Elementary Filipino I Fall Semester

Three meetings per week

Proposed Instructor: Agnes “Bing” Magtoto (recommended by Allan Isaac; currently

teaches this course at NYU)

Elementary Filipino I is designed for beginning language students of Tagalog. (Native

speakers of Filipino should take a language proficiency test for proper placement.)

The course is based on the premise that in order to understand a culture, one must first
understand that culture’s language. Language embodies a peoples’ history, aspirations,
beliefs, quirks and social behavior; it is the primary expression of culture. The lessons will
focus on language, using a holistic approach and incorporating discussions on history, current
events, pop culture and native values.

Tagalog forms the basis of the Philippine national language. It is the purpose of this course to
introduce Tagalog as a living, contemporary language that is in tune with the realities of the
Philippines and the Philippine Diaspora. Therefore, focus will be on Manila Tagalog as well
as Taglish (Tagalog-English)—the kind of language one would expect to hear in everyday
speech.

The classes will involve language instruction on conversational, colloquial Tagalog and the
basic rules of Tagalog grammar (Linguistic Skills p.2 #2). In the beginning, the focus will be
on getting students comfortable with spoken Tagalog. The lessons will then evolve into actual
daily practice, interspersed with culture-specific activities (Functional Skills p.2 #1).

The curriculum will also make use of theater processes to stimulate the vast reservoir of
underutilized creative energies among the students. It aims to tap their inner resources to help
them give form and expression to their inner selves. Thus in this course, one learns not only
to express oneself in Tagalog but also to identify images, symbols, sights and sounds, smells
and tastes as an expression of Philippine culture. Tagalog language study becomes a journey
of appreciating and understanding one’s own stories in the context of one’s own culture.

Required Textbooks:
Conversational Tagalog: A Functional Situational Approach (Teresita Ramos, University of
Hawai’i Press)

A comprehensive dictionary. Recommended: Tagalog-English/English-Tagalog (Leo James

English; two volumes). Acceptable: English-Tagalog, Tagalog-English Dictionary (Ricardo
Benedicto, Hippocrene Books)

1
Expected Attainments

1. FUNCTIONAL SKILLS
Students will be able to sustain simple conversation in the following social situations:

a. Greetings and leave-takings

b. Introducing oneself and others
c. Stating existence or non-existence of something
d. Telling time using Spanish numerals
e. Tagalog numbers and demonstratives
f. Narrating daily, past and future activities
g. Describing people and objects
h. Expressing likes and dislikes
i. Expressing simple discomforts

2. LINGUISTIC SKILLS

Structure

At the end of the lessons, students are expected to be able to use the following
grammatical items with some facility:

a. Basic statement and question patterns.

b. Question words (ano, sino, kailan, bakit, ilan, saan, nasaan).
c. Existentials and possessives (may/mayroon/wala).
d. Different sets of pronouns and demonstratives.
e. Appropriate markers (ang/ng/sa).
f. Basic actor focus verbs
g. Adverbial phrases indicating time.
h. Expanded basic sentences with connectors (at, pero, kasi).
i. Linkers (-ng / na)

Vocabulary Skills

Students will have acquired the names of common objects, colors, shapes, places,
food, occupations, etc.; some ma- adjectives; Spanish and Tagalog numerals; and
basic actor focus verbs.

Pronunciation Skills

Students will be able to approximate critical sounds like the glottal stop /’/, nasal
velar /ng/ and unaspirated initial stops /p-/, /t-/, /k-/.

Comprehension Skills

Students will be able to answer simple questions about daily routine, family, self, etc.

2
Requirements

*Attendance and punctuality are mandatory

Attendance will be taken. Persistent tardiness is disruptive and unacceptable. A student
coming in later than five minutes will be marked “Absent”. Only four excused absences are
allowed. If you miss a class and/or a submission, you are expected to immediately
communicate via email your excuse and to send your assignment to the instructor.

Absences and late submissions of requirements will affect one’s final grade.
*Refer to Rubric: Attendance & Participation (Attendance & Punctuality)

*Class Participation
Students will be required to speak and engage in dialogues and activities in class. This is
mandatory in a language course. Each student will be evaluated according to: vocabulary
expansion, grammar, comprehension, etc. At the end of the semester, it is hoped that the
student will be so used to speaking Tagalog that he/she will be comfortable enough to use it in
day-to-day conversation.
*Refer to Rubric: Attendance & Participation (Level of Engagement and Conduct)

Homework
Individual, partner and group assignments will be given frequently. A printout of dialogue
assignment must be submitted. Expect quizzes. There will be no remedial quizzes or exams.

Cheating or plagiarism will result in failure of the course. Plagiarism is defined here as
asking a native speaker to edit or translate the dialogue assignment, using online language
translation, copying material or failure to cite material published in a website, book or article
used for paper or project. Include a list of citations referred to in completing a paper or
project.

Simple written reactions to guest speaker/s will be required.

*Tagalog Project
In place of a journal, students are required to build on their personal project that will
creatively document their journey in this class (and their life as a Filipino or a Filipino-
American). This is a continuing project that could take many forms (visual, audio, written, a
combination of all three) with Tagalog and English or Taglish texts. Progress check-ins will
be done every month (refer to weekly syllabus for schedule). Project submission &
presentation will be on Date to be determined.
*Refer to Rubric: Final Project.

Exams
Midterm: Date to be determined. Final written exam: Date to be determined, during regular
class hours. Students will also undergo individual oral exams (of about 10-15 minutes each).
The oral exams will also be based on a discussion of their project. Oral Exams scheduled on
Date to be determined.

Grading
Quizzes, assignments and final project: 30%. Attendance/participation: 20%.
Midterm: 25%. Finals (written & oral): 25%.

3
Week 1
Introductions
Diagnostic test (written)
Rules and Requirements
Learning-teaching dialogue

Tagalog Alphabet & Pronunciation

Lesson 1
Greetings/ Inquiries.
Particle Honorific ho and po.
Linkers --ng / na/ --g
Topic (subject) marker ang / si
Particles: ba, naman
Inquiries nasaan / nasa
Pronunciation drill

Week 2
Lesson 2
Other forms of greetings and leave takings
Saan --? Sa --.
Introducing oneself / others
The use of Ang and Ng pronouns.
Particles: pa, na, lang
Pronunciation Drills

Week 3
Lesson 4
Two types of sentences in Tagalog:
- Identificational sentences.
- Predicational sentences.
3 Patterns: Statement, Question, Response
Sino? Sinu-sino? Si –- Sina—
Review: Plural forms of ang pronouns
**National Symbols**

Week 4
Lesson 5
Origin: Taga-saan? Taga –
Saan sa __? Sa __.
Saan ka nakatira? Nakatira ako / si / ang __ sa __
Existential sentence: May – wala (Intro/ see Lesson 22) (also Asp)

Project: Submit Concept Proposal (1/2 page)–

4
Week 5
Lesson 3
Demonstrative pronouns: ito, iyan, iyon.
The use of ba: turning declarative sentences into questions.
Particle: pala, din, lang.

Week 6
Lesson 6
Adjectives: colors, shapes.
Tagalog numbers. Ilan?
More Demonstratives: nito, niyan, noon.
Particles: din, daw, yata, pala.
**Card games**

HW: Long Weekend Kuwentuhan

Midterms-

Week 7

Lesson 7
Adjectives and opposites
Constructing adjectives with ma-.
Constructing may sentences.
**Object Poem**

Long Weekend Kuwentuhan

Week 8
Degrees of adjectives (simple, comparative, superlative) - Asp
** Your favorite place **

Lesson 9
Two ways of telling date and time.
Ano __? Kailan__?

Lesson 17
Telling time using Spanish numerals
Particles: na / pa; naman

Project: Submit update (text only) –

Check-in: Progress –

Week 9
Lesson 8
Introduction to verbs:
“Um” verbs (Consonant and Vowel Initials) and their negative.

5
Week 10
Lesson 18
Aspects of the Actor-Focus (AF) Um- verbs: Completed Aspect
“Ano ang ginawa mo?”

Lesson 19
Aspects of the AF verbs: Contemplated Aspect (future)
Bakit ___? Kasi ___. (Expanded sentence)

Lesson 20
Aspects of the AF verbs: Incompleted Aspect (present progressive)
Kapag____

Week 11-12
Continuation of Lessons 18, 19 & 20
AF verbs: mag- ma- verbs
Completed, Contemplated and Incompleted Aspects

Final Project Check-in: Submit as email attachment updated text only (doc file) –

Thanksgiving Recess

Week 13-14
Lesson 13
The use of gusto and ayaw.
Ano raw?
Alternative choice: _ o _

Lesson 10
Identifying parts of the body
Bakit __? Kasi __
Verb: “ituro”
**Ilong-ilong game**

Week 14
Submission/Presentation: Tagalog Project –

Week 15: Finals

Review
Course Evaluation

Written Exam –
Oral Exams -