Course code: SPA200

Term and year: Spring 2021

Day and time: Tuesday and Thursday, 18.00-19.30

Instructor: Teresa Collazo Lugo

Instructor contact: teresa.collazo@aauni.edu

Consultation hours: Tuesday 17.00-18.00 by appointment

 

Credits US/ECTS	3/6	Level	Introductory
Length	15 weeks	Pre-requisite	SPA100 or level A1.1
Contact hours	42 hours	Course type	Bachelor Elective

1. Course Description

The purpose of this course is to provide students with the necessary tools in order to communicate in written and oral form and to complete the level A1.2 of Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR). This course has been designed for false beginners in Spanish.

The programme main objectives are to:

 

• Promote the development of students' communicative competence of oral and written Spanish.

• Develop students’ intercultural competence and understanding of Spanish-speaking world.

2. Student Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of this course, students should be able to:

• Understand and use very elementary vocabulary and phrases to satisfy basic needs.

• Interact using everyday expressions in basic formal and informal situations.

• Understand and fill in basic forms, as well as understand and write short texts such as postcards or letters.

• Interact with others in a simple manner provided a sympathetic speech partner who, speak slowly and clearly and is prepared to help.

• Understand and use information about free time activities such as travels or invitations to go out.

• Interact in a city exchanging information about urban spaces and services and directions (location, distance and time).

• Understand simple menus and ordering in restaurant and bars.

• Provide and gather information about the activities of their own free time and others.

• Understand signs, posters and signs in hotels, restaurants, bars and shops.

 

3. Reading Material

Required Materials

• Textbook: “Aula Internacional 1. Libro del alumno” + CD. Corps, J. Difusion. 2013. ISBN 9788415640097.

 

Please, notice that this is the NEW EDITION from 2013 (white cover). Click on the link to see the textbook: http://www.difusion.com/ele/coleccion/metodos/adultos/aula-internacional-nueva-edicion/referencia/aula-internacional-1-nueva-edicion/

 

The textbook is available in Oxford Bookshop, Neo Luxor Knihkupectví and major bookshops in Prague. Also online in www.megabooks.cz, and http://www.difusion.com.

 

There is a copy of the textbook in the AAU library for reference only. The book location mark is R 465 COR.

 

List of required articles

Recommended Materials

• A Spanish-English Dictionary of your choice or online dictionary:

  www.wordreference.com

 

• Online platform with interactive activities to learn Spanish. http://cvc.cervantes.es/ensenanza/mimundo/

 

• Glossary Spanish- English: http://www.difusion.com/uploads/telechargements/catalogue/ele/aula/aula_int_1_glosario_es_en.pdf

4. Teaching methodology

We will follow a communicative approach in our course. The fundamental aim of this approach is to help the student learn to communicate in Spanish within a variety of contexts and situations. With this purpose in mind, we use a method which is based on carrying out tasks and projects from the very first day of class and this will allow the student to manage personal and public situations successfully.

5. Course Schedule

   Date	Class Agenda
   9,11.2	Topic: Weekend activities Description: Introduction to the subject, criteria for evaluation and deadlines. Review of Spanish I. Present tense, hobbies, personal questions. Reading: - Assignments/deadlines: I will say at the end of the lesson.
   16,18.2	Topic: Selfcare Description: UNIT 6. Expressing frequency and daily activities of personal care. Reflexive verbs, irregular verbs and time and hours. Reading: - Assignments/deadlines: I will say at the end of the lesson.
   23,25.2	Topic: A normal day in my life Description: UNIT 6. Reflexive verbs. Expressing the time and parts of the day. Telling about daily schedules. Reading: - Assignments/deadlines: Redacción o vídeo-presentación “Un día normal en la vida de…”
   2,4.3	Topic: Who is the most….? Description: UNIT 6. Expressing sequence of events. Superlatives. Review contents of the unit. Reading: - Assignments/deadlines: Tarea final: mi momento favorito de la semana. Quiz.
   9,11.3	Topic: Shopping! Description: UNIT 4. Demonstrative and interrogative pronouns. Numbers 100-1000. Shopping and asking for information about products. Reading: - Assignments/deadlines: I will say at the end of the lesson.
   16,18.3	Topic: Shopping in class? Description: UNIT 4. Likes and dislikes. Describing and purchasing clothes. Quiz. Reading: - Assignments/deadlines: Tarea final: Análisis de la interacción. Quiz.
   23,25.3	Topic: Let’s eat Description: UNIT 7. Impersonal verbs. Vocabulary about food. Ask and give information about food. Reading: - Assignments/deadlines: I will say at the end of the lesson.
   30.3	Topic: Recipes and food habits Description: UNIT 7. Understanding and writing recipes. Talking about food habits in Spain. Reading: - Assignments/deadlines: Póster Mi restaurante preferido. Quiz
   1.4	Topic: Midterm Exam (unit 4,6,7) + The perfect neighborhood Description: Midterm Exam (unit 4,6,7). UNIT 8. Describing villages, cities and quarters. Reading: - Assignments/deadlines: I will say at the end of the lesson.
   	Mid-term break
   13,15.4	Topic: El barrio Description: UNIT 8. Describing villages, cities and quarters. Reading: - Assignments/deadlines: I will say at the end of the lesson.
   20,22.4	Topic: Tourist information centre Description: UNIT 8. Asking and giving information to arrive to some place Reading: - Assignments/deadlines: Tarea final: Presentación o vídeo Mi barrio ideal. Quiz
   27,29.4	Topic: Personality Description: UNIT 9. Adjectives. Verbs “Ser/Estar”. Describing people’s personality. Giving advice. Reading: - Assignments/deadlines: I will say at the end of the lesson.
   4,6.5	Topic: Talking about your past. Description: UNIT 9. Present perfect. Talking about past experiences. Reading: - Assignments/deadlines: I will say at the end of the lesson.
   11.5	Topic: What experience do you have? Description: UNIT 9. Present perfect. Describing one’s skills and achievements. Reading: - Assignments/deadlines: Tarea final. Quiz
   13.5	Topic: Final exam Description: Reading: - Assignments/deadlines:

6. Course Requirements and Assessment (with estimated workloads)

Assignment	Workload (hours)	Weight in Final Grade	Evaluated Course Specific Learning Outcomes	Evaluated Institutional Learning Outcomes*
Attendance and Class Participation and attitude	42	10%	Participation will be graded according to active involvement, not mere contribution when called on. Arriving on time and with all the required materials will be graded as part of the segment “Attitude”.	2, 3
Homework	40	5%	The textbook activities and writing assignments will be graded holistically (communicative effort and productive skills)	2, 3
Midterm Exam	10	20%	Control on the grammar rules and lexicon on selected domains	2, 3
Quizzes	5 X 3	15%	Multiple choice questions on vocabulary, grammar and culture content.	2, 3
Final task, presentations (ppt) or videoblogs	5 X 4	20%	Content, language control, organization and presentation skills, visual aid.	2, 3
Final Exam	10	30%	Language control on short essays, correction of answers on reading and multiple choice grammar questions.	2, 3
TOTAL	150	100%

*1 = Critical Thinking; 2 = Effective Communication; 3 = Effective and Responsible Action

7. Detailed description of the assignments

[Tarea final Unidad 6]: Mis momentos preferidos de la semanaPlease replace the brackets by the name of the assignment. Assignment must be listed in the table above.

 

Entre todos/as, vais a crear un muro virtual interactivo de vuestros momentos preferidos de la semana con Padlet.

Individualmente, escribid cuál es vuestro momento preferido de la semana y por qué. Añadid una foto que ilustre ese momento. Escribid vuestro nombre.

Responded a un compañero: podéis comentar algo que os guste, que no os guste, si tenéis algo en común, alguna sugerencia, etc. Aquí podéis ver un ejemplo.

Tenéis una semana para completarlo en NEO.

 

8. Please describe the assignment first and then specify the breakdown of the grading for the particular assignment, i.e. what do you assess (e.g. in essay: content’s accuracy and depth of analysis, format of the presentation, citations and referencing, structure, etc.; in presentation: structure, content, presentation skills, work with audience, etc.). It is strongly recommended to follow the breakdown of AAU’s learning outcomes assessment rubrics available on the AAUNET.

Assessment breakdown

Assessed area	Percentage
Content according to unit 6	25 %
Language control	50 %
Organization and presentation skills	15 %
Visual aid	10 %

[Tarea final Unidad 4]: AutoevaluaciónPlease replace the brackets by the name of the assignment. Assignment must be listed in the table above.

 

Completa el cuestionario de autoevaluación de la unidad 4 según la grabación que habéis hecho en clase./files/4321435/Autoevaluacion_unidad_4.doc

Tenéis una semana para completarlo en NEO.

 

9. Please describe the assignment first and then specify the breakdown of the grading for the particular assignment, i.e. what do you assess (e.g. in essay: content’s accuracy and depth of analysis, format of the presentation, citations and referencing, structure, etc.; in presentation: structure, content, presentation skills, work with audience, etc.). It is strongly recommended to follow the breakdown of AAU’s learning outcomes assessment rubrics available on the AAUNET.

Assessment breakdown

Assessed area	Percentage
Content according to unit 4	25 %
Language control	50 %
Organization and presentation skills	15 %
Visual aid	10 %

[Tarea final Unidad 7]: Mi menú Please replace the brackets by the name of the assignment. Assignment must be listed in the table above.

 

Comparte el menú de tu restaurante:

Menú con primero, segundo y postre (2 opciones en cada plato)

Los platos tienen un nombre especial

En cada plato se especifican los ingredientes. (Ej. Sopa primavera (zanahoria, pimiento, guisantes y patatas). Cada plato viene con su precio.

Tenéis una semana para completarlo en NEO.

 

10. Please describe the assignment first and then specify the breakdown of the grading for the particular assignment, i.e. what do you assess (e.g. in essay: content’s accuracy and depth of analysis, format of the presentation, citations and referencing, structure, etc.; in presentation: structure, content, presentation skills, work with audience, etc.). It is strongly recommended to follow the breakdown of AAU’s learning outcomes assessment rubrics available on the AAUNET.

Assessment breakdown

Assessed area	Percentage
Content according to unit 7	25 %
Language control	50 %
Organization and presentation skills	15 %
Visual aid	10 %

[Midterm exam]

Units 4, 6 and 7. General knowledge from Spanish I is also required for communicating.

Writing: writing an email. 100-150 words. 30 minuts.

Speaking: a monolog with final questions. 10 minuts per student.

 

Assessment breakdown

Assessed area	Percentage
Include information about required topics	18 %
Language control. Vocabulary and grammar	36 %
Pronunciation	6 %

[Tarea final unidad 8]: Vídeo “Mi barrio”Please replace the brackets by the name of the assignment. Assignment must be listed in the table above.

Vuelve a leer las descripciones de barrios de Madrid de la actividad 7 (página 102) y úsalos como modelo para describir tu barrio con un vídeo.

 

Tienes modelos en la siguiente página de Facebook:

 

https://www.facebook.com/elizaveta.marchenko.79/videos/276374279416914/?query=barrio

 

https://www.facebook.com/alina.vintovkina/videos/811681988964919/?query=barrio

 

 

 

Please describe the assignment first and then specify the breakdown of the grading for the particular assignment, i.e. what do you assess (e.g. in essay: content’s accuracy and depth of analysis, format of the presentation, citations and referencing, structure, etc.; in presentation: structure, content, presentation skills, work with audience, etc.). It is strongly recommended to follow the breakdown of AAU’s learning outcomes assessment rubrics available on the AAUNET.

Assessment breakdown

Assessed area	Percentage
Content according to unit 8	25 %
Language control	50 %
Organization and presentation skills	15 %
Visual aid	10 %

 

[Tarea final unidad 9]: Un vídeo currículumrrr

Para esta tarea vais a crear un vídeo currículo. Es importante que habléis de vuestras experiencias, vuestras cualidades (¿y defectos?) y lo que sabéis y podéis hacer.

 

Os dejo algunos ejemplos que os pueden inspirar:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RdXfbOcUqRo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NCTbJBL6NXg

 

 

Please describe the assignment first and then specify the breakdown of the grading for the particular assignment, i.e. what do you assess (e.g. in essay: content’s accuracy and depth of analysis, format of the presentation, citations and referencing, structure, etc.; in presentation: structure, content, presentation skills, work with audience, etc.). It is strongly recommended to follow the breakdown of AAU’s learning outcomes assessment rubrics available on the AAUNET.

Assessment breakdown

Assessed area	Percentage
Content according to unit 9	25 %
Language control	50 %
Organization and presentation skills	15 %
Visual aid	10 %

[Final exam]

Units 4, 6, 7, 8 and 9. General knowledge from Spanish I is also required for communicating.

Writing: writing an email. 100-150 words. 30 minuts.

Speaking: a monolog with final questions. 10 minuts per student.

 

 

Assessment breakdown

Assessed area	Percentage
Include information about required topics	18 %
Language control. Vocabulary and grammar	36 %
Pronunciation	6 %

8. General Requirements and School Policies

General requirements

All coursework is governed by AAU’s academic rules. Students are expected to be familiar with the academic rules in the Academic Codex and Student Handbook and to maintain the highest standards of honesty and academic integrity in their work.

Electronic communication and submission

The university and instructors shall only use students’ university email address for communication, with additional communication via NEO LMS or Microsoft Teams.

Students sending e-mail to an instructor shall clearly state the course code and the topic in the subject heading, for example, “COM101-1 Mid-term Exam. Question”.

All electronic submissions are through NEO LMS. No substantial pieces of writing (especially take-home exams and essays) can be submitted outside of NEO LMS.

Attendance

Attendance, i.e., presence in class in real-time, is expected and encouraged. However, the requirement that students miss not more than 35% of real-time classes is temporarily suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Absence excuse and make-up options

Should a student be absent from classes for relevant reasons (illness, serious family matters), s/he can submit to the Dean of Students an Absence Excuse Request Form supplemented with documents providing reasons for the absence. These must be submitted within one week of the absence. If possible, it is recommended the instructor be informed of the absence in advance. Should a student be absent during the add/drop period due to a change in registration this will be an excused absence if s/he submits an Absence Excuse Request Form along with the finalized add/drop form.

Students whose absence has been excused by the Dean of Students are entitled to make up assignments and exams provided their nature allows. Assignments missed due to unexcused absences which cannot be made up, may result in a decreased or failing grade as specified in the syllabus.

Students are responsible for contacting their instructor within one week of the date the absence was excused to arrange for make-up options.

Late work: No late submissions will be accepted – please follow the deadlines.

Electronic devices

Electronic devices (e.g. phones, tablets, laptops) may be used only for class-related activities (taking notes, looking up related information, etc.). Any other use will result in the student being marked absent and/or being expelled from the class. No electronic devices may be used during tests or exams unless required by the exam format and the instructor.

Eating is not allowed during classes.

Cheating and disruptive behavior

If a student engages in disruptive conduct unsuitable for a classroom environment, the instructor may require the student to withdraw from the room for the duration of the class and shall report the behavior to the Dean.

Students engaging in behavior which is suggestive of cheating will, at a minimum, be warned. In the case of continued misconduct, the exam or assignment will be failed and the student will be expelled from the exam or class.

Plagiarism and Academic Tutoring Center

Plagiarism is “the unauthorized use or close imitation of the language and thoughts of another author and the representation of them as one’s own original work.” (Random House Unabridged Dictionary, 2nd Edition, Random House, New York, 1993)

Turnitin’s White Paper ‘The Plagiarism Spectrum’ (available at http://go.turnitin.com/paper/plagiarism-spectrum) identifies 10 types of plagiarism ordered from most to least severe:

1. CLONE: An act of submitting another’s work, word-for-word, as one’s own.

2. CTRL-C: A written piece that contains significant portions of text from a single source without alterations.

3. FIND–REPLACE: The act of changing key words and phrases but retaining the essential content of the source in a paper.

4. REMIX: An act of paraphrasing from other sources and making the content fit together seamlessly.

5. RECYCLE: The act of borrowing generously from one’s own previous work without citation; To self-plagiarize.

6. HYBRID: The act of combining perfectly cited sources with copied passages—without citation—in one paper.

7. MASHUP: A paper that represents a mix of copied material from several different sources without proper citation.

8. 404 ERROR: A written piece that includes citations to non-existent or inaccurate information about sources

9. AGGREGATOR: The “Aggregator” includes proper citation, but the paper contains almost no original work.

10. RE-TWEET: This paper includes proper citation, but relies too closely on the text’s original wording and/or structure.

 

At minimum, plagiarism from types 1 through 8 will result in a failing grade for the assignment and shall be reported to the Dean. The Dean may initiate a disciplinary procedure pursuant to the Academic Codex. Allegations of bought papers and intentional or consistent plagiarism always entail disciplinary hearing and may result in expulsion from AAU.

If unsure about technical aspects of writing, students are encouraged to consult with the tutors of the AAU Academic Tutoring Center. For more information and/or to book a tutor, please contact the ATC at: http://atc.simplybook.me/sheduler/manage/event/1/.

Course accessibility and inclusion

Students with disabilities are asked to contact the Dean of Students as soon as possible to discuss reasonable accommodations. Academic accommodations are not retroactive.

Students who will be absent from course activities due to religious holidays may seek reasonable accommodations by contacting the Dean of Students in writing within the first two weeks of the term. All requests must include specific dates for which the student requests accommodations.

11. Grading Scale

Letter Grade	Percentage*	Description
A	95–100	Excellent performance. The student has shown originality and displayed an exceptional grasp of the material and a deep analytical understanding of the subject.
A–	90–94
B+	87–89	Good performance. The student has mastered the material, understands the subject well and has shown some originality of thought and/or considerable effort.
B	83–86
B–	80–82
C+	77–79	Fair performance. The student has acquired an acceptable understanding of the material and essential subject matter of the course, but has not succeeded in translating this understanding into consistently creative or original work.
C	73–76
C–	70–72
D+	65–69	Poor. The student has shown some understanding of the material and subject matter covered during the course. The student’s work, however, has not shown enough effort or understanding to allow for a passing grade in School Required Courses. It does qualify as a passing mark for the General College Courses and Electives.
D	60–64
F	0–59	Fail. The student has not succeeded in mastering the subject matter covered in the course.

* Decimals should be rounded to the nearest whole number.

 

Prepared by: Teresa Collazo Lugo

Date: 18/01/2021