Academic Issues
REMEMBER
TO TURN OFF YOUR CELL PHONE DURING CLASS TIME
REQUIRED MATERIALS
• Conexiones: Comunicación y Cultura , 3rd edition (2005) by Zayas-Bazán, Bacon and García
• Course Compass/One Key electronic workbook and lab manual registration card – note that this comes packaged with the textbook package ordered in the bookstores so you must purchase the entire package.
• A quality Eng/Spn dictionary, such as Collins, Larousse, U. Chicago, etc.
• Course packet (available at T.I.S. Bookstore)
• A printed copy of this syllabus
SPN 1116 or SPN 1131 or Placement Exam (See Undergraduate Catalog for SAT II, AP and IB scores)
The primary goal of the Intermediate Spanish Courses is to offer students an opportunity to review existing and acquire new communicative skills in Spanish while developing an awareness and appreciation of Hispanic/Latino cultures. The courses take their goals from the Standards for Foreign Language Learning in the 21 st Century , also known as the 5 Cs, which focus on five general areas:
- Communicating in Spanish
- Gaining knowledge and understanding of cultures of the Hispanic world
- Connecting with other disciplines and acquiring new information
- Developing awareness of similarities and differences ( comparisons ) among language and culture systems around the world
- Using Spanish to participate in communities at home and around the world
To help students succeed in these courses, the class will engage in a variety of activities and assignments, including but not limited to activities such as the following:
• Practice and communication using vocabulary and grammar learned in oral and written modes
• Sociolinguistic practice and functions through communicative activates (pair and group work)
• Reading activities and exercises, such as pre- and post-reading, intensive and extensive reading
• Writing activities ranging from short paragraphs to developed compositions
• Integration of skills in projects and tasks, in small groups or as a class
• Video/audio/computer exercises, presentations, and discussions
• Etc.
The assessment categories below will be measured according to three major criteria of language performance: accuracy, fluency, and complexity. Testing procedures will be representative of the type of language instruction offered through classroom practice. You will be evaluated based on your achievement of the course goals (above) and the following criteria:
Class Participation &
Preparation 15%:
Tests 25%
Final Exam 15%
Workbook & Lab M 10%
Compositions (3) 15%
Spoken Language 20%
Attendance policy:
• You must be exposed to Spanish and use Spanish in order to learn Spanish, i.e., you must be in class. For that reason, attendance is required and will be taken on a daily basis. However, it is understood that periodically things happen that could prevent your attendance. Thus, you will be allowed 3 unexcused absences throughout the semester; beginning with the fourth absence, 1 percentage point will be deducted from your final grade if you are not able to document the absence with written proof of a valid excuse within 10 days of the absence . For a description of the university-sanctioned excuses, please refer to the Undergraduate Catalog ( http://www.registrar.ufl.edu/catalog.html ). The written documentation of the excused absence should include the name of the student, the section of the course, the dates of the absence and the reason for the absence.
• If you are absent the day of a test, quiz, oral presentation, oral exam or composition, you will receive a 0 on that assignment. There are no make-ups and no exceptions .
• Late arrivals and/or early departures of 10+ minutes will count as absences.
• Make sure to get the name and phone number of a classmate, as you are responsible for finding out about any changes in the syllabus or any additional assignments announced in your absence.
• Assignments are due on the day indicated, regardless of whether or not you are in class that day. If you miss class, arrange for your assignment to get to your instructor's box before your scheduled class time. There are no make-ups and no late work will be accepted .
Class Participation and Preparation (15%)
Participation in class involves a number of variables, including but not limited to:
• Your use of Spanish in the classroom
• Your willingness to participate actively in all class activities
• Your cooperation during group and pair work
• Your respect and attitude toward the class and your peers
• Your daily preparation for each class.
• Your instructor may assign written homework that will be collected and graded; these assignments form part of your participation grade.
• Your instructor reserves the right to administer pop quizzes on grammar, vocabulary etc. in order to assess students' preparation. These grades also form part of your participation grade.
Participation grades will be assessed approximately every
two weeks for a total of eight (8) grades throughout the semester, and you
may ask your instructor for your participation grades at any time. Refer
to your course packet of grading materials for the specific rubric used to
assess your participation.
There will be three in-class written tests (see Calendar for specific dates), one upon concluding every two chapters (following Chapters 2, 4 and 6). The goal of the tests is to assess your ability to assimilate what you have learned about Spanish grammar, vocabulary, language, and culture in each unit. You are also expected to critically respond to and analyze the topics covered in class and in the texts. Tests will consist of listening, reading and writing sections in which your overall knowledge of the course material is evaluated. Tests are not curved and no make-up tests will be given .
The Final Exam will be comprehensive and cumulative in nature and will be administered during Final Exam Week according to the schedule below. For more information regarding the interpretation of the exam codes, refer to http://www.registrar.ufl.edu/soc/ . It is your responsibility to ensure that you will be present for your final exam; if you are out of town or leave town early you will receive a 0 on the exam. There are no make-up final exams and no alternate exam times except in the case of students scheduled to take more than 3 exams in one day.
Section 3045: exam code 4B
Section 4157: exam code 5C
Section 2451: exam code 5B
Section 4159: exam code 4C
Section 7822: exam code 4A
You are responsible for completing all the activities in the electronic workbook and lab manual for each chapter you cover in the textbook. Be sure that you set up your account with Course Compass/OneKey as soon as possible so that you can complete the assignments. Occasionally, your instructor may tell you that certain exercises are not required in a given chapter; however, unless this is the case, it is assumed that you are to complete every exercise. Most of these exercises are computer-graded and your instructor will receive notification of your work. On open-ended exercises your instructor will access your work online and grade it there. Note, however, that we do not expect you to get all the exercises right, which is why your grade is based on completion rather than accuracy.
You will write three (3) compositions of about 250 words each on topics selected by the instructor. The first draft of each composition will be written in class, upon completion of Chapters 1, 3 and 5 (see dates indicated in the Calendar), and the rewrite/final version will be written at home. The first version will account for 70% of the total composition grade. Your instructor will make comments and mark errors (with the symbols indicated in the “Correction Code”). You will then revise the composition and turn in the second version along with the first version for the final grade on the date specified by your instructor; this revision will be graded for the remaining 30% of the composition grade. All compositions must be double-spaced , whether written by hand or typed. All second drafts must be typed . Refer to your course packet of grading materials for the specific rubric used to grade your compositions.
Your spoken language component consists of three parts: two oral interviews (mid-term and final) and one in-class cultural report.
• For the midterm and the final oral interview you will converse with a fellow classmate. As before, general topics will be provided prior to these oral exams to help you prepare. Grades will be assigned according to the same criteria used in the mid-term oral interviews.
• For the in-class cultural report you will discuss a topic of interest to you that is related to the chapters covered in the textbook (Chapters 1-6).
• At the beginning of the semester your instructor will discuss possible ideas or areas of interest, and will explain the procedure of the presentation in detail. Please refer to http://www.clas.ufl.edu/users/glord/IntermediateProgram/webquest for more information on preparing your presentation.
• Two pairs will present during each chapter, for a total of 12 presentations throughout the semester (x2=24 students; for classes of 25+ additional arrangements may be made).
• At the beginning of the semester, your instructor will also distribute a sign-up sheet, which includes presentation dates throughout the semester (2 or 3 presentations per week, starting on the 3 rd week of class). You and your partner will speak for approximately 3-5 minutes at the beginning of the class period on the date you have chosen to present your topic to your classmates.
• The week before your presentation, you must provide your instructor with an outline (not a script or summary) in Spanish of the main points of your presentation, as well as bibliographic reference to any and all sources consulted in gathering the information for the presentation. If you and your partner prepared different parts of the presentation and/or handout, indicate the division of labor on the handout.
• On the day of your presentation, you must provide an outline/handout (in Spanish) for your classmates including basic information for your topic as well as any new vocabulary words with which your peers might not be familiar. You must also conclude your presentation with questions for the class to answer and discuss. You are strongly discouraged from using PowerPoint for your presentation given the amount of time it takes to set up and the potential for technological failure. However, it is required that you incorporate some kind of visual aid during your presentation, such as photos or a poster, or images included in the handout. A portion of your presentation grade will take into account the quality of these components.
• Presentations are not to be read , although you may refer to ONE note card containing key vocabulary words, reminders of main ideas, etc. The presentations should be practiced and prepared, but not memorized or scripted . The instructor reserves the right to deny the acceptability of any presentation that is wholly or partially read or scripted, resulting in a 0 .
• Grades will be assigned according to the criteria provided in the course packet. Note that you and your partner may receive different grades based on your preparation and delivery, especially if you each worked on different sections. However, to ensure that the presentation is well developed and logical, you must work together to plan a cohesive presentation.
Note : Every student will be responsible for the information provided during all in-class presentations and follow-up discussions throughout the course of the semester. To this end, questions related to these presentations will be included on the exams.