Spanish 1010-2020

SPAN 1010 and 1020 are courses reserved exclusively for students who present no entrance credits in the language. Students who enter with two or more entrance credits and who wish to continue in Spanish will be placed according to scores obtained on the College Entrance Examination Board SAT II tests, the AP Exam, the IB (high level) exam or the UVa Spanish placement exam. The sequence of courses, depending on the level at which the student begins, is as follows: SPAN 1010, 1020, 2010, 2020; or SPAN 1060, 2010, 2020; or SPAN 2010, 2020; or SPAN 2020. The sequence must be followed to complete the language requirement.

Students who place themselves incorrectly will not receive credit for the courses in which they enroll without permission.

PLACEMENT EXAM

Students who have previously taken Spanish courses and who did not take the SAT II, AP Exam or the IB (high level) Exam must take the online placement exam. For more information, please see Foreign Language Placement.

ADD/DROP GUIDELINES

Students must enroll in Spanish courses via SIS. After the first day of class, all pre-registered students who do not attend class will be dropped from the class roll to open up spaces for other students.

THE DEPARTMENT OF SPANISH, ITALIAN & PORTUGUESE DOES NOT ACCEPT COURSE ACTION FORMS. Once a course is full, please use the waiting list or permission list through SIS. Do no contact the professor.

To drop a Spanish course, students must drop the course inSIS.

All non-registered students who wish to add into a course after classes have started must first be on the waiting list or permission list for that course and must attend class regularly until an opening is available. Attending class is also important to keep up with the material in the course. If no openings become available, all students on a course waiting list will be notified that the course is closed.

On the second day of class you will be asked to provide proof of placement by showing your instructor a copy of your AP Exam score, SAT II Exam score, IB (high level) or U.Va. Spanish placement exam score.

Students may not enroll in a course different from the one into which they have placed.

If the class you want is full, consider taking the course the following semester or perhaps during Summer Session, on a Study Abroad program or in the Summer Language Institute.

Grading

Assignments are due at the beginning of class and on the date indicated on the syllabus. No late work and no make-up work will be accepted. Students who will not be in class should either turn in their assignment ahead of time or have a friend turn it in before class.All homework and lab work will be completed online using Quia.

Instructors will assign a grade for each homework not based on how many answers a student got right or wrong but based on whether the student has completed all of the assignment and has clearly self-corrected the entire homework. The grading scale used in all Spanish courses is the following:

Letter Grade	Range	Grade Point
A+	100-99	4
A	98-96	4
A-	95-90	3.7
B+	89-87	3.3
B	86-84	3.0
B-	83-80	2.7
C+	79-77	2.3
C	76-74	2.0
C-	73-70	1.7
D+	69-67	1.3
D	66-64	1.0
D-	63-60	0.7
F	59-	0.0

Participation

Good participation includes much more than just volunteering a few times each class. Your attendance, daily preparation for class, cooperation and enthusiasm, and active participation during class will not only contribute to your learning, but are also important factors in determining your grade. For each hour spent in the classroom, it is expected that you spend an average of two hours at home on homework and class preparation. Students are expected to come to class having prepared the material on the syllabus for that day and ready to participate actively in class. Students are expected to participate in Spanish only during each class period. The instructor will monitor student participation closely on a daily basis and deduct points for those students speaking in English during class.

Frases útiles

If you have questions or problems in class, it is your responsibility to ask your instructor in Spanish. The words and phrases below will help you participate and interact effectively in the classroom.

Tengo una pregunta. I have a question.
¿Cómo se dice cat en español? How do you say “cat” in Spanish?
Otra vez, por favor. Again, please.
No entiendo/ No comprendo. I don’t understand.
¿Cómo? What?
Un momento, por favor. Just a minute, please.
No sé. I don’t know.
¿Cómo se escribe ____?
How do you write ____?
¿Cómo se deletrea ____? How do you spell ____?
Siéntese. Sit down.
Levántese. Get up.
Abra el libro en la página 20. Open your book to p. 20.
Cierre el libro. Close your book.
Lea en voz alta. Read out loud.
Escriba. Write.
Saque un papel. Take out a piece of paper.
Vaya a la pizarra. Go to the board.
Busque un compañero. Look for a partner.
Trabajen en parejas. Work in pairs.
¿voluntarios? Voulnteers?
¿Hay preguntas? Any questions?
¿Comprenden? Do you understand?
Formen grupos de 4. Get into groups of 4.
Levanten la mano. Raise your hand.

Grading Participation

Your participation will be assessed using the rubric below:

Superior

Attends class and arrives on time. Does all the homework and preparation assigned for class. Listens attentively when others speak. Speaks only in Spanish. Asks questions in Spanish. Participates in all activities with patience and a willingness to learn. Demonstrates ongoing very active involvement. Helps others do all the above too.

Average

Attends class and arrives on time. Doesn’t always pay attention when others speak. Speaks mostly Spanish but uses English on occasion. Participates in all activities, sometimes reluctantly. Overall shows a willingness to learn. Does not make participating in class difficult for other students.

Unsatisfactory

Arrives late for class. Uses more English in class than Spanish. Doesn’t listen when others speak. Does not participate effectively in class activities. Distracts other students or is disruptive in class.

No grade

Was absent or very late to class.

(Adapted from Cheryl Krueger’s French Resource Site)

Absences and Attendance

Attendance is obligatory for all Spanish courses. In order for students to progress in their understanding and speaking of Spanish, they must be exposed to hearing and speaking it on a regular basis.

Students are allowed three (3) free unexcused absences in all 1000 level courses and in the 2000 level courses that meet MWF. In 2000 level courses that meet TR, students are allowed two (2) free unexcused absences. Beyond that, for each additional absence, one percentage point will be deducted from the student’s final grade.

University approved excused absences are those that occur because of hospitalization, death in the student’s family, severe illness, important religious holidays, or authorized University activities (see p. 60 of the Undergraduate Record). Student athletes must provide the instructor with an official team schedule of away games that may cause him/her to miss class before the instructor can excuse that absence or provide arrangements for make-up work. Students anticipating the need to miss class must notify the instructor before the absence or within 24 hours of the missed class.

Excessive absences

An excess of a certain number of absences in Spanish courses will result in a withdrawal from or failure in the course. That number is 8 for 1000 level courses, 6 for 2000 level classes that meet MWF, and 4 for 2000 level classes that meet TR. If a student has exceeded that number of absences, we will either drop him or fail him from the course.

Latenesses

Students are expected to arrive to class on time. Being late to class counts as half an absence. Arriving to class late is disruptive to the learning environment and disrespectful to the class.

LEARNING STRATEGIES

Tips on how to succeed in a foreign language course:

Preparation outside of class

Know the guidelines of the course syllabus and make a note of test, composition, oral exam and final exam dates in advance.
For each hour of class time the student should dedicate two hours of study outside the classroom.
Small study groups (2-4 people) are useful to practice vocabulary and grammar.
Correct your work (homework, lab, quizzes, exams).
To learn vocabulary – memorize words by making flash cards in advance, write sentences using words, pronounce words aloud.
To learn grammar – write out verb conjugations, do as many drill exercises as possible (practice and repetition is key).
Get to know instructor during office hours or set up an appointment – ask questions and provide feedback.
Use resources wisely – language lab, Internet, tertulia, cine club, International Center.

Maximizing class time

Be punctual
Come to class prepared
Participate actively
Ask questions
Work with different students

WEB-BASED ACTIVITIES AND LINKS OF INTEREST

Music

Spain

http://www.el-castellano.com/radios.html
http://www.cope.es
http://www.radioazul.es/
http://www.weblandia.com/radio/esca1.htm

Latin American

http://www.netradio.net/channels/latin/index.html

F. Literature

Argentina

http://www.literatura.org

HOW TO DO ACCENTS

Using accents on the computer

Go to: http://www.lingolex.com/spanishascii.htm

Accentuation rules in Spanish

For words ending in a consonant other than n or s, the stress falls on the last syllable unless otherwise indicated by a written accent mark. e.g., tomar, invitar, papel, reloj, universidad, matiz.

For words ending in a vowel, n, or s, the stress falls on the penultimate syllable (unless otherwise noted by written mark). e.g., clase, tomamos, casas, sombrero, corbata, comen.

A written accent mark must always be used to indicate an exception to the ordinary rules of stress. e.g., sábado, escribí, lección, fácil, ánimo, cenábamos. Note: Words stressed on any syllable except the last or penultimate will always carry a written accent mark. Verb forms with attached object pronouns are frequently found in this category. e.g., explíquemelo, levantándose, preparárnoslas.

A diphthong is any combination of a weak vowel (i, u) and a strong vowel (a, e, o) or two weak vowels. In a diphthong the two vowels are pronounced as one syllable sound with the strong vowel (or the second of the two weak vowels) receiving slightly more emphasis than the other. e.g., piensa, almuerzo, ciudad, fuimos. A written accent mark is used to eliminate the natural diphthong so that two separate vowel sounds will be heard. e.g., cafetería, tío, continúe.

Written accent marks are also used to distinguish between words with equal spellings and pronunciation, but with different meanings.

a. Interrogatives and exclamatory words have a written accent (their relative pronoun counterparts do not).

b. Demonstrative pronouns have a written accent to distinguish them from the demonstrative adjective forms.

c. In nine common word pairs, the written accent mark is the only distinction between varying meanings. These words are pronounced equally.

el = the dé = give (present subjunctive, 1st/3rd singular)
mas = but él = he
de = of, from más = but
mi = my mí = me
se = him/herself, themselves, itself, oneself sé = I know
si = if sí = yes
solo = alone sólo = only
te = you (object pronoun) té = tea tu your tú you (subject pronoun)

Words whose stress falls on the penultimate syllable are called palabras llanas (flat). Words whose stress falls on the last syllable are called palabras agudas (sharp). Words whose stress falls on the third-to-last syllable are called palabras esdrújulas (proparoxytone).

University of Virginia Spanish, Italian & Portuguese