SPN - 363 - YA
| Course Description: This level one Spanish Conversation course introduces the student to the Spanish language. It builds upon the knowledge gained in the Introduction to Spanish Course. Through the use of varied teaching approaches and exercises, the student will develop listening comprehension skills as well as speaking, reading, and writing skills. The student should be able to ask and answer simple questions, as well as perform simple daily routines such as: Expressing aspirations and intentions, talking about preferences; expressing possibility and impossibility, necessity and permission; Asking and answering questions about school and work; talking about likes and dislikes, about things that interest or do not interest you; talking about actions that occurred in the recent past; as well as talking about future travel plans and more... New material is presented through a variety of formats. These include dialogues, interviews, reading passages, letters, brief articles from newspapers, written instructions, questionnaires, photographs, maps, notices, advertisements, timetables, and official forms. Each of these is followed by a set of individual, paired, or group activities requiring the use of spoken Spanish. The instructions preceding each exercise explain the theme or situation and the type of activity involved. Role-playing exercises are an important feature of this Spanish class. I. Contact Hours per Semester: This three (3) credits course meets Forty hours per semester II. Textbook: CONVERSATIONAL SPANISH: A REAL-LIFE APPROACH TO BUILDING ORAL PROFICIENCY, Juan Kattán-Ibarra, Third Edition. National Textbook Company, 1997. Recommended: Spanish/English - English/Spanish Dictionary III. Grading Structure: This course requires the student to be prepared for class. Because of the nature of this class, class participation will be factored into the final grade. The final class grade will be calculated as such:
Please note: absences and leaving before the end of class adversely affect your ability to participate in class and will be reflected in your final course grade. IV. Aims and Objectives: A. To develop a well balanced working vocabulary in Spanish. B. To introduce basic foundational Spanish grammar. C. To provide an environment where the student can practice and gain confidence communicating in Spanish. D. To increase awareness of the richness of the Hispanic culture. V. Teaching Methodology: This course uses the natural method of language-learning. The student will learn Spanish the same way one learns their natural language as a child - by hearing the language and then repeating what is heard. The main focus of the course is to develop conversation skills: reading, speaking, writing and listening comprehension. Grammar will be taught and discussed but will not be the main focus of this course. New vocabulary and phrases will be introduced with the use of dialogues, interviews, reading passages, letters, brief newspaper articles, questionnaires, photographs, maps and other means relating to everyday situations relevant to the experiences of today=s students. VI. CPC topics covered in this course. A. Organization Behavior B. Business Ethics VII. General Information: A. Homework: will be assigned in class. If you miss a class, you are still responsible for completing all work on time. B. Late Work: will not be accepted without a valid written excuse. C. Attendance and Class Participation: is very important and strongly encouraged. D. Problems or Concerns: See me before class, after class or during office hours. In extreme cases, you may call me Monday through Friday between the hours of 9 am to 4 pm at (302) 998-8814 ext. 288. VIII. Tentative Outline of Classroom Discussion Topics
|
||||||||||||||||||||
| VOWELS One symbol, one sound. Each vowel in Spanish has only one possible pronunciation. So when you see "A", you know it always sounds like the sound the doctor wants you to make - nothing else - Ah! Here are the vowel sounds you'll need to master: |
||
| A - The doctor's request - "Open
your mouth and say AH." E - A as in pay or say but only shorter. I - ee as in Free to be me. O - as in "Oh no!" U - oo as in "oo la la" |
||
CONSONANTS and the ALPHABET. There
are 30 letters in the Spanish Alphabet. The following consonants represent very different
sounds in Spanish than they do in English. If learning to read Spanish is important to
you, you should keep in mind that: |
||
| CH - CH as in "chocolate" or
"cheese". G - American "H" if it precedes an "I" or "e" otherwise it sounds like G as in gorilla in any other case. H - P as in pneumonia (Always Silent) J - Somewhat like an English H only throatier. In Spanish we laugh ¡Ja Ja Ja! LL - Depending on regional differences it could sound like Y as in "yes" or like the English J. Ñ - NY as in "canyon". Q - K as in "king". S/Z - Sometimes like "S" as in "survival" or "Z" as in "zipper" or "TH" as in "thanks" and in some dialects, it is not pronounced at all. |
||
The Alphabet - There are 30 letters in the Spanish Alphabet |
||
| A - a B - be C - ce CH - che D - de E - e F - efe G - ge H - hache I - I |
J - jota K - ka L - ele LL - elle M - eme N - ene Ñ - eñe O - o P - pe Q - cu |
R - ere RR - erre S - ese T - te U - u V - ve W - doble u X- equis Y- y griega Z- zeta |
| Table of Contents |