NEW YORK CITY COLLEGE OF TECHNOLOGY DIVISION OF LIBERAL ARTS DEPARTMENT OF THE HUMANITIES COURSE OF STUDY: SPA 1101/SP 101 COURSE TITLE: ELEMENTARY SPANISH I COURSE DESCRIPTION: This is a course for beginning students of Spanish. It covers basic grammar and pronunciation, and develops basic vocabulary. Students practice spoken and written language. Language lab assignments are required. PREREQUISITE: Departmental permission REQUIRED TEXT: Perez-Gironés, A.M., and Thalia Dorwick. Apúntate, First Edition. MacGraw Hill, 2009 3 CLASS HOURS, 3 CREDITS GRADING: Midterm Exam: 20% Final Exam: 20% Quizzes/Tests: 20% Attendance / Participation: 20% Lab Work Online/Homework 20% ATTENDANCE POLICY: Please consult College Catalog. Essentially, 10% absences are allowed. Beyond that, you can expect a WU grade. Also, 3 late arrivals to class count as one absence. ASSESSMENT: How much and how well the students learn will be assessed on a daily basis based on class participation, which includes oral practice of new vocabulary and expressions at progressive levels, as well as either vocabulary dictation or 3 quizzes. NEW YORK CITY COLLEGE OF TECHNOLOGY POLICY ON ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: Students and all others who work with information, ideas, texts, images, music, inventions, and other intellectual property owe their audience and sources accuracy and honesty in using, crediting, and citing sources. As a community of intellectual and professional workers, the College recognizes its responsibility for providing instruction in information literacy and academic integrity, offering models of good practice, and
responding vigilantly and appropriately to infractions of academic integrity. Accordingly, academic dishonesty is prohibited in The City University of New York and at New York City College of Technology and is punishable by penalties, including failing grades, suspension, and expulsion. The complete text of the College policy on Academic Integrity may be found in the catalog. COURSE OUTLINE Week 1 Preliminaries. Greetings, hellos and goodbyes. Getting acquainted by asking students for their names in Spanish. Spanish alphabet. Spanish sounds. Easy questions and answers based on the verb hablar, which the instructor will write on the board along with the subject pronouns. Stressing the similarities, rather than the differences, between the Spanish and the English alphabets, will encourage a positive attitude toward learning Spanish. Choral repetition of the alphabet and the greetings, first between the instructor and one or more students, then between students, until all have practiced. Week 2 Present/first regular conjugation (-ar verbs). Dwell at length on its importance. Explain the optional use of the subject pronouns. The three definite articles and their uses. The concept of gender. Gender of nouns. Plural of nouns. How to ask questions and how to make a sentence negative. Again emphasize the similarities, rather than the differences, between Spanish and English. Week 3 Present indicative of the second regular conjugation (-er verbs). Present tense of the irregular verbs ser and tener. Uses of ser. The very important work hay. Uses of tener que, corresponding to the English to have to (point out the extra word, present both in English and in Spanish). Adjectives. The agreement of adjectives with nouns, in both gender and number. Week 4 Present indicative of the third regular conjugation (-ir verb). The prepositions a and de, and how they contract with the singular masculine definite article el to form al and del. The present indicative of the irregular verb ir and its uses, which parallel the uses of the English to go. The use (again parallel to the English) of ir + infinitive to express futurity. Possessive adjectives. Week 5 Times of day. Present indicative of the verb saber. It is suggested that the irregular verbs querer and venir be replaced with the regular verbs desear and llegar, respectively. Position of adjectives, which is flexible except for adjectives denoting nationality, which must always follow nouns. Phrases with de + noun. Commands, familiar. Review. Week 6 Present indicative of the verb estar and its uses as contrasted with the uses of ser. Present indicative of the verb conocer and saber. Cardinal numbers 1 through 30.
Week 7 The present participle, corresponding to the English gerund (ending in - ing). The personal a. Continue to dwell on the difference between ser and estar, and between saber and conocer. Week 8 Demonstrative adjectives. Direct object pronouns. Common verbs which do not require prepositions in front of direct objects. Week 9 Indirect object pronouns. Their use and their position in the sentence. Present indicative of the irregular verbs poner, salir, traer. Review. Week 10 Present indicative of the irregular verbs dar and decir. Days of the week. Names of the months. Review. Week 11 The verb gustar and its uses. Cardinal numbers 31 through 90. The difference between que and cual. Superlatives. Week 12 Present indicative of the irregular verb hacer and its uses, which correspond to the uses of the English to do and to make. Week 13 Week 14 Week 15 Reflexive verbs and reflexive pronouns Position of object pronouns and of reflexive pronouns with an infinitive. General Review, FINAL EXAMINATION. Extra reading material suggested: Two comic stories by John Pittaro: "Ante todo la tranquilidad." "El alto costo del suicidio." Three quizzes to be given during the semester: one at the end of Week 3; one at the end of week 9; one at the end of week 12 LEARNING OUTCOMES/BEHAVIORAL OBJECTIVES: A poem by Jose Marti: "Los dos principes." By the end of the week indicated, via classroom performance, homework and tests, students will show that they can: Week 1 Differentiate between the English and Spanish alphabet. Pronounce Spanish letters and syllables reasonably accurately. Project a mastery of simple basic greetings and farewells. Exchange said basic greetings and farewells with the teacher and fellow students.
Use common stock phrases correctly (e.g. Como esta usted?) Week 2 Respond correctly in Spanish to simple questions (e.g. Habla Usted español?) Demonstrate that they have learned the first regular conjugation by translating orally simple sentences (e.g. Do you speak Spanish?) Elucidate the meaning of gender as it applies to nouns in Spanish. Explain how questions are asked in Spanish, and give example thereof. Explain how sentences are made negative, with examples. Form complete sentences utilizing the 30-odd words learned, first in the singular, then in the plural. Demonstrate awareness that the material in question constitutes the nucleus of everything to follow, and that, conversely, failure to absorb and digest same may mean being left behind without a proper foundation. Week 3 1. Respond in Spanish to questions using verbs of the second regular conjugation. 2. Explain how one differentiates between regular verbs of the first and second conjugations. 3. Discuss the uses of tener and tener que and point out the similarities with their English counterparts to have and to have to. 4. State the uses of the verb ser (to be). 5. Give examples of the agreement of adjectives with nouns. 6. Answer questions containing the newly acquired vocabulary (30-odd words). 7. Translate into Spanish, on the blackboard, simple sentences covering the newly learned items of grammar. 8. Correct the errors, if any, in the sentences written on the blackboard by a classmate. Week 4 Explain how one recognizes verbs belonging to the third regular conjugation. Give examples of the two contractions. Make proper use of possessive adjectives. Point out that position of descriptive adjectives is flexible, with the exception of adjectives denoting nationality. Demonstrate a thorough understanding of the use of the preposition de + infinitive, as in English. Week 5 Tell the time of day. Use the verb saber correctly. Show awareness that the irregular verbs querer and venir may be replaced with the regular verb desear and llegar, respectively. Give commands, either using the command forms or the stock phrase "Hazme el favor de" + infinitive. Week 6 Project a thorough knowledge of the difference between the verb estar and ser by giving examples. Project likewise a thorough knowledge of the difference between the verbs saber and conocer by giving examples. Translate correctly sentences containing estar, ser, saber, and conocer.
Week 7 Give examples of the uses of the present participle. Demonstrate a thorough understanding of the use of the personal "a" including when it cannot and must not be used. Week 8 Show knowledge of use and position of direct object pronouns by answering questions designed to test such knowledge. List the common verbs which do not require prepositions before a direct object. Week 9 List the indirect object pronouns, and describe their uses and their position in the sentence. Demonstrate ability to conjugate the irregular verbs poder, salir, and traer, in the present indicative. Week 10 Conjugate the irregular verbs dar and decir. Recite the days of the week in Spanish when asked by the teacher or a classmate. Week 11 Count up to 90. Use the verb gustar correctly. Make comparisons and use superlatives. Explain the difference between que and cual. Week 12 Use the verb hacer correctly. Answer questions containing the irregular verbs learned so far. Week 13 Week 14 infinitive. Demonstrate knowledge of reflexive verbs and reflexive pronouns. Give examples of the position of object and reflexive pronouns with an Prepared by: Rigofredo Granados Revised by Carmen Valle, August, 2006 Updated by Carmen Valle and Ann Delilkan, October 2009.