LITH 101 A: First Year Lithuanian 1

Kontaktai / Contact information

E-paštas/ e-mail: guntiss@uw.edu (Guntis Smidchens)

Kabinetas/ Office: Room 305 W, Raitt Hall

Priėmimo valandos/ Office hours: by appointment

Through the communicative approach I hope to achieve a high degree of interaction in the classroom and make your learning of Lithuanian language and culture easy, enjoyable and effective.  We strive for a learning atmosphere that challenges your skills in a supportive way. There are no wrong answers, only good attempts. Emphasis will be given to all language skills: listening, speaking, reading and writing.

To reach that goal only authentic material will be used: Lithuanian books, excerpt of movies, songs etc.

Literatūra/ Material:

1. Petrašiūnienė E., Valančiauskienė A., Našlėnaitė Eberhardt V., Jakaitė-Bulbukienė K., Vaškevičienė L.  Langas į lietuvių kalbą. Lietuvių kalbos mokymo priemonė pradedantiesiems. Vilnius: Vilniaus universiteto leidykla, 2011.
2. Lithuanian-English/English-Lithuanian Practical Dictionary by Gailute Urbonaite-Narkeviciene
3. Radauskas H. Eilėraščiai
4. Martinaitis M., Tylintys tekstai. Užrašai iš raudonojo sąsiuvinio

Rekomenduojama literatūra / Recommended material:

1. Dambriūnas, L., Klimas, A., Schmalstieg, W. Introduction to Modern Lithuanian. New York: Franciscan Fathers, 1993.
2. Tekorienė D. Lithuanian  Basic grammar and conversations.  Kaunas, 1990. 

Textbooks and other materials:

Text: Petrašiūnienė E., Valančiauskienė A., Našlėnaitė Eberhardt V., Jakaitė-Bulbukienė K., Vaškevičienė L.  Langas į lietuvių kalbą. Lietuvių kalbos mokymo priemonė pradedantiesiems. Vilnius: Vilniaus universiteto leidykla, 2011; Lithuanian-English/English-Lithuanian Practical Dictionary by Gailute Urbonaite-Narkeviciene; Tekorienė D. Lithuanian  Basic grammar and conversations.  Kaunas, 1990. 

Literature:  Radauskas, H. Eilėraščiai. Lietuva: Baltos lankos, 1999; Martinaitis, M. Tylintys tekstai. Užrašai iš raudonojo sąsiuvinio. Vilnius: Lietuvos rašytojų sąjungos leidykla,2006

Lithuanian movies:  Meistras ir Tatjana (2014), The other dream team (2012)

Lithuanian song texts: Lietuvių liaudies daina: Žemė kėlė žolę; Kernagis, V. Išeinu; Andrius, M., Marso kanjonai

Kurso turinys ir tikslai/ Class content and goals

The goal of this course is to introduce you to the fundamentals of Lithuanian language and culture and it suggests not only basic communication in real-life situations (Meeting People, Ordering Meals, Getting around the City, etc.), but also basic knowledge about Lithuanian culture. After this course you will be able not only to introduce yourself and others, to talk about personal likes and dislikes, to talk about your daily routine, but also to understand and critically evaluate the phenomena of Lithuanian literature in nowadays world.

Also, all four language skills will be emphasized: speaking, listening, reading and writing. Speaking skills: basic communicative patterns: greetings, introductions, conversations, searching and giving information. Dialogue in formal and informal situations. Basic features of ethnic culture. Listening skills: comprehension of simple texts; recognition of word – groups. Reading skills: comprehension of simple texts; scanning gist reading. Writing skills: the graphic system of Lithuanian language; sound-symbol relationship; principles of spelling system; writing short formal and informal texts; note-taking. Basic Lithuanian grammar: category of gender of nouns; system of declension and the main meaning of declension cases, conjugation of verbs; tenses; moods; basic vocabulary items and word-groups.

Gebėjimai/General contents:

• Introducing and giving information about oneself
• Greetings, basic small talk phrases, asking questions and giving basic information in routine everyday situations and needs
• Numbers, prices
• Weather, seasons, months, telling the time
• Conjugation of some basic verbs 
• Declension of some basic nouns
• Describing people and objects in a simple way
• Basic reading skills for Lithuanian literary texts

Tikslai/Objectives

The student:

• Can introduce oneself, give basic information about oneself and ask simple questions
• can understand and use basic expressions and simple sentences in routine everyday situations
• is able to deal with everyday social situations and handle simple shopping situations
• is aware of the basic characteristics Lithuanian
• is able to make sense of written Lithuanian with the necessary aids
• has an idea of man cultural trends in the post-war Lithuania

First-year Scandinavian and Baltic language courses carry a VLPA designation; these courses are designed help students develop a personal appreciation of the creative process and how it promotes a willingness to investigate the unknown as well as the commonplace. Please note that some restrictions apply to the use of these courses in your Areas of Knowledge requirements. The undergraduate advisor for Scandinavian Studies  (scandadv@uw.edu) will be happy to meet with you if you have any questions. 

Tvarkaraštis / Tentative schedule

Vertinimas/ Evaluation:

• 20% Darbas auditorijoje/ Class participation: based on active participation in class activities, effort to use Lithuanian and completion of assigned work.
• 20% Namų darbai/ Homework: Homework will be assigned and graded regularly and is due to the following class.
• 40% Testai ir kontroliniai darbai / Tests and Quizzes: Tests or Quizzes will be given after each learned lesson. The dates will be arranged in advance.
• 10% Egzaminas žodžiu/ Oral exam: Oral exam will be arranged during the last week of instructions. The exam will consist of a short interview/conversation in Lithuanian between one student and the Lithuanian instructor based on learning material.
• 10% Egzaminas raštu/ Written exam: The written exam will be given on the last week of instructions.

The University of Washington reaffirms its policy of equal opportunity regardless of race, color, creed, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, age, marital status, disability, or status as a disabled veteran or Vietnam era veteran. This policy applies to all programs and facilities, including, but not limited to, admissions, educational programs, employment, and patient and hospital services. Any discriminatory action can be a cause for disciplinary action. Discrimination is prohibited by Presidential Executive Order 11246 as amended, Washington State Gubernatorial Executive Orders 89-01 and 93-07, Titles VI and VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Washington State Law Against Discrimination RCW 49.60, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, State of Washington Gender Equity in Higher Education Act of 1989, Sections 503 and 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 as amended, Age Discrimination Act of 1975, Vietnam Era Veterans' Readjustment Assistance Act of 1972 as amended, other federal and state statutes, regulations, and University policy. Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action compliance efforts at the University of Washington are coordinated by the Office of Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action, University of Washington, 231 Gerberding Hall, Box 351240, Seattle, Washington, 98195-1240, telephone 206.543.1830 or email eoaa@u.washington.edu.

The University of Washington is committed to providing access, and reasonable accommodation in its services, programs, activities, education and employment for individuals with disabilities. For information or to request disability accommodation contact:

Disability Resources for Students (DRS) (Seattle campus, matriculated students), 448 Schmitz, Box 355839, phone 206.543.8924/V, 206.543.8925/TTY, 206.616.8379 (FAX), or e-mail uwdss@u.washington.edu.