R. N. Monroe (Instructor)

Objectives for Spanish I, II

1. Purpose and Material

      The purpose of this course is to build a vocabulary and grammar base in the Spanish language. A textbook section (the first half of the book) is designed to present the new vocabulary and grammar which will be memorized. The homework section (the second half of the book) is designed to be filled out at home and handed in as an assignment at the beginning of the following class session. Except for absence, no late assignments will be accepted. There will also be additional assignments given from worksheets prepared from the overhead sheets practiced in class. These assignments will be checked regularly, given credit (five points) and returned during the next class time. Readers, videos, exercises and games will be added to the learning experience in these courses. Spanish II students will be issued a Spanish II textbook and continue in the same procedure. The history and culture of several Spanish-speaking countries, in particular Spain and Mexico, are discussed and interjected on a weekly basis.

2. Time and Activities

      This class will meet for 1-1˝ hours. (Time to be arranged depending on availability of facility and level of Spanish) Students will be asked to spend at least 15 minutes a day outside of the regular class time to review the material and practice the vocabulary that they have learned from the previous sessions. The instructor will model the material that you will be learning. Members of this class will participate in the class in various manners: repeating after the teacher, drilling each other from the overhead, and by learning games. There will also be monthly quizzes (15 points) and tests (30 points) over the material presented. Usually the quizzes are given in the middle of the month and the tests are at the end of the month.

3. Attendance

      Attendance is essential for the success of what you are learning in these classes. Should you be absent, you are expected to have the phone number of a friend or classmate in order to find out the information and material that has been missed. I always announce exactly the pages and vocabulary for which you bill be responsible for the next classes and for the tests coming up. If you miss many days, you will miss a lot of material and instruction, which perhaps would mean you may have to drop the course.

4. Level Covered

      Spanish I: greetings; simple exchange of information and grammar; present tense of regular, irregular, stem-changing and reflexive verbs. Vocabulary: classroom words, clothing and colors, household and shopping words.

      Spanish II: expanding vocabulary in areas of household items, the body, nature, and various subjects that have been interwoven throughout the course. The verb tenses will continue to cover past tenses (two kinds), future, commands and progressive tenses. You will have at least three readers and continue the video series episodes of “Destinos”

5. Grading

      Your grade will be determined by your class participation: oral and written quizzes, tests and homework. You will be adequately warned to prepare for oral quizzes and tests over the grammar and video series “Destinos” and the tests over the material studied. The grading average is on the standard breakdown of percentages: 100%-90% = A, 89%-80% = B, 79%-70% = C, 69%-60% = D. You will be given grades for completing your homework (5 points) per assignment, on a regular basis. At first the material may seem to go too fast, but I can assure you that you will be able to absorb it if you consistently review the lesson on a daily basis.