SPANISH 101-FO1: Elementary Spanish I
CRN 75719 Fall 2015
MW 10:30-11:30; TR 9:45-11:15 , Gruening 307
Instructor: Daniel Darrow
Office: Gruening 609B
Phone: 474-7980
Email: djdarrow@alaska.edu
Office hours: MWF 2:15-3:15 pm, also by Google chat, or by appointment
COURSE DESCRIPTION
¡Bienvenidos a la clase de español 101! This course is designed for students who have never had
previous instruction in Spanish (or minimum instruction). The following is taken directly from the
catalog:
Introduction to the language and culture: development of competence and performance in the
language through understanding, recognition and use of linguistic structures; increasing
emphasis on listening, comprehension and speaking; basic vocabulary of approximately 1,000
words; exploration of the cultural dimension, implicitly through language and explicitly through
texts and audiovisual materials.
Essentially, we will focus on: basic vocabulary and grammar, speaking and pronunciation, listening and
reading practice, and confidence-building in the use of Spanish in everyday situations using a variety of
classroom tools and practices. This course will prepare you for Spanish 102 and further study of the
Spanish language. If you have had Spanish in high school or college, are a native speaker or
heritage speaker, you need to speak to me as soon as possible to discuss other options in
Spanish (CLEP, more advanced classes, etc.).
The big idea of this course is that the Spanish language is the all-American language of the future. Spanish is
the 3rd most spoken language in the world and the second most spoken language in the United States (which
recently became known for having more Spanish-speakers than Spain). Learning Spanish will open doors for
you in work, study, and travel.
COURSE GOALS
 Build a solid foundation of Spanish grammar/vocabulary for real communicative purposes
 Provide the opportunity for students to interact and use Spanish with other students and native
speakers
 Improve listening and reading skills
 Appreciate the variety of cultures in the Spanish-speaking world
STUDENT LEARNING/COURSE OUTCOMES
 Students will be able to describe their daily lives, likes/dislikes, courses, career goals, family in
Spanish
 Students will be able to sustain a basic conversation in the present tense about a variety of topics
 Students will be able to comfortably use both the present tense in speech, writing and reading
COURSE MATERIALS
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Required text/materials:
 Panorama: Introducción a la lengua española (4th edition). Blanco and Donley, (2013).
 Supersite Plus code from Vista Higher Learning (see “setting up your VHL Central Websam
Account p.4 )
 Both textbook and Supersite code are REQUIRED by Septembe 17th
 Note: if you buy a used book you will most likely need to buy a new code to Supersite
Other course materials:
 Blackboard access (grades can be glanced at Vista’s Supersite, but are better reflected on BB)
 Various online Spanish-English dictionaries
 Sprial-style notebook (for note-taking)
TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS
Internet access is essential. If you do not have good internet connection at home, you will need to use the
various facilities UAF offers for computer/internet access (Language Lab, the Nook, Rasmussen Library,
etc.).Specifically, you will need to be familiar with Blackboard and the Vista Supersite. Although not
necessary at the 100 level, it would be beneficial to learn how to type Spanish accents, tildes, and
punctuation. Supersite uses “buttons” to make these characters, but instructions for Word can be posted on
Blackboard, if there is a demand for it.
Since the internet and computer use are important to the class, I urge you to bring and use your laptop
computers and smart phones for exercises and activities to be completed during class time. Please do not
abuse this policy as you will only be hurting your potential. If the internet is not operational during class
time, I will supplement with hand-outs or other activities reinforcing the content you learned in that
unit/section.
INSTRUCTIONAL METHODS
This course is considered to be hybrid in that a major part of your learning and work will take place
outside of the physical classroom. The following briefly details two major components-online and
in-class activities:
A. Independent & Cooperative online activities
There are anywhere between 35-55 activities assigned for each chapter on Vista’s website
(WEBSAMs). These activities are both graded and credit/no credit. You are responsible for exploring and
learning key concepts assigned in each chapter. The graded activities are to gauge your progress and
whether or not you are learning the concepts. Each WEBSAM assignment other than true/false, yes/no,
credit/no credit activities get 5 attempts (you get 5 tries to get a perfect score…use them!). We will also
use Blackboard extensively by using additional activities to reinforce your learning and screencasts for
topics that are more difficult and thus giving you more opportunities to learn. WEBSAM assignments are
due weekly
B. Classroom activities
I see the classroom as the place to quickly review pronunciation and grammatical concepts that
may not be addressed in online assignments. In class we will practice communicative activities, be
exposed to native speaking through video clips, build your speaking skills, play games and improve your
confidence in using the language.
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COURSE POLICIES
We will use the following resources to measure the expected learning outcomes:
A. Participación (30%)
Participation and attendance go hand-in-hand and are significant factors in your performance for
any class. You cannot participate if you are not present. For each day of class you attend, you will receive a
score of 5 (marked in my attendance record). If you are going to miss class for any reason, you need to let
me know beforehand.
I will allow 4 absences during the semester- no questions asked…use these for unplanned events
and not “vacation”. However, any more than 3 will greatly affect your final grade. Missing 23 hours of class
or more will result in an automatic “F.” (MW classes= 1 hr/ TR = 1.5 hrs) Attendance is taken within the first
15 minutes of class during the WebSam/Q & A activities. If you are late, you need to let me know at the end
of class so that you are not marked absent.
Attendance is vital to language learning and building a learning community in class. Because I see
this as one of the most important factors in successful language acquisition, I will reward those students
who have perfect attendance (beyond the 4 allowed…that is you can still miss 4). At the end of the
semester, if you have perfect attendance, I will drop the lowest exam score.
B. Exámenes (30%)
There is a test after chapters 1-7, as well as a final exam after chapter 7. Exams may not be made up
without advance accommodation. Some exams may be issued online and are “open book, open notes”.
There will be a midterm exam after Chapter 4 to evaluate your progress. The midterm is counted under
exámenes and not weighted differently. I will only highlight the particulars of the exam that are
incorrect. If you would like a better score, you may correct the exam and return it to me. I will take the
difference of the two scores, divide it by two and add that number to the first exam score.
<Ejemplo: Your Ch. 1 exam score is a 70/80 pts. You take the exam home, correct those
problems you missed and return it to me within 2 days. The new score is 78/80. I will then take the
difference between the two scores, divide it by 2 and add it to the first score. (78-70 =8 /2 =4…..74/80 =
your new score. Note: I round down, so 4.78 = 4 to be added)>
C. Tarea (30%) Your written homework assignments will be done online through the Panorama
website: http://www.vhlcentral.com/. The online work consists of two parts
1. Web-SAM
These activities include multiple choice, fill-in-the-blanks, T/F, sentence writing and some
listening activities. You will be allowed 5 attempts to complete most of these activities. There are
typically 35-55 WEBSAM assignments per chapter. You will be assigned WEBSAMs weekly in addition to
the required coursework (also done online, discussions, questions, etc.).
2. Discussion Activities
These are written and oral activities that will be posted on WEBSAMS/Blackboard. Discussion is
a place where you can practice the language and not worry about being graded on mistakes. I or
someone else might correct you, but it is a credit/no credit type of system. You are also encouraged to
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participate in UAF’s Estudiantes de español page in Facebook site created for Spanish students (by
Spanish students). https://www.facebook.com/groups/449150268504292/ . We will have topics for
discussion as well as Google Hangouts to practice speaking. I will try to get native speakers (with a
variety of dialects) to participate in the Hangouts. It will be a lot of fun, but not required for you.
D. Examen final (10%)
The final exam is cumulative. The oral component of the final exam will be given on the last day of
class and be incorporated in the class activity in some capacity. During the final exam, you will be allowed to
handwrite notes on one each, 4 X 6 in. card (provided by instructor) for use during the exam.
E.xtra Pruebas
Vocabulary quizzes will be given during the first week of a new chapter and will be either paper or
electronically based. Scores from these quizzes will be used as extra credit on chapter exams. These quizzes
will test your vocabulary and grammar you learned during the week. Quizzes cannot be made up. Quizzes
may or may not be announced. You need to be prepared at any moment for a quiz for understanding.
Components of the final grade and weight by percentage
Participación
30%
Tarea
30%
Exámenes
30%
Examen final
10%
DEPARTMENTAL GRADING SCALE
(% of grade earned according to the
weighted categories)
A+ 97-100
A 93-96
A- 90-92
B+ 87-89
B 83-86
B- 80-82
C+ 77-79
C
73-76
C- 70-72
D+
D
D-
67-69
63-66
60-62
F 0-60
Late work policy
WEBSAM assignments are due each Friday at 11:59 pm (la medianoche). LATE HOMEWORK IS
NOT ACCEPTED. If you have an emergency or circumstance preventing your completion of the
assignments, you need to notify me as soon as possible, before the deadline.
Pacing expectations
Beyond the five hours you will spend in class during the week, you can expect to add an additional 3-5
hours working on content and coursework beyond the face to face class time. Although actual hours
spent each week will vary between individuals, students should expect to spend an average of 9 hours
per week.
Academic integrity
As described by UAF, scholastic dishonesty constitutes a violation of the university rules and regulations
and is punishable according to the procedures outlined by UAF. Scholastic dishonesty includes, but is not
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limited to, cheating on an exam, plagiarism, and collusion. Cheating includes providing answers to or
taking answers from another student. Plagiarism includes use of another author’s words or arguments
without attribution. Collusion includes unauthorized collaboration with another person in preparing
written work for fulfillment of any course requirement. Scholastic dishonesty is punishable by removal
from the course and a grade of “F.” For more information go to Student Code of Conduct:
(http://www.uaf.edu/catalog/catalog_08- 09/academics/regs3.html#Student_Conduct)
Faculty Senate Meeting #171:
C-shall be the minimum acceptable grade that undergraduate students may receive for courses to count
toward the major or minor degree requirements, or as a prerequisite for another course.
http://www.uaf.edu/files/uafgov/Info-to-Publicize-C_Grading-Policy-UPDATED-May-2013.pdf
HOW TO SUBMIT ASSIGNMENTS
WEBSAMs and discussion assignments are submitted online through Vista and WordPress. Various
activities associated with content assignments will be turned in during class time.
SETTING UP YOUR VHL CENTRAL WEBSAM ACCOUNT: Complete instructions for setting up your Supersite
Plus account can be found at http://vistahigherlearning.com/studentstartup?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=HE%20Back%20to%20School&utm_content=HE%20Back%20to%20S
chool+CID_e806254a6ffe7dc8ee8e7fd7e3111984&utm_source=Email%20marketing%20software&utm_term=vhlc
entralhelpstudent-startup
HOW TO CHECK YOUR GRADE
You can get a good snapshot of your grade through the Vista grade book; however, other factors such as
participation, exams, and quizzes will not be apparent on Vista. Blackboard will be the place to go to
check the actual grade.
SUPPORT SERVICES
Language Lab. Gruening 609, open 8am-5pm. There are computers with internet for foreign
language students. In addition there are language-specific tutors who can help you with your work, or
act as conversation partners (hours found on the lab door). You can use the computers in the language
lab and receive help from student tutors with your assignments. This lab is a good resource especially if
you are experiencing computer problems at home.
Student support services. UAF is committed to equal opportunity for all students. Students who
are the first in their families to attempt a four-year college degree, or students whose incomes are low, have
opportunities for tutorial and other forms of support from the office of Student Support Services. Please
make an appointment with Student Support Services at 474-2644.
DISABILITY SERVICES
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UAF makes appropriate accommodations for individuals with disabilities who have been documented by the
Office of Disability Services (203 Whitaker Building, 474-7043). Students with learning or other disabilities
who may need classroom accommodations are encouraged to make an appointment to obtain the
appropriate documentation if they do not have it. Please meet with me during office hours so that I can
collaborate with the Office of Disability Services to provide the appropriate accommodations and support to
assist you in meeting the goals of the course. For more information, please visit
http://www.uaf.edu/chc/disability.html
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