Overview Objective Materials grading Exam ELI Policies and Procedures Contacting the Instructor Beginning the Course
SPA 201:  Intermediate Spanish I - 3 Credits
Professor:  Esther Kahn

Overview

Intermediate Spanish I, places emphasis on the continued development of proficiency in the following skills: reading, writing, listening, and speaking. This course also familiarizes students with the culture, customs and literature of the Spanish-speaking world.

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Objectives



If you do well in this course, you will be able to:

Speaking: Given a basic communicative context, you will be able to handle a variety of uncomplicated communicative tasks and social situations. You will be generally understood by sympathetic native speakers. You should be able to:

  • talk simply about yourself and family members

  • ask and answer questions

  • participate in simple conversations on topics beyond your immediate needs, such as personal history and leisure time activities.
Listening: You will be able to understand content which recombines learned material on a variety of topics:

  • personal background and needs

  • social conventions and somewhat more complex situations

  • lodging, transportation, shopping, personal interests and activities

  • a greater diversity of instructions and directions

  • short routine telephone conversations
  • simple announcements and reports over the media.
Reading: You will be able to read consistently with increased understanding simple connected texts dealing with a variety of basic and social needs in areas of personal interest and/or knowledge. These will include straightforward descriptions of persons, places, and things written for a wide audience.

Writing: You will be able to accomplish writing tasks on a level that can generally be understood by most natives used to the writing of non-natives. These tasks may include:

  • Writing short, simple narratives on personal preferences, daily routine, everyday events, and other topics grounded in personal experience.

  • Writing in the present time and at least one other time frame or aspect consistently.
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Materials

 

The required textbook for this course is:

  • Van Patten, Bill, Martha Alford Marks and Richard V. Teschner. Destinos, an Introduction to Spanish, (with 7 Listening Comprehension CDs). McGraw-Hill Inc. 2002.

  • Van Patten, Bill, Martha Alford Marks and Richard V. Teschner. Destinos Workbook/Study Guide II. McGraw-Hill Inc. 2002.

  • Destinos Audio CD Program, Part B - consisting of 4 CDs that comprise the listening activities in the Workbook/Study Guide. Lessons 27-36 are covered in SPA 201.

  • Course Guide for SPA 201 (includes assignments, information on exams and other course details)

  • Course Guide CD for SPA 201 .

Additional Aids: These can be purchased in local bookstores or at the www.barneseduc.com or www.amazon.com web sites.

  • English Grammar for Students of Spanish, A Study Guide for Those Learning Spanish. Emily Spinelli; The Olivia and Hill Press

  • The American Heritage Larousse Spanish Dictionary. Houghton Mifflin, Paperback

  • Spanish Verbs. Christopher Kendris; Barrons
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Grading
 

Your course grade will be determined according to the following assignements and percentage of grade:

Assignments
Points
Lesson assignments (oral and written)
510
4 Exams (written, listening, and oral production)
500
Total
 1010

Grading Scale
Grade
Points
A
 909-1010
B
 808-908
C
707-807
D 606-706
F
Less than 606
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Exams

 

You are expected to take your examinations at one of the NVCC campus Testing Centers. Be sure to allow enough time to complete your exam before the Testing Center closes; Testing Centers have specific policies relating to the administration of ELI exams. You will need to take a photo ID, your NovaConnect empl ID number, and the appropriate Exam Pass when you go to the Testing Center.  

For Testing Center locations, hours of operation and policies, click here.

For information on taking exams outside of the metropolitan area, click here.

 
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ELI Policies and Procedures

 
This is an Extended Learning Institute (ELI) course. ELI courses differ from campus courses in several important ways, including enrollment dates, communication with faculty, assignment completion requirements, and exams. You must follow ELI's policies and procedures if you take this course. Read (or review) ELI's Policies and Procedures before you begin the course. If you have questions, call ELI at (703) 323-3347 or (888) 435-6822.
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Contacting the Instructor

 

I am here to help you succeed in this course. Occasionally questions or problems may arise. Here is how to contact me when they do:

E-mail : ekahn@nvcc.edu
Telephone : (703) 323-2000, ext. 27011, Option 2

You may also call me to schedule a meeting in person, either at ELI or my campus office. 

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Beginning the Course
 

1. Use your web browser to connect to http://www.nvcc.edu/bbstart. Follow the directions to determine your email, Blackboard and VIVA account user names and passwords.
2. Access your email account and make sure you know how to use it; you will be required to use this account for all course-related email.
3. Log on to Blackboard at http://learn.vccs.edu.
4. Click on this course under "My Courses." Review the entire course to make sure you understand what will be required of you. Then start completing the assignments.

Please note that account generation takes approximately one week from the time of your paid registration. If you cannot log on after one week, contact the IT Help Desk. If you can log on to Blackboard, but your course isn't listed, please contact ELI or your instructor.