In this course the student will be able to express self in a broad array of scenarios talking about self or others with precision and with a large degree of understanding. The student will be able to correct own utterances to ensure a correct understanding.
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:
SP201 or an equivalent 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:
Students who are placed in this level should be capable of achieving the outcomes in the Novice Abroad level as defined by the IES Abroad MAP for Language and Intercultural Communication.
By the end of the course, students will be able to achieve some of the outcomes for the Emerging Independent 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
Students will be able to solve some daily troublesome situations and meet needs with limited help.
Students will be able to make some informed comparisons between the host culture and the students’ home cultures.
Students will be able to distinguish between verbal and non verbal communication that reflects politeness, formality, or informality.
Students will be able to recognize simple patterns of intonation and their meaning.
II.Listening
Students will be able to understand some interactions (media, speeches, music, conversations, etc.), especially if the speaker is used to interacting with non-native speakers.
Students will be able to understand direct requests, questions, and simple conversations on familiar and concrete topics.
III.Speaking
Students will be able to talk to a limited extent about persons and things in their immediate environment, as well as their plans and their experiences.
Students will be able to address moderately complicated situations involving familiar subjects.
IV.Reading
Students will be able to read passages and short texts (notes, detailed instructions, etc.) on familiar topics and understand the general meaning.
Students will be able to support their understanding of texts through the use of context, visual aids, dictionaries, or with the assistance of others in order to facilitate comprehension.
V.Writing
Students will be able to communicate with limited effectiveness through notes, emails, and simple online discussions and chats.
Students will be able to write short essays on concrete topics of limited levels of complexity, although with reliance on the communicative patterns of their native language.
Method of presentation:
HOMEWORK AND DAILY PARTICIPATION: Students will work individually and in groups in order to systematize and to practice orally all the grammatical concepts learned in class, with the opportunity to clarify doubts.
FIELD STUDIES: First hand appreciation of the Spanish language. Students have the opportunity to know better specific aspects of the Spanish culture, and to develop verbal interaction with peers and community.
ESSAYS: Each student will present written assignments about different topics and grammatical items. Compositions provide the students with an opportunity to apply theoretical material to text.
Field study:
Visitar un barrio de Barcelona, "Becoming familiar with a neighbourhood in Barcelona"
Mercadillo dels Encants, Glories
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 (UNIT 1)
1.Functional: How to express abilities and emotions
1.Functional: Describing features and use of objects.
2.Grammatical: Structures to describe features and use (“sirvepara, es de, funciona con,...”).
3.Vocabulary: House objects.
4.Culture: Flea markets in Spain
Week 9 (UNIT 5)
1.Functional: Describing features of objects, places and people.
2.Grammatical: Relative structures with prepositions to describe. When to use Indicative / Subjunctive in relative clauses, when the antecedent is known or unknown.
3.Vocabulary: Main prepositions. Shops and shopping.
4.Culture: Shopping areas in Barcelona.
Week 10 (UNIT 6)
1.Functional: Resources to formulate hypothesis. Narrate a mystery story.
2.Grammatical: Some uses of Future Simple versus Future Perfect. Hypothesis structures, with Indicative and Subjunctive, to talk about possible facts or actions in the present, past and future.
3.Vocabulary: “Creer / creerse”. Words to express different degrees of sureness.
4.Culture: News about paranormal experiences in Spain. Superstitions and religion in Spain.
Week 11 (UNIT 8)
1.Functional: How to give advice. Expressing an opinion about actions and behavior. To invite.
2.Grammatical: Conditional tense.
3.Vocabulary: Body parts.
4.Culture:The others cultural topics of Spain: Music, cinema and TV programmes.
Week 12 (UNIT 8)
Review (weeks 9, 10, 11)
1.Functional: Expressing imaginary situations. How to express knowledge and lack of knowledge on a topic.
2.Grammatical: Conditional clauses with si. Subjunctive Preterit Imperfect to express a condition that is unlikely to take place.
3.Vocabulary: Spanglish.
4.Culture: Cultural differences in Spain and Hispanic America.
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.
Intermediate Spanish in Context II
In this course the student will be able to express self in a broad array of scenarios talking about self or others with precision and with a large degree of understanding. The student will be able to correct own utterances to ensure a correct understanding.
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).
SP201 or an equivalent 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.
Students who are placed in this level should be capable of achieving the outcomes in the Novice Abroad level as defined by the IES Abroad MAP for Language and Intercultural Communication.
By the end of the course, students will be able to achieve some of the outcomes for the Emerging Independent 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
II.Listening
III.Speaking
IV.Reading
V.Writing
HOMEWORK AND DAILY PARTICIPATION: Students will work individually and in groups in order to systematize and to practice orally all the grammatical concepts learned in class, with the opportunity to clarify doubts.
FIELD STUDIES: First hand appreciation of the Spanish language. Students have the opportunity to know better specific aspects of the Spanish culture, and to develop verbal interaction with peers and community.
ESSAYS: Each student will present written assignments about different topics and grammatical items. Compositions provide the students with an opportunity to apply theoretical material to text.
Visitar un barrio de Barcelona, "Becoming familiar with a neighbourhood in Barcelona"
Mercadillo dels Encants, Glories
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 (UNIT 1)
1.Functional: How to express abilities and emotions
2.Grammatical: “Dar verg?enza/miedo, costar, resultar, dar(se) bien/mal...” + Infinitive or noun.
3.Vocabulary: Adjectives to describe personality
4.Culture: Bilingualism in Catalonia.
Week 2 (MOODLE)
1.Functional: Describing people, animals and objects in the past. Talking about habits and routine activities in the past. Talking about past events.
2.Grammatical: Form and use ofPreterite and Imperfect
3.Vocabulary: Habits and routine activities, time expressions.
4.Culture: Backgroundto “Espa?a en la ?poca de Franco”
Week 3 (UNIT 2)
1.Functional: Relate stories in the past. How to take part in a conversation.
2.Grammatical: Use of Preterite, Imperfect and Past Perfect. How to express cause and consequence.
3.Vocabulary: Travel and holidays. Colloquial expression of emotions.
4.Culture: Interesting places to visit in Spain.
Week 4 (UNIT 2) Review (weeks 1, 2, 3)
1.Functional: Telling a story about our last trip.
2.Grammatical: Use of different past tenses. Time expressions.
3.Vocabulary: Character adjectives
4.Culture: Spain then and now.
Week 5 (UNIT 3)
1.Functional: Expressing wishes, needs and demands.
2.Grammatical: “Querer/pedir/exigir/necesitar” + Infinitive/Subjunctive
3.Vocabulary: Social problems.
4.Culture: Most common social problems in Spain.
Week 6 (UNIT 3)
1.Functional: Forming opinions and suggesting solutions. Addressing different problems.
2.Grammatical: “Ser/estar/parecer” + adjective + Infinitive/Subjunctive. “(No) creo que”+ Indicative/Subjunctive.
3.Vocabulary: Expression of opinions.
4.Culture: Polemical topics in Spain.
Week 7 (UNIT 4)
1.Functional: Expressing interest and emotions, agreement and disagreement.
2.Grammatical: Structures to express feelings (“me horroriza/me apasiona/me encanta...” + Infinitive/Subjunctive)
3.Vocabulary: Adjectives to express emotions
4.Culture: Different relationships in Spain.
Week 8 (UNIT 5)
1.Functional: Describing features and use of objects.
2.Grammatical: Structures to describe features and use (“sirvepara, es de, funciona con,...”).
3.Vocabulary: House objects.
4.Culture: Flea markets in Spain
Week 9 (UNIT 5)
1.Functional: Describing features of objects, places and people.
2.Grammatical: Relative structures with prepositions to describe. When to use Indicative / Subjunctive in relative clauses, when the antecedent is known or unknown.
3.Vocabulary: Main prepositions. Shops and shopping.
4.Culture: Shopping areas in Barcelona.
Week 10 (UNIT 6)
1.Functional: Resources to formulate hypothesis. Narrate a mystery story.
2.Grammatical: Some uses of Future Simple versus Future Perfect. Hypothesis structures, with Indicative and Subjunctive, to talk about possible facts or actions in the present, past and future.
3.Vocabulary: “Creer / creerse”. Words to express different degrees of sureness.
4.Culture: News about paranormal experiences in Spain. Superstitions and religion in Spain.
Week 11 (UNIT 8)
1.Functional: How to give advice. Expressing an opinion about actions and behavior. To invite.
2.Grammatical: Conditional tense.
3.Vocabulary: Body parts.
4.Culture:The others cultural topics of Spain: Music, cinema and TV programmes.
Week 12 (UNIT 8)
Review (weeks 9, 10, 11)
1.Functional: Expressing imaginary situations. How to express knowledge and lack of knowledge on a topic.
2.Grammatical: Conditional clauses with si. Subjunctive Preterit Imperfect to express a condition that is unlikely to take place.
3.Vocabulary: Spanglish.
4.Culture: Cultural differences in Spain and Hispanic America.
Textbook (LA):
Corpas, Jaime; Garmendia, Agust?n y Soriano, Carmen (2005). Aula 4. Barcelona: Difusi?n. Course Reader SP202 (2009). Barcelona, IES Abroad Barcelona.
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.