03.A.8 Faculty Discussion on Textbook material

From: Christine Gonzales
Sent: Sunday, November 18, 2012 5:23 PM
To: Jonathan Stowers; Laura Bradford
Subject: RE: SPN 1020

Some comments:

1) This question provides an opportunity for professional collegiality; we also need to ask the Spanish adjuncts for their input.

2) You are referring to text Appendix 2: Expansión gramatical. MSL has 26 exercises related to the various structure points. In the text there is no new vocabulary presented; no new Perfiles, videos nor geocultural Panorama.

My analysis of the four structure points:

3) text p. A-25+, Indirect commands (que lo haga él)

if added near the end of 1020, it would be like a review or recyclingt of subjuntivo de voluntad.

4) text p. A-26+ Present perfect subjunctive (Qué bien que lo haya hecho.)

very handy and the equivalent of the 'preterite subjunctive'... hard to do without this.

5) text p. A-28+ Future perfect (Lo habrá hecho) and conditional perfect (Lo habría hecho.)

I would do the ‘Habrá hecho, because it is used for the future of probablity, but I would not teach the ‘habría hecho’ as explained on p. A-28+, because I believe it is annoyingly wrong there.

6) text A-30+ pluperfect subjunctive and conditional perfect (Si lo hubiera sabido, lo habría hecho)

I like this.

The Language Committee identified Spanish as one of the Category 1 languages; i.e., 'easier to learn'. You interpret this as meaning that its introductory learning is doable in two semesters. More specifically, you follow the U's position that most students can move from Novice-Low to Intermediate-Low during those two semesters.

Those of you who often instruct Spanish 1020 are in a better position than I to determine whether the four grammar points above should be an instrinsic part of Novice-level learning, or whether they belong better with the Intermediate level of second year. My personal feeling is that Novice-level learning needs more time for Interactive conversation and writing with the other vocabulary/grammar/culture. I would perhaps mention those points for recognition, but not include them in assessment.

Hope my thoughts help,

Christine

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From: Jonathan Stowers
Sent: Sunday, November 18, 2012 1:34 PM
To: Laura Bradford; Christine Gonzales
Subject: SPN 1020

hey,

Did you realize that there are actually SIXTEEN chapters in Arriba!?????? They have included the sixteenth chapter as an appendix, but it is fully supported on-line. You can see what's in this extra chapter on page xii at the vry beginning of the book. Do we want to include this material, or is that better left to the second year? The present perfect subjunctive is pretty useful...

Jonathan