Course Description
This class aims to provide a thorough
grammar review together with an introduction to the literatures and cultures of
the Spanish-speaking world. It will emphasize
culture, grammar and writing, through the appropriate use of advanced grammatical
constructions, as well as different types and styles of writing. The class will
have readings focused on the Hispanic culture.
SP 301 has been developed taking into
consideration the 5C’s of World
Language Education: communication,
cultures, connections, comparison and communities. Keeping in mind the 5C’s, students will review Spanish grammar and
vocabulary; increase reading and listening comprehension; develop oral and
written communication; learn about Hispanic culture, literature, art and
history, through selected cultural readings and other activities.
The 5C’s are:
1. Communication: the use of language
for communication in “real life” situations
2. Cultures: to develop cultural
understanding by experiencing other cultures
3. Connections: content of the course
is connected with other subject areas like: art, history and music.
4. Comparisons: students are encouraged
to compare and contrast languages and cultures
5. Communities: the learning experience
extends from the classroom into the community, emphasizing that we live in a
global society.
Language Learning Outcomes for SP301
Speaking: Students
will be able to recombine learned material in order to express personal
meaning. They can ask simple questions and can handle a straightforward
survival situation. They produce sentence-level language, ranging from
discrete sentences typically in present or past time.
Writing: Students
will have the ability to meet practical writing needs, such as simple
messages and letters, requests for information, and notes. In addition,
they can ask and respond to simple questions in writing. These writers can
create with the language and communicate simple facts and ideas in a
series of loosely connected sentences on topics of personal interest and
social needs.
Listening: Students
will understand speech that conveys basic information. This speech is
simple, minimally connected, and contains high-frequency vocabulary. They
are able to comprehend messages found in highly familiar everyday
contexts. Students will be able to comprehend one utterance at a time
while engaged in face-to-face conversations or in routine listening tasks
such as understanding highly contextualized messages, straightforward
announcements, or simple instructions and directions
Reading: Students will
understand information conveyed in simple, predictable, loosely connected
texts. They can most easily
understand information if the format of the text is familiar. They will be
able to understand messages found in highly familiar, everyday contexts.
At this level, students may not fully understand texts but might be able
to identify meaning by the context.
Cultural knowledge: Students
will be able to recognize the significance of different commonly cited
cultural references (such as landmarks, works of art and literature,
symbols, documents, historical events and figures, traditions and
customs).
Culturally appropriate behavior: Students
will be able to recognize culturally appropriate behavior (including use
of appropriate registers of language, proper kind of greetings) in a
variety of social contexts for modern languages.
Cultural empathy: Students
will be able to evaluate the references and social contexts of the culture
studied from that culture's own perspective.
Texts and Materials
Handouts and Reading- Download from Sakai (Resources)
A good dictionary