Dalhousie University
Department of Spanish and Latin American Studies
Fall 2014- 2015
Course:
SPAN 1015.03 X Spanish on the Go (A1 Level)
Time:
Tuesdays from 5:35 to 7:55 (FASS #2102)
Professor:
Cristina Ráfales
Office:
Marion McCain Arts and Social Sciences Building (FASS), office # 3019
Telephone:
(902) 494 6357
Email:
[email protected]
Office hours:
MW 3:00 – 4:00 / T 4:00 – 5:00 or by appointment.
Undergraduate Advisor:
Magali Dam-Mazzi ([email protected])
LEARNING OUTCOMES
Span 1015 is a hands - on practical approach to learning Spanish. In SPAN 1015 students will acquire a general
knowledge of basic Spanish by engaging in a natural communicative approach, role play, and task–based
activities. The objective of this class is to facilitate students’ functional ability in Spanish and to enable them to
participate in various everyday activities when they are in a Spanish-speaking context. This course follows the
Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). Students will gain competence in
pronunciation, vocabulary, grammatical structures, and cultural awareness.
COMPETENCIES
At the end of SPAN 1015, students will achieve an A1 Common Reference level and should be able to:

Understand simple, explicit oral messages about everyday situations.
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Speak and interact with others on familiar topics.

Read and comprehend authentic simple short texts to find specific information.

Write very short texts using simple statements and basic linking words about topics of general knowledge.
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Explore different cultural realities from around the Spanish–speaking world.
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REQUIRED COURSE MATERIALS
•
Bitácora 1. Libro del alumno. Sans Baulenas, Neus; Martín Peris, Ernesto; Garmendia, Agustín.
Difusión, 2011.

Bitácora 1. Cuaderno de ejercicios. Dolores Chamorro, María; Martínez Gila, Pablo. Difusión, 2011.

Any good Spanish dictionary. Suggested dictionaries: Collins and The Longman Dictionary of
Spanish.
DEPARTMENT GRADING SCALE
A+
90-100%
B+
77-79%
C+
65-69%
D
50-54%
A
85-89%
B
73-76%
C
60-64%
F
0-49%
A-
80-84%
B-
70-72%
C-
55-59%
COURSE EVALUATION
The evaluation system is based on the students’ ability to participate actively and effectively in a wide variety of
language related activities, both in and out of the classroom. This entails a kind of apprenticeship into the
language, and progress is a result of the students’ own efforts. A strategy of continuous application and
fulfillment of course requirements will enable students to exercise a great deal of direct control over their
final grade for this course. On the other hand, a strategy of neglecting the course – not submitting work on
time, “cramming” for exams, absences and / or not participating – will be a certain recipe for failure.
To assess the student’s performance in this course, the following components will be combined:
GRADE BREAKDOWN
1. Examen trimestral (1)
25%
2. Examen oral (1)
15%
3. Proyecto en grupo (1)
10%
3. Tareas (10)
20%
4. Preparación y participación
30%
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EVALUATION
1. Examen trimestral (25%). There will be one exam. This exam is designed to assess the skills practiced
during the course. There will be NO MAKE–UP test. In case of illness, a medical certificate is required and
you must contact the instructor as soon as possible.
2.Examen Oral (15%). An oral exam will be conducted and organized by the instructor at the end of the
term to assess the students’ communicative competence. See the Oral Exam guidelines and evaluation
criteria on the Bblearn site. There will be NO MAKE–UP tests. In case of illness, a medical certificate is
required and you must contact the instructor as soon as possible.
3.Proyecto en grupo (10%). The class will be divided in groups to make a video. Guidelines for this final
task will be posted on Bblearn.
4. Tareas (20%). There will be ten Tareas during the term. These tasks will include written and listening
exercises. Please pay attention to the following:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Make sure to type the answers to the assigned exercises and your composition on a separate sheet of
paper.
Assignments are due at the beginning of the class on the day for which they are assigned.
You cannot send it by email.
Keep an electronic copy of any paper you submit, the course instructor may require you to submit that
electronic copy on demand.
Late homework will NOT be accepted.
The tareas assigned are tools for you to practice the material covered in the textbook and in class, therefore
you must use only the vocabulary and grammatical constructions studied in class. Compositions that have
been written in collaboration with tutors, native speakers or translated by computer will not receive credit.
5. Preparation and participation (30%)
1.1. Preparación. In order to actively participate in class, you need to be prepared. Students are expected
to review their notes and textbook daily. Read the material and prepare the exercises assigned by the
instructor for each class. Your effort and daily preparation for class is essential. In working towards
proficiency in the language, you must become an independent learner and responsible for your own
progress. Without your daily homework, classes will become ineffective, and your learning experience will
be hampered.
1.2. Participación. Class participation is a vital part of your language learning experience. Evaluation will
occur on an ongoing basis and since participation is an essential component of this course, it is very
important to attend class every day. While you will NOT obtain a grade for class attendance, attendance is a
prerequisite to obtain credit for class participation and performance.
SPAN 1015 requires ACTIVE contribution in all the class activities as they are used to evaluate your
performance in class and your progress. Students are expected to participate fully in class individually, in
pairs or groups, volunteer to answer questions frequently and speak as much as possible in Spanish.
Cell phones, I-pods and other electronic devices MUST be turned off during class time and remain out
of sight at all times. Violation of this rule will automatically mean a loss in class participation that day.
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OTHER RELEVANT INFORMATION
OSAA SYLLABUS STATEMENT ON ACCOMMODATION
Students may request accommodation as a result of barriers related to disability, religious
obligation, or any characteristic under the Nova Scotia Human Rights Act. Students who require academic
accommodation for either classroom participation or the writing of tests, quizzes and exams should make their
request to the Office of Student Accessibility & Accommodation (OSAA) prior to or at the outset of each academic
term (with the exception of X/Y Courses). Please see www.studentaccessibility.dal.ca for more information and
to obtain Form A Request for Accommodation.
A note taker may be required to assist a classmate. There is an honorarium of 75/course/term. If you are
interested, please contact OSAA at 494-2836 for more information. Please note that the classroom may contain
specialized accessible furniture and equipment. It is important that these items remain in the classroom so that
students who require their usage will be able to participate in the class.
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY/PLAGIARISM
All students in this class are to read and understand the policies on academic integrity and plagiarism referenced
in the Policies and Student Resources sections of the academicintegrity.dal.ca website. Ignorance of such
policies is no excuse for violations.
Any paper submitted by a student at Dalhousie University may be checked for originality to confirm that the
student has not plagiarized from other sources. Plagiarism is considered a serious academic offence which may
lead to loss of credit, suspension or expulsion from the University, or even to the revocation of a degree. It is
essential that there be correct attribution of authorities from which facts and opinions have been derived. At
Dalhousie there are University Regulations which deal with plagiarism and, prior to submitting any paper in a
course, students should read the Policy on Intellectual Honesty contained in the Calendar or on the Online
Dalhousie website. The Senate has affirmed the right of any instructor to require that student papers be
submitted in both written and computer-readable format, and to submit any paper to a check such as that
performed by Turnitin.com. As a student in this class, you are to keep an electronic copy of any paper you
submit, and the course instructor may require you to submit that electronic copy on demand.
If you are unsure about how this applies to your work in SPAN 1015, please consult with me. You are not to use
internet translation programs or ask proficient speakers, TAs, tutors or classmates for corrections to your
writing assignments. If I suspect that you are not following these guidelines, I will consider this a violation of the
intellectual honesty policy and appropriate disciplinary action will be taken.
SUGGESTIONS TO SUCCE SS !!!!



Come to class prepared and ready to participate on a regular basis.
Do not fall behind in your work. This includes doing the exercises and tasks in the book as we are
covering the material. It is very difficult to catch up on missed work. Language learning is progressive
and each lesson is based on the previous one. If you do fall behind in your work contact your instructor
as soon as possible and seek additional help from the free Spanish tutorials offered by the Dalhousie
Spanish Society during the academic year. Times and dates will be posted at the end of September.
A language is meant to be spoken. Take every opportunity to use your Spanish with your classmates,
your instructor or any Spanish speaker you might know. Get in touch the vibrant Spanish Society at
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
Dalhousie who organizes all kind of fun events. Watch films, read newspapers and magazines in Spanish,
check the Web sites in Spanish, etc. Soon you will be part of the Spanish speaking community.
Finally, relax and have fun!!!
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