SPAN 1010: Assignment Instructions
Skits: The function of the skits is to give students practice completing discrete communicative tasks,
particularly those that one would be likely to come in contact with during international travel.
Students will be evaluated based on the Oral Work Rubric based upon the content, language control and
comprehensibility, communication and organization of their skit, based on their individual performance.
Skit 1 “Pedir comida en un restaurante”
Invent a funny situation which includes the following and which you will have to play in front of the class
in groups of two or three (Pages 46, 49 and 52 might give you some ideas):
• Talk about eating habits and preferences
• Describe food
• Order from a menu
• Ask about prices
You can bring props, but don't let the props overshadow your stellar acting! Your skit should be between
5-7 minutes long.
You are not to allowed to use index cards or notes but have to talk freely so make sure to allot time in your
preparation for memorizing and practicing the skit; practice the whole skit at least three times with your
partner. Using index cards or notes will automatically bring your grade down to a C.
You can use additional vocabulary beyond that included in chapters 1-6, but always keep in mind that your
audience are your fellow students and not the professor. Remember that gestures, signs and mimicking are
important ways of communicating if one's vocabulary is still limited.
Skit 2 “Regatear en una tienda/un mercado”
Invent a funny situation which includes the following to present in front of the class in groups of two or
three (Pages 72-73, 76 and 92 might give you some ideas.):
• Shop at a market or in a store
• Describe objects being sold/bought (color, price)
• Haggle about price
You can bring props, but don't let the props overshadow your stellar acting! Your skit should be between
5-7 minutes long.
You are not to allowed to use index cards or notes but have to talk freely so make sure to allot time in your
preparation for memorizing and practicing the skit; practice the whole skit at least three times with your
partner. Using index cards or notes will automatically bring your grade down to a C.
You can use additional vocabulary beyond that included in chapters 1-6, but always keep in mind that your
audience are your fellow students and not the professor. Remember that gestures, signs and mimicking are
important ways of communicating if one's vocabulary is still limited.
Essays: Essays give students the opportunity to consolidate the skills that they have been developing into
a single written work. Therefore, it is important that this written work be that of the student and the
student alone.
Students should write these essays in Spanish from the outset, rather than writing something in English
and trying to translate it into Spanish because their production in Spanish is understandably limited and
translation results in the student attempting to use grammatical structures from English that s/he might
not have learned yet in Spanish. Instead, students are encouraged to use the Spanish that they have studied
up to the point of the assignment as fully as possible and write IN SPANISH. It may take longer but
produces more reliable results.
USING TRANSLATION PROGRAMS OR HAVING ANOTHER PERSON DO THIS
WRITING ASSIGNMENT CONSTITUTE CHEATING AND ARE CLEAR VIOLATIONS OF
THE HONOR CODE.
Essay 1 “Mi ciudad ideal”
Make a poster describing your ideal city (its location, its attractions, its people) and draw a map of it with
labels/explanations in Spanish. This city can be a real city or an invented city. You can also add drawings
or photos if you like. The Tarea final on page 42 can serve as inspiration.
Write a minimum of 6 complete sentences, being sure to conjugate your verbs and integrate a range of
vocabulary from the first three lessons.
Essay 2 "Intercambio de casas"
You are swapping houses with someone in Buenos Aires. Write a letter to your house exchange partner in
Argentina describing your own house and asking questions about the house you will be living in. See the
Tarea final on page. 104 for additional guidelines.
Write a minimum of 8 complete sentences. Be sure to use a variety of verbs like hay, estar, tener, preferir, gustar
and a range of different adjectives while incorporating the vocabulary of unit 4B.
Essay 3 “Mi último viaje”
Write a short story on what happened on your last trip: Where did you go, who did you go with, what did
you see and do? Use pages 114-115 for additional guidelines and ideas.
Write a minimum of 10 complete sentences. Be sure to use the preterite and to structure your narration by
using expressions like primero, después, luego and time expressions like those listed on p. 114 while
incorporating the vocabulary of unit 5A.
Presentation: The function of the presentation is to give students experience talking about someone other
than themselves. It is intended to improve the students' general presentation skills: To speak in front of a
group in a clear, coherent, serious albeit engaging manner and present information in a comprehensible
and eye-catching way.
While the skits are intended to recreate daily situations and communicative tasks, the presentation is
intended to prepare students for speaking in a professional or academic setting.
Students will prepare an individual short presentation about the assigned topic to present on the indicated
day. Be sure to use some type of visuals to augment the presentation.
Your presentation should be 3-5minutes long. The use of index card is allowed. You should, however, try
to speak freely. It will negatively affect you grade if you read.
You should also hand in a short written component based on your presentation.
Presentation 1: “La rutina de una persona famosa”
Present the weekly and daily schedule of a famous person, without stating the person’s name explicitly. Put
some clues in there because the class has to guess whose schedule it is.
Make a chart/schedule of a week of that person (either on a poster, a hand-out or as a Power Point
Presentation) and refer to it during your presentation. Consider the “Tarea Final” on page 66 as you
develop your presentation.
• Use expressions time expressions
• Use comparatives
• Use plenty of adjectives
Presentation 2: “Un álbum familiar”
Present the life of an influential or inspirational friend or a family member, explaining why this person is
important to you (The Tarea final on page 130 will guide you in preparing for this presentation. The
biography of Salma Hayek on p.116 might also serve for inspiration).
Include important moments of the life of that person using verbs like nacer, estudiar, cambiar de casa/ciudad,
viajar, trabajar, comprar una casa/un coche, casarse -to get married-, tener hijos. Make sure to give dates for major
events and to use the past tense as needed/appropriate.
Debate: The function of the debate is to give students experience in expressing and defending their own
opinion and in talking about abstract topics. They are intended to improve the students' general
communicative skills: To speak in front of a group in a clear, coherent, serious albeit engaging manner and
present information in a comprehensible and convincing way. The debate is intended to enhance the
argumentative skills of students, both in personal and professional settings.
The class will be split into 4-6 groups (of 3-5 people) and each group has to prepare a visual that presents
and supports their position.
Debate: “Un viaje con la clase”
Each group of 3-4 people has to pick a different Spanish-speaking country as a travel destination and make
a poster that includes the following information (in a condensed visually appealing manner):
1. Información general sobre el país: ¿Adónde vamos a ir?
2. ¿Cuándo? (fechas, duración)
3. ¿Cómo? (transporte, hospedaje)
4. ¿Cuánto? (costo)
5. Plan de actividades (ir+a+infinitivo): ¿Qué vamos a hacer?
• Tienen que incluir lugares y actividades (por lo menos 5!)
o Look at the Tarea final on page 156 and use that as a starting point.
• Atracciones prinicipales
On the day of the debate each group has to present their choice (each member will have to explain part of
the poster). After having heard all presentations we as a class have to come to an agreement on which
country we are going to travel to.
For the written portion, each student is to prepare a 1-2 paragraph description of a particular element of
the country they have chosen. These short paragraphs will demonstrate the research the group has done
and help prepare all students for the group discussion. These will be submitted the day of the debate.
To defend and compare your choice use expression like:
• Me gusta......porque....
• Me gustaría.....porque...
• Prefiero.......porque....
• Quiero/Quisiera.....porque
• Nuestro plan es mejor porque...
• Estoy en favor de la idea de... porque....
To point out negative aspects or dislikes in choices uses expressions like:
• No me gusta el plan de ir a …porque...
• El plan de ir a... es peor porque...
• No estoy de acuerdo...porque...
• Estoy en contra de la idea de... porque....
To come to an agreement use expressions like:
• De acuerdo. /Estoy de acuerdo.
• ¡Estupendo!
• Me gusta la idea/el plan de ir a...
Also, look at 160-1, 160-3, A84 and A85 in the book for some more communicative strategies.