101, Saturdays, 12-1 PM & by appointment
Room and Time: See Registrar’s Schedule; Sat., 1 - 4:30 PM
Course Description and General Objectives
Spanish 2110, Intermediate Spanish I, continues to build on skills and foci covered in the first two trimesters of
Elementary Spanish (1110 and 1120). As such, you will continue to emphasize and develop listening, speaking, reading
and writing skills necessary for functional communication in basic Spanish with near-native or native speakers familiar
with the speech of non-native Spanish speakers. You will talk about yourself, family, daily life, interests, and community
and/or work activities.
In this class you will engage in a more intensive development of your writing skills, while continuing to study aspects of
Hispanic culture, in the Spanish-speaking parts of the world, including the Twin Cities. Classes will be taught primarily
in Spanish, and you will do vocabulary, conversation, composition, and contextual grammar exercises/activities designed
to increase your proficiency in Spanish. Your homework involves extensive use of software and practice with online
exercises in the Hoy día textbook program. .
Expectations for homework and in-class
o Computer with internet access: The Hoy día program was selected because it provides excellent support
for audio and visual input: This dual input constantly puts you in contact with both aural and visual aspects
of the Spanish language. The Hoy día multi-media program thus relies on the use of the computer: Note: If
you do not have access to a computer with internet access, you may use your local library for on-line
exercises (Web-SAM, etc). In addition, the computers in the Language Center (Whitby Hall 03) and a bank
of computers in the Library Lab will allow you access to MySpanishLab.
o Required study time: Although it is generally known that weekend courses, since language courses
especially require a lot of independent work, I cannot stress enough that a tremendous amount of
work outside of class is required to succeed in this course: On average, expect to spend at least 2 hours on
homework for every hour of class each week. In other words, for a class that meets for 3 ½ hours per
week, plan to devote at least 6 ½ to 7 hours to homework each week. Many students have told me that the
time they actually need to study in order to increase their proficiency exceeds 6 ½ to 7 hours.
o Study Strategies: All students should review/read the “Super Study Strategies” (sent as an attachment,
and also available in Blackboard, Course Documents). At this level, students usually already know
which technique(s) work(s ) best for memorization, given their specific, individual learning style[s]:
Some prefer to work with lists, others learn best with flash cards, and still others benefit from writing
words, phrases and expressions in a notebook, by folding (length-wise) half a page of paper, and writing
one column in Spanish, the other column in English; a similar method involves two-sided flashcard:
words/phrases in one language on one side, with the English equivalent(s) written on the other side of
each card. Overall, note that a combination of reading, reciting and writing is strongly recommended
because it is necessary to learn to spell key vocabulary words and common expressions.
2
The teacher’s function and role:
Teachers model and facilitate learning: Progress in learning a language depends and hinges on
students themselves, who alone must learn—in class and beyond—chapter-specific vocabulary, in
order to communicate. In other words, contextual memorization, within the context of each chapter’s
specific theme, especially verbs, is extremely important; and practice is up to and depends on the
student herself. Therefore, classroom time will be dedicated to paired and group work for
conversational and written activities; coming unprepared to class, without having put in adequate time to
learn and practice with target vocabulary and structures for the day, impedes meaningful learning, or:
progress in learning and communicating in another language.
Course Materials** (available in the SCU bookstore, or, with ample time, may be purchased online,
through Pearson website (Hoy día) or through Amazon/ Half-Price Books, etc. (Mexicans in Minnesota)
 Hoy día: Spanish for Real Life. McMinn, J. and Alonso García, N. (Pearson, 2011):
1. Hoy día, Volume 2 (required)
-MySpanishLab Student Access Code Card, 6 months (required)
-Pocket dictionary (optional, but recommended)
2. Headset with built-in microphone* or laptop/computer with a built-in microphone. Academic
Computing recommends the Logitech/Plantronics brands. *For MySpanishLab/Hoy día online
components to complete homework: Web-SAM, grammar tutorials, Practice Tests, and/or individual
questions posted for students using the Wimba Voice recording tool
3. Online Resources: 1) CSC Blackboard, 2) MySpanishLab* (www.myspanishlab.com) *Of which more
later: You do not need to access either of these in order to prepare for the first class, which is
mandatory. 3) The Hoy día textbook’s Companion Website**: www.pearsonhighered.com/hoydia. **
**ONLY if you are starting your WEC studies in Spanish with SPAN 2110 (third-semester, or
Intermediate Spanish I, for the first day of class only (i.e., Saturday, April 9), you will need to use the
Companion Website in order to access and complete assigned listening exercises for Chapter 8: La
niñez, Tema 2: Vocabulario (Hoy día textbook, pp. 228-229)
NOTE: Students who took WEC SPAN 1120 in Winter 2011can access the Hoy día eText in
MySpanishLab, to practice listening comprehension (vocabulario y conversaciones) and complete
related assignments to prepare for the first day of class.

Mexicans in Minnesota, Dionicio Valdés (Minnesota Historical Press, 2005).
Course Content
-We will cover Temas 2 -4 of Hoy día, chapter 8: La niñez (pp. 228-248, pp. 250-251), chapter 9: En el
restaurante (from Tema 2 on); chapter 10: En el médico; and chapter 11: En el trabajo.
-At the same time, chapter themes and foci are accompanied by and reinforced with correlated online learning
components (e.g., Web-SAM & grammar tutorials, etc.) on MySpanishLab: http://www.myspanishlab.com.
Evaluation
*4 chapter tests
**Attendance, active participation & homework (online and/or written)
Final Evaluation (oral)
***Experiential-/Service Learning Assignment & Reflection Paper (3-4 pp.)
40%
30%
20 %
10%
*No make-up tests will be administered
**New students: WEC SPAN classes meet every week; there will be no extra credit assignments.
3
***Information forthcoming
Academic Integrity
All incidents of violation of the Code of Conduct will be reported to the office of the Dean and grading will be
suspended until an appropriate sanction is determined.
Attendance
Preparation for class and participation will be noted judiciously, including the first day of class. The intensive
nature of language learning in the WEC Program (i.e., limited contact time of teachers and their instructor)
requires attendance in every class. All absences affect your grade, and cannot be made up! Please note
therefore that only one (1) documented excused absence is allowed.
o What is a documented excused absence?
1. An absence due to your own illness, documented by a physician or clinic.
2. An absence due to participation in pre-programmed college activities, with advance notice and duly
documented by the supervising faculty/staff leader.
3. Documented extenuating circumstances related to family members.
- If a student must be absent, she must acquire assignments and notes from a fellow classmate and check
Blackboard for course announcements.
Grading Scale
93-100 A
90-92 A-
87-89 B+
83-86 B
80-82 B-
77-79 C+
73-76 C
70-72 C-
67-69 D+
63-66 D
60-62 D
0-59 F
Services for students
1. Spanish tutors are available in the Language Center (Whitby 03). Schedule will be posted.
2. If you need course adaptations or accommodations because of a disability, please see the Resources for
Disabilities Center at the O’Neill Center for Academic Development, (Ground Floor, Room 21 in Coeur
de Catherine; telephone 651-690-6563).
Note:
o I reserve the right to administer pop-quizzes as needed (i.e., when students don’t seem to have prepared
sufficiently for each class.)
o I also reserve the right to make changes in the syllabus, as needed (i.e., when more time is needed to learn
and practice with certain portions of a chapter).
o Any date- or assignment-related modifications will be mentioned in class and posted in Blackboard on the
site for our course: It is the responsibility of students to check their email and announcements in
Blackboard and MySpanishLab.
o Cellular telephones should be turned off while class is in session.
4
CALENDARIO: SPAN 2110, W01—PRIMAVERA/ SPRING 2011
Week
#and
day
Evaluation
(1) Sat
4/09
Communicative Goals
Supporting Grammar/
Notes for upcoming classes
-PRESENTACIONES E INTRO. AL CURSO
- preterit & imperfect tenses
-expresiones para narrar
- complementos indirectos (me, te,
le, nos, os, les) con ‘dar’ y ‘gustar’
-CAPITULO 8, La niñez
TEMA 2, ¿Qué recuerdos tienes?:
-Vocab:Los grandes acontecimientos (eventos) de la
vida (pp. 228-229)
-Gramática 2.1: Describing an invent that interrupted
an action that was in progress (pp. 230-231)
-Gramática 2.2: Distinguishing between ongoing and
completed actions in the past (pp. 232-233; pp. 82-83)
PRE-VISTA: CAP. 9,: Gramática 1.1:
Complementos indirectos con ‘dar’ (p. 234)
(2) Sat
4/16
(3) Sat
4/23
-CAPITULO 8
Warm-up: imperfecto y pretérito
TEMA 3, ¿Qué cuentas?
-Vocab: Expresiones para narrar (pp. 234-235)
TEMA 4, Profesiones (pp. 240-241): ¿Qué carrera
están estudiando Uds.? ¿Para qué estudiaban sus
papás? ¿Cuándo se casaron? ¿Dónde vivían cuando
Uds. se graduaron del colegio? ¿Cuándo se mudaron /
se casaron? ¿Cuándo se jubilaron?
-CAPÍTULO 9, En el restaurante
- Gramática 1.1 y 1.2: ‘dar’ y ‘gustar’ con
complementos indirectos (me, te, le, nos, os, les)
No hay clase: Descanso de
Pascuas/Easter Break
- preterit & imperfect tenses
-expresiones para narrar
-gustar
-complementos indirectos
Read Mexicans in Minnesota,
maintaining a writing journal
(Guidelines to be posted in
BlackBoard: Course Documents)
*Tarea: Finish Web-SAM activities &
take Practice Test online
(MySpanishLab), to review for Exam
1, 4/30
*
(4) Sat
4/30
Examen 1—Cap. 8 : Tema 2 (pretérito
e imperfecto, Tema 4, profesiones) y
Cap. 9: Tema 1: dar, gustar &
complementos indirectos)
(5) Sat
5/07
(6) Sat
5/14
Examen 2—Cap. 9 (Tema 2:
Complementos indirectos y directos; el
condicional)
-CAPÍTULO 9, En el restaurante
TEMA 2, ¿Qué me recomienda usted?
-Vocab: En el restaurante (pp. 260-261)
- Gramática 2.1:Avoiding repetition: Using direct and
indirect object pronouns together (pp. 262 – 263)
PRE-VISTA: Gramática 2.2: Making polite requests:
The conditional (p. 264)
-complemento indirecto
-complemento directo
-el condicional
-CAPITULO 9
Warm-up: direct and indirect object pronouns
together (Gramática 2.1, p. 263)
-Gramática 2.2: Making polite requests: The
conditional (pp. 264-265)
-En la vida real (p. 276)
-Lectores de hoy (pp. 278-279)
-complemento indirecto
-complemento directo
-el condicional
-CAPITULO 10, En el médico
TEMA 1, ¿Te duele?
-Vocab: El cuerpo (pp. 286-287)
-Gramática 1.1:Giving advice: Commands in the
usted and ustedes forms (pp. 288-289)
PRE-VISTA: Gramática 1.2: Making suggestions:
More reflexive verbs and reflexive/object pronouns
with commands (p. 290)
-usted and ustedes commands
-reflexive verbs
-reflexive/object pronouns w/
commands
*Tarea: Finish Web-SAM activities &
take Practice Test online
(MySpanishLab), to review for Exam
1, 4/30
5
(7) Sat
5/21
*NOTE: As a language class, SPAN
2110, W01 does meet this week.
*Midterm
Week
(8) Sat
5/28
Examen 3—Cap. 10 (Temas 1 y 2:
Mandatos formales y familiares)
(9) Sat
6/04
(10) Sat
6/11
(11) Sat
6/18
Sign up for Final Oral Evaluation
(in pairs, in class, Sat., June 25)
Examen 4—Cap. 10 (El subjuntivo) y
Cap. 11 (El subjuntivo w/ conjunctions
of time; el participio pasado como
adjetivo: -ado [a]/-ido[a])
-CAPITULO 10
Warm-up: usted and ustedes commands (Gramática
1.1, pp. 288-289)
-Gramática 1.2: Making suggestions: More reflexive
verbs and reflexive/object pronouns with commands
(pp. 290-291)
TEMA 2, ¿Cómo te sientes?
Vocab: Los síntomas y los accidents (pp. 292-293)
- Gramática 2.1:Giving advice: Commands in the tú
forms (pp. 292-294)
-Ud. and Uds. Commands
-reflexive verbs
- reflexive/object pronouns with
commands
Review for Exam 3, 5/28: Practice
Test 3, online; complete WebSAM exercises.
CAPITULO 10
-Gramática 2.2:Influencing others: The subjunctive
and its use after verbs of desire (pp. 296-297)
PRE-VISTA: TEMA 3, ¿Te mantienes en buena
forma?
Vocab: La medicina preventiva (pp. 298-299)
Work on Experiential-/ServiceLearning Assignment as needed
CAPITULO 10
-Warm-up: Subjunctive w/verbs of desire (Gram.
2.2, p. 297)
TEMA 3, ¿Te mantienes en buena forma? Gramática 3.1: Making suggestions: The subjunctive
with impersonal expressions & stem-changing verbs
(pp. 300-301)
-Gramática 3.2: Expressing doubts: The subjunctive
after verbs of doubt (pp. 302-303)
PRE-VISTA: Cap. 11, En el trabajo
-Gramática 1.1: Saying when something will happen:
The Subjunctive after expressions of time: Mi cat: Hd
CAPITULO 10
-Warm-up & practice: Subjunctive (acronym:
W.E.D.I.)
CAPITULO 11, En el trabajo
-Gramática 1.1: Saying when something will happen:
The Subjunctive after expressions of time (acronym:
Mi cat: Hd
-Gramática 1.2:Giving explanations: por and para
Work on Experiential-/ServiceLearning Assignment as needed
Práctica en parejas para la Evaluación Final Oral
-Verbs like gustar
-Indirect object pronouns (me, te,
le, nos, os, les)
Review for Exam 3, 6/18: Practice
Test 4, online; complete WebSAM exercises.
Verbs like gustar
-Indirect object pronouns (me, te,
le, nos, os, les)
-the conditional tense
Practice for the Final, Oral
Evaluation, 6/25
(12) Sat
6/25
Final Oral Evaluation
Finish working on Reflection
Paper on the Experiential/Service
Assignment you’ve completed
*Turn in Reflection Paper
(online) by July 1, 6 PM. Sending
an email attachment is fine
6
Preparation for the first day of class*: April 9, 2011
*Attendance on the first day of class is mandatory; the Registar’s Office will automatically drop those who do
not attend.
Access Hoy día, Vol. 2 or purchase the textbook the SCU Bookstore: Hoy día, Vol. 2 & 6month Student Access Code (SAC) for MySpanishLab, the online learning program of the textbook.
Optional verb charts available; but buy them only if you know such charts help you learn. If SPAN 2110 is your
first WEC Spanish course, take time to acquaint yourself with the textbook by doing the following: 1) Read the
preliminary information provided at the beginning of Hoy día, Vol. 2; among other things, this describes what
you will be able to do with MySpanishLab this trimester.
Caveat: If you have trouble accessing and using MySpanishLab before our first class, note that you can
fully prepare for it with the textbook you’ve purchased, and by accessing the online Companion Website
for Hoy día.
I.
Hoy día, capítulo 8—La niñez:
A. Open your textbook to Cap. 8, p. 250, to study Vocabulario, Tema 2: Los grandes acontecimientos
de la vida.
B. Then log on to the Companion Website: http://www.pearsonhighered.com/hoydia. (1) Once there,
click sequentially on: Companion Website, Chapter 8 (on the tool bar, at the top of the page), and
Audio Resources (which you’ll see on the left side of the screen); (2) Click on CD 3, Track 27* and
listen as you read p. 228 as you listen to the speakers. *(You will see this track right beneath In-Text
Activities Audio heading, which is below the video streaming button).
C. Close the textbook, and return to MySpanishLab, and click on CD 3, Track 28: “Una
conversación,” and answer the following questions: 1. ¿Cuántos años tenía Marco cuando ganó el
partido de fútbol que recuerda? 2. ¿Qué tiempo hacía cuando el partido empezó? Listen as often as
needed, in order to answer the questions. Then check your answers by reading the text, p. 229
(Green box).
D. Return to MySpanishLab, and click on CD 3, Track 29: “¡A escuchar!” As you listen to the
conversation between Amalia and Tristán, answer the two questions in the gray box, p. 229.
E. Textbook: (1) Review/Study p. 224: Tema 1, Gramática 1—The imperfect tense: Describing how
things used to be.” Then prepare questions for Exercise 8-8, p. 225. (2) Review/Study: The
preterit tense of regular verbs, used to talk about actions completed during a specific period of
time; and the verbs, ir & ser, chapter 7, p. 192, and prepare questions in Exercise 7-4, p. 193, for
either the odd- (1, 3, 5 . . .) or even numbers (2, 4, 6 . . .). We will answer these questions in the first
class.
F. Textbook: (1) Study p. 230, Gramática 2.1: Using the preterit and imperfect: describing an
event interrupting and action in progress. (2) Answer questions 1-3, Para averiguar (p. 230).
(3) Complete Exercise 8-17.
As needed /desired, look over any-all of the structures shown below, from Chapter 12, which
reviews grammar structures covered in chapters 7-11:


TEMA 1: ¿Cómo te informas?
-Repaso 1: Avoiding repetition, Direct object pronouns (me, te, lo[a], nos, os, los[as]), p. 354
TEMA 2: ¿Qué cuentan las noticias?
-Repaso 1: Saying what happened: Regular and stem-changing verbs in the preterit, p. 358
-Repaso 2: Irregular verbs in the preterit, p. 359
-Repaso 3: Describing how things used to be: The imperfect, p. 360