Course Objective: This Spanish course teaches various approaches to develop speaking, comprehension, reading, and writing skills by incorporating language patterns, grammatical structures, and practical vocabulary.

Method of Instruction: Lecture, explanation of grammar, oral drills, cultural enrichment activities, and class group work. Required course textbooks:

Encuentros. Emily Spinelli and Marta Rosso-O’Laughlin. 3^rd edition. Fort Worth, TX: Holt, Rinehart, and Winston, 1997.

Encuentros: Cuaderno de ejercicios y manual de laboratorio. Emily Spinelli and Marta Rosso-O’Laughlin. 3^rd edition. Fort Worth, TX: Holt, Rinehart, and Winston, 1997.

Recommended books (Available in the Morton College Bookstore reference section):

English Grammar for Students of Spanish. Emily Spinelli. Ann Arbor, Mich.: Olivia and Hill Press, 1994.

501 Spanish Verbs. Christopher Kendris. 3^rd Ed. New York: Barron’s Educational Series, 1990.

Velázquez Spanish and English Dictionary. Chicago: New Win Publishing, 1985.

Grading Policy: You must take all quizzes, exams, give an oral presentation, and receive satisfactory grades in order to receive a passing grade for the course. You must keep a Spanish Folder containing all your homework, quizzes, and exams. They constitute evidence of your performance and would be necessary in the case of a disagreement over your final grade. In the event of an excused emergency, you will be allowed to make up a Quiz, Midterm Exam, or Final Exam. If you do not take the Midterm Exam or Final Exam, you will fail the course. Your final grade will be determined by:

Attendance and Class Participation: 10%
Homework: 10%
Oral Presentation: 10%
Quizzes: 20%
Midterm Exam: 25%
Final Exam: 25%

Attendance: Since the acquisition of foreign language skills is a cumulative process, you must attend every class of this course. You best develop oral skills through active participation. If an emergency arises and you must miss class, you must call me at my Voice Mail telephone number each and every time you miss class. You are responsible for all material covered in class even if you miss a class. If you are absent for more than two classes, you risk compromising your grade.

Class Participation: You are expected to prepare in advance all the lessons indicated in the course outline. You must do all the textbook exercises for the lessons covered in class so that we may do them as a group activity in class. Class participation will test such preparation. If you miss class or are disruptive during class, you are not participating in the class.

Homework: You must do all the homework assignments and turn them in on time. You will be penalized for missing assignments. Homework serves as reinforcement of the lessons taught in class and as preparation for the quizzes and exams. Homework assignments in this course are designed to help you apply the vocabulary and grammar that you have learned in class. I cannot stress the importance of the homework assignments enough because many of the quiz and exam questions come directly from the homework assignments. Studying your corrected homework assignments will improve your quiz and exam grades. I will not penalize you for turning in assignments late, but doing so will indirectly affect your quiz and exam grades.

Quizzes and Exams: I will label the quizzes Prueba 1ª through Prueba 12ª. The quizzes are fifteen minutes long, and I will give them in the final fifteen minutes of the class period. You may stay a few minutes longer if you need additional time. You must score at least 70% on each quiz or you must retake the quiz in Room 208B (College Service Center) until you receive at least a 70%. The highest grade you can receive for a quiz you retook is 70%. View the quizzes as practice for the Midterm Exam and Final Exam. However, you may not retake the Midterm Exam or the Final Exam. The Midterm Exam and the Final Exam are each approximately fifty minutes long. If you do not take the Midterm Exam or Final Exam, you will fail the course. You can only make up the Midterm Exam or Final Exam in the event of an excused absence.

Student Responsibilities: You must maintain a Spanish folder containing all your handouts, quizzes, exams, and homework assignments from the class. You are responsible for all material covered during each class session. You must make up all missed work. Please determine what material you have missed either through another class member or me. If you are experiencing difficulty, please arrange to see me at a mutually convenient time.

N Warning: If you decide not to complete the course, you must withdraw before the withdrawal deadline. If you miss three weeks of class and you do not notify me of your intention to complete the course, I will withdraw you for excessive absences. If you stop attending classes during the final two weeks of the semester and you have not officially withdrawn from this course, I will give you a final grade of E!

Course Outline: We will cover Encuentro Preliminar and Chapters 1 through 6 of Encuentros and Encuentros: cuaderno de ejercicios y manual de laboratorio. This is the tentative schedule for the semester:

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Copyright © 2001 by David Diego Rodríguez

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Chicago, Illinois, U.S.A.