Tuesday, October 20, 2009

PRACTICA MID-TERM SPN 101 Oct 09

PRACTICA MID-TERM EXAM SPN 101

A. Correct the following questions/answers. 50 points.

1. ¿Cuando es tu compleanos?
Es el Abril de veintesiete.
2. ¿Como fue?
So-So, gracias.
3. ¿Que clases tomas los martes?
Cero.
4. ¿Te gusta la clases de espanol?
Si, bien.
5. ¿Que estudias?
Yo estudia Trabajo Social.
6. ¿Te gusto estudiar?
Si, mi gusto mucho.
7. ¿Te gusto la clase de sociologia?
Si, mi gusta muchisma.
8. ¿Que ensenan?
La ensana espanol.
9. ¿Por qué estudias patología de lenguaje?
Me gusta ayudar a los niños. ¿Por qué estudias negocios?
Me intereso a los negocios.
10. ¿Dónde comes al mediodía?
Cómo en mi amigo casa. ¿Y tú?


B. Edit the following script. Provide the background. Correct some ideas by deleting words, adding orthographic mistakes or changing words. Then contribute some lines of your own (at least four lines with complete ideas) to continue the script. You can add more background in English to make a smooth transition. 50 points.

J: Que estudias en la Universidad?
N: Yo estudio educacion general. Y tu?
J: Yo estudio la biologia.
N: Que clases tomas en la Universidad?
J: Yo tomo la biologia, la quemica, espanol, y ingles. Y tu?
N: Yo tomo la geografia, la caligrafia, espanol, y ingles.
J: Yo no sabia que tu estabas en mi clase de espanol.
N: Yo no sabia tambien.

SPN 101 STUDY GUIDE MID-TERM

SPN 101 – Study Guide MID-TERM
Lección 1 Hola, ¿qué tal?
Vocabulary-Greetings: Hola. Me llamo_____. ¿Cómo te llamas tú?
Formulaic phrases to start a conversation such as: Mucho gusto; Un placer; and ¿Cuál es su nombre?
Nouns and articles: El hombre-La mujer-Las estudiantes-La mano-El país-Los chicos-Las emociones
Nouns, verbs, adjectives and adverbs are content words in Spanish. Articles and nouns are function words. When combining nouns and articles remember to consider that gender agrees with number.
Numbers 1-100: ¿Cuántos estudiantes hay? Hay veintiun estudiantes. Tengo diecinueve años.
Present tense of ser: ¿De dónde es usted? Eres de Lima? Mis padres son de Hartford, KY.
SER: Yo soy-Tú eres, El es-Nosotros somos-Uds. son generally indicates fixed identities.
Telling Time: ¿Qué hora es? ¿A qué hora es la película de Bruno? Son las..Es a las..
Months of the year: ¿En qué meses es verano en Estados Unidos? ¿Cuándo es tu cumpleaños?

Lección 2 En la Universidad
Vocabulary-Days of the week: Biología-Trabajo Social-Cursos-Especialidad-Lunes-Martes-Sábado. ¿Qué clases tomas en la universidad? ¿Qué clases tomas los martes?
Present Tense of –ar verbs: hablo-hablas-habla-hablamos-hablan; ¿Trabajas? ¿Estudias Trabajo Social?
Verbs are an important to convey messages. Observe endings for AR-verbs. List main –AR verbs connected you’re your university life. Make up your own sentences. Compare these with your partner’s.
Forming questions- Question words: ¿Te gusta la clase de español? ¿Qué estudias? ¿Por qué estudias _______?
¿Quién ensena la clase?
To make questions use intonation, change verb position, use verdad, no in the end of the question, or use a question word (cómo, cuánto, de dónde, a dónde, por qué, cuándo, qué, cuál) raising your intonation. Gustar verbs Me gusta/Les fascina indicate that something affects the emotions of the person. Use me-te-le-nos-les at the beginning of the sentence, and match the verb with the number of the noun following.: Me gustan las clases/A Martin le fascinan las peliculas interesantes.
Present Tense of estar: Estoy en la clase de español de 9 a 10 de la mañana todos los días. ¿Cómo estás?
ESTAR: yo estoy-tú estás-el está-nosotros estamos-ustedes están generally indicates temporary identities, locations and states of mind/health.
Colors: Me encanta el color rojo. ¿Cuál es tu color favorito? Los colores de la bandera son verde, amarillo y azul.

Lección 3 La familia
Vocabulary-Seasons, Weather: Mis padres-mamá-papá-tío-abuela-verano-invierno-otoño-primavera: ¿Cuántas personas hay en tu familia? ¿Cómo se llaman tus padres? ¿De dónde son? ¿Cuántas hermanas tienes? ¿Cómo se llaman?
Descriptive adjectives: Altos-Bajo-Guapas-Fea-Simpática-Antipáticos
Possessive adjectives: Mi-Mis-Tu-Tus-Su-Sus-Nuestro-Nuestros
Present Tense of er, -ir verbs: Dónde comes al mediodía? ¿Dónde vives?
AR verb: hablo-hablas-habla-hablamos-hablan
ER verb: como-comes-come-comemos-comen
IR verb: vivo-vives-vive-vivimos-viven
Present Tense of tener and venir: Tengo-Vengo-Tienes-Vienes-Tiene-Viene-Tenemos-Venimos-Tienen-Vienen
Uses of tener: ¿Cuántos años tienes? ¿Tienes frio? ¿Tienes calor? Mi mamá tiene razón.
Tengo hambre-Tiene frio-Tienen prisa-Tiene suerte. Study these and similar meanings by making your own sentences.

Lección 4 Los pasatiempos
Vocabulary- Foods: Vóleybol-Basket-Pollo-Agua-Leche: ¿Hay un restaurante mexicano cerca de la universidad? ¿Qué comidas te gustan para la cena? ¿Cuáles son tus deportes favoritos?
Present Tense of ir: The implied future: ¿Qué van a hacer tus amigos en su próximo viaje?
Voy-Vas-Va-Vamos-Van. This verb indicates something is happening in the near future or the direction someone is going to. Voy a estudiar más tarde. ¿Vas a jugar este fin de semana? Vamos al cine. Ana va a la clase. Study them by making your own sentences.
Stem changing verbs e>ie; o>ue
Entender-Entiendo-Entiendes-Entiende-Entendemos-Entienden
Volver-Vuelvo-Vuelves-Vuelve-Volvemos-Vuelven
Stem changing verbs e>i
Decir-Digo-Dices-Dice-Decimos-Dicen
Verbs with irregular yo forms:
Digo-Hago-Pongo-Salgo-Supongo-Traigo
Gustar-encantar ¿Qué te emociona? ¿Qué te gusta? ¿Qué te aburre? ¿Qué te molesta? ¿Te gusta viajar? ¿Por qué? ¿Te gusta ir al cine los fines de semana?

Exam PRACTICE Tasks
A. Edit a conversation/skit. Recognize grammar problems and correct them (50 points).
B. Complete the blanks with the appropriate words for the sentences/paragraphs. Use vocabulary from specific lesson(s).

Monday, October 19, 2009

STUDY GUIDE SPN 102 Mid Term Fall09

STUDY GUIDE 102 – Estructuras
Preliminary Lesson
Review of Regular Preterite (L6): ¿Viste la película Diarios de Motocicleta?
Observe endings for –ar, -er, and ir-verbs
Yo compré-vendí-escribí/Tú compraste-vendiste-escribiste
Preterite of Ser and Ir: ¿Cómo fueron tus vacaciones? ¿Adónde fuiste el fin de semana pasado?
Yo-fui-Tu fuiste-Ellos fueron
Observe differences according to situations.
Preterite of stem changing verbs (L8, 274): Mi mamá durmió mucho.
Some verbs like dormer and server change their stem E to I in the usted and ustedes pronouns.
Irregular Preterite: (L9, 310): Yo vine-El vino-Tu dijiste
Study verbs like tener, venir, and decir in their conjugations. Other irregular preterites come from verbs like
poder: pude; saber: supe; estar: estuve; hacer: hice, querer/quise

Lesson 10: En el consultorio
Vocabulary: Body parts, verb: doler
The imperfect tense: ¿Veías mucha televisión cuando eras niña/o?
Observe endings for –ar, -er, and ir-verbs
Yo cantaba-bebia-escribía-Tu cantabas-bebías-escribías
The preterite and the imperfect: ¿Cuál era tu programa de televisión favorito? ¿Quién fue tu primer/a novia/o? ¿Cómo era él/ella?
Study the differences between the two. Create your sentences.
Constuctions with se: ¿Qué se vende en una farmacia? Se me perdieron las llaves.
Study impersonal constructions with se: Se habla español; Se venden medicinas. Also used for unplanned events.
Adverbs: Aquí-Ayer-Hoy-Mal-Siempre-Nunca-Verdaderamente-Generalmente-A menudo-Poco


Lección 11: La tecnología
Vocabulary
Familiar commands: Habla más español-Prende la televisión-Guarda este documento
No hables mucho. No prendas la radio- No guardes ese archivo.
Generally consider the ella form for familiar commands. For negative commands consider the YO form of the verb
(hablo), drop the O, and add –AS for the command.
Para y por: ¿Para qué necesitas un carro?
Study differences in context.
Reciprocal reflexives: ¿Cuando se ven tú y tus amigos normalmente? ¿Dónde se encuentran tú y tus amigos?
¿Se entienden bien tú y tus hermanos?
These reflexives express a shared or reciprocal action between two or more people or things.

Lección 12 La vivienda
Vocabulary: ¿Tengo que poner la mesa, mamá? ¿Qué te gusta de vivir en Kentucky?
Relative pronouns: ¿Cómo son las personas que viven en tu barrio?
Formal commands: Limpie su casa-Barran la sala-No ponga el libro en la mesa-No piensen mucho
Take the yo form of the verb, and –E or -EN for –ar verbs, and –A or –AN for –er, -ir verbs. Put NO to make
negative commands. Some irregular commands: dar: DE-DEN; estar; ESTE-ESTEN; ir: VAYA-VAYAN, ser: SEA-
SEAN.
The present subjunctive ¿Es importante que los niños ayuden en casa?: ¿Es urgente que
aprendamos más español? ¿Es necesario que todos vayan a la universidad?
With the exceptions of commands, all the verb forms have been used in the indicative mood. The indicative is used to state facts and to express actions real for the speaker: Yo vivo en Kentucky. In constrast the subjunctive mood expresses the speaker’s attitudes towards events, or states the speaker considers uncertain.
Observe endings for –ar, -er, and ir-verbs
Yo hable-coma-escriba/Tu hables-comas-escribas/El hable-coma-escriba
-ar verbs: e, es, e, emos, éis, en; er/ir verbs: a, as, a, amos, áis, an
Verbs with irregular yo forms show regularity (see endings before): Yo conozco español-El quiere que yo conozca
mas español-Yo hago mi tarea siempre-El profesor quiere que yo haga la tarea en este momento.
Irregular verbs in the present subjunctive: dar-estar-ir-saber-ser
See general uses of the subjunctive: To express wil, emotion, doubt, indefinitness. And in sentences with a main
clasuse, a connector, and a subordínate clause.

Tasks for Mid-Term
A. Edit a conversation/skit: Provide the correct words. (50 points)
B. Fill in the blanks with the appropriate word. Read a paragraph/conversation and write the appropriate word. (50 points)

Monday, April 20, 2009

SPN 202 - Est Assignments

SPN 202 Estructura Assignments April 20, 09

Estructuras SPN 202

UNIT 8 La salud
Present subjunctive - Virgenya
Indicative or subjunctive after certain verbs, after relative pronouns- Oscar
Present perfect subjunctive - Luis
UNIT 9 ¡Sigue la moda!
Comparative and superlative constructions – Kyle
Demonstrative adjectives and pronouns - Deborah
Possessive adjective and pronouns - Tychena
¿Cuál?-Nominalization - Virgenya
UNIT 10 ¡Buen viaje!
Regular, irregular future forms - Oscar
Conditional - Luis
Conditional constructions – Kyle
Future and conditional of probability - Deborah
Pluperfect - Ty
Future perfect - Virgenya
Pluperfect, conditional - Oscar

UNIT 11 En el hotel
Al + infinitive - Luis
Preposition + infinitive - Kyle
Conjunction + subjunctive - Deborah
Cuando + indicative and subjunctive - Ty
UNIT 12 Hogar, dulce hogar…
Imperfect subjunctive: forms and uses - Virgenya
Si-clauses and sequence of tenses - Oscar
UNIT 14: Ganándose la vida
Pluperfect subjunctive - Luis
Si-clauses with pluperfect subjunctive and conditional perfect - Kyle
Relative pronouns - Deborah
Cuyo constructions - Ty

Thursday, April 16, 2009

SPN 102 FINAL OBJECTIVES

FINAL OBJECTIVES
Jueves 16 de abril de 2009

By the end of the semester, we will have accomplished the following objectives:

A. TWO WRITING TASKS (Hard copies are handed for grading when papers are finally finished).
(1) Imagine you have a friend who lives in an exciting place you have never visited: New York City, Ciudad de Mexico, etc. You are about to visit your friend for the first time, you are excited and have many things you want to do, but also have a lot of questions. On a sheet of paper, write a letter to your friend to prepare for your trip. More details: Síntesis, L 14, p. 166 Workbook.
(2) Write a ONE-part letter plan for your future. More details: Síntesis, L16, p. 188.

B. Blog post for Estructuras: Students will post their Estructuras assignments on this blog before they are practiced in class, or part of the syllabus. We will check these on April 30, last day of class. A grade for postings will be assigned.

C. Students will PERFORM (READ with creativity) the letter in (1) or the future letter plan (2) above as part of their FINAL PERFORMANCE last week of class. BRING A FINAL HARD COPY OF THE TWO LETTERS on April 30.

D. FINAL EXAM: Based on Workbook, Lab Manual, Estructuras Postings, Previous Tasks, Classwork and Homework.

SCHEDULE
Jue Abril 16: Lesson 14 (book): E 14.2
START LETTER 1
Mar Abril 21: Lesson 14: E 14.3
EDIT LETTER 1
Jue Abril 23: Lesson 16 (book): Contextos E16.1
DUE: WB and LM: Contexto L14; Estructuras: 12.4, 14.2, 14.3; Panorama: Venezuela
START LETTER 2
Mar Abril 28: Leccion 16: E 16.2
EDIT LETTER 2
Jue Abril 30: PERFORMANCES (BRING A HARD COPY of your EDITED PERFORMANCES)
BLOG POSTINGS REVIEW
DUE: WB-LM: Contexto L16-17: Estructuras: 15.1, 16.1, 16.2, 17.1, 17.2, 18.1; Panorama: Nicaragua, El Salvador
Mar Mayo 5: FINAL EXAM (10-12PM)

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

SPN 305 - FINAL OBJECTIVES/TASKS

April 15, 09
Final Assignments SPN 305
1. Complete blog postings by April 26.
2. April 27: Review of blog postings
3. April 29: Review of translations drafts of autoethnographies.
4. April 15, 20 and 24: Ch 6 and 10; Review of strategies for translation
5. Final EXAM week: Autoethnographies in English and Spanish.

SPN 202 - FINAL OBJECTIVES/TASKS

SPN 202 FINAL OBJECTIVES

April 15, 09

By the end of the semester, we will have accomplished the following objectives in SPN 202:

A. TWO WRITING TASKS: CONVERSATION and REPORT (Hard copies are handed for grading when papers are finally finished). DUE: OFFICE May 01, 09.
(1) Create a conversation about your first day in a new hotel or place you are staying. Your first night at the hotel was terrible: there was so much noise from the street that you could not get to sleep. Ask the receptionist to move you to a quieter room. (IN PAIRS)
(2) Write a report on plans to graduate. You are soon going to graduate. Your mother and father want to know what you have done about finding a job. Write them a letter and explain the steps you have taken so far, and mention what additional steps you plan to take in the next few weeks. (INDIVIDUAL)

B. Blog post for Estructuras: Students will post their Estructuras assignments on this blog before they are practiced or as part of the syllabus for this class.

C. Students will PERFORM the interview in (1A) above as part of their FINAL PERFORMANCE last week of class. See PERFORMANCE evaluation grid in this blog for preparing it.

D. Workbook and Lab Manual: L11 and L14 MIERCOLES 29 de Abril, 09

E. FINAL EXAM: Based on Workbook, Lab Manual, Estructuras Exercises and Postings, Writing TASKS, Classwork Tasks, and Homework.

SPN 101 - FINAL OBJECTIVES/TASKS

SPN 101 FINAL OBJECTIVES

April 15, 09

By the end of the semester, we will have accomplished the following objectives in SPN 101:

A. TWO WRITING TASKS: INTERVIEW and REPORT (Hard copies are handed for grading when papers are finally finished). DUE: MAY 01, 09
(1) Interview a classmate about his or her pastime, weekend activities, and favorite sports. Use these questions as guidelines, and prepare several before the interview. Then write up the interview in a question-and answer format, faithfully, reporting your classmate’s responses. More detalles: Síntesis, L5, p. 46 Workbook.
(2) Write a report for this interview.

B. Blog post for Estructuras: Students will post their Estructuras assignments on this blog before they are practiced or as part of the syllabus for this class.

C. Students will PERFORM the interview in (A) above as part of their FINAL PERFORMANCE last week of class. See PERFORMANCE evaluation grid in this blog for preparing it.

D. FINAL EXAM: Based on Workbook, Lab Manual, Estructuras Exercises and Postings, Writing TASKS, Classwork Tasks, and Homework.

E. Workbook and Lab Manual: See DUE Dates

a. Contexto L4 and L5- Estructuras: 4.2, 4.3, 4.4, 5.2: Panorama: México y Puerto Rico: LUNES 20 de abril, 09
b. Contextos: L6 and L7-Estructuras: 5.3, 5.4, 6.1, 7.1, 6.3, 7.3, 7.4, and 8.1-Panorama: Cuba y Perú: VIERNES 01 de Mayo, 09

F. FINAL INTERVIEW PAPER: DUE DAY OF FINAL EXAM

Monday, April 6, 2009

REPASO SPN 202 April 06, 08

06 de abril de 2009

Repaso de las L 8-9-10
Envíe la copia de su narración/descripción, y los ejemplos de 2 estructuras a: cmartinvelez@gmail.com y a los emails de sus compañeros de clase.


1.Escriba una pequeña narración/descripción basada en las instrucciones debajo.

A. Narre brevemente alguna ocasión en que tenía que hacer algo y no pudo hacerlo porque algo inesperado pasó (enfermedad, muerte, accidente, etc.). Mencione que quería hacer, qué pasó, y qué hizo al final.
B. Mencione sus preferencias para comprarse ropa. Mencione como las personas que son más cercanas a usted generalmente reaccionan con su nueva ropa Mencione que ropa le gusta comprar, en qué tiendas, precios, etc. y la ocasión para comprarse ropa.
C. Describa brevemente sus planes para un viaje que hará pronto. Puede imaginarse un lugar favorito si desea. Mencione que piensa hacer y otros detalles de su viaje.

2. Estructuras gramaticales
a. Revise los resúmenes en el blog para las Estructuras gramaticales de los capítulos 8, 9 y10.
b. Dentro de su pequeña narración/descripción, comente el uso de 2 Estructuras gramaticales con sus respectivos ejemplos.

Thursday, April 2, 2009

FINAL RESEARCH PAPER SPN 101 Guidelines-Samples

Final Research Paper (15%): For this paper, you will be reporting two dimensions of your research on Spanish speaking people and countries of origin/first homes. First, you will identify and get to know a Spanish dominant speaker or a bilingual speaker living in the Tri-State area. Second, you will try to get to know where your new amiga/o comes from. You will make attempts to get to know what is important to know about her/his first home. Then, you will go to the library and look for basic information that he/she has mentioned to be important from her/his first home. Note and write the sources you are getting this basic information from. You may interview English/Spanish speakers. Consult with me for my approval. The format of the paper will have two sections: (1) a narrative of how you met this person and what you have learned from his country and life in the US; and (2) an information-based section on the place this new amiga/o comes from. Write the names of the references at the end of paper. 2-4 page, 12 New Times Roman, Double space.

SAMPLE 1 (Actual name of student writer, participant, and work places have been changed/omitted for privacy)

Final Research Paper
Name:
Course:
Date:

Frannie-Pack
Carlos began working at X in September of 2008, and this is where we met. He was hired into my department of computers and cameras to assist with bilingual or Spanish dominate speaking customers. Senior employees, such as myself, take it upon themselves to train the new hires, such as Carlos, and during the course of this training, we all learned about Carlos’ past and his whole life through casual conversation.
Carlos is a native of Ecuador but moved to the United States six years ago to attend Brescia University. This was a feasible venture for him because he had been awarded a sports scholarship to Brescia for playing soccer. He graduated with a double major in Business Finance and Business Banking and now works for Y as his main career, but also works at X for a side job.
Carlos is from the largest city in Ecuador, Guayaquil. He told us that the biggest adjustment from moving to Owensboro Kentucky is the population difference. Guayaquil has an estimated metropolitan population of almost 4,500,000 people, which is quite the contrast from Owensboro’s modest estimated population of 60,000 people. Aside from the obvious difference in the amount of people, Carlos remembers how much busier Guayaquil seemed than Owensboro, what with Guayaquil being the main port of Ecuador and one of the largest in South America. He says there was always something to do there, but not much to do in Owensboro which is why he frequently takes trips to Louisville for entertainment; such as on Friday, the 5th of December, when he went to Louisville to see the play The Nutcracker.
To me, Carlos seems to be the most culturally well rounded person that I have ever met. He is a fan of plays, ballet, classical musical concerts, and of English literature. He is quite capable of playing the piano and is diligently working to better his skills through his inspiration of his favorite pianist, Glenn Herbert Gould, of Canada. He is also training for marathons and will occasionally come into work right after having ran for ten kilometers .Through his tenure at X, he has been given the name Frannie-Pack because of the fanny pack that he wears when he runs. He does speak of how much he enjoys seeing the culture of the U.S. but is disappointed in the overall lack of interest in soccer, especially compared to the celebrity status that soccer players receive in Ecuador. This is why he has taken up running, because there isn’t anything similar to the soccer he played at his home.
He told us that where he is from, a large percent of the population is bilingual in both Spanish and English. Thus, he was quite capable of communicated when he arrived at Brescia but he has been speaking in mostly English for so long that he complains of how exhausting it is to speak to the Spanish dominate speakers at work due to the difficulties he now has in translating Spanish to English.
Guayaquil is also quite the change of scenery compared to Owensboro. Being that it is a major port city; a large portion of the city is water front property to the Pacific Ocean. This is also quite the change in weather conditions. During El Niño years, Guayaquil experiences heavy rainfall between January and April and flooding is very common. However, when it isn’t flooding, the dry season of May to December casts a fog upon the city so thick that Guayaquil actually sees more sun during their wet season.
Ecuador’s most popular sport is soccer, and this is evident by the presence of 2 different soccer clubs and 2 different stadiums in Guayaquil. The 2 teams are the “Emeleccistas” and the “Barcelonistas” and when they meet in their heated rivalry match, it is called “El Clásico del Astillero”. This match is a major sporting event in Guayaquil and is fairly comparable to the Super Bowl of American football. Tennis is also a major part of Guayaquil, as is marathon running because Guayaquil sponsors both the “Abierto de Tenis Ciudad de Guayaquil,” a major tennis tournament, and the Guayaquil Marathon.
Carlos doesn’t really like Spanish much anymore. He takes a far greater interest in computers and math. In fact, it is hard to get him to talk about anything other than math yet he doesn’t enjoy speaking of his past in Guayaquil. Perhaps it makes him feel like an outsider, but as a native of Owensboro, I find any life outside of this place to be far more interesting. After the initial wonderment of meeting a native of Ecuador, we have all asked less about him as a Spanish speaker, and are more interested in the person he has become in America. Thinking back, I see how uncomfortable it must have been to have 5 different people each asking him the same questions over and over again all centering on him being someone different, someone from a different and strange country. I remembered this when our other new hire from Mexico came to work at this store. I made a point to treat him as any other person, rather than some guy from Mexico and bother him with a lot of personal questions.


References
Herz, Monica. Ecuador vs. Peru : peacemaking amid rivalry. Boulder, Colorado: L. Rienner, c2002.
Wilson, Jacques M. P. The development of education in Ecuador. Coral Gables, Florida: University of Miami Press, 1970.

SAMPLE 2


A few weeks ago, my girlfriend and I decided to go to X’s in Owensboro for dinner. There were two reasons I wanted to go there on this particular evening. First of all, we dine here frequently and enjoy the food, drinks and atmosphere. Secondly, I knew it would be a good place for me to speak to a Spanish dominant speaker and interview them for my research paper. On the Thursday evening we visited the restaurant, there were only a few customers and the staff did not appear to be extremely busy. I was hopeful that someone here would have time to talk to me about their native country, the things that are important to them, and what they think about life in the United States.
Our waiter was a Spanish dominant speaker. I noticed he communicated with the other employees in Spanish only, and used very little English even when he talked to the customers. Regardless, he understood what we wanted to order and did a very good job waiting on our table. Toward the end of our meal, I asked him if he would mind if I interviewed him for a paper that I was writing for my Spanish class. He was only able to answer a few of my questions and it was clear that he did not fully understand everything I was saying. He motioned for one of his co-workers to come to our table and the two began a brief conversation in Spanish. Then our waiter’s co-worker asked if he could help us. He too was a Spanish dominant speaker, but he understood and spoke English rather well. I told him about my research paper and that I was taking an Elementary Spanish class at Brescia University, taught by Martin Velez. His immediate reaction was, “Hey, I know Martin!” He was happy to talk to us.

My new amigo’s name is Gustavo and he is from Chiapas, Mexico. The state of Chiapas is located in the southernmost region of Mexico. It is slightly smaller than the United State’s state of South Carolina. Many of the nearly 4 million people who live in Chiapas are poor and wages here are the lowest in Mexico. One quarter of the state’s population is of Mayan descent. The climate is warm and humid and rainfall totals in northern Chiapas can amount to over 120 inches annually. Crops such as bananas, sugarcane, cotton, and cocoa (used to make chocolate) are grown throughout the state. However, coffee is one of the country’s most significant agricultural products.
I asked Gustavo to tell me some things about Chiapas that are significant or memorable to him. He told me that the Lacandon Jungle was a significant landmark in his homeland. I looked up the Lacandon Jungle on the internet and learned that it covers several million acres of land and is home to the Lacandon Mayan people. Like many areas of Chiapas, the Lacandon Jungle region is filled with Mayan history and various ancient architectural structures. Guided tours are available for those who want to experience the beauty and wildlife that inhabit this part of the country. Ariel also described what he referred to as pyramids in Chiapas. At first I did not completely understand what he was tying to say, so he drew a picture to help explain. He said he had visited one of these pyramids with his family when he was a young child. It is possible that the pyramid he visited was actually an ancient Mayan ruin. Many of these structures served as temples and are scattered throughout the state of Chiapas. He also said the rivers in Chiapas are nothing like the Ohio River at Owensboro. In Chiapas the waters are clear enough to see the fish swimming around. One major river is the Grijalva River. It flows northwest through the center of the state and it has three dams. Hydroelectric energy, which provides parts of the region with electricity, is produced from the waters of the Grijalva.
Gustavo has come to the United States to work, but will be returning to Chiapas for a brief visit in March. He plans to return to his job at X after about a month in Mexico. He said he looks forward to visiting his native country and will be glad to spend some time with his family. Family is very important to him and has fond memories of his childhood.
Owensboro is not the first United States city Gustavo has lived in. He spent some time in Chicago, Illinois, but he said he did not really like living there. Crime was bad in the area where he lived. Even though there is less to do here, Owensboro has been a nice change of pace and he seems to enjoy living in our smaller city.
Gustavo is very busy at the restaurant and works long hours, six days a week. In his spare time, he enjoys watching movies and relaxing at his apartment. One of the things he would really like to do, if he had the time, is to take classes to improve his English skills. He even mentioned that Martin had offered to help teach him more about English, but finding the time is difficult for him.
While my conversation with Ariel was brief, it provided me with some good information about a culture and country that I know very little about. The things Gustavo told me to look up (the Lancandon Jungle, Mayan pyramids, etc.) were interesting and I was able to find several photos of these areas online. This experience has also given me the opportunity to meet a new amigo and I will be sure to look for Ariel the next time we go to the restaurant.


Resources
Chiapas." Wikipedia. 01 Dec. 2008 .
Blance, Jose A., and Philip R. Donley. Vistas Introduction a La Lengua Espanola. Third ed. Boston, MA: Vista Higher Learning, 2008.

Monday, March 30, 2009

SPN 305 Assignments

Assignments for SPN 305 – THESE ASSIGNMENTS ARE POSTED AS THE CAPITULOS ARE PRESENTED IN CLASS IN LATE MARCH AND APRIL, 2009.
1. Publique sus reacciones a la SECCION LEXICA de los siguientes capítulos del libro Spanish Composition Through Literature: La familia (Capítulo 3), La ciudad y los perros (Capítulo 6), Como agua para chocolate (Capítulo 9) y Maldito Amor (Capítulo 10). Escriba su reacción/comentario a 3 o 4 palabras o frases que nunca haya escuchado/que su uso no haya visto antes. Comente luego de escribir sus frases u oraciones el uso de estas palabras o frases.
2. Publique un resumen de los siguientes TEMAS GRAMATICALES. Comente en forma directa y clara lo que se menciona en el capítulo correspondiente. Puede usar otras fuentes para hacer su resumen. Luego indique con ejemplos propios el uso de estos temas gramaticales. Los temas son:
C3-La familia: Simple Tenses of the Indicative Mood p. 70
C6-La ciudad y los perros: The subjunctive mood (Part 1) p. 152
C9-Como agua para chocolate: Adjectives and Adjective Position p. 237
C10-Maldito amor: Pronouns p. 264

Wednesday, March 25, 2009

GRADING CRITERIA FOR PERFORMANCES

Guidelines for Performances

A performance aims to make you practice your acting and easiness with a topic with Spanish language and culture. You and your classmate will create a dialogue/interaction/interchange that focuses on a specific situation focused on the objectives of one/two or various lessons.

What is the format for a Performance script/paper?
You are required to write your performance typed in Microsoft Word, using single spaced 12 pt. Times New Roman font. You are required to keep your file with all your performances. You will send this file to the instructor by the end of the semester. You are required to follow the guidelines (if the instructor provides the scenario) to write your performance. You are also required to write background information sections to the characters, situation, time, and roles to play. You are also encouraged to provide some notes (in English) for situation changes, characters’ new identities and emotions, or the like to provide a sense of the interaction and why some scenes change during the performance.

RELEVANCE of performance to question/ task/ assignment. Background sections are helpful.
Somewhat relevant 10
Relevant 15
Very relevant 20

CREATIVITY Students created a difference with their performance; they acted in unique way and caught the audience’s attention.
Very limited signs of creativity 20
Average signs of creativity 25
Lots of signs of creativity 30

SPANISH LANGUAGE PERFORMANCE
Students acted and pronounced and enunciated clearly and used their acting and bodies to convey their meanings clearly. They improvised their lines if they forgot the scripts and achieved their communication goal 35
Performance was somewhat clear. Difficulties to understand key meanings in Spanish 35
Performance was clear. Some minor difficulties to understand some key meanings in Spanish 45
Performance was very clear. Key meanings in Spanish are easy to follow 50

Monday, March 16, 2009

Estructuras SPN 202

Estructuras SPN 202

UNIT 8 La salud
Present subjunctive
Indicative or subjunctive after certain verbs, after relative pronouns
Present perfect subjunctive
UNIT 9 ¡Sigue la moda!
Comparative and superlative constructions
Demonstrative adjectives and pronouns
Possessive adjective and pronouns
¿Cuál?-Nominalization
UNIT 10 ¡Buen viaje!
Regular, irregular future forms
Conditional
Conditional constructions
Future and conditional of probability
Pluperfect
Future perfect
Pluperfect, conditional

UNIT 11 En el hotel
Al + infinitive
Preposition + infinitive
Conjunction + subjunctive
Cuando + indicative and subjunctive
UNIT 12 Hogar, dulce hogar…
Imperfect subjunctive: forms and uses
Si-clauses and sequence of tenses
UNIT 14: Ganándose la vida
Pluperfect subjunctive
Si-clauses with pluperfect subjunctive and conditional perfect
Relative pronouns
Cuyo constructions

Estructuras SPN 102

SPN 102 - Estructuras

Lección 7 En el consultorio
Irregular Preterites 310 (Lección 9)
The imperfect tense 342 (Lección 10)
The preterite and the imperfect 346
Constructions with se 350
Recapitulación 356
Lección 8 La tecnología
Adverbs 354 (Lección 10)
Familiar commands 378
Por y para 382
Reciprocal reflexives 386
Lección 9 La vivienda
Relative pronouns 414
Formal commands 418
The present subjunctive 422
Recapitulación 430

Lección 10 En la ciudad
Subjunctive with verbs of will 426 (Lección 12)
Nosotros/as commands 490
Past participles used as adjectives 493
Recapitulación 496
Lección 11 El bienestar/El mundo del trabajo
The present perfect 518
The future 550
The future perfect 554
Recapitulación 560
Lección 12 Festival de Arte/Actualidades
The conditional 584
The conditional perfect 588
Recapitulación 594
Si clauses 618
Recapitulación 626

Estructuras SPN 101

SPN 101 - Estructuras

Lección 1 Hola, ¿qué tal?

Nouns and articles 12

Numbers 1-100 16, 63

Present tense of ser 19

Telling Time 24

Recapitulación 28

Lección 2 En la Universidad

Present Tense of –ar, -er, -ir verbs 50, 96

Forming questions 55

Present Tense of estar 59

Present Tense of ir 126 (Lección 4)

Recapitulación 66

Lección 3 La familia

Descriptive adjectives 88

Possessive adjectives 93

Present Tense of tener and venir 100

Estar with conditions and emotions 164 (Lección 5)

Recapitulación 104

Lección 4 Los pasatiempos

Stem changing verbs 129

Stem changing verbs 133

Verbs with irregular yo forms 136

The present progressive 166 (Lección 5)

Recapitulación 140

Lección 5 Las vacaciones/De Compras/Rutina Diaria

Ser and Estar 170

Direct Object Pronouns 174

Recapitulación 178

Saber and Conocer 200

Recapitulación 214 (Lección 6)

Reflexive verbs 236 (Lección 6)

Recapitulación 250

Lección 6 De Compras/La Comida/Las Fiestas

Preterite tense of regular verbs 206 (Lección 6)

Recapitulación 214

Preterite of ser and ir 244

Verbs like gustar 246 (Lección 7)

Recapitulación 250

Preterite of stem-changing verbs 274 (Lección 8)

Recapitulación 288

¡¡¡Bienvenido!!!

Hola: This is a simple-web based interactive space. You will post examples and a brief explanation of your pre-assigned ESTRUCTURA(S). In this post, you will describe what the estructura means, and you will provide and explain at least two examples of this estructura. In order to make an interesting and creative posting, you will make use of simple words, and if possible combine English and Spanish in your posting.
As time goes by, we are becoming aware of the intersection of languages and cultures when we are leaning and acquiring Spanish in Kentucky, the US and the Spanish-speaking worlds here and there. In this blog, you will find postings from different students groups (from beginners to advanced students at our academic and cultural communities in Kentucky). You will find how students interepret and make sense of the estructruras, an important dimension, of their communicative competence. Feel free to post a comment, whether you are a student, or a visitor to this blog.
Gracias!!!

Posted: March 16, 09

C. Martin Vélez Salas
Assistant Professor of Spanish
Brescia University
Owensboro, Kentucky
USA