Instructor: Zoila Y. Clark
E-mail: zclark01@fiu.edu
Office: DM-495B - Ph. (305) 348-2851
Hours: Monday - Wednesday:
Classes: Monday-Wednesday:
9:30am to 10:45am
Textbook: Olivella de Castells, Matilde et al.
Mosaicos. 3rd Edition. Prentice
Hall.
You MUST buy a password for WebCT at the FIU bookstore apart from the textbook.
Course Description
and Teaching Method:
Spanish
1121 is the second course of a four‑semester sequence, which implements a
proficiency‑oriented approach. Proficiency is defined as the ability to
understand and convey information and/or feelings in a particular situation for
a particular purpose. This approach focuses on the rapid development of
listening and reading comprehension skills through constant exposure to high‑frequency
language in the form of spoken conversation and printed texts. In addition, the
proficiency‑oriented approach encourages maximum oral interaction from
the beginning and consequently is designed to provide students with useful
language skills in Spanish. Grammatical accuracy is one part of communicative
proficiency, but it is not a prerequisite. Our teaching techniques are student‑centered,
with the instructor as the facilitator. The instructor will conduct the class
mainly in Spanish to contribute to the Spanish listening‑speaking
environment.
IMPORTANT:
Attendance is mandatory twice a week. Besides, you need to check your WebCT email for the course on a daily basis in order to complete your WebCT activities from home. See your evaluation agreement.
Evaluation: The final
grade will be based on the following:
Twice a Week Attendance
and Participation:10%
Oral Evaluations: 30%
Final Comprehensive
Exam: 20%
WebCT Activities from
Home
from Monday to
Wednesday: 15%
WebCT Quizes of
Vocabulary & Structures: 25%
Per Unit (from Home)
Course
Grades:
93- 100 A 77-79 C+ 60-62 D-
90- 92 A- 73-76 C 0-59 F
87- 89 B+ 70-72 C-
83- 86 B 67-69 D+
80- 82 B- 63-66 D
Policy
on Spanish Bilingual Students:
SPN 1121 is not designed for bilingual students who already
speak and understand Spanish. FIU has developed a series of courses designed
for bilingual students who wish to improve their Spanish communication skills.
Any bilingual student should see the instructor or the language coordinator in
the Department of Modern Languages (DM 490) for a course appropriate to his/her
language proficiency level.
Incomplete
Grades:
A grade of “I” is only given when there is a valid,
documented reason that prevents the student from finishing the class. If
such reason arises, please advise your instructor immediately, and make
arrangements for removing the incomplete as soon as possible.
Academic
dishonesty:
Plagiarism, cheating, and forgery will not be
tolerated. WebCT Homework, or any graded exercises ought to be individual work;
otherwise, it is considered cheating.
Attendance,
participation, and homework:
Regular attendance is mandatory. In order for students to progress in their ability to
understand and speak the language, they must be exposed to hearing and speaking
it on a regular basis. No more than two (2) unexcused absences will be
permitted. Two late arrivals (that is, 10 minutes after the start of
class) equals ONE ABSENCE. Every
absence above the permitted two will result in the lowering of the final grade
by one point. The student must notify the instructor either before the
absence or within 24 hours after the missed class. The student must have a
valid reason for missing class (e.g. serious illness, family emergency, etc.).
Merely notifying the instructor that you will be absent does not guarantee that
the absence will be excused.
Students are expected to come to class prepared and
ready to participate actively. A participation grade is assigned daily.
Students are expected to be in class and also to participate; to attempt to
speak Spanish regardless of any mistakes they may make. Errors are to be
expected and are viewed as a natural part of language learning. Students
have to complete WebCT homework assigned as homework by the instructor because that
is part of the grade.
Exams:
Each Unit has a Vocabulary Quiz and a Grammar Quiz:
This course covers units 7 to 12. Since you have 6 units to cover, you will be
taking 12 quizzes in total. You take
the quizzes from home on Fridays. All quizzes will be on line, but not the
final exam.
Oral Evaluations: Students in groups have to create a short story and act it out in the classroom. A special guide will be posted online and you will be shown a video of previous evaluations to serve you as a model.
The final exam will be comprehensive, so you need to
master units 7 to 12; it will be given during Final Exams Week. No
exceptions!
Tutoring:
Students can arrange up to 10
tutoring sessions (15-20 minutes each) per semester. Please, see our lab assistants
for more details. This tutoring is in the language lab, so you need to check
the schedule of the current semester. A schedule will be posted in the
classroom.
SEQUENCE BREAKDOWN:
Reminder.- Please mark your WebCT quizzes in your personal
calendar or diary. It is your responsibility to take them from home or a
computer lab.
W January 8: Unit
7 Vocabulary
F January 10: Get
acquainted with WebCT from home, and email if you have problems or questions.
M January 13: Unit
7 Grammar and
W January 15: Unit
7 Grammar and Listening
M January 20: Holiday
W January 22: Review
and Oral Evaluation of Unit 7
F January 24: Structures
WebCT Unit 7 Quiz
W January 29: Unit
8 Grammar and
M February 3: Unit
8 Grammar and Listening
W February 5: Review
and Oral Evaluation of Unit 8
M February 10: Unit
9 Vocabulary
W February 12: Unit
9 Grammar and
M February 17: Unit
9 Grammar and Listening
W February 19: Review
and Oral Evaluation of Unit 9
M February 24: Unit
10 Vocabulary
W February 26: Unit
10 Grammar and
M March 3: Unit
10 Grammar and Listening
W March 5: Review
and Oral Evaluation of Unit 10
M March 10: Unit
11 Vocabulary
W March 12: Unit
11 Grammar and
M March 17: Spring
Break
W March 19: Spring
Break
F March 21: Spring
Break
M March 24: Unit
11 Grammar and Listening
W March 26: Review
and Oral Evaluation of Unit 11
W April 2: Unit
12 Vocabulary
M April 7: Unit
12 Grammar and
W April 9: Unit
12 Grammar and Listening
M April 14: Review
and Oral Evaluation of Unit 12
W April 16: General
Review
F April 18: Study
day for the Final Exam
Dates in this schedule might be changed as class needs
mandates in your WebCT calendar, so you need to check for updates.