Spanish for Elementary School Students, Advanced, Part II

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Course Description

Description

The objective of this course is to introduce the novice Spanish reader to literature and grammatical concepts. The materials used in this course have been carefully created to introduce students to new vocabulary and grammar with literature readings providing context and examples. Each chapter within Yabisi 6 features several language usage points as well as a writing or speaking activity.

The four basic language skills (listening, reading, speaking, and writing) will be developed during the course through practice and the application of specific learning strategies.

Students will read and analyze representative literary works and engage in literary analysis and Spanish grammar. The required readings will demand extensive writing and participation in class discussions. Therefore, the practice and application of grammatical features and vocabulary is critical to the content of the course, and students are expected to study and practice these grammatical structures through the explanations in the texts and assigned homework.

The course is conducted completely in Spanish, and students will be expected to communicate exclusively in Spanish.

Once students have completed this course, they should have:

1. Advanced writing proficiency in Spanish in a variety of formats
2. Advanced reading proficiency and an advanced understanding of literary terms and techniques
3. Advanced knowledge of Spanish grammar and language conventions
4. Advanced knowledge of Spanish vocabulary, spelling, and pronunciation
5. An understanding of recurring themes in Spanish and Latin American literature and the ability to assess the relevance of these themes to modern society
6. The ability to discuss literature and culture and express personal opinions in scholarly discussions
7. Applied advanced punctuation techniques to enhance their composition skills
8. Composed their own original work within the bounds of learned writing formats

Discussion Material

Students will be attending online lectures twice a week via Adobe Connect. The lectures are one-hour long and will be held in the evenings. Each student’s assigned lecture time and days will be provided in the initial email he or she will receive from his or her instructor. Lectures are meant for students to better learn and to retain the new vocabulary, grammar, and cultural material associated with each lesson, and to also provide students with the opportunity to virtually interact with their instructor, teaching assistant, and peers.

Additional one-on-one Skype phone calls for each student will also be scheduled for speaking and listening practice. The phone calls will be made in the evenings once a week. The phone calls will be with the instructor for 15 minutes and with the teacher assistant for 30 minutes. Students will be asked to converse in Spanish as best they can so that they can practice and perfect their Spanish conversational skills through one-on-one communication. Students must email their Skype ID to their instructor as soon as they create their account.

Students will be taking quizzes via CTY’s Course Management System. This online Course Management System will provide the link to the recording of each lecture every week and copies of the lecture power points and additional links to available resources. Each student, however, will need a CTY student ID and a password in order to access the system. CTY Student IDs and passwords are provided in the course assignment email.

Students should spend five to eight hours a week learning the material and completing the assignments for each lesson. If students cannot answer all quiz questions correctly their first time around, students should study the lesson once again until they can correct their answers. Reviewing previous lessons and assignments daily is also important for the retention of new material and helpful for preparing for future quizzes and exams. Students should take advantage of all the materials provided and remember to practice their Spanish daily, since practicing is the key to mastering any new language.

Materials Needed

Students will need a headset with microphone. In addition, the following materials are required:

• Yabisi 6 -Santillana Publishing
  ISBN: 9781604846492

Although a Spanish-English dictionary is not required, it may be useful as a personal reference for the duration of this course.

Detailed Course Information

Course Details

Week 1

Class 1:

• Introduction to the course: syllabus, technology, expectations
• Lectura: Don Quijote para siempre p. 144
• Reading comprehension 

Class 2:

• El contexto y la polisemia p. 150
• Los pronombres p. 152
• Los monosílabos p. 155 

Week 2

Class 1:

• Sueños de caballero p. 156
• El lenguaje figurado p. 157
• Escribir—Un poema

Class 2:

• El diccionario de la Real Academia
• Representaciones de Don Quijote
• Repaso y práctica del capítulo

Week 3

Class 1:

• Chapter Intro
• Lectura:Diez minutos en tren p. 166
• Reading comprehension

Class 2:

• Las analogías p. 174
• Los verbos p. 176
• Los modos verbales p. 177
• La letra mayúscula p. 179

Week 4

Class 1:

• Tesoro en Puerto Rico p. 180
• Los recursos literarios p. 181
• Presentar un anuncio 

Class 2:

• El tren urbano p.183
• Repaso y juegos
• Conjugating verbs
• El grafiti p. 184

Week 5

Class 1:

• Chapter Intro
• Lectura: Al encuentro del arte p. 192
• Reading comprehension

Class 2:

• La precisión p. 200
• Los verbos regulares p. 202
• Los verbos irregulares p.203
• La letra h p. 205

Week 6

Class 1:

• Exhibición en la Galería Nacional
• Las características de las noticias p.207
• Organizamos una noticia

Class 2:

• Review and practice of chapter concepts
• El mundillo p.210
• La lectura de una pintura p.209

Mid-term Exam—Written: The mid-term written exam is a comprehensive review of all the language points students have learned up to Week 6. It contains listening and multiple-choice questions that will test the student’s understanding of the vocabulary, grammar, and cultural information introduced in this course. It will therefore be helpful for students to review all of the lessons, including the discussion materials, prior to the exam. The mid-term exam accounts for 10 percent of the final grade. Students must receive at least an 80 percent as the cumulative grade in order to pass the course.

Mid-term Exam—Oral: The mid-term oral exam tests students on their ability to speak, understand, and pronounce all of the Spanish vocabulary they have learned from Week 1 to 6.

Week 7

Class 1:

• Chapter Intro
• Lectura: El difícil camino de la jalda arriba p. 216
• Reading comprehension

Class 2:

• Los homógrafos, los homófonos, y los parónimos p. 224
• Los adverbios p. 226
• Las frases adverbiales p. 227
• La ‘’ll’’ & la ‘’y’’

Week 8

Class 1:

• Operación manos a la obra p. 230
• El ensayo
• Presentar un ensayo

Class 2:

• Doy lo mejor de mí---conversación
• Repaso del capítulo
• La fotografía p. 233

Week 9

Class 1:

• Chapter Intro
• Lectura: La cazadora de cometas
• Reading comprehension

Class 2:

• La coherencia p. 246
• Las preposiciones p. 248
• Las conjunciones y las interjecciones p. 249
• La letra x p. 251

Week 10

Class 1:

• La vida de William Herschel p. 252
• La biografía p. 253
• Informar una biografía---preparamos.

Class 2:

• Review and practice chapter concepts.
• La ciencia ficción p. 256
• Conversación

Week 11

Class 1:

• Lectura: Biozip p. 262
• y Aventura con el televisor p. 264
• Reading comprehension

Class 2:

• La inferencia p. 268
• Las oraciones simples y las compuestas p. 270
• Las oraciones yuxtapuestas, coordinadas y subordinadas p. 271
• El grupo cc p. 273

Week 12

Class 1:

• Distinguida señora Garay p. 274
• La carta p. 275
• Presentar una carta comercial

Class 2:

• Doy lo mejor de mí---conversación
• Chapter review activities and games
• Opinión
• Final exam review

Final Exam—Written

The written final examination is a comprehensive review of all the language points students have learned.

It contains listening and multiple-choice questions that will test the student’s understanding of the vocabulary, grammar, and cultural information introduced in this course. It will therefore be helpful for students to review all of the lessons, including the discussion materials, prior to the exam. The final exam accounts for 10 percent of the final grade. Students must receive at least an 80 percent on all of the assignments, the quizzes, and the exams in order to pass the course.

Students must have had successfully completed all assignments, quizzes, and the mid-term, and have had consistent online participation before being eligible to take the final exam.

Final Exam—Oral

The final exam tests students on their ability to speak, understand, and pronounce all of the Spanish vocabulary they have learned since week One.

Students must have had successfully completed all assignments, quizzes, and the mid-term, in addition to have had consistent online participation, before being eligible to take the final exam.

Technical Requirements

This course requires a properly maintained computer with high-speed internet access and an up-to-date web browser (such as Chrome or Firefox). The student must be able to communicate with the instructor via email. Visit the Technical Requirements and Support page for more details.

This course uses an online virtual classroom for discussions with the instructor. The classroom works on standard computers with the Adobe Connect Add-in or Adobe Flash plugin, and also tablets or handhelds that support the Adobe Connect Mobile app. Students who are unable to attend live sessions will need a computer with the Adobe Connect Add-in or Adobe Flash plugin installed to watch recorded meetings. The Adobe Connect Add-in, Adobe Flash plugin, and Adobe Connect Mobile app are available for free download. Students who do not have the Flash plug-in installed or enabled on their browsers will be prompted to download and install the Adobe Connect add-in when accessing the virtual classroom.

Most course lectures may be viewed on mobile devices, but in some cases assignments and quizzes must be completed on a desktop or laptop computer.