SPANISH 1002--Elementary Spanish

 

Dr. Karen Guffey           

Fall 2021

 

Office: A216 B

Hours: MW 10:45 – 12:30; 1:20 – 2:00; 3:15 – 3:50

            ONLINE ONLY: MW 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm

            I am a night person, so you have a very good chance of getting a response from me between 11 pm and 2 am; you have virtually no chance between 6 am and noon.

Phone: 678-359-5232 (Remember that I’m on campus only M & W and therefore don’t check my messages a lot.)

Email: k_guffey@gordonstate.edu  Email is by far the best way to get hold of me.  I check it more often than I answer my personal phone.

 

No textbook, but you will find an online textbook in D2L under “Content” for your benefit.  The order of material will differ slightly from the order of the material presented in class.

 

Objectives: By the end of the course, the student will be able to greet someone in Spanish and convey basic concrete information about topics such as studies, hobbies, and food.  He will be able to participate in simple exchanges with educated native speakers of Spanish.  The methods include formal study of vocabulary and grammar with daily application to all four areas of language use: reading, writing, listening, and speaking.

 

 

ATTENDANCE

 

Absences: TWO absences, excused or unexcused, are allowed.  That is, the student's first two absences need not be explained to the instructor.  Every absence after the first two, however, must be excused.  That means that if, for example, you are in the hospital and miss three classes, your third absence, as well as all subsequent absences, must be excused.  In case of illness, the student must present a doctor's excuse.  Besides illness, only emergency situations, such as a death in the family, will be considered excused absences, and the student must present written proof of the emergency.  An absence due to your job is NOT an excused absence.  An absence due to a lack of a ride to school/a need to leave early to catch a ride is NOT an excused absence.  If you are a parent, only an excuse from your child’s doctor will be accepted for an absence involving your child.  Inability to find a babysitter is NOT an acceptable excuse.  Any absence due to participation in any official Gordon College activity is, of course, an excused absence. 

 

Every unexcused absence after the second absence will result in a 5% lowering of the student's final grade.  That is, a third absence will lower the grade 5%, a fourth will lower it an additional 5%, etc.  If, for example, a student with a 93% average has five absences, the last three of which were unexcused, his grade will drop from 93% to 78%.  IT IS THE STUDENT’S RESPONSIBILITY TO PRESENT A WRITTEN EXCUSE.  If the instructor is required to return the excuse to the student, he must watch her record the excuse before taking the excuse back.  Absences count from the day that the student’s name appears on the instructor’s roll. 

 

Tardiness: Three tardies count as one absence.  If a student arrives 15 minutes late, he is considered absent.  Students may not leave class early without the instructor’s permission.  If you do leave class without the instructor’s permission, even if it is only a few seconds early, you will be marked absent.

 

Failure to attend class: Any student who ceases to attend class should go to the registrar’s office to take the appropriate steps to withdraw.  If he fails to officially drop the class, he will receive a WF in the course.  THE FINAL DATE TO DROP A COURSE WITHOUT A PENALTY IS March 12.  If you drop the course after that date, you will receive a WF in the course.

 

 

TESTING

 

Tests and Quizzes: The student may miss one quiz and one test.  Because you are allowed to miss them, NO MAKE-UP TESTS OR QUIZZES WILL BE GIVEN, even if your absence is excused. If you miss one quiz or one test, you will not have any zeros recorded.  However, any additional tests or quizzes missed FOR ANY REASON will be recorded as zeros.  If the student does not miss any tests or quizzes, the lowest of each will be dropped.  THE SCHEDULE MAY CHANGE AT ANY MOMENT, AND YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR FINDING OUT ANY CHANGES IN THE SCHEDULE.  If you are absent on Tuesday, for example, and a quiz or test or presentation not on the schedule is assigned for Thursday, you will be required to take it on Thursday.  It is YOUR responsibility to find out what you miss in class.

 

All tests are graded within 48 hours of the time you take them, so don’t ask for a grade any earlier.  Also, when you submit a test, you will get an automatic grade.  That grade has 0s averaged in for questions that have to be graded manually, so don’t panic.  Your grade will (probably) go up within 48 hours.

 

 

Oral exams: There are three types.  Below is a description of each.

 

  Dialogue presentations: You will be graded on your pronunciation, phrasing, and how well you have

  the dialogue memorized.

 

  Individual interview: 10 points for each of the following categories: how well you understand the

  question, how well I understand your response, grammar, variety of vocabulary


 

Show and tell: 10 points for each of the following categories: comprehensibility, pronunciation,

grammar, variety of vocabulary.  Up to 20 points will be deducted if you read or partially read your

presentation.  You may have a 3” x 5” card with five key words at which you may GLANCE.  You

will lose a minimum of 25 points if you read your presentation.  YOU MAY NOT ASK THE

INSTRUCTOR FOR HELP (including “how do you say . . .”) IN CLASS THE DAY OF THE

PRESENTATION.

 

Exceptions to the no make-ups rule:

 

The interview is an exception to the “no make-ups” rule. 

However, it must be made up by the final Wednesday of classes (not exam week).  It is your responsibility to

arrange a time for the make-up and then remind the instructor the day of the presentation if it is done

in class.  The instructor will not remind you that you have missed something.  Also, if you are

hospitalized or diagnosed with a contagious ailment, you may receive special consideration.  All such

illnesses must be well documented, however.

 

Sports:  If you are absent due to participation in an official Gordon State College game, you may take

quizzes and tests BEFORE the day they are scheduled to be given.  You may not make up a quiz or

test AFTER an absence due to a game.  The only exception is if the coach schedules a game with less

than 24 hours’ notice. 

 

CHEATING

 

If you copy an answer onto your test or quiz from another student, a cheat sheet, a book, a cell phone, the palm of your hand, or anywhere else, you will receive a 0 on that quiz or test.  If there is any object with any material on the test or quiz within your reach during the test, you will receive a 0 on that test or quiz.  For example, if you are sitting on a paper with test/quiz material on it, you will receive a 0 even if you protest that you did not know that it was there and certainly were not using it.  If you commit any other action that constitutes cheating, you will receive a 0, and that grade cannot be dropped.  You may also be expelled from the course or receive an F in the course, actions that are at the discretion of the instructor and the division head.  If you cheat on a mid-term or final exam, you will receive an F in the course.

 

If there is a cell phone anywhere in your reach or in your line of vision or that of the instructor during a test, quiz, or exam, you will be penalized exactly the same as you would be if there were a paper with the answers on your desk.  No phones in pockets; put them at the BOTTOM of a purse or backpack.

 

Another type of cheating is using a translator to do your composition homework assignments.  NEVER, under any circumstances, use an online translator.  You learn nothing, and they usually put out garbage, so I can tell if you’ve used one.  If you use one, you will receive a 0 for the assignment.  The best online dictionary, which you are free to use, is http://www.wordreference.com/.  The worst consequence for using a translator is that you will be totally unprepared to write a composition on the tests.

 

A popular shortcut seems to be to plug reading assignments into a translator and read them in English.  Guess what: you can't do that on the test, and there are readings on the tests.  If you don't practice before the test, you won't be able to do it on the test.  Don't be stupid; you don't lose points for missing questions on your homework readings, so don't take a "shortcut" that will hurt you on the tests.

 

 

HOMEWORK and CLASSWORK

 

Homework: Most homework is on my website (faculty.gordonstate.edu/k_guffey/) or on D2L.  “My computer/printer/mouse/electricity isn’t working” is not an acceptable excuse for not completing homework on time. Homework must be submitted into the correct D2L assignment box, titled with the due date.  It must be submitted by 11:59 pm the day that it is due.  If you fail to submit it before the box closes, you may not submit it late in any format, so if you wait until the last minute and the system crashes or your computer freezes or whatever, you will not be allowed to submit it.

 

HOW TO SUBMIT HOMEWORK

 

If you don’t do it this way, you won’t receive credit for it.

 

In D2L, there is a dropbox (called "assignment") for each assignment.  (The exception is the “Escuchemos” exercises.  See below.**)  Except for the Escuchemos exercises, what you have to do is do your assignment & then copy & PASTE IT INTO THE COMMENTS SECTION of the dropbox.  If you try to save & upload a web page, all that will show up is a blank page.  If your assignment is not interactive, just type it right into the comments area.  Or do it in Word & then copy it, because sometimes things get erased accidentally before you finish.

 

You receive credit for having done the homework, not for how many you have correct.  (So don’t worry about what score is at the top of your exercise.)  Therefore, it is ridiculous to lose points for not having homework completed.  Besides losing points if he does not have his homework, the student will find that he is unable to master the material if he waits until the night before a test to do his homework rather than doing it on a DAILY BASIS. 

 

**Escuchemos exercises: You find these under “Quizzes” on D2L.  Unlike all other homework assignments, their score DOES count.  But you can do them an unlimited number of times, and the highest score is the one that gets recorded.

 

Group assignments: At least once in each chapter, you will be told to converse with another person in Spanish.  If you fail to do so, you will have a 0 averaged into your homework grade that day.

 

 

CLASSROOM BEHAVIOR

 

You may not eat in class.  This includes sandwiches, chips, candy, and all other types of food.  Failure to schedule a lunch period is not an excuse for eating in class.

 

Turn your cell phone off before entering class.  You may not have a cell phone in your hand, on your desk, or anywhere in sight during the entire class.  If the instructor spots a cell phone in your hand or somewhere on your desk, you will lose 1 point off your final average in the class.  If you are taking a test or quiz at the time, you will also receive a 0 on that test or quiz.  If your phone rings in class, you have the option of handing it over to the instructor or losing 1 point of your final class average.

 

Students are not allowed to use offensive language in class.  This includes “four-letter words” as well as words that may offend others because of religious beliefs.

 

 

WARNINGS AND PENALTIES

 

On the computer, students may open only applications assigned by the teacher.  If work on the internet is assigned, they may go only to internet sites assigned by the instructor.  If the instructor finds other applications open or finds the student opening a web page not assigned, that student will lose 5 points off his final average in the class.  He will lose five points each time he is caught opening non-assigned applications or web sites on the computer.

 

Final exam: If you miss your final exam, you may not be allowed to make it up.  If you are able to show up during one of my scheduled exam times, I may allow you to take it.  Under no circumstances will I make special arrangements to give you your exam at a time when I don’t have a scheduled exam.  If you fail to make it to one of my scheduled times, you will receive a 0 on your final exam.

 

GRADES

 

Be aware that D2L drops any unrecorded grade.  That means if you miss quizzes or tests, D2L doesn’t record 0s, and if you got 100 on a test and on a quiz but missed another test and 3 more quizzes, it’ll show your average as 100.  But at the end of the semester, I’ll switch it so that blanks become 0s, and your grade will drop dramatically.  Why not just have them recorded as 0s from the beginning?  Then it will record all FUTURE grades as 0 as well.  D2L isn’t all that smart.

 


Grading:                                                         

 

Homework                                          10%    

Quizzes and/or compositions              20%    

Oral presentations and/or exams         10%    

Tests                                                    20%

Mid-term exam                                   20%    

Final exam                                          20%

 

   Scale:

 

  A  90-100

  B  80-89.99

  C  70-79.99

  D  60-69.99

  F  below 60

 

 


IMPORTANT NOTE: To pass this class, you MUST pass the preterit with a 70% or better.  If you do not have a 70% on the preterit section of Test 3, you must come to my office during my office hours to take a quiz over it.  If you fail that quiz, you may repeat it as often as you like, but EVERY QUIZ GRADE WILL BE RECORDED.  If you fail to get a 70% on the preterit section of Test 3 or on any quiz, you will receive an F in the course, regardless of what your average may be.

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MATERIALS REQUIRED ON ALL GORDON SYLLABI

Title IX

Gordon State College is committed to providing an environment free of all forms of discrimination and sexual harassment, including sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence and stalking. If you (or someone you know) has experienced or experiences any of these incidents, know that you are not alone. All faculty members at Gordon State College are mandated reporters. Any student reporting any type of sexual harassment, sexual assault, dating violence, domestic violence or stalking must be made aware that any report made to a faculty member under the provisions of Title IX will be reported to the Title IX Coordinator or a Title IX Deputy Coordinator. If you wish to speak with someone confidentially, you must contact the Counseling and Accessibility Services office, Room 212, Student Life Center. The licensed counselors in the Counseling Office are able to provide confidential support. Gordon State College does not discriminate against any student on the basis of pregnancy, parenting or related conditions. Students seeking accommodations on the basis of pregnancy, parenting or related conditions should contact Counseling and Accessibility Services regarding the process of documenting pregnancy related issues and being approved for accommodations, including pregnancy related absences as defined under Title IX.

ADA and 504

If you have a documented disability as described by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Section 504, you may be eligible to receive accommodations to assist in programmatic and/or physical accessibility. The Counseling and Accessibility Services office located in the Student Center, Room 212 can assist you in formulating a reasonable accommodation plan and in providing support in developing appropriate accommodations to ensure equal access to all GSC programs and facilities. Course requirements will not be waived, but accommodations may assist you in meeting the requirements. For documentation requirements and for additional information, contact Counseling and Accessibility Services at 678-359-5585.

House Bill 280

For information regarding House Bill 280, see the University System of Georgia at the following link: http://www.usg.edu/hb280

Religious Holidays

Gordon State College acknowledges that the academic calendar can sometimes conflict with major holidays from among our diverse religious traditions. If a student must miss class due to the observance of a religious holiday, that absence may be excused. To be excused, the student must inform his/her instructors before the absence and make alternate arrangements for any work due at the time of the absence. An excused absence for the observance of a religious holiday does not excuse student from responsibility for required course work.

Hightower Collaborative Learning Center & Library

The Hightower Collaborative Learning Center & Library offers Gordon State students specialized library research assistance. Students can meet with their personal librarians for one-on-one help in each discipline, major, or course to search and evaluate information sources effectively. Go to http://libcal.gordonstate.edu/ to schedule an appointment by clicking the Personal Librarian tab or click on the Presentation Practice Room tab to make a reservation. For immediate help, call 678-359-5076 or stop by the Circulation/Check-Out Desk. You can also Ask A Librarian or drop by the Circulation/Check-Out Desk. Check the library’s web site for hours, electronic resources, and LibGuides (subject- or class-specific research guides).

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1002 Fall 2022

 

Make this schedule your bible – NOT the calendar on D2L.  I’ve endeavored to include everything here on the calendar, but I can’t guarantee it will be error-free.  I can’t guarantee what’s below is error-free, but I will take responsibility if this schedule is in error and causes you to miss something.  I won’t do so for anything on the D2L calendar that is in error.

 

Homework is at the END of the Power Point. 

You don’t need to turn in any exercises within the Power Point.

 

Homework numbers and due dates are in red.

 

Go here and click on Spanish 1002 if any link is broken.

 

 

Wed., August 17

 

First class

 

D2L 1 -- Sunday, August 21

Direct Object Pronouns

 

Monday, August 22

 

D2L 2 – Tuesday, August 23

Indirect Object Pronouns

 

Wed., August 24

 

Vocab quiz 1b

 

D2L 3 -- Sunday, August 28

Gustar et al

Lectura 1  Do NOT use a translator.

 

Monday, August 29

 

Dialogue 1

 

D2L 4  -- Tuesday, Aug. 30

Demonstrative Adjectives

Possessive Adjectives

Lectura 2 – Do NOT use a translator

 

 

Wed., August 31

 

Vocab quiz 1c

 

 

D2L 5 – Tuesday, Sept. 6

Escuchemos 1b (yes, 1b) – Remember that it’s under “quizzes” on D2L, the score counts, and you can do it

as many times as you want.

Answer questions at the end of “Buen provecho.”

 

 

Wed., Sept 7

 

TEST 1

 

 

D2L 6 – Sunday, Sept. 11

Escuchemos 1a – Remember that it’s under “quizzes” on D2L, the score counts, and you can do it as many

times as you want.

 

 

Monday, Sept. 12

 

Vocab quiz 1d

 

 

D2L 7 – Tuesday, Sept 13

Que vs. cual

Reflexive pronouns

 

 

Wed., Sept. 14

 

Present dialogue 1

 

 

D2L 8 – Sunday, Sept 18

Prepositional pronouns

Lectura 3

 

 

Monday, Sept. 19

 

Quiz: Vocab 2

 

 

D2L 9 – Tuesday, Sept. 20

Negation

Escuchemos 2 (Remember that it’s under Quizzes in D2L)

 

 

Wed., Sept. 21

 

No quiz!

 

 

Monday, Sept. 26

 

TEST 2

 

 

Wed., Sept. 28

 

Review for midterm

 

 

Monday, Oct. 3

 

MIDTERM

 

D2L 10 – Tuesday, Oct. 4

Go here. Choose a country (not the U.S. or Brazil) on the left. Find a headline that interests you. Write a 2-3 sentence summary hitting the highlights, not the details. Write in YOUR OWN SPANISH WORDS. If you use a phrase lifted from the article, you get no credit. Be sure to include the link to the article.

 

Wed., Oct. 5

VOCAB QUIZ 3a


D2L 11 – Sunday, Oct. 9 (May not look like it, but these are clickable links.)

Preterit 1 drill (do this one FIRST)

Preterit 1

Se for Unplanned Occurrences

 

Monday, October 10

 

VOCAB QUIZ 3b

 

D2L 12 – Tuesday, Oct. 11

Preterit 2 drill (Do this one first.)

Preterit 2

Culture Power Point: Seville & Granada

 

Wed., October 12

Present Dialogue 2

 

D2L 13– Tuesday, October 18

Hace + que and acabar de

Irregular preterit

Learn the preterit or die

 

Wed., October 19

 

Review for test

 

Monday, October 24

 

TEST 3 – all preterit; se for unplanned occurrences; hace + que, acabar de;“En la playa”; Seville & Granada. As usual, there will be a reading and a composition.

 

You had better practice the preterit until you’re having nightmares about it.  As stated in the syllabus, you must score a 70% or above on the preterit section in order to pass the class.  If you don’t, you can take quizzes over the preterit as often as you need, but they won’t change your test grade.  So save yourself a lot of headache and get a good grade on your test by studying your brains out and working your butt off BEFORE Test 3.

 

D2L 14 – Tuesday, Oct. 25

Lectura 4 (You'll have to click on “Un viaje a Costa Rica” after clicking on the "Lectura 4" link.)

Composition about vacation – at least 5 sentences

Lectura 5

Escuchemos 3a

 

Wed., October 26

 

D2L 15 – Sunday, Oct. 30

Imperfect

 

The preterit vs. imperfect is a difficult concept for English speakers. Below are links to online practice exercises for your benefit:

Spanish Dict
Colby
Ricitos de oro (This is a story and therefore more "genuine" than individual sentences, because it has context.)
Indiana (This is a collection of paragraphs, but you have to write the answers on paper & then click "respuestas." That gives you the paragraph with all the verbs filled in.)

 

 

Monday, October 31

 

Vocab 4 quiz

 

D2L 16 – Tuesday, Nov. 1

Ricitos de oro – imperfect vs. pret.

Escuchemos 3b

 

Lectura 6

 

Wed., Nov. 2

 

VOCAB QUIZ 5a

 

 

D2L 17 – Sunday, Nov. 6

Comparisons

Escuchemos 4a

 

Monday, Nov. 7

 

Present dialogue 3

 

Wed., Nov. 9

 

Interviews

 

D2L 18 – Sunday, Nov. 13

Superlatives

 

 

 

Monday, Nov. 14

 

Present dialogue 4

 

D2L 19 – Tuesday, Nov. 15

Long-form/stressed possessives

Escuchemos 4b

Lectura 9

 

Wed., Nov. 16

 

Vocab 5b quiz

 

Monday, Nov. 21

 

TEST 4 – imperfect; preterit vs. imperfect; comparisons; superlatives; long-form/stressed possessives; hace + que & acabar de; “Una falda roja”; Spanish Artists

Reading & composition as usual.

 

Monday, Nov. 28

 

Show & Tell

 

Wed., Nov. 30

 

Review

 

Monday, Dec. 5

 

Show & Tell 2