THE UNIVERSITY OF THE WEST INDIES, ST. AUGUSTINE
FACULTY OF HUMANITIES AND EDUCATION
CENTRE FOR LANGUAGE LEARNING
COURSE DOCUMENTATION
COURSE CODE: SPAN 1101
COURSE TITLE: LEVEL 1A SPANISH
NO. OF CREDITS: 2
SEMESTERS: I, II, III
LEVEL: ALL LEVELS
PREREQUISITES: NONE
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
Candidates for this course are not required to have any prior, formal academic knowledge of the
language. At the CLL we are dedicated to the promotion of communicative and cultural
competence in our programmes. To this end, the focus will be on the development of the four
predominant skills involved in language learning (speaking, listening, reading and writing). The
tutor will also work towards introducing students to various cultural aspects of the language.
Learners will develop an initial ability to communicate in the target language in situations
relating to their personal lives. Participants will be introduced to the concept of learner autonomy
in language learning.
COURSE RATIONALE:
This course will give students the opportunity to begin the study of one of the languages spoken
in the Caribbean region. The purpose of this course is to provide students with the foundation
necessary to become independent language learners. Students will become more familiar with
the basic learning strategies available to support them in this endeavor.
INSTRUCTOR INFORMATION:
Name: Ms. Shawna Sealey
Office address and phone: Office 2, CLL second floor, Centre for Language Learning. Ext:
83895
Email: [email protected]
Office hours: By appointment
1
LETTER TO THE STUDENT
Dear Student,
Welcome to your first semester of Spanish at the CLL! It is hoped that you are here because you
have a clear interest in the Spanish language and Hispanic culture. We hope we can help you
develop your language skills as well as motivate you to expand your cultural knowledge and
your ability to be an independent learner. Remember to walk with your textbook and dictionary
when you come to class. We hope you enjoy this educational experience that begins today!
Warm regards,
Your tutor
CONTENT:
The course focuses on introducing students to the basics of the Hispanic language and culture.
The following are the communicative skills and grammar topics that will be covered in this
course.
Communicative skills
 Introducing and presenting, providing descriptions (physical and personality), conversing
about simple, daily schedule and directions, talking about one’s family and expressing
likes and dislikes.
Grammar
 Basic common verbs and subject pronouns, nouns and articles, some irregular verbs,
basic use of the verb ‘gustar’, possessive adjectives and the use of ‘de’ to denote
possession.
Greater detail will be provided in the course calendar.
GOALS/AIMS:
At the end of this course the student will be at the beginner’s stage of proficiency, that is a Basic
User A1 according to the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) for the language.
A
more
detailed
description
can
be
found
at
https://rm.coe.int/CoERMPublicCommonSearchServices/DisplayDCTMContent?documentId=0
90000168045bb52 .
This course aims to help students:
 Begin to develop an A1 level in all the skills (listening, speaking reading and writing)
 Communicate orally and in writing, on a basic level, once the other person is willing to
repeat, rephrase and repair
 Develop an understanding of basic Spanish grammar and syntax
 Know further characteristics of life and culture in the Hispanic world
2

Develop a basic understanding of themselves as adult language learners
GENERAL OBJECTIVES:
Students in this programme will be able to:
 Understand basic and familiar, written and aural information, designed with a novice
learner in mind
 Demonstrate basic competencies in writing
 Develop basic competencies in conversing and interacting in a simple way provided the
other person talks slowly and clearly and is prepared to help
LEARNING OUTCOMES:
By the end of this course, students will:
 Recognise familiar words and very basic phrases concerning themselves, their family and
immediate concrete surroundings when people speak slowly and clearly
 Understand familiar names, words and very simple sentences, for example on notices and
posters or in catalogues
 Interact in a simple way provided the other person is prepared to repeat or rephrase things
at a slower rate of speech and help formulate sentences
 Ask and answer simple questions in areas of immediate need or on very familiar topics
(e.g. basic personal information, university/work life, family life)
 Use simple phrases and sentences to describe where they live and people they know
 Write a short, simple postcard, for example sending holiday greetings
 Fill in forms with personal details, for example entering name, nationality and address on
a hotel registration form
ASSIGNMENTS:
Course Assignments
During the course students will be expected to fully participate in all class activities. These
activities include but are not limited to:
 Listening to and responding to basic personal information, e.g. greetings, biographical
information, simple daily routine and family
 Communicating with classmates in the target language
 Listening to recordings/videos for specific information
 Reading and locating specific information in short simple texts
 Applying grammatical knowledge to written activities
 Writing simple texts using basic Spanish syntax and grammar
3
Assignments for Credit Students
Students pursuing a Spanish course at the CLL for credits will need to submit a portfolio which
is worth 20% of their overall mark. This portfolio should be submitted no later than week 12 of
the semester in which they are enrolled. The portfolio, which can be submitted online via
Edmodo or another online learning platform, should consist of the following documents:
1.
2.
3.
4.
One essay
Two audio recordings
One comprehension activity
One presentation (PowerPoint or video)
1. The essay should be written in Spanish and no more than 80-100 words in length. The topic
of choice for the essay should be based on a topic covered during the semester. Students have
the option of submitting the essay before week 10 for comments and feedback. The essay can
then be rewritten and resubmitted. This assignment carries 2 marks.
Topics
 Personal presentation
 A day in my life
 My family
2. The audio recordings (2) are to be done in Spanish and should be between 30 seconds and 2
minutes long. The topic of choice for the audio should be based on a topic covered during the
semester. There is no option for feedback on this item. Each audio recording carries 2 marks.
Topics
 Personal presentation
 A day in my life
 My family
3. The comprehension exercise requires that students select an excerpt from a written, audio or
video (movie, etc.) item in the target language and present a summary of it in English. The
summary must be based on their understanding and not an English translation. The excerpt
should be approximately 200 words in length or no more than 5 minutes of video or audio
and the summary should be no more than 150 words. Students should submit both items in
their portfolio. This assignment carries 4 marks.
4. The presentation will be based on a social or cultural aspect of a Spanish-speaking country of
the student’s choice. Students should also state why they chose their topic. The social or
cultural aspects can include but are not limited to history, politics, gastronomy, tourism, the
environment, current affairs or any other relevant aspect. Presentations should be 3 – 5
minutes in length and can take the form of a PowerPoint presentation with voice overlay or
video presentation. The presentation should be in English and carries 10 marks.
4
In-Course Assessment:
Students will be assessed on the four language skills (speaking listening, reading and writing), as
well as on aspects of language structure and intercultural competence1.
Students must attend 75% of classes in order to be eligible for tests. Tests will use various
formats, e.g. limited response, short answers, oral interview, essay, as appropriate to the
skill/sub-skill being tested.
MAINSTREAM STUDENTS
Assessment
100% in course testing
Test 1*
50% of the overall mark
Test 2*
50% of the overall mark
CREDIT STUDENTS ONLY
Assessment
100% in course testing
Test 1*
40% of the overall mark
Test 2*
40% of the overall mark
Credit assignment
20% of the overall mark
*In each test listening is 30%, speaking 30%, reading 20% and writing 20%.
TEACHING/LEARNING STRATEGIES:
This course is designed to develop the level of communicative competence of the students by
using, the textbook, exercises designed for their level as well as authentic materials where
appropriate. It also sensitizes participants to some aspects of Hispanic culture. The course will
place special emphasis on developing communicative skills (listening and speaking). Authentic
audio material as well as material tailored for beginners will be used weekly in the language lab
and, while we will work on reading and writing skills, a communicative approach will be used in
every class.
Classroom sessions
These sessions include but are not limited to:
 Pair work and group discussions
 Interviews and role plays
 Vocabulary and grammar drills
 Use of recordings either in the language laboratory or in the classroom
 Exercises from the textbook
 Discussions on pertinent cultural aspects of the language
1
Intercultural competence is the ability to develop targeted knowledge, skills and attitudes that lead to
visible behaviour and communication that are both effective and appropriate in intercultural interactions.
5
COURSE EVALUATION:
Summative evaluation will be conducted using The UWI’s SELC System.
RESOURCES:
Required reading
Dawson, L. Farell, J. & González, T. (2012). Dicho y hecho (10th ed.). New Jersey: John Wiley
& Sons. Chapters 1-3.
Students will use internet resources provided by the tutor as well as those at the CLL wikispaces
website http://cll-spanish1a.wikispaces.com to review, revise and practice their language
learning skills.
HOW TO STUDY FOR THIS COURSE:
Students are required to attend their chosen classes with a total teaching time of 4 hours per
week. Remember that you must attend 75% of classes in order to be eligible for tests.
Manage your time well. We recommend that students spend at least 3-4 hours per week engaged
in studying. This includes reviewing your notes and ensuring that concepts are understood. Jot
down any questions you may want to research or ask the tutor. This is also the time you take to
complete your assignments. It is also important to read up on what you have learnt and practice
with a partner, perhaps someone from your class or another class, but at your level.
Preparation time: 2 hours per week. Have a look at the course outline and review or research the
material for the upcoming class. Make a note of any questions that may arise, after the
explanation by the tutor it may be clearer, if not, ask your question.
GRADING SYSTEM
The following is the UWI mark scheme:
Grade
GPA
Mark%
Grade
GPA
Mark%
A+
4.3
90-100
C+
2.3
55-59
A
4.0
80-90
C
2.0
50-54
A-
3.7
75-79
F1
1.7
40-49
B+
3.3
70-74
F2
1.3
30-39
B
3.0
65-69
F3
0
0-29
B-
2.7
60-64
6
COURSE CALENDAR
Week
1
2
3
4
5
6
Content
Objectives
 To introduce oneself and
INTRODUCTIONS – UNIT 1
 Common greetings
others
 Courteous expressions
 To spell one’s name
 The alphabet
 To exchange personal
INTRODUCTIONS – UNIT 1
 Days of the week and months of the year
information
 Numbers 0-99
 To identify Hispanic holidays
 Nationalities
 To talk about birthdays
 To tell the time
INTRODUCTIONS – UNIT 1
 Expressions used to tell time
 To describe personalities
 Subject pronouns and the verb ser
(oneself and others)
 Describing people’s personalities (cognates)
 To describe one’s
UNIVERSITY/WORK LIFE
 About nouns and articles
classroom/laboratory/office
 To use of ir a + destination
 To talk about one’s daily
schedule
 To talk about one’s daily
UNIVERSITY/WORK LIFE
 Uses of the present tense of regular ar, er
schedule
 To mention university/work
and ir verbs
activities
 To talk about one’s daily
UNIVERSITY/WORK LIFE
 Giving directions
schedule
 Moving around one’s environment
 To mention university/work
activities
Test 1 LISTENING AND ORAL
7
UNIVERSITY/WORK LIFE
 To use hacer and salir (irregular verbs)
 To talk about one’s daily
schedule
 To mention university/work
activities
Test 1 READING AND WRITING
8
9
10
 To talk about what one likes
to do
LOS GUSTOS
 Talk about one’s likes and dislikes
(me gusta, ¿te gusta?)
MY FAMILY
 Family related vocabulary
 To describe one’s family
 To exchange information
about one’s family
 To give physical descriptions
about one’s family and
friends
MY FAMILY
 tener…años
 Vocabulary to deal with physical
7
11
12
13
descriptions
 To express possession
MY FAMILY
 Possessive adjectives and possession with
de
¿de quién es …?
 To express location
MY FAMILY
 Estar + location and condition
Test 2 (READING, WRITING, LISTENING AND ORAL)
8