Freedom Education Project Puget Sound
Español 101
FALL 2012
COURSE SYLLABUS
Professor: Maria Ferrer-Lightner
COURSE DESCRIPTION
100-level Spanish is designed to be an innovative course that develops basic communicative proficiency in
listening, speaking, reading and writing. Consistent with advances in second language teaching and learning
research, this program is informed by several essential principles of communicative language teaching, among
them, that 1), learners need to focus on the message (as well as the form) contained in oral and written discourse in
order to more successfully acquire language, and 2), proficiency requires that the target language be used
meaningfully from the first day of instruction in order to aid acquisition. Thus, this approach to language learning
is information based, which is to say that the language acquisition process is supported through the exchange of
meaningful/relevant information. In this course, you will actively learn Spanish vocabulary, pronunciation, and
structures, and will read and listen to a fair amount of authentic oral and written Spanish. In addition, you will also
receive cultural information about the world around you and the Spanish-speaking world, since knowing a language
also involves knowledge of the culture(s) in which it is spoken. The class will be conducted almost exclusively in
Spanish.
MATERIALS REQUIRED
 Text: ¡Arriba! 5th Edition
 Arriba Workbook. Activity Book.
 Spanish/English, English/Spanish Dictionary
EVALUATION
Participation
Homework (TAREA)
Grupos de conversación
Pruebas
Compositions
10%
15%
10%
40%
25%
Grades are only for guidance.
ATTENDANCE
Students will be expected to abide by institutional guidelines regarding class attendance.
PARTICIPATION: This refers to how much you participate, your attitude toward your fellow classmates, your
instructor and the activities, your preparedness for class, and your attendance. All these factors are of paramount
importance: language acquisition is a process, and it is cumulative. In order to comprehend and produce Spanish,
you must consistently comprehend and produce Spanish.
ORAL PARTICIPATION: The oral practice of Spanish on a regular basis is very important. You can’t learn to
speak Spanish if you don’t practice speaking Spanish! To foster oral practice outside of class, There are a series of
“conversation cards” that will be given to you by your instructor, with topics related to the course content to get you
talking. I recommend that you meet with a partner (or two) at least once a week and try for a 10-minute
conversation, solely in Spanish, using the conversation cards as a starting point and focusing on WHAT you are
saying, not necessarily HOW you are saying it. Delivering the message orally in Spanish, without worrying about
errors or “sounding perfect,” is the goal. Just talk and keep it in Spanish for 10 minutes.
Syllabus: The material for which the student is responsible during a given day’s class is listed on that day. The
student is expected to prepare the material BEFORE coming to class, so that class time can be used to discuss
and analyze the material.
HOMEWORK: HOMEWORK will be assigned daily. It usually includes studying a section on either vocabulary
or grammar in the textbook, completing an activity not finished in class.
You will also be assigned homework exercises which require original responses. You will receive credit
for completing the assignment. It will be corrected by your instructor and returned to you at the beginning of the
next class.
CHAPTER QUIZZES (PRUEBAS) AND FINAL EXAM: These will closely reflect the activities that you do in
and out of class. There will be a section on Oral Comprehension, as well as sections on the vocabulary, grammar,
and cultural content of the chapter/unit.
COMPOSITIONS: In Spanish 101 you will write 3 graded composition. If it is possible, the required first draft
of the compositions will be completed in class.
TENTATIVE COURSE SCHEDULE
SEMANA 1
20 de septiembre
jueves
ESPAÑOL 101
FALL 2010
Introduction to course
Chapter 1. Primera Parte: ¨Hola, ¿qué tal?”, “El mundo hispano”
Vocabulary, Structure, Cultura / Literatura, taller de escritura
Nous and articles,
adj. forms, position and agreement
subject pronouns,
To be
SEMANA 2
27 de septiembre
jueves
Segunda Parte: ¨Hola, ¿qué tal?”, “El mundo hispano”
Vocabulary, Structure, Cultura / Literatura, taller de escritura
SEMANA 3
4 de octubre
jueves
Quiz de todo el Cap. 1
Preparar el Taller 1
SEMANA 4
11 de octubre
Jueves
Entregar Taller 1: “Una carta de presentación”
Chapter 2. Primera Parte: ¿De dónde eres? ¨Bienvenidos a España”
Vocabulary, Structure, Cultura / Literatura, taller de escritura
Telling time,
interrogative words,
present tense regular –ar , -er, -ir verbs, and tener
2
SEMANA 5
18 de octubre
Jueves
Segunda Parte: ¿De dónde eres? ¨Bienvenidos a España”
Vocabulary, Structure, Cultura / Literatura, taller de escritura
SEMANA 6
25 de octubre
Jueves
Quiz de todo el Cap. 2
Preparar el Taller 2
SEMANA 7
1 de noviembre
jueves
SEMANA 8
8 de noviembre
jueves
SEMANA 9
15 de noviembre
jueves
SEMANA 10
22 de noviembre
jueves
Entregar Taller 2: “Una entrevista y un sumario”
Repaso Cap. 1 y 2
Práctica y lectura
Chapter 3. Primera Parte: ¿Qué estudias? ¡México lindo!
Vocabulary, Structure, Cultura / Literatura, taller de escritura
Possessive adj.,
Segunda Parte: ¿Qué estudias? ¡México lindo!
Vocabulary, Structure, Cultura / Literatura, taller de escritura
present tense ir, hacer,
present of estar and present progressive
Acción de Gracias
Entregar Taller 3: “Una carta personal”
Quiz de todo el Cap. 3
Preparar el Taller 3
SEMANA 11
22 de noviembre
jueves
SEMANA 12
6 de diciembre
jueves
Chapter 4. Primera Parte: ¿Cómo es tu familia? “La América Central I: Guatemala. El
Salvador, Honduras”
Vocabulary, Structure, Cultura / Literatura, taller de escritura
Present tense of stem-changing verbs,
personal a, direct obj.
present of tense poner, salir, and traer,
3