SPANISH 103
ORAL SKILLS FOR HERITAGE LEARNEARS
Department of Spanish and Portuguese
The University of Arizona
Fall 2013
Instructor:
Email:
Class hours:
Office hours:
Classroom:
Class listserv:
Webpage:
www.d2l.arizona.edu
Required textbook: Samaniego, F., Rodríguez, F. & Rojas, N. (2008). De una vez. (Book only).
Textbook website: http://www.college.hmco.com/pic/deunavez1e
Course objectives
Spanish 103 is the first of a series of courses for heritage learners (HL): SPAN 103, 203, 253,
323, 333, and 343. If you grew up in an environment where Spanish was spoken frequently and
are oftentimes capable of understanding spoken Spanish but encounter considerable difficulties
in producing the language, this is the right course for you.
In this course you will develop your conversational skills in Spanish, expand your vocabulary, be
introduced to the written language, and strengthen your listening skills in a positive and
supportive environment. A main focus of the course is to help students build confidence to use
Spanish in a wide range of social contexts. In addition, students will be introduced to the main
linguistic varieties and cultural patterns of the Spanish speaking world with a special emphasis
on the Spanish varieties and cultures in the US. Students who successfully complete the course
requirements will emerge from the class:
1)
2)
3)
4)
More confident of their oral skills in the heritage language
More flexible in their use of vocabulary
More comfortable using basic grammar structures of the language
More understanding of language variation in the Spanish speaking world and
specifically in US Spanish
5) More knowledgeable of the cultural patterns that are shared throughout the Spanish
speaking world and specifically among US Hispanics.
Spanish 103 is the academic equivalent but not the same as Spanish 102. They both fulfill the
second-semester language requirement and you will not receive credit for both.
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Grading scale*
92-100 % A
80-91% B
70-79% C
61-69% D
60% or below F
*You will receive by-weekly updates of your grade in the class in the D2L website. Please meet
with your instructor frequently to discuss your progress.
Grading components
Oral component (55%)
Class and Online Participation
Oral Interviews (3)
Show & Tell
Final Oral Presentation
Community projects (4)
Digital story-telling (1)
Video recording assignments (3)
10%
12%
5%
10%
8%
6%
4%
Exams (2)
Final Exam
Homework & Quizzes
Reflections (5)
16%
15%
10%
4%
Written component
(45%)
Course Policies
This course is conducted in Spanish. Students are expected to participate in class and group
discussions and produce assignments in Spanish. This is a class for YOU to feel confident
producing the Spanish you may have heard before as you were growing up. Taking risks in
Spanish is crucial for you to build up your oral skills. The use of Spanish is expected in every
activity in the class with the instructor and classmates. You could include an English word if you
need to but you will be expected to gradually develop your Spanish abilities to use English less
frequently as the semester progresses. If you feel that your level of Spanish is too high for this
class, please talk to me immediately.
Attendance and absence policies
Students should arrive on time. Three late arrivals or early departures by more than 3 minutes
will equal one unexcused absence. Attendance is mandatory. With the exception of days
scheduled for tests, quizzes, and compositions, you may miss five (5) classes for any reason,
personal, medical, etc. The sixth (6th) absence and every subsequent absence will occasion the
loss of two percentage points off the FINAL OVERALL COURSE GRADE. After a total of
TEN absences, your instructor will refuse your admittance to the class and choose to
administratively drop you. If you fail to attend the first two days of class without notice, you will
automatically receive a ‘withdraw’. If you stop attending class, it is your responsibility to drop
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the class and email the instructor. All holidays or special events observed by organized religions
will be honored for those students who show affiliation with that particular religion. In addition,
absences pre-approved by the UA Dean of Students (or Dean’s designee) will be honored.
Class participation
You are expected to attend all classes, read the material before class, bring assigned homework
and participate actively in classroom activities. You will be expected to participate in class
discussions, both orally in the classroom and in activities when we are in the computer
laboratory. A grading rubric for oral participation will be provided. Keep in mind that if you are
absent, you will receive no participation points for that day. Visiting the instructor during office
hours will contribute to your participation grade. You can consult your doubts, questions,
problems, grades, or simply go to talk and practice your Spanish. Any student who arrives late or
leaves early will lose valuable participation points.
In order to take full advantage of your language learning experience, you are expected to use
Spanish outside the classroom as frequently as possible. Please find out about local events, club
meetings (Club latino de Arizona), volunteering opportunities, CESL programs, online
opportunities, Spanish for heritage learners program events, etc.
Computer lab use
The class will be held in one of the computer labs (ML510 or ML412) once a week. Class
conduct should be followed in the lab. Visiting websites not related to class is not allowed. Any
student not adhering to computer lab use rules will be asked to leave and lose participation points
for the day.
Homework & quizzes
Homework will be assigned on a regular basis. These will be due at the beginning of class on the
day assigned. No late homework will be accepted unless the student provides a documented
excuse. Depending on the circumstances, you may occasionally be allowed to hand in your
homework up to one day late but will lose 50% of the grade for the assignment. If you have
restricted web access, please discuss your situation with your instructor. There will be short
quizzes which may or may not be previously announced. Come to class prepared and on time!
No quiz may be made up for any reason.
Community projects
There will be 4 community projects during the semester that can be done in pairs or individually.
They will involve some kind of participation in the community requiring the use of Spanish or an
exploration of language opportunities in local contexts. Please refer to the classnotes for more
information on each project. The topics include:
1. Vocabulary Hunt: You will research vocabulary on a topic of your choice.
2. In the chat-room in Spanish: You will be using Spanish to communicate in a chat
conversation with a partner.
3. At the mall: This project will require you to observe Spanish language use at the mall.
4. Spanish in the community: This project will require that you use Spanish in your
community at least three times.
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Digital Story-telling
For this project, you will create a digital story containing oral histories of elderly members of the
HL community. You will need to decide who to interview and what topics to focus the
interviews on, e.g., immigration experiences, difficult childhood circumstances, success stories,
etc.
Taped oral interviews
They will be conducted 3 times throughout the semester. Students will be required to meet with
the instructor during office hours to converse on a pre-determined topic selected by the instructor
based on vocabulary, grammar and cultural issues previously discussed in recent classes. The
first and last interview will be individual and the remaining one will be in groups. Students will
be evaluated on three aspects of their oral expression: 1) Use of new vocabulary items, 2) use of
grammatical forms covered in class, and 3) ability to negotiate meaning through linguistic and
extra-linguistic conversational strategies.
Written exams
There will be 2 exams and a final exam. Exam 1 will cover chapters 1 and 2; exam 2, chapters 3
and 4; and the final exam is comprehensive, including chapter 5. Make-up exams cannot be
administered without a documented excuse. Students should contact the instructor before the
date of the exam in case of a time conflict. The exam, however, takes top priority so you will
need to cancel any appointment scheduled for the days of the exams. If an emergency happens
the day of the exam, you need to contact the instructor or, if unavailable, the department
immediately to make the necessary arrangements before the next class period. Make-up exams
cannot be administered after two days of their initial scheduled date. There are study guides for
all exams in your classnotes.
Final oral presentation
It will cover four aspects of the life of a family or community member. Students will be asked to
conduct a taped interview with a family or community member in Spanish describing an aspect
of Latino culture, identity, community, and language. For instance, a student may ask his/her
grandparent or friend about immigration from their country of origin, food and its social
significance, the concept of the city in the country of origin, etc. Students will then report their
findings to the class (in Spanish) in a clear and coherent semi-formal presentation that will last
approximately 6 minutes.
Tutoring
The SHL program offers limited tutoring hours for the students in the program. A tutor can help
you with all your doubts about different aspects of the Spanish language including grammar,
vocabulary, and orthography. They can also help you practice your oral and written skills. Ask at
the beginning of the semester for available hours.
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Disruptive behavior
Unless you discuss an emergency situation with your instructor in advance, NO CELL PHONES,
pagers or other electronic communication devices such as laptops and agendas are to be on or
used during class. They are entirely prohibited during exams. Other disrupting behavior
including but not limited to reading the newspaper, conversing while somebody else is talking,
leaving the classroom during class, etc, will not be allowed in class.
Code of Academic Integrity
The instructor and the Program Director will initiate an academic integrity case against students
suspected of cheating, plagiarizing, or aiding others in dishonest academic behavior. Students are
responsible for reading and understanding the Code of Academic Integrity; please refer to:
http://studpubs.web.arizona.edu/policies/cacaint.htm. Examples of academic dishonesty include,
but are not limited to, plagiarism, cheating, and aiding and abetting dishonesty. If the instructor
suspects that a Code of Academic Integrity Violation has occurred, she/he in accordance with the
Program Director shall impose any one of the following or a combination of the following
sanctions: (1) Loss of credit for work involved, (2) Reduction in grade for the entire course, (3)
Failing grade, (4) Disciplinary probation. For policies against threatening behavior by students,
please visit: http://policy.web.arizona.edu/~policy/threaten.shtml.
Disability
Those students who are registered with the Disability Resource Center must submit appropriate
documentation to the instructor if they are requesting reasonable accommodations. Please refer
to: http://drc.arizona.edu/teach/syllabus-statement.html.
Course program
The information contained in this course syllabus, except for grades and course policies, may be
subject to change with reasonable advance notice, as deemed appropriate by the instructor. The
syllabus below is an approximate description of the course content; however, modifications to it
depend largely on students’ interests and background knowledge. You are a valuable resource to
the classroom and it is expected that you will greatly contribute to the class activities through
introduction of topics that are relevant for you as a heritage learner and as a member of a
Spanish-speaking community.
Exam 1
Community project 1
Exam 2
Community project 2
Community project 3
Community project 4
Final exam
Important dates
Week 7
Week 2
Week 12
Week 6
Week 10
Week 11
Week 16
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Tentative schedule
Dates
Content and topics
Week 1
(8-26/8-30)
-Introduction to class
and to each other
-Syllabus
-How to be successful
in this class
- Capítulo preliminar:
El mundo
hispanohablante
-Nuestra lengua es un
arco iris (p. 9, 10, 11)
- Capítulo preliminar:
El mundo
hispanohablante
-Los latinoamericanos
en los Estados Unidos
(p. 5, 6, 7, 8)
-Vocabulary: Common
phrases to use in the
classroom: ¿Qué significa
….?
Week 3
(9-9/9-13)
- Capítulo 1: MexicanAmerican/Chicanos: La
familia
-Grammar: Regular present
tense verbs (p. 51 a 53)
-Vocabulary: Family terms
Week 4
(9-16/9-20)
- Capítulo 1: MexicanAmerican/Chicanos: La
familia
-Grammar: Stem-changing
present tense verbs (p. 54 a
56)
-Vocabulary: Professions
Week 5
(9-23/9-27)
- Capítulo 1: MexicanAmerican/Chicanos: La
familia
-Grammar: Irregular
present tense verbs (p. 57 a
61)
-Vocabulary of daily
routines
Week 6
(9-30/10-4)
Capítulo 2:
Puertorriqueños: La
nueva realidad
-Grammar: ‘Estar’ (p. 90 y
91)
-Vocabulary: Descriptive
Week 2
(9-3/9-6)
9-2 Labor DayNo hay clase
Grammar and
vocabulary
-Grammar: El género y
número (p.15 a 25)
-Vocabulary: Numbers
Activities
Discussion:
What is a heritage
language learner?
What are our
language learning
experiences? Why
are we here?
-Diagnostic
assessment:
Writing (in class)
Discussion: El
español como
lengua global (en
22 países) vs. mi
español (en
EE.UU. y mi
comunidad)
Lab: Listening
assessment CoLA
(lab)
Discussion:
What is language
variety?
Chat (lab): A
conocernos!
-Lab: La variedad
chicana: El caló (p.
34 y 35)
-El ciberespacio:
Language and
identity; Chicano
identity (p.15)
Discussion:
-Pronouns: Other
linguistic varieties
(‘vos’, tú’ y
‘vosotros) (lab)
-Visita de un
mexicanoamericano:
Entrevista
Discussion:
Variedades
estándares y
vernáculas (lab)
Película: “Bajo la
misma luna”(en
D2L)
-Study guide for
exam I
Important due dates
-Complete linguistic and
cultural survey
Reflection I: POEM
Escrito: ¿Quién Soy?
(English, español or
Spanglish) (p. 13, 14, 15).
ORAL INTERVIEW #1
(recorded during office
hours)
-Community project 1:
Vocabulary hunt
-Show and Tell # 1
Reflection II:
Spanish/English language
use log-How much
English/Spanish do you use
in a typical day/week? New
vocabulary entries
-Show and Tell # 2
-Video recording 1: -Mi
familia,
-Un día en la vida de mi
familia
-Show and Tell # 3
-Community project 2: In the
chat-room in Spanish
-Show and Tell # 4
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adjectives
Week 7
(10-7/10-11)
Capítulo 2:
Puertorriqueños: La
nueva realidad
-Grammar: ‘Ser’;
Comparativos y
superlativos (p. 92 a 99)
-Vocabulary: Physical
characteristics
Week 8
(10-14/10-18)
Capítulo 3: Cubanoamericanos: El éxito y
la vejez
-Grammar: Gustar
Pronombres de OD (p. 127
a 133)
-Colloquial variations of
verbs like ‘gustar’ and
‘odiar’
Week 9
(10-21/10-25)
Capítulo 3: Cubanoamericanos: El éxito y
la vejez
-Grammar: Pronombres de
OI (p. 127 a 133)
El pretérito (p. 123 a 126):
Introducción
Week 10
(10-28/11-1)
Capítulo 4:
Dominicanos
El pretérito (p. 123 a 126)
Week 11
(11-4/11-8)
Capítulo 4:
Dominicanos
-Grammar: Verbos
irregulares en el pretérito
(p. 160 a 163)
Week 12
(11-12/11-15)
Capítulo 4:
Dominicanos
-Grammar: Imperfecto (p.
164 a 167)
Week 13
(11-18/11-22)
Capítulo 5: Nicaragua
-Grammar: Pretérito e
Imperfecto (p. 196 a 201)
-Exam 1
Discussion:
-Comparing
Hispanic and
American cultures
(lab)
-Visita de un
puertorriqueño:
Entrevista
Discussion:
-El bilingüismo: Su
importancia y
ventajas (lab)
Chat: Live mocha
Discussion:
Características y
procesos comunes
de las lenguas en
contacto (p.107108) (lab)
-Visita de un
cubano: Entrevista
Discussion:
Lenguas en
contacto: el cambio
de código (lab)
-Study guide for
exam II
Película: “En el
tiempo de las
mariposas” (En
D2L)
Discussion:
-Language
maintenance, loss,
and recovery:
What does it take
to maintain,
develop or recover
a language?
-Exam # 2
Discussion: Language use
outside the
-Show and Tell # 5
-Video recording 2: Mi
cultura
ORAL INTERVIEW #2: In
groups (taped during office
hours)
Reflection III: Observation
of 102 class. What did you
learn about your Spanish
from this experience?
-Show and Tell # 6
-Show and Tell # 7
-Mid-semester survey on the
course in D2L
Digital story telling project:
Proposal (who, what, when)
-Show and Tell # 8
-Community project 3: At
the mall
-Show and Tell # 9
-Community project 4:
Spanish in the community
-Show and Tell # 10
-Revise and re-write a new
version of: ¿Quién soy? (en
español)
-Video recording 3: Mi niñez
ORAL INTERVIEW # 3
Show and Tell # 11
Digital story telling project
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classroom:
Resources (lab)
Chat: Livemocha
Discussion:
Language use
outside the
classroom:
Maintaining my
languages (lab)
Visita de un centro
americano:
Entrevista
- Study guide for
final exam.
Capítulo 5: Nicaragua
-Grammar: Pretérito e
Imperfecto (p. 196 a 201)
Week 15
(12-2/12-6)
Capítulo 5: Nicaragua
-Grammar: Pretérito e
Imperfecto (p. 196 a 201)
Week 16
(12-9/12-11)
Final oral presentations: Interview with a family member (see syllabus, page 4, for details)
Week 14
(11-25/11-27)
11-28/11-29
Thanksgiving
Recess No hay clase
Reflection IV:
Spanish/English language
use log. New vocabulary
entries
-Show and Tell # 12
Reflection V: My progress
- Survey on the course and
the program
- Progress test
Final exam: The date of the exam is based on the day and time of class.
http://registrar.arizona.edu/schedule134/exams/134exams.htm
(No changes can be made to the official exam schedule)
*Recuerda formar parte del Club de Heritage Learners: ‘Club latino de Arizona’. Para
más información, comunícate con Sara Beaudrie ([email protected]) o visita
nuestra página de web en http://w3.coh.arizona.edu/spanish/heritage/under_heritage.cfm.
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