SPAN 101: Elementary Spanish I
Course Description and Objectives
Text and Materials
Course Components
Participation Rubric
Grading
Course Policies
Academic Policies
COURSE DESCRIPTION AND OBJECTIVES
SPAN 101 is designed to introduce you to the Spanish language and many facets of Hispanic culture, and to
develop all language skills: speaking, listening, reading, and writing. Because SPAN 101 is a three­credit hour
course, you can expect to devote a minimum of 10 hours a week to study, in addition to attending the weekly
Virtual Class session.
In this course, you will develop your ability to communicate in Spanish in everyday situations. Upon completion,
you will be able to comprehend and respond with grammatical accuracy to basic spoken and written Spanish and
demonstrate cultural awareness.
In each of the modules, you can expect to
read from the text
perform a number of interactive online exercises
complete an Activity Sheet
attend a 75­minute Virtual Class session.
The weekly synchronous Virtual Class session will be conducted through a webconferencing tool. The Virtual
Class will be set up to provide you with interactive activities as well as an opportunity to work in small groups. It
is designed to allow you to apply your new knowledge to real­world situations.
You will converse with an assigned conversation partner four times during the semester. (Two of these will be for
practice, and the other two will be for a grade.) In addition, you will complete several quizzes, exams, and other
graded assignments.
As is the case with all language courses, whether online on in­classroom, it is vital that you do your work in a
timely manner to achieve learning goals for each week.
TEXT AND MATERIALS
See the course description for the most up­to­date list of materials.
COURSE COMPONENTS
SPAN 101 is comprised of fifteen modules, each lasting one week. We will focus on communicative proficiency
through various activities.
Module Components
The modules are your “go­to” source for all of your instructions for the week. Each module contains:
1. Learning Goals for the week.
2. An Activity Plan, which lists the assignments you need to complete to master that module’s topic. The
Activity Plan will assign the following:
readings from the textbook. You can read from a paper text, or use the e­Book on MySpanishLab.
An advantage of using the e­Book on MySpanishLab is that sometimes you can click on vocabulary
words and hear them pronounced for you.
A list of exercises in MySpanishLab. Each exercise is assigned points. The final grade for these
exercises will be determined by adding all points received for each activity completed. Not all
chapter exercises will be assigned—only those listed in the module assignment will be graded. You
are encouraged to complete additional exercises for further practice and review, but they will not be
counted toward this portion of the grade. MySpanishLab is designed so that most of the activities
provide immediate feedback and can be completed multiple times. Therefore you can (and should)
practice an activity before submitting it for credit. The due dates (each Sunday by 11:59 pm,
unless otherwise indicated in the Activity Plan) for submission of exercises reflect the latest
possible time the assigned work will be accepted for credit. I suggest that you begin the
assignments well before the due date. You may find it easier to break up the assigned reading and
the assigned activities in MySpanishLab and complete some at mid­week, leaving the rest to be
completed on the weekend, finishing up by Sunday at 11:59 pm.
An Activity Sheet, which you will complete and have next to you during the scheduled online
Virtual Class session.
3. A Virtual Class date and time reminder, with a list of required materials to have on hand (usually, the
Activity Sheet). The Virtual Class will be held at the same time every week, Monday at 7 pm. Prior to the
scheduled session, you must study the assigned grammar and vocabulary, as we will use class time to
practice these. To join, click the Virtual Class button in the navigation bar at left. You should plan on
joining a few minutes early to get settled. At the beginning of the Virtual Class, you can ask any questions
about the topic of the week. Instructions for attending the Virtual Class sessions are provided in Module 1.
The virtual class is mandatory.
Other Graded Assignments
Partner Conversations: You will be assigned a conversation partner. (Later in the semester, your conversation
partner can change at the discretion of your instructor.) You will have four required conversations with your
partner during the semester. Two of these will be for practice (but you will receive credit for the conversation),
and two will be graded. Your instructor will grade your pronunciation, fluency and pace, content (creativity and
thoroughness), and grammatical competence. It is very important that you do the practice conversation, and it is
VITAL that you keep the appointment you make with your partner for the two graded conversations. Failure to do
so will result in a zero for the partner who does not keep the appointment. The conversations will take place at
the end of the designated Virtual Class (if time allows; if not, we may have to assign times for partners to log on
to the webconferencing tool on a different night). Complete instructions are provided.
Three Writing Exercises will be assigned. These will include composing different types of sentences
(completing the sentences, writing questions, and writing answers). Details and instructions for submission are
provided. Check the Schedule for due dates.
Participation is a very important component of this course. You are expected to attend class every week and be
there during the entire class session (we meet for one hour and fifteen minutes) and to participate actively. Being
away from the keyboard for more than a few minutes more than once during class will have a negative effect on
your participation grade. There is a detailed grading rubric for participation at the end of this document. You are
permitted one skip during the semester—this is consistent with the attendance policy of other language courses.
Four Pronunciation Exercises will allow your instructor to evaluate specific aspects of your pronunciation. You
will record an assigned passage (on MySpanishLab) and receive individual comments and evaluation from the
instructor. Check the Schedule for due dates.
Five Chapter Quizzes (Pruebas) will be completed after we complete the Preliminary Chapter and Chapters 1–
4. These will be administered through MySpanishLab. You can take each quiz at any time before its due date
(check the Schedule for due dates). Once you start the quiz, you will have 50 minutes to complete it. You will
only have one attempt to submit it for grading, so make sure you have a strong, stable Internet connection
—otherwise, MySpanishLab could lock you out and you will have to notify me and I will have to go in and unlock
it for you—a pain for both of us. Two partial Exams will be administered twice during the semester to test whether you can apply the information
you have been learning and use the grammatical structures and vocabulary studied within real­world contexts.
Check the Schedule for dates. There will be a study guide with sample exam items provided prior to each
exam. The Activity Sheet for the week of the exam will also serve as a review. The Final Exam is a three­hour, cumulative exam. It is similar to the partial exams in structure and objectives.
You will only have one attempt to submit it for grading. There will be sample exam items posted prior to the final
exam as well as an Activity Sheet for review.
PARTICIPATION RUBRIC
A­ / A = Excellent (90­100)
Present and prepared in virtual class.
Participates regularly and actively in class­discussion and small­group activities.
Works well with partners and helps them when necessary.
Listens to the instructor and to the other students. Raises hand regularly.
Always uses Spanish and complete sentences (except for grammar explanation) with little or no hesitation.
Elaborates when possible, going beyond one simple sentence and giving more than minimum detail.
Very few errors in form and good pronunciation so that meaning is always clear. Repeats sentence when
corrected.
Has missed 1 virtual class at most.
B­ / B / B+ = Very Good (80­89)
Present and prepared in virtual class but late on rare occasion.
Participates regularly and actively in class­discussion and small­group activities.
Works well with partners, helps them when need be.
Listens to the instructor and to the other students. Volunteers regularly.
Always tries to use Spanish and produces complete sentences, despite some hesitation.
Elaborates, giving more than minimum detail.
Some errors in form and pronunciation but succeeds in conveying meaning most of the time.
Has missed 1­2 virtual classes.
C­ / C / C+ = Average (70­79)
Very occasionally arrives late, brings materials even if unprepared at times.
Participates regularly in small groups and works well with partners though uses more English tan
necessary.
Slips into English occasionally or does not use complete sentences (fragment answers).
Sticks to simple sentences and/or reads answers rather than talking spontaneously.
Has some difficulty answering when called upon or rarely volunteers.
Often makes formal errors and persistent pronunciation errors (like final consonants or confusing nasals).
Has missed 2­3 virtual classes.
D / D+ = Unsatisfactory (60­69)
Often arrives late and/or unprepared. Speaks little or else consistently in English.
Doesn’t listen to instructor or to other students. Cannot respond to questions. Refuses or cannot work with
others.
Persistent pronunciation errors, resulting in incomprehensible sentences. Never volunteers.
Has significant difficulty communicating meaning in Spanish in class and during small­group work.
Has missed 3­5 virtual classes.
F = Unacceptable (59 or lower)
Misses too many classes. Has missed 5 or more virtual classes.
Often arrives late and seems unprepared. Refuses to work with a partner.
Cannot answer when called upon, cannot speak with others in small groups.
Consistently speaks English in class, with partners and makes no effort to speak Spanish or improve.
How to improve:
Participate more actively in small­group work.
Learn the vocabulary, forms, and structures before attending class.
Arrive to class on time. Take advantage of opportunities to practice pronunciation.
Listen to other students.
Work on correct forms (verbs, adjectives, articles etc).
Try to explain yourself without using English.
Respond with complete sentences when you can.
Elaborate more when possible.
GRADING
Your grade will be based on the following scale:
92–100
A
90–91
A­
88–89
B+
82–87
B
80–81
B­
78–79
C+
72–77
C
70–71
C­
68–69
D+
60–67
D
Below 60
F
Your final grade in the course will be composed of the following:
Weekly exercises:
2 Graded Partner Conversations*:
3 Writing Exercises:
Participation:
20 percent 5 percent (2.5 percent each)
10 percent (3 percent, 3 percent, 4 percent)
5 percent 4 Pronunciation Exercises:
10 percent (2.5 percent each)
5 Chapter Quizzes:
10 percent (2 percent each)
2 Partial Exams:
20 percent (10 percent each)
Final Exam:
20 percent *Before you do your Graded Partner Conversations, you will complete two ungraded Partner Conversations.
Although they are not graded, they are required, and your total will be reduced if you do not complete them.
COURSE POLICIES
1. Only work submitted by the deadlines will receive credit. No late work of any kind will be accepted.
You must complete all the assignments for each module on time. Virtual Class time is set aside for
activities that allow you to practice and apply the material learned, and is worthwhile only if everyone has
completed all assignments before attending. The best way to prepare yourself for the next level of Spanish
study is to complete all assignments in a timely manner. Using unauthorized help or methods in
completing the activities is not wise, and could be a University Honor Code violation (see Academic
Policies section below). Not only is it unethical, you will be putting yourself at a great disadvantage in
upper­level courses if you have not mastered the material in SPAN 101.
2. No extra­credit assignments will be made.
3. No make­up exams will be given without a prompt, valid excuse. If approved, the make­up exam must
be scheduled immediately.
4. Due to the nature of the course, communication between you and your instructor is crucial. You must
check your email and the Announcements regularly. When using Sakai to send me an email, be
sure to leave the CC box checked so that it sends a copy directly to my UNC email account. I do
not check my Sakai inbox. 5. You must attend all* Virtual Class sessions and “be there” (not away from your computer for more than a
couple of minutes). *You are permitted ONE skip during the semester. This is consistent with the
attendance policy of all language courses. Please notify your instructor in advance if you plan on missing
class. Also be aware that missing class does NOT permit you to submit assignments late in My Spanish
Lab (MSL).
6. If you have special circumstances, bring them to my attention immediately.
ACADEMIC POLICIES
By enrolling as a student in this course, you agree to abide by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
policies related to the acceptable use of online resources. Please consult the Acceptable Use Policy on topics
such as copyright, net­etiquette, and privacy protection.
As part of this course, you may be asked to participate in online discussions or other online activities that may
include personal information about you or other students in the course. Please be respectful of the rights and
protection of other participants under the UNC­Chapel Hill Information Security Policies when participating in
online classes.
When using online resources offered by organizations not affiliated with UNC­Chapel Hill, such as Google or
YouTube, please note that the Terms and Conditions of these companies and not the University’s Terms and
Conditions apply. These third parties may offer different degrees of privacy protection and access rights to online
content. You should be well aware of this when posting content to sites not managed by UNC­Chapel Hill.
When links to sites outside of the unc.edu domain are inserted in class discussions, please be mindful that
clicking on sites not affiliated with UNC­Chapel Hill may pose a risk for your computer due to the possible
presence of malware on such sites.
Honor Code
As a Carolina Courses Online student, you are responsible for obeying and supporting an honor system that
prohibits lying, cheating, or stealing in relation to the academic practices of the University of North Carolina at
Chapel Hill. The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s Honor System also requires you to refrain from
conduct that significantly impairs the welfare or the educational opportunities of others in the University
community. You are expected to do your own work in all aspects of your course.
Academic dishonesty in any form is unacceptable, because any breach in academic integrity, however small,
strikes destructively at the University’s life and work. Outside help of any kind on any assignment that is to
be turned in for a grade is considered academic dishonesty. With the exception of consultation with your
instructor, no help may be received on any homework assignment or composition. Doing so is a violation
of the honor code. “Help” includes any aid received from personal tutors, friends, native speakers, or anyone other than your
instructor on any assignment. Your textbook and MySpanishLab may be consulted for assignments, compositions, and other course work
unless you are specifically instructed otherwise. You are prohibited from using Internet translator sites.
Furthermore, do not “copy and paste” from the textbook or MySpanishLab. Quizzes and exams must be completed entirely on your own with no help of any kind from classmates,
dictionaries, textbooks, or notes. On every quiz and exam you will be required to pledge, “I have neither given
nor received any unauthorized aid on this exam.”
Group study is an activity that is both accepted and recommended. In preparation for any exam or quiz, you may
work with your classmate to help one another prepare.
Please view this brief Plagiarism Tutorial created by the librarians of UNC­Chapel Hill, Duke University, NC State
University, and NC Central University.
Office of Accessibility/Special Accommodations
If you are a student with a documented disability, you can receive services through Accessibility Resources &
Service. You must self­identify through Accessibility Resources to receive services or accommodation from
either of these offices. Accessibility Resources works closely with programs, offices, and departments throughout
the University to help create an accessible environment.
The office is located in Suite 2126 of the Student Academic Services Building (SASB), 450 Ridge Road, Chapel
Hill, NC, and is open from 8 am to 5 pm Monday through Friday. You can contact them by phone at 919­962­
8300 or 711 (NC­RELAY) or by email at [email protected].
© The University of North Carolina
Send comments and questions to [email protected].