INTERMEDIATE SPANISH

FOREIGN LANGUAGE (5 UNITS)   Revised 12/06

INTERMEDIATE SPANISH 2b
INTERMEDIATE SPANISH CONVERSATION 20b

The principal objective of this course is to offer students an opportunity to review existing skills and acquire new communicative skills in Spanish while developing an awareness and appreciation of Hispanic/Latino cultures. The course is informed by the Standards for Foreign Language Learning in the 21st Century. These standards focus in five general areas:

  • Communicate in Spanish
  • Gain knowledge and understanding of cultures of the Hispanic world
  • Connect with other disciplines and acquire information
  • Develop insight into the nature of language and culture
  • Participate in communities at home and around the world

To these standards, the course aim is that students will meet the following functional goals:

Goal I. Each student should be able to demonstrate comprehension of Spanish spoken at normal speed on a variety of selected topics in various formats.

Objectives: Upon completion of this course, each student should be able to:

  1. Understand everyday conversations about immediate situations, current issues and cultural material.
  2. Understand interviews, short lectures, news items, reports, videotaped authentic materials and film.

Goal II: Each student should be able to demonstrate the use of conversational skills in a variety of communicative situations.

Objectives: Upon completion of this course, each student should be able to:

  1. Initiate, sustain and bring to close basic conversations in group and pair situations about needs, wants, likes, dislikes, events, situations, facts and personal feelings within specific thematic constructs.
  2. Role play above situations in both prepared and extemporaneous modes.
  3. Make comprehensible oral presentations to class.
  4. Discover alternative means of expression as needed.

Goal III: Each student should be able to demonstrate accurate reading comprehension of cultural and literary material from paper and electronic sources.

Objectives: Upon completion of the course, each student should be able to:

  1. Anticipate content, scan for specific information, discriminate between fact and opinion, recognize main and supporting ideas, use word function to determine meaning, guess from context and suffixes.
  2. Understand cultural reading, literary selections, news items, personal correspondence and simple technical material written for general readers.

Spanish 2b students are also expected to meet the following:

Goal IV. Each student should be able to produce written Spanish to meet practical needs as well as creative expression.

Objectives: Upon completion of this course, students should be able to:

  1. Write outlines and summaries of cultural material.
  2. Write essays on various topics, including current events, cultural material, literature and everyday topics.  Write to describe, compare, contrast, persuade/convince.
  3. Write film reviews and articles;
  4. Write microcuentos and poemas

Write to describe, compare, contrast, persuade, convince.


  1. Required reading:  En Breve:  A Concise Review of Spanish Grammar; 5th edition (Resnick, Giuliano and Golding, 2002)

Students enrolled in Spanish 2B will be given a packet of readings and
a film list.

  1. Recommended reading: Anything you see written in Spanish.  See Instructor Website for Sitios Interesantes.  See Library holdings in Spanish including books, music and film.
     
  2. Paper and Assignments: Weekly homework, including reading and/or writing assignments, project development, basic research (especially via Internet) and/or preparation for oral presentations.
  3. Grading Standard: Language learning for real communication is based on four integrated skills: reading, writing, listening and speaking. Grades are based on demonstration of these skills in the classroom as well as on quizzes, exams and oral or written assignments. Please note that in order to participate and demonstrate your Spanish communications skills, you must be in class.

Students are expected to arrive on time (otherwise they are marked absent), come to class fully prepared, and stay throughout the class period.

Students who are absent for any reason more than four full class periods during the semester limit their opportunity to demonstrate their proficiency and should therefore anticipate a reduction in grade, regardless of grades on written assignments and exams.

Students are expected to fully participate in class, submit assignments on time, and take responsibility for their own learning, including finding out from classmates about and/or submitting material missed due to absence.

No makeup work will be accepted after one week of assignment. There will be no opportunity for makeup of quizzes or oral presentation/projects.

 Grading (sample)

20b  Oral presentations                  300 points
        Quizzes and assignments       100 points
        In-class skill demonstration   100 points
        (includes pronunciation, comprehension/
              accuracy, synthesis/alternative means of
              expression, collaboration, leadership/
              mentoring)
2b:   As above, plus
         Compositions                          500 points

90% - 100%     A
80% - 89%       B
70% - 79%       C
60% - 69%       D
Less than 60% F   
                     

  1. Course Calendar:

To the extent possible, the class will be conducted in Spanish. All language proficiency skills will be developed, including oral communication, listening comprehension, reading comprehension and written self-expression (2b). Course incorporates also Intermediate Conversational Spanish 20b.

While an attempt is made to integrate all language skills, the 2b/20b combination requires that the Tuesday segment of each class focus primarily on speaking, listening and grammar, while the Thursday segment focuses on reading and composition. (Note:  If the 2b Thursday segment is canceled due to low enrollment, it will be offered by arrangement.  Please see Instructor for packet.)

Each component (20B and 2B) is thematically organized and provides a variety of activities to help students learn by doing. Each lesson will be introduced by a video or authentic material and a review of thematic vocabulary and a quiz on assigned material, to be followed by oral presentations and peer assessments; review of grammatical structures through individual and group practice; activities and discussion, cultural readings, music, literature, project development and presentation and web research.

For 2b, at least six hours/week of preparation time is anticipated (including the 20b segment). For 20b, two to three hours of preparation per week is anticipated.

Course content: 

Through a variety of activities, including role plays, interviews, songs, brainstorming, semantic mapping, projects, web projects, presentations and other small and full group work, we will identify and explore themes that are of interest to enrolled students. Grammar and usage issues will be addressed as needed and contextualized within the themes as possible. Themes are approached through cultural comparison, providing for sensitivity to and appreciation of various Hispanic lifestyles, art and literature, as well as offering a vehicle and motivation for language mastery.

The course themes connect language study with other disciplines such as history, business, geography, social sciences, literature, art, theater, environmental studies, music.

The 2b component, based on the films listed below and assigned readings, includes compositions (narrative, description, comparison and contrast, persuasion, review, poems and drama and/or microcuento).

Proposed Calendar for 20B: 

Week 1:  A conocernos; los cinco sentidos and El Caribe

Week 2:  La musica en el mundo hispano

Week 3:  El mundo del trabajo y la globalizacion

Week 4:  La comida:  la dieta mediteranea

Week 5:  Los hispanos en Estados Unidos

Week 6:  La inmigracion

Week 7:  Etnias y autonomias

Week 8:  Enigmas  y fenomenos extranos

Week 9:  De viaje: el ecoturismo y la artesania

Week 10: Practicas familiares y culturales

Week 11:  Diversiones y festejos

Week 12:  El arte y la creatividad

Week 13:  La poesia

Week 14:  El teatro

Week 15:  El humor; review

Week 16:  Final exam and composition

 

Proposed Calendar for Spanish 2B:

Weeks 1 – 3:      Las razas, las clases sociales; la violencia y la explotacion.

Weeks 4 – 6:      La vida urbana; la familia hispana

Weeks 7 – 9:      La valentia y la amistad

Weeks 10 – 12:  El amor y la belleza

Weeks 13 – 15:  El arte:  la musica y la poesia

Week 16:           Repaso y examen final

2b:  FILMS  (See Instructor for packet detailing instruction and providing readings.)

           "Buena Vista Social Club"

           "Hombres Armados"

            "Butterfly"

            "Y tu mama tambien"

            "Ramo de Fuego"

            "Like Water for  Chocolate"

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