This course is aimed at students who want to take more hours of Spanish weekly focusing on language practice. It allows students to improve their competence in reading and writing. Throughout the semester, students will be able to put their Spanish into practice and learn how to write in different genres and registers in a proper way, acquiring the skills needed to understand and produce texts effectively.
Prerequisites:
None
Method of presentation:
In class, samples of different texts from a variety of genres (description, narration, legend, letter, memoire, biography, report, essay, etc.) will be analyzed and students will have to produce their own text following specific weekly assignments. Academic genres and registers will be studied in depth.
The workshop is based on a writing-as-process criterion, which conceives the text not just as a mere product. Thus, emphasis is laid on draft correction from a descriptive view. After the correction of each work, the rewriting of the piece will allow students to think of an error as something positive, as a way to learn and improve their communicative competence.
The final project is a publication made by the whole class and each student will participate on it writing an article about: politics, economy, music, food and drinks, culture, intercultural reflections, etc.
Required work and form of assessment:
Students will receive a grade for each piece of writing and also for the whole process of learning. They also will be graded in relation to their attitude and commitment to work. An 85% attendance is required. At the end of the workshop, students must hand in:
A portfolio with a selection of 10 documents written during the semester, organized with an index and date of production. Added to the portfolio, students must include a text explaining why they chose those pieces: what they learned from them, why they have discarded the other works, etc.
A self-evaluation grid: for each of the pieces written.
A journal: each week students will write about their experiences in and out of the workshop describing events, feelings, experiences, aspects of the Spanish learnt, intercultural reflections, etc.
content:
Week 1
Writing a letter. Different registers: formal vs. informal. Typical structures: greetings, conclusions, etc. Types of letters according to purpose. Differences between letters and e-mails.
Week 2
The description. Making descriptions. Analysis of specific uses and problematic cases of the verb ser, haber and estar. Exercises of literary writing.
Week 3
The Curriculum Vitae and the resum?. Main features and Structure. Writing your CV in Spanish.
Week 4
The Cover letter and the job interview. Vocabulary: specific words related to the field. Newspapers: Ads – looking and applying for a job.
Week 5
The narrative piece / Narration. Past tense contrasts: Imperfecto vs. Indefinido. The third plane of the narration: the Pluscuamperfecto.
Week 6
The Narrative piece. Cohesion: Classification and use of different connectors. Writing a long narrative piece with cohesive devices.
Week 7
The Narrative piece. Temporal and adversative connectors. The anecdote: retelling. Free writing exercise.
Week 8
Writing about a conflict. Strategies and structures to give a piece of advice or suggestion. The narration of a trip: specific vocabulary on tourism.
Week 9
Expressing your opinion. Verbs of feelings and emotions. How to express your opinion in an impersonal way. Using Verb Modes: Indicativo/Subjuntivo alternance – Specific and problematic cases
Week 10
Complex texts: spotting difficult passages in a text. How to overcome complexity in a text? Review of the different types of clauses: consecutive, causal, comparative, etc. Defining vs. non-defining relative clauses.
Week 11
Complex text: Producing your own piece of writing. The use of relative pronouns.
Week 12
The review: the criticism in literature, cinema, the arts, etc. Vocabulary on the Arts. New structures to express personal opinion (critical statements and suggestions)
Week 13
The complaint letter: the tone and different discursive-argumentative strategies. Analysis of different examples: effective techniques and styles.
Week 14
The essay. The political article. More argumentative devices. Typical vocabulary of academic register.
Reading & Writing Workshop
This course is aimed at students who want to take more hours of Spanish weekly focusing on language practice. It allows students to improve their competence in reading and writing. Throughout the semester, students will be able to put their Spanish into practice and learn how to write in different genres and registers in a proper way, acquiring the skills needed to understand and produce texts effectively.
None
In class, samples of different texts from a variety of genres (description, narration, legend, letter, memoire, biography, report, essay, etc.) will be analyzed and students will have to produce their own text following specific weekly assignments. Academic genres and registers will be studied in depth.
The workshop is based on a writing-as-process criterion, which conceives the text not just as a mere product. Thus, emphasis is laid on draft correction from a descriptive view. After the correction of each work, the rewriting of the piece will allow students to think of an error as something positive, as a way to learn and improve their communicative competence.
The final project is a publication made by the whole class and each student will participate on it writing an article about: politics, economy, music, food and drinks, culture, intercultural reflections, etc.
Students will receive a grade for each piece of writing and also for the whole process of learning. They also will be graded in relation to their attitude and commitment to work. An 85% attendance is required. At the end of the workshop, students must hand in:
Week 1
Writing a letter. Different registers: formal vs. informal. Typical structures: greetings, conclusions, etc. Types of letters according to purpose. Differences between letters and e-mails.
Week 2
The description. Making descriptions. Analysis of specific uses and problematic cases of the verb ser, haber and estar. Exercises of literary writing.
Week 3
The Curriculum Vitae and the resum?. Main features and Structure. Writing your CV in Spanish.
Week 4
The Cover letter and the job interview. Vocabulary: specific words related to the field. Newspapers: Ads – looking and applying for a job.
Week 5
The narrative piece / Narration. Past tense contrasts: Imperfecto vs. Indefinido. The third plane of the narration: the Pluscuamperfecto.
Week 6
The Narrative piece. Cohesion: Classification and use of different connectors. Writing a long narrative piece with cohesive devices.
Week 7
The Narrative piece. Temporal and adversative connectors. The anecdote: retelling. Free writing exercise.
Week 8
Writing about a conflict. Strategies and structures to give a piece of advice or suggestion. The narration of a trip: specific vocabulary on tourism.
Week 9
Expressing your opinion. Verbs of feelings and emotions. How to express your opinion in an impersonal way. Using Verb Modes: Indicativo/Subjuntivo alternance – Specific and problematic cases
Week 10
Complex texts: spotting difficult passages in a text. How to overcome complexity in a text? Review of the different types of clauses: consecutive, causal, comparative, etc. Defining vs. non-defining relative clauses.
Week 11
Complex text: Producing your own piece of writing. The use of relative pronouns.
Week 12
The review: the criticism in literature, cinema, the arts, etc. Vocabulary on the Arts. New structures to express personal opinion (critical statements and suggestions)
Week 13
The complaint letter: the tone and different discursive-argumentative strategies. Analysis of different examples: effective techniques and styles.
Week 14
The essay. The political article. More argumentative devices. Typical vocabulary of academic register.