Spanish 1 & 2

Class Overview

This class uses the general Spanish textbook, "Excelente."

During the first semester (first year, first semester) 2 instructors will jointly teach students of both Spanish 1 and Spanish 2.

In a relatively short period of time, students will learn a general overview of the Spanish language focusing primarily on basic grammar.

Students will quickly finish with pronunciation and accent and focus on verb conjugation, which is a characteristic of the Spanish language and many Japanese learners of Spanish find particularly difficult. In general, students should preview before lessons and during class we will check the answers and meaning of example sentences.

Key Features

First, I believe that the connection between culture and my classes is very important. Because students will be able to read newspapers and magazine articles from Spanish speaking countries by the end of the beginning class, I believe it is important to touch on the breadth and diversity in Spanish speaking countries. Because I am originally a researcher of music culture, during the middle of class or the last 10 minutes of class I often introduce music videos to introduce the music culture that is representative of each Latin American country. Even if students are not able to understand every word, I believe that by seeing the faces of people, the climate, the clothes, and the landscapes, students are able to grasp that Spanish is used in many diverse regions. I believe that it is good for students to form an interest in the Spanish language based on how it functions as a common language between people of differing cultures. In classes with Teaching Assistants from Latin American countries, we ask them to introduce their countries of origin and region about once every two weeks.

I believe that the reason that more students are choosing to study Spanish is due to the fact that increasing numbers of persons of Japanese descent from Latin American countries are coming to work in Japan and that the Hispanic population is growing in the United States of America, among other reasons. I believe there is great meaning in using one of the best parts of the general textbook, "Thoughts on Cultural Diversity", as a starting point for learning language.

Study Strategies

First, I believe that the connection between culture and my classes is very important. Because students will be able to read newspapers and magazine articles from Spanish speaking countries by the end of the beginning class, I believe it is important to touch on the breadth and diversity in Spanish speaking countries. Because I am originally a researcher of music culture, during the middle of class or the last 10 minutes of class I often introduce music videos to introduce the music culture that is representative of each Latin American country. Even if students are not able to understand every word, I believe that by seeing the faces of people, the climate, the clothes, and the landscapes, students are able to grasp that Spanish is used in many diverse regions. I believe that it is good for students to form an interest in the Spanish language based on how it functions as a common language between people of differing cultures. In classes with Teaching Assistants from Latin American countries, we ask them to introduce their countries of origin and region about once every two weeks.

I believe that the reason that more students are choosing to study Spanish is due to the fact that increasing numbers of persons of Japanese descent from Latin American countries are coming to work in Japan and that the Hispanic population is growing in the United States of America, among other reasons. I believe there is great meaning in using one of the best parts of the general textbook, "Thoughts on Cultural Diversity," as a starting point for learning language.

Course Schedule

Session	Contents
1	Pronunciation How to name and pronounce letters The alphabet Vowels Consonants Accent rules
2	Vocabulary Words that change Words that don't change Nouns: "male nouns" and "female nouns" Singular and plural forms
3	Nominative case personal pronoun SER and ESTAR verbs adjectives demonstratives grammaticality and numerical agreement
4	Use of the verb SER affirmative and negative question sentences negative sentences interrogative words time expressions A possessive adjectives
5	Use of the verb ESTAR prepositions and adverbs HAY existence sentences comparative and superlative degree I (basic form) This concludes the basic instruction on nouns and adjectives that conjugate. * There will be a midterm exam at the end of Lesson 5.
6	Kinds of verbs the indicative present: regular conjugation time expressions B use and word order of direct objects and pronouns
7	Use and word order of indirect objects verbs that are used with indirect objects indicative mood and the verb GUSTAR classification of present irregular conjugations Irregular B) model: special irregular verbs
8	Reflexive verbs rules of pronouns in recursives (reflexive verbs) SE passive tense ordinary pronouns irregular conjugations B) model This concludes the basic instruction on rules for verbs and objective pronouns.

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