Ateneo - UPO

Spanish Language - SPANISH LANGUAGE TRAINING II: grammar and use of language [CEFR level B2].

A) Compulsory texts and materials for all students:
A1. Berta Sarralde, Eva Casarejos e Mónica López [2022], “Vitamina B2”, SGEL [Libro del alumno + Cuaderno de Ejercicios];
A2. Materials uploaded to the DIR platform.

B) Recommended supplementary text for non-attending students:
B1. Concha Moreno, Carmen Hernández e Clara Miki Kondo [2023], "en Gramática. Nivel avanzado B2", Anaya ELE (ISBN: 978-84-678-6870-8).

C) For the ORAL EXAM, all students must read one of the following novels:
C1. Arturo Pérez-Reverte, "El problema final";
C2. Santiago Posteguillo, "La noche en que Frankenstein leyó el Quijote".

The aim of the course is to achieve an intermediate level of linguistic knowledge and competence in Spanish [CEFR level B2], appropriate to the academic context and needs.

Students must have passed the exam of SPANISH LANGUAGE TRAINING of the 1st year.

Workshops and linguistic labs, exercises, homework and other practical activities that aim at the improvement of active and passive linguistic skills and competences [reading, listening, writing and speaking].

Further material will be provided in class and/or uploaded on DIR.
At the beginning of the academic year, a ‘vademécum’ ー including detailed information about exams, exam calls, SEN, Erasmus, etc. ー is published on each DIR page of the courses of Spanish Language and Linguistics. The reading of such document is mandatory for all students. | Students with physical disabilities, Learning Disabilities or Special Education Needs can request specific services and tools via the Staff Sviluppo e Coordinamento Carriere e Servizi alle Studentesse e agli Studenti, consulting the University webpage: https://www.uniupo.it/en/services/services-students-physical-or-learning-disabilities. Students with disabilities, learning disabilities or special education needs, once they have contacted the University Staff, must refer to the tutor in charge of the course to define the examination modalities, concerning academic aspects.

The acquisition of knowledge and competences will be assessed through the following exams:
1. WRITTEN EXAM of grammar, lasting 2 hours and 30 minutes, structured as follows: approx. 5-8 exercises on the grammatical contents of the course [including various multiple-choice items, gap-filling exercises, transformations, etc.] and 1 written composition [approx. 180 words];
2. ORAL EXAM, aimed at assessing the acquisition of linguistic knowledge and communicative skills [CEFR B2 level], also starting from the compulsory reading. N.B. Passing the written examin is a necessary prerequisite for admission to the oral exam.

ASSESSMENT CRITERIA:
1. The WRITTEN EXAM will be considered passed if students provide at least 60% correct answers in the grammar exercises and demonstrate, in the written composition, correct use of verbs, connectors, sentence and clause syntax, as well as grammatical accuracy in written expression, in line with the CEFR B2 level;
2. ORAL EXAM: the oral exam will be considered adequate if the student is able to communicate on topics of a certain degree of complexity, also starting from the compulsory reading, using grammatically correct syntactic structures and a varied vocabulary appropriate to the context, in line with the CEFR B2 level. The oral exam will be considered insufficient if it instead demonstrates communicative competence below the CEFR B2 level, characterised by difficulty in expressing ideas clearly and effectively on topics of a certain degree of complexity, by frequent or serious grammatical errors, by the inadequate use of syntactic structures, and by limited or contextually inappropriate vocabulary.
N.B. To pass the exam, students must obtain a passing grade in both its parts. The final grade will be calculated as the average of the written and oral exam marks.

ONGOING ASSESSMENT: in-class and take-home assessments on the individual topics covered; grammar tests [including exercises], writing assignments, dictation, listening comprehension, and translation.

Spanish grammar; listening and reading comprehension, written and oral production; Hispanic culture. Grammar contents: review of the past tenses of the indicative mood of all regular and irregular verbs; completion of the study of Spanish orthographic norms, and of regular and irregular verb morphology; use of the future, conditional, affirmative and negative imperative [with personal pronouns]; conjunctions and adversative expressions; dubitative and exclamatory sentences; use of the subjunctive and contrast with the indicative; hypothetical clauses and conditional sentences; noun clauses, indirect interrogative clauses, final, temporal, causal, concessive, and relative subordinate clauses; prepositional complements governed by the main Spanish verbs; verbal periphrases with infinitive, participle, and gerund; verbs expressing change and transformation.

At the end of the course, students will know and recognise linguistic and extralinguistic data needed for an interlinguistic communication according to CEFR B2 level.
Moreover, they will be able to:
1. comprehend the main ideas of complex oral and written texts concerning abstract and concrete topics;
2. interact fluently with native speakers;
3. produce clear and detailed texts on a wide range of topics, and express their point of view and debate about pros and cons;
4. use profitably textbooks and other written and oral material, also available online.