In this course, the student will be able to describe in detail things, people, and events. The student will also be able to express opinion and will be able to recognize a wide range of common conversational vocabulary and interactions.
Research has demonstrated that study abroad can enhance every aspect of language ability. One of the most important general findings of this research is, however, that study abroad is most beneficial for the development of abilities related to social interaction. Students who go abroad can learn to do things with words, such as requesting, apologizing, or offering compliments, and they may also learn to interpret situations calling on such speech acts in ways that local people do…In short, and logically, study abroad has been shown to enhance the aspects of communicative competence that are most difficult to foster in classroom settings (IES Abroad MAP for Language and Intercultural Communication, p. 6).
Prerequisites:
No previous knowledge of Spanish is required for this course.
Attendance policy:
Attendance is mandatory for all IES classes, including field studies. Any exams, tests, presentations, or other work missed due to student absences can only be rescheduled in cases of documented medical or family emergencies. If a student misses more than three classes in any course half a letter grade will be deducted from the final grade for every additional absence. Seven absences in any course will result in a failing grade.
Learning outcomes:
By the end of the course, students will be able to achieve some of the outcomes for the Novice Abroad level as defined by the MAP for Language and Intercultural Communication. The key learning outcomes from the MAP are summarized below:
I. Intercultural Communication
A. Students will be able to meet simple everyday needs using verbal and non-verbal communication, and they will be able to use compensatory strategies when they do not know the word or expression (repetition, talking around the point, body language etc.).
B. Students can recognize some appropriate and inappropriate expressions and behaviors in the host language.
C. Students will be able to distinguish between basic representations of formality and informality in the language.
D. Students will understand that there are differences between cultural stereotypes and generalizations between the home culture and the culture of Barcelona.
E. Students will start to make informed comparisons between my host culture and my home culture.
II. Listening
A. Students will be able to understand basic statements, requests, descriptions, and questions in specific cultural context relevant to them (hosts’ interactions, Center interactions, studying, shopping, transportation, meals).
B. Students will be able to use context to understand the gist of some simple spoken language they overhear, including the media, conversations between others, and announcements.
III. Speaking
A. Students will be able to use simple phrases appropriately in everyday situations (home, the IES Abroad Center, and the community)
B. Students will be able to express many simple needs by asking questions, and get what they need in uncomplicated, everyday situations.
IV. Reading
A. Students will be able to identify and understand many simple sentences and deduce some meaning from context if it is relevant to their studies.
B. Students will be able to interpret main ideas in short passages and news headlines if they are relevant to them.
V. Writing
A. Students will be able to write short texts about simple and concrete topics they have studied, such as themselves, their families, their friends, their likes, dislikes, plans, experiences and their daily routines.
B. Students will be able to send simple emails, text messages, and fill out some simple forms.
Method of presentation:
The course content will be delivered using a communicative student-centered methodology. Students will work individually and in groups in order to acquire and to practice (both written and orally) the new concepts and vocabulary. Also, homework will be assigned so that the students can systematize, practice, and clarify doubts about the new material. Students will also write compositions which will provide them the opportunity to put into practice the vocabulary and grammatical lessons learned in class.
There will be special assignments related to field study trips. The city of Barcelona and its people are the perfect scenario for practicing the target language and learning about the ways people live. Therefore, we will draw on this setting to collect pieces of information for our class discussions and to develop a firsthand appreciation of Spanish language. Information and communication technology will be very present in the classroom. Some assignments will involve internet research; others will involve blog posts, a podcast or twitter. The e-learning module Moodle will provide instructions, assignments, and ancillary materials and activities.
Field study:
Mercadillo de Glories
Santa Caterina Market
Required work and form of assessment:
Midterm: 10%; Final Exam: 20%; Oral Exams (2 exams): 10%; Quizzes (6 quizzes minimum on listening, speaking, reading, writing, intercultural communication): 15%; Video/Oral presentation: 10%; Compositions: 15%; Field studies: 10%; Class participation: 10%.
content:
Week 1, Unidad 1[1]
1. Functional: Useful class language. Greetings. Talking about personal identity.
2. Grammatical: Sounds and letters. The three conjugations: -ar, -er, -ir. Present tense: ser, tener, llamarse.
Genre in adjectives (nationalities) and nouns (professions).
1. Functional: Expressing intentions and giving reasons. Talking about our interests.
2. Grammatical: Present tense: regular verbs. Reasons and finalities: Porque vs. para vs. por. Intentions: quiero +infinitive. Definite article. Muy bien, bastante bien, regular/ un poco de, muy mal. A m? me interesa/n, a ?l/ella le interesa/n.
3. Vocabulary: Leisure and hobbies. Languages. Cultural fields. Activities in the Spanish classroom.
4. Culture: Interesting places in Spanish speaking countries.
Week 3, Unidad 3[1]
1. Functional: Describing places and countries. Talking about existence. Locating things. Talking about the weather.
2. Grammatical: Hay/no hay vs. est?. Mucho/a/s + noun, muy +adjective, verb+muy. Superlative. Cu?l vs. Qu?. Agreement in articles (definite and indefinite) and adjectives. Interrogatives (Qu?, qui?n, c?mo, d?nde, cu?l).
3. Vocabulary: The weather.
4. Culture: Pan-American Highway, getting to know Spanish speaking countries better.
Week 4, Unidad 4[1]
1. Functional: Identifying objects. Expressing needs. Shopping (asking for products and prices) and talking about preferences.
2. Grammatical: Demonstratives (este/ese/aquel…). El/la/los/las +adjective. Qu?+noun vs. Cu?l/es. Tener que+ infinitive. Verb ir.
3. Vocabulary: Numerals (100+). Colours. Clothing. Language of economical activities.
4. Culture: Companies in the Spanish speaking world. Flee-markets.
Week 5, Unidad 5[1]
1. Functional: Talking about personal relationships and family. Describing people’s appearance and personality. Asking and talking about tastes.
3. Vocabulary: Personal and familiar relationships. Jobs. Description of appearance and personality.
4. Culture: Cultural Hispanic celebrities.
Week 6, Unidad 6 [1]
1. Functional: Talking about daily activities. Asking for and saying the time. Talking about schedules.
2. Grammatical: Present tense (irregular and reflexive verbs).
3. Vocabulary: Expressing the time. Days of the week and parts of the day. Frequency (siempre, a veces, todos los d?as…)
4. Culture: La siesta. Spanish schedules.
Week 7, Unidad 7[1]
1. Functional: Expressing tastes and food habits. Talking about food and eating habits. Asking about products and ingredients. Explaining a recipe. Asking questions in a bar and restaurant.
2. Grammatical: Verbs poner and traer. Se+impersonal. Direct Object pronouns. Y, pero, adem?s.
3. Vocabulary: Food and cooking. Weight and measure.
4. Culture: Las tapas. Spanish food habits, typical dishes and products.
Week 8, Unidad 8 [1]; Unidad 2 [2]
1. Functional: Describing your room, house, neighborhood, and town or city. Asking and giving instructions. Locating things in space. Comparing.
2. Grammatical: Comparisons. Hay vs. est?. Quantifiers (alg?n, ning?n, poco, mucho, varios, etc.)
3. Vocabulary: Furniture and parts of the house. Shapes, forms, styles and materials. Language to describe cities. Cerca de, lejos, de, en… Al norte, al sur…Services and stores. Prepositions of place.
4. Culture: L’Eixample in Barcelona. Comparing US / Spanish urban architecture. Peculiar neighborhoods in Spanish speaking cities.
Week 9, Unidad 9 [1]; Unidad 5 [2])
1. Functional: Talking about past experiences. Talking about travels. Describing people (qualities and defects).
2. Grammatical: Present Perfect. Saber+ infinitive; poder +infinitive.
1. Functional: Talking about biographies and historical facts.
2. Grammatical: Indefinite, Indefinite vs. Present Perfect.
3.Vocabulary: Life events (nacer, licenciarse, etc.) Time expressions with the indefinite (ayer, hace, etc.)
4. Culture: Spanish cinema.
Week 11, Unidad 9 [2]; Unidad 10 [2]
1.Functional: Describing past habits. Comparing the past with the present. Narrating in the past.
2. Grammatical: Imperfect. Imperfect vs. Present. Imperfect vs. Indefinite. Past Continuous.
3. Vocabulary: Time expressions with Imperfect (de repente, mientras, de ni?o/a, etc.). Life events and childhood.
4.Culture: Spanish History
Week 12, Unidad 12 [2]
1. Functional: Talking about the future and making predictions and hypothesis.
2. Grammatical: Future. If-clauses.
3. Vocabulary: Time expressions with the Future. The Earth. Natural resources.
Required readings:
J. Corpas, A. Garmendia y C. Soriano. (2005). Aula Internacional 1. Libro del alumno. Barcelona: Difusi?n. [1]
J. Corpas, A. Garmendia y C. Soriano. (2005). Aula Internacional 2. Libro del alumno. Barcelona: Difusi?n. [2]
Notes:
This course is offered during the regular semester and in the summer. For summer sections, the course schedule is condensed, but the content, learning outcomes, and contact hours are the same.
Intensive Elementary Spanish in Context I-II
In this course, the student will be able to describe in detail things, people, and events. The student will also be able to express opinion and will be able to recognize a wide range of common conversational vocabulary and interactions.
Research has demonstrated that study abroad can enhance every aspect of language ability. One of the most important general findings of this research is, however, that study abroad is most beneficial for the development of abilities related to social interaction. Students who go abroad can learn to do things with words, such as requesting, apologizing, or offering compliments, and they may also learn to interpret situations calling on such speech acts in ways that local people do…In short, and logically, study abroad has been shown to enhance the aspects of communicative competence that are most difficult to foster in classroom settings (IES Abroad MAP for Language and Intercultural Communication, p. 6).
No previous knowledge of Spanish is required for this course.
Attendance is mandatory for all IES classes, including field studies. Any exams, tests, presentations, or other work missed due to student absences can only be rescheduled in cases of documented medical or family emergencies. If a student misses more than three classes in any course half a letter grade will be deducted from the final grade for every additional absence. Seven absences in any course will result in a failing grade.
By the end of the course, students will be able to achieve some of the outcomes for the Novice Abroad level as defined by the MAP for Language and Intercultural Communication. The key learning outcomes from the MAP are summarized below:
I. Intercultural Communication
A. Students will be able to meet simple everyday needs using verbal and non-verbal communication, and they will be able to use compensatory strategies when they do not know the word or expression (repetition, talking around the point, body language etc.).
B. Students can recognize some appropriate and inappropriate expressions and behaviors in the host language.
C. Students will be able to distinguish between basic representations of formality and informality in the language.
D. Students will understand that there are differences between cultural stereotypes and generalizations between the home culture and the culture of Barcelona.
E. Students will start to make informed comparisons between my host culture and my home culture.
II. Listening
A. Students will be able to understand basic statements, requests, descriptions, and questions in specific cultural context relevant to them (hosts’ interactions, Center interactions, studying, shopping, transportation, meals).
B. Students will be able to use context to understand the gist of some simple spoken language they overhear, including the media, conversations between others, and announcements.
III. Speaking
A. Students will be able to use simple phrases appropriately in everyday situations (home, the IES Abroad Center, and the community)
B. Students will be able to express many simple needs by asking questions, and get what they need in uncomplicated, everyday situations.
IV. Reading
A. Students will be able to identify and understand many simple sentences and deduce some meaning from context if it is relevant to their studies.
B. Students will be able to interpret main ideas in short passages and news headlines if they are relevant to them.
V. Writing
A. Students will be able to write short texts about simple and concrete topics they have studied, such as themselves, their families, their friends, their likes, dislikes, plans, experiences and their daily routines.
B. Students will be able to send simple emails, text messages, and fill out some simple forms.
The course content will be delivered using a communicative student-centered methodology. Students will work individually and in groups in order to acquire and to practice (both written and orally) the new concepts and vocabulary. Also, homework will be assigned so that the students can systematize, practice, and clarify doubts about the new material. Students will also write compositions which will provide them the opportunity to put into practice the vocabulary and grammatical lessons learned in class.
There will be special assignments related to field study trips. The city of Barcelona and its people are the perfect scenario for practicing the target language and learning about the ways people live. Therefore, we will draw on this setting to collect pieces of information for our class discussions and to develop a firsthand appreciation of Spanish language. Information and communication technology will be very present in the classroom. Some assignments will involve internet research; others will involve blog posts, a podcast or twitter. The e-learning module Moodle will provide instructions, assignments, and ancillary materials and activities.
Mercadillo de Glories
Santa Caterina Market
Midterm: 10%; Final Exam: 20%; Oral Exams (2 exams): 10%; Quizzes (6 quizzes minimum on listening, speaking, reading, writing, intercultural communication): 15%; Video/Oral presentation: 10%; Compositions: 15%; Field studies: 10%; Class participation: 10%.
Week 1, Unidad 1[1]
1. Functional: Useful class language. Greetings. Talking about personal identity.
2. Grammatical: Sounds and letters. The three conjugations: -ar, -er, -ir. Present tense: ser, tener, llamarse.
Genre in adjectives (nationalities) and nouns (professions).
3. Vocabulary: Nationalities, jobs. Numbers (0-100). Classroom items.
4. Culture: Spanish speaking countries and music.
Week 2,Unidad 2[1]
1. Functional: Expressing intentions and giving reasons. Talking about our interests.
2. Grammatical: Present tense: regular verbs. Reasons and finalities: Porque vs. para vs. por. Intentions: quiero +infinitive. Definite article. Muy bien, bastante bien, regular/ un poco de, muy mal. A m? me interesa/n, a ?l/ella le interesa/n.
3. Vocabulary: Leisure and hobbies. Languages. Cultural fields. Activities in the Spanish classroom.
4. Culture: Interesting places in Spanish speaking countries.
Week 3, Unidad 3[1]
1. Functional: Describing places and countries. Talking about existence. Locating things. Talking about the weather.
2. Grammatical: Hay/no hay vs. est?. Mucho/a/s + noun, muy +adjective, verb+muy. Superlative. Cu?l vs. Qu?. Agreement in articles (definite and indefinite) and adjectives. Interrogatives (Qu?, qui?n, c?mo, d?nde, cu?l).
3. Vocabulary: The weather.
4. Culture: Pan-American Highway, getting to know Spanish speaking countries better.
Week 4, Unidad 4[1]
1. Functional: Identifying objects. Expressing needs. Shopping (asking for products and prices) and talking about preferences.
2. Grammatical: Demonstratives (este/ese/aquel…). El/la/los/las +adjective. Qu?+noun vs. Cu?l/es. Tener que+ infinitive. Verb ir.
3. Vocabulary: Numerals (100+). Colours. Clothing. Language of economical activities.
4. Culture: Companies in the Spanish speaking world. Flee-markets.
Week 5, Unidad 5[1]
1. Functional: Talking about personal relationships and family. Describing people’s appearance and personality. Asking and talking about tastes.
2. Grammatical: Verb gustar. Possessive adjectives.
3. Vocabulary: Personal and familiar relationships. Jobs. Description of appearance and personality.
4. Culture: Cultural Hispanic celebrities.
Week 6, Unidad 6 [1]
1. Functional: Talking about daily activities. Asking for and saying the time. Talking about schedules.
2. Grammatical: Present tense (irregular and reflexive verbs).
3. Vocabulary: Expressing the time. Days of the week and parts of the day. Frequency (siempre, a veces, todos los d?as…)
4. Culture: La siesta. Spanish schedules.
Week 7, Unidad 7[1]
1. Functional: Expressing tastes and food habits. Talking about food and eating habits. Asking about products and ingredients. Explaining a recipe. Asking questions in a bar and restaurant.
2. Grammatical: Verbs poner and traer. Se+impersonal. Direct Object pronouns. Y, pero, adem?s.
3. Vocabulary: Food and cooking. Weight and measure.
4. Culture: Las tapas. Spanish food habits, typical dishes and products.
Week 8, Unidad 8 [1]; Unidad 2 [2]
1. Functional: Describing your room, house, neighborhood, and town or city. Asking and giving instructions. Locating things in space. Comparing.
2. Grammatical: Comparisons. Hay vs. est?. Quantifiers (alg?n, ning?n, poco, mucho, varios, etc.)
3. Vocabulary: Furniture and parts of the house. Shapes, forms, styles and materials. Language to describe cities. Cerca de, lejos, de, en… Al norte, al sur…Services and stores. Prepositions of place.
4. Culture: L’Eixample in Barcelona. Comparing US / Spanish urban architecture. Peculiar neighborhoods in Spanish speaking cities.
Week 9, Unidad 9 [1]; Unidad 5 [2])
1. Functional: Talking about past experiences. Talking about travels. Describing people (qualities and defects).
2. Grammatical: Present Perfect. Saber+ infinitive; poder +infinitive.
3. Vocabulary: Frequency. Personality description.
4. Culture: El Camino de Santiago.
Week 10, Unidad 10 [1]
1. Functional: Talking about biographies and historical facts.
2. Grammatical: Indefinite, Indefinite vs. Present Perfect.
3.Vocabulary: Life events (nacer, licenciarse, etc.) Time expressions with the indefinite (ayer, hace, etc.)
4. Culture: Spanish cinema.
Week 11, Unidad 9 [2]; Unidad 10 [2]
1.Functional: Describing past habits. Comparing the past with the present. Narrating in the past.
2. Grammatical: Imperfect. Imperfect vs. Present. Imperfect vs. Indefinite. Past Continuous.
3. Vocabulary: Time expressions with Imperfect (de repente, mientras, de ni?o/a, etc.). Life events and childhood.
4.Culture: Spanish History
Week 12, Unidad 12 [2]
1. Functional: Talking about the future and making predictions and hypothesis.
2. Grammatical: Future. If-clauses.
3. Vocabulary: Time expressions with the Future. The Earth. Natural resources.
J. Corpas, A. Garmendia y C. Soriano. (2005). Aula Internacional 1. Libro del alumno. Barcelona: Difusi?n. [1]
J. Corpas, A. Garmendia y C. Soriano. (2005). Aula Internacional 2. Libro del alumno. Barcelona: Difusi?n. [2]
This course is offered during the regular semester and in the summer. For summer sections, the course schedule is condensed, but the content, learning outcomes, and contact hours are the same.