- 01 Apr, 2021
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span101 oral production 1 and 2
Oral Production Activity
For this module you will have to record yourself speaking Spanish, and submit the resulting sound recording to your instructor between April 18 and April 25, 2021. Please follow these directions closely:
1. Choose one of the proposed two topics.
2. Prepare your speech carefully, making sure that you cover all the items and that you’re using the correct and appropriate vocabulary. As a general guideline, your recording should contain at least 20 complete sentences in order to receive a grade.
3. Use the vocabulary and the grammar structures contained in the lessons covered to date (Capítulo preliminar, plus chapters 1, 2 and 3). Avoid trying to say things that are beyond the scope of this course — you will make fewer mistakes that way, and so will lose fewer points. For this, you will have to simplify your speech somehow; it would be virtually impossible to say in Spanish the same things that you could say in English at this level. If you look up words in the dictionary, make sure that you get the context right. Many words have more than one meaning (i.e. left, the opposite of right and past tense of the verb to leave; cap, what you wear on your head and a bottle stopper), so make sure that you select the correct context. The use of an online translation program to translate your speech from English is quite obvious and it violates the Academic Honesty policy for this course. If such use is detected, you will not receive any credit for your assignment.
4. Record yourself in Spanish, speaking naturally and clearly. Speed is not important. Avoid, however, mumblings, hesitations and excessive silent spots between words and phrases. Avoid reading monotonously from your prepared speech. You’ll be judged according to different criteria: purpose (how you convey the main ideas), fluency ((coherent speech pattern, not speed; some errors in pronunciation and an “accent” are OK, the main objective is to be understood), vocabulary (word usage to produce clear meaning), structure (correct grammar and vocabulary), and effort (the quality of your submission). See the enclosed rubric for details. Be sure to read the document titled “Quick Guide to Spanish Pronunciation” and to actively use it when making your recording. You will find it in Learning Module 00, under “Course Information”.
5. Making an audio file in your computer is not difficult — you need to have a microphone, which is standard equipment in computers today. The easiest way to make the recording is by going to either Recordmp3online.com (registration required) or Vocaroo.com, two websites that provide a free and easy way to make a recording and download it, or send the link to me. Additionally, if you have an iPhone, you can use the “Voice Memo” function. The recording format is compatible with my Mac home computer as long as it’s an M4A file, so that would be acceptable as well. Please note: smart phones that use the Android system, such as Samsung, HTC, LG and others, have a function that allows you to make a voice recording. However, the file will be in a format that I am unable to read, and I will not be able to grade your assignment. You will have to change it to the MP3 format before submitting it (there are several programs on the market, such as Switch, that convert sound files from virtually any format to MP3).
6. Another option is to make a video (with or without the image — what counts is the sound) and upload it to YouTube or similar website. Then send the web link to me.
7. When you’re ready to submit your recording, go to the bottom of this page and look under Assignment Submission. Click the “Browse My Computer” button and select the file that you wish to upload. Select your sound file, which, as has already been mentioned, should be in the format MP3, M4A or WMA). Please name the file with your own first and last names, so I know to whom it belongs. Then click Submit (blue button at the very top or bottom of the screen). Don’t miss any of these steps.