1st -YEAR SPANISH SYLLABUS
PORTLAND STATE UNIVERSITY
INSTRUCTOR:
PSU EMAIL:
OFFICE HOURS:
OFFICE:
INTRODUCTION
Welcome to First Year Spanish! We are glad that you have chosen to study Spanish at PSU.
Over 300 million people from 24 countries in the Americas, Europe, Africa and the Philippines speak it. Your study of
Spanish will give you access and acceptance in this global community.
You may be taking this course to minor or major in Spanish, or just because you want to use Spanish in your job or with
your family and friends, or just because you love learning Spanish. Whatever your motivation may be, it’s a lot easier to
learn a language when you are enjoying yourself. Relax, bring a sense of humor to class, and make this a fun experience.
1ST-YEAR SPANISH GOALS
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To improve your ability to understand and speak Spanish, no matter your current level of proficiency
(To find out if this is the right level class for you, take the free, confidential Spanish placement exam on our World
Languages department website:
http://www.fll.pdx.edu/html/advising/cape/info.html
To increase writing skills and the ability to read and understand formal, informal, and literary texts at the beginner
level
To increase cultural knowledge about Spanish speaking countries
To promote diversity and intercultural competence
SPANISH IMMERSION
In First Year Spanish (especially 102 and 103) you will do many activities and exercises in pairs and groups, using
Spanish.
To provide you with an informed Spanish-immersion experience, the First Year Spanish instructors will speak Spanish
nearly 100% of the time.
When necessary, you may ask to speak English by saying: ¿Puedo hablar inglés, por favor? If you would like something
repeated, just say otra vez, por favor. If your instructor feels you are capable of communicating the information or asking
for it in Spanish, s/he will encourage you to do so.
REQUIRED TEXTS
Protagonistas (publisher Vista Higher Learning, 2011) + access code.
Package sold at PSU bookstore includes the text and an access code to the online workbook.
A copy of the textbook is on two-hour reserve at the library.
If you buy the textbook used, you still need to purchase the registration password online in order to have access
to a workbook.
Online Practice: Instead of a paper-and-pencil “grammar” workbook, we will use an online practice “book”. To access this
online homework, follow the directions provided by your instructor.
Recommended: A good, detailed print mini-dictionary. The glossary at the back of the textbook is helpful.
REQUIRED COMPUTER RESOURCES
In case of university closure, class assignments may be delivered to you by email. You will need to use your PSU email
account (@pdx.edu). If you do not already have one, you need to request an ODIN account. Please request one today at
http://www.account.pdx.edu and go to Smith 18 with your student ID to activate the account.
In the event of university closure or class cancelation, your instructor may send an email to the entire class with
assignments and other announcements. Our email system only supports pdx webmail. If you do not have email access at
home, call your instructor or another student to request these materials by telephone.
INSTRUCTION AT PSU CAMPUS
Classes will be conducted at PSU campus. Classes cannot be taught in restaurants, coffee shops or bars. Instructors are
welcome to take students on field trips outside of class. However, instruction time will be at PSU campus.
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1st -YEAR SPANISH SYLLABUS
PORTLAND STATE UNIVERSITY
EVALUATION
i.
ii.
iii.
iv.
v.
15%
10%
15%
50%
10%
Attendance, Participation and Completion of Daily Homework
On-line homework
Quizzes
Chapter exams (2), 20 + 30
Final Exam: oral exam
i. ATTENDANCE, PARTICIPATION AND COMPLETION OF DAILY HOMEWORK (15%)
o Active participation in this course is the foundation of your speaking practice.
o During class you will work individually and in groups to answer discussion questions, prepare and present
dialogues, skits, and presentations, practice grammar points, read and discuss texts, react to and analyze short
films, and much more.
o Active participation means asking questions, answering thoroughly, listening to others, and following along
attentively in class. Active participation and taking risks with the language is essential to making progress in
learning a language and is therefore required.
o Each class session, you will assign yourself a participation grade based on exclusive use of Spanish in the
classroom, preparation for the class as evidenced by your completion of the assigned daily homework, active
participation in all class activities, and demonstrated progress. If your instructor feels that the grade should be
raised or lowered, s/he will change the grade and explain why it was changed.
o All absences will be recorded as a “0”, regardless of the cause. Arriving to class late will lower your daily
grade.
o The two lowest participation grades will be dropped at the end of the term. These drops are intended to prevent
the lowering of a student’s final grade for absences due to illness, work, civil duty, or family emergency. Please
save them for an emergency. If you were absent and need the assignment for the next class, please contact
one of your classmates. If you choose to email your instructor, please allow two business days to receive a
response.
o Excluding the first 2 allowed absences, for every week of absence your final grade will be dropped one level
(for ex. A- to B+), in addition to your participation grade. A week of absence could be consecutive or not
consecutive days.
Absences: Attendance at every class is mandatory!
We cover new material each day and every class builds upon the previous one.
Daily Homework: The purpose of written homework is to support in-class activities and discussions, and develop
your writing skills. Homework will be assigned daily and may consist of grammar/vocabulary exercises (either from
the book or handouts), reading and comprehension questions, news article summaries, or small free-writing
assignments. Students will sometimes be asked to use portions of their completed homework during in-class
activities, therefore, all homework should be done before class. Please type your homework or write very legibly,
include appropriate headings, as well as your first and last name.
ii. Online homework (10%)
Note: the passcode comes with new textbooks or is purchased online to compliment used text books.
Your online homework is due weekly and corresponds with the textbook chapters covered in class.
It will also help reinforce what is learned in class, as well as give you immediate feedback on your progress.
Find your online homework by going to the VHLCentral website: www.vhlcentral.com
Assigned activities will have a due date listed next to them.
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o There will be 10 exercises per week, starting the 2 week of the term.
o The weekly due dates will generally be Sunday at midnight.
o You do not need to complete every assignment on the website (only those that have a due date listed are
required). However, completing other assignments on the student website is a great way to get extra practice!
o You may complete most activities as many as 4 times (except true / false questions).
o Your last score will count toward your grade.
If you do not have access to a computer or the Internet at home, the PSU computer labs are a great place to work on
your online homework.
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1st -YEAR SPANISH SYLLABUS
PORTLAND STATE UNIVERSITY
iii. Quizzes (15%)
Periodic quizzes will assess your understanding of the course material and help identify areas to work on. There will
be at least 1 quiz per week. The two lowest quiz scores will be dropped.
iii. Chapter Exams 2 (50%)
The written exam will test a selection of listening, reading, writing, grammar and vocabulary from lessons presented
throughout the term. The exam must be taken on the day scheduled in class, time allowed 50-55 min.
iv. Final Oral Exam (10%)
The final exam is a group presentation (3) which will be held on the date of the final exam in the same classroom. The
presentation is an opportunity to be creative as well as showcase the Spanish you’ve learned over the term. More
information will be provided as the end of the term approaches.
FINAL GRADE SCALE
A
100-94
A-
93-90
B+
B
B-
89-87
86-84
83-80
Pass
C+
C
C-
79-77
76-74
73-70
D+
D
D-
69-67
66-64
63-60
F
59-0
No Pass
PASS / NO PASS POLICY. PASS POLICY (C- or better for undergraduate, B- or better for graduate)
In order to earn a passing grade, students must complete all portions of the course.
Missing Exams: If you miss an exam, you need to do it with Testing Services, paying $10, within 3 days after the exam
date. You need to contact your instructor and make an appointment with T. S., after discussing it with your instructor.
[email protected]
STUDY
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For each hour of class students are expected to spend about two hours of study outside of class.
The actual amount of time spent studying will vary according to the student’s learning style, prior knowledge and
individual capacity to retain information and use the language.
There are many ways to study Spanish, from traditional flash cards to conversation practice with native speakers.
Rereading your textbook may not be the most effective way for you to study. You are encouraged to take the
information you are learning in class and do something with it outside of class: Write summaries, make lists, quiz
yourself, quiz your classmates, listen to music in Spanish or watch TV and take notes on some of the items you hear,
read children’s books, review material at studyspanish.com. These are just a few ways to study. Be creative and find
what works well for you.
Everyone has strengths and weaknesses and the tendency is to be either strong in speaking/conversation and weak
in writing/grammar or vice versa. Whether or not you fall into one of these categories, it is useful to pay particular
attention to the areas in which you have weaknesses. If you are wondering which areas those might be, ask yourself
which type of tasks seem particularly unpleasant or frustrating. Those are undoubtedly the ones that need the most
care and attention. If you do the work in a thoughtful manner, you will soon see improvement.
OFFICE HOURS
Your instructor is available to you outside of class for individual consultation two hours per week. Please take advantage
of this valuable resource. If you cannot meet during the regularly scheduled office hours, you can request an appointment
(please do so several days in advance).
(DRC)
If you need an accommodation please inform your instructor immediately.
You will need to document your disability with the Disabilities Resource Center, DRC, www.drc.pdx.edu
(Smith Hall 116, 503-725-4150) in order to request support services.
ACCOMMODATION
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Spanish Program Syllabus Addendum
All students attending PSU Spanish courses are responsible for reading the Spanish Program Syllabus Addendum. Please
visit the following link to read important information about your rights and responsibilities as a Spanish student at
Portland State University: https://sites.google.com/site/psuspanishsyllabusaddendum/
SYLLABUS IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE BY THE INSTRUCTOR
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