español 101    fall 2008:         Monday - Wednesday - Friday

instructor:    Sra. Wortham                office hours:
office:        Brown Hall, room 310    Monday-Wednesday: 2:30 - 5:00 p.m.
phone #:    342-1531            Tuesday-Thursday:      2:30 - 4:00 p.m.   
e-mail:    wortham@ulm.edu         or by appointment

course description and objectives
Spanish 101 is an introduction to the basic grammatical structures of the language.  The student
will develop an elementary ability to speak, to understand, to read, and to write in Spanish. Upon
completion of this course, the student will be able to perform at the novice level in all four skills.

major topics
The present tense verbs, the noun structure and the pronouns will be the major topics.
mode of delivery.   Class periods will be devoted to a variety of teaching-learning methods: direct teaching, oral practice in
whole group, and paired and group work.  Group work (cooperative learning) will be the primary approach to
learning Spanish. For each class period, the student will have an assigned group number and group leader.
On the roll sheet, the student will be able to find out his-her number and group leader. This is a participation
class, and therefore, students are expected to be in class and prepared to participate.

Homework assignments will be designed to supplement work done in class, and their completion will be an
important component for learning the language since the greater part of the grade is based on writing. 
Homework will be posted on Blackboard, and you will be expected to come to class with copies of assigned
documents and homework. Late homework will not be accepted. However, all of the homework can be
submitted by e-mail the day of the student’s absence (s) for credit or delivered on the due date. Please note:
The student with a university-excused absence must notify the professor in advance, and he-she is
expected to turn in the assignment in advance.

textbook
The 9th edition of ¿Cómo se dice...? is required.  The student is expected to bring the textbook to
class.  The student is strongly encouraged to obtain a 3-ring binder to keep worksheets and
handouts organized for each chapter.

assessment - The student is expected to keep track of his-her grade.
          
All four skills speaking, listening, reading and writing will be assessed:

homework(7.5) + participation(7.5) + quizzes (60-quizzes may not be made-up)75 points
three major exams - 75 points each                         225 points
final exam - comprehensive, chapters 1-5                    100 points
                                total             400 points
course grading scale:  A 400-358    B 357-318  C  317-278  D  277-238  F  237-0

* please note: In order to proceed to  Spanish 102, the Spanish 101 student must make a C or better.

make-up policy for exams and quizzes
exams:  It is the Department’s policy to provide make-up exams only to students with excused absences
 as defined by the 2008-9 Student Policy Manuel on page 13. Note that make-up exams will only be
administered on September 22 and October 22 at 2:00 p.m. in the language lab.  The 3rd make-up exam
will be taken after the final exam. The student must present a written excuse in order to schedule the make-
up exam.  quizzes:  Please note that quizzes cannot be made up under any circumstance. Eight quizzes
will be given and the two lowest quizzes including missed quizzes will be dropped.

class attendance
Students are expected to attend all classes. If you are absent, it is your responsibility to find out what you
missed and to be prepared when returning to class.  If you miss 4 class periods, an absence report will be
sent to your dean notifying him-her of the absences, and after a total of 12 absences, you will receive an
automatic F. The last date to withdraw with an automatic W is Wednesday, October 22.

In the event that you are unable to attend your class, please contact me about attending one of my other classes. 
MWF classes at 9:00 a.m., 10:00 a.m., and 11:00 a.m. in Brown Hall, room 324, and T-Th classes at 9:30 a.m. and 11:00 in
Brown Hall, room 324.

language lab
The language lab is located on the 3rd floor of Brown Hall, room 320. The student is strongly encouraged to
make use of the available resources at no charge to the student and to work with a tutor. The student must
present his-her student identification to use the lab.  Lab rules are posted in the lab, and a schedule of the
Spanish tutors is posted on the lab bulletin board in the hall.

safety
Safety issues will be discussed in class, and concerns will be forwarded to the department head.

special needs

Students with special needs should discuss concerns with the professor as soon as reasonably possible
but not later than August 20.  The following ULM sites are available for assistance for various issues:
http://www.ulm.edu/counselingcenter/,  http://www.ulm.edu/studentaffairs and http://www.ulm.edu/cass.

academic integrity

For University policy on academic integrity, visit the ULM Student Policy Manuel at http://www.ulm.edu/studentpolicy .

web site resources recommended:
http://college.hmco.com/languages/spanish/students
http://studyspanish.com/tutorial.htm
http://www.spanishome.com/
http://geocities.com/Athens/Thebes/6177/
http://www.bilingualamerica.com/htrls_minisite/htrls_forward.htm
http://www.teachspanish.com/
http://www.verbix.com/languages/spanish.shtml
http://www.colby.edu/~bknelson/exercises/
http://www.studyspanish.com/verbs/
http://www.quia.com/shared/spanish/

*    Please turn off cell phones or beepers and keep out of sight during class.
**    All information is subject to change as deemed necessary by the professor.
class room routine and expectations

1.    homework

    Homework will be announced and highlighted at the beginning of class. The student is expected to
     record this information at that time. The homework turned in to the professor must be presentable.
    The student is expected to write legibly, and the work must be double spaced on a loose sheet
of paper. Credit will not be given for 5 or more mistakes. If the student continues to make 5 or more
errors, the student will be required to go to the language lab, and the homework must be initialed
by the tutor. If the student does not complete the assigned homework, he-she will not be allowed to
participate with his-her group. The student will be expected to complete work while the students
check their work. Grading rubrics:  - 1 point per verb and - ½ per vocabulary.

2.    class time

    The class will begin on time. This means that the student must arrive before the class begins.
    Tardiness is unacceptable and disrespectful to the professor, students and subject. The student
    will be considered absent after the 3rd tardy. If you have difficulty arriving on time, please
    consult the instructor.

3.    work space

    On the table, the student may only have the textbook, notebook, and homework. Everything
    else including keys, purses, etc. must be put away. You are encouraged to use a colored pen to
     correct homework.

4.    cell phones and/or any other technology - refer to student policy:

    Cell phones must be turned off during the class period and be kept out of sight. Please read
    the cell phone policy posted on Blackboard. If there is an emergency, please notify the professor
    before class. Otherwise the student will be asked to leave the class, which will result in an absence.

5.    group assignments and attendance

    The student will sign the roll sheet and write "sí "only if all parts of the homework are completed or
    "no." Also on the roll sheet, the student will find his-her group and leader assignment for each class
    period.

6.    tribe e-mail account

    Please check your tribe account for e-mail messages and announcements from the professor.




important dates

exam schedule                        holiday schedule

September 15    exam # 1 - chapters 1-2        September 1    - labor day
October 15        exam # 2 - chapters 3-4        October 10 - fall break
November 21    exam # 3 - chapter 5 and ½ of 6

make-up exam schedule        last day to drop - October 22

September 22    exam # 1
October 22        exam # 2
after the final        exam # 3

Make-up exams numbers 1 and 3 will be monitored in the language lab by a lab tutor at 2:00 p.m.

final exams

Spanish 101.02    December 4th at 1:00 p.m.
Spanish 101.03    December 4th at 8:00 a.m.
Spanish 101.04    December 5th at 8:00 a.m.