By the end of the course, the successful student will develop a basic foundation in the five skills: intercultural communication, reading, writing, listening, and speaking to accomplish a variety of basic everyday needs in the host culture as described in the learning outcomes below.
In this course the student will be able to describe things, people, and events in detail. The student will also be able to express opinion and will be able to recognize a wide range of common 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 are able to learn how to produce language in a variety of situations, such as the making of requests, the use of compliments, and apologies, and they also may develop skills to interpret such interactions within the local cultural context. 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:
Proficiency at a level equivalent to the outcomes mastered through IES Abroad's SP 101, as determined by placement test.
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 their host culture and their 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 through a communicative student-centered methodology. Students will work individually and in groups in order to acquire and to practice, both written and orally, new concepts and vocabulary. In addition, homework will be assigned so that the students can systematize, practice, and clarify doubts about the new material. Students will also present compositions. These written assignments will provide the students with the opportunity to put new vocabulary and grammatical lessons into practice.
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.
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
Content
Assignments
Corresponding Learning Outcome(s)
Week 1
Unit 1
1.Functional: Describing your daily routine talking about schedules.
2.Grammatical: Present tense review, time, expressions of frequency.
3.Vocabulary: daily action verbs, free time verbs.
4. Culture: The Spanish way of life.
Interviewing a class peer about his/her schedules.
Writing about your daily routine.
I.A.,I.D.,I.E, II.A, III.A, IV.A
V.A
Week 2
Unit 2
1.Functional: Describing your house, comparing, expressing likes and dislikes.
2. Gramatical: Comparisons: más…que, menos…que, tan …como.
3. Vocabulary: Prepositions of place, furniture, parts of house, comparative adjectives.
4. Culture: Comparing USA/Spain (houses, life…)
Planning and presenting your ideal house.
Comparing cities with small villages.
Composition 1: How is Barcelona different from the USA?
I.D,I.E,II.A.,III.A,III.B., IV.A, V.A
Week 3
Unit 3
1.Functional: Describing peoples appearance and personality, talking about personal relationships and family
Varios (2003). Bilingual dictionary: Español/Inglés—English/Spanish, Cambridge Klett Pocket. Cambridge University Press PRESS
Brief Biography of Instructor:
Lorena Albert Ferrando earned her BA in Spanish Philology at the University of Zaragoza (Spain). In 2002 she moved to New York in order to pursue a PhD in Hispanic and Luso-Brazilian Languages and Literature. Between 2002 and 2010, she worked at several institutions such as Hunter College, New York University, Columbia University, and Princeton University. She moved back to Spain in 2010 to earn a Masters Degree in Teaching Spanish as a Second Language and is currently writing her Masters Thesis on Pedagogic Grammar. She continues to work for the "Princeton in Spain" program in the summer.
Sandra Becerril Balín earned her BA in Spanish Philology at Universitat de Barcelona and she was granted an Erasmus scholarship to study one academic year in Torino (Italy). Returning to Barcelona, she specialized in teaching Spanish as a Second Language and worked as instructor and teacher trainer in several institutions (International House, Leonardo Program from EU, Universitat Pompeu Fabra). She also worked one year for Interarts, a Cultural Co-operation Agency as a communications manager. In 2003 she moved to Boston (U.S.) where she spent three years. There, she was a Spanish teacher at the Masconomet Regional High School and also worked for Spanish Publishing Group, a company specialized in Spanish as a Second Language. She moved back to Barcelona in 2005, and has since worked as a writer and a project coordinator for Difusión, the leading Spanish Second Language publisher in Spain. She has been a teacher at IES Abroad Barcelona since January, 2011.
Núria Silvestre Ortiz is a native of Barcelona and studied Education at the University of Barcelona. After earning her degree, she started working as a teacher and continued studying, attending courses and workshops. In 2002, she taught Spanish in Berlin on a project co-financed by the Berlin Senate. In 2005, she completed a postgraduate program on teaching languages to adults. She has taught Spanish Language for foreigners at various American study abroad programs in Barcelona and to multicultural students at Centro Humboldt in Barcelona. She taught Spanish and Catalan to high-level employees of European and U.S. corporations and designed and developed Spanish courses for special purposes. She also designed and developed programs and exercises for use online and trained future examiners for the TELC exam. She was evaluator for the DELE exams. Núria speaks Spanish, Catalan and English.
By the end of the course, the successful student will develop a basic foundation in the five skills: intercultural communication, reading, writing, listening, and speaking to accomplish a variety of basic everyday needs in the host culture as described in the learning outcomes below.
In this course the student will be able to describe things, people, and events in detail. The student will also be able to express opinion and will be able to recognize a wide range of common 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 are able to learn how to produce language in a variety of situations, such as the making of requests, the use of compliments, and apologies, and they also may develop skills to interpret such interactions within the local cultural context. 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).
Proficiency at a level equivalent to the outcomes mastered through IES Abroad's SP 101, as determined by placement test.
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 their host culture and their 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 through a communicative student-centered methodology. Students will work individually and in groups in order to acquire and to practice, both written and orally, new concepts and vocabulary. In addition, homework will be assigned so that the students can systematize, practice, and clarify doubts about the new material. Students will also present compositions. These written assignments will provide the students with the opportunity to put new vocabulary and grammatical lessons into practice.
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.
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
Content
Assignments
Corresponding Learning Outcome(s)
Week 1
Unit 1
1.Functional: Describing your daily routine talking about schedules.
2.Grammatical: Present tense review, time, expressions of frequency.
3.Vocabulary: daily action verbs, free time verbs.
4. Culture: The Spanish way of life.
Interviewing a class peer about his/her schedules.
Writing about your daily routine.
I.A.,I.D.,I.E, II.A, III.A, IV.A
V.A
Week 2
Unit 2
1.Functional: Describing your house, comparing, expressing likes and dislikes.
2. Gramatical: Comparisons: más…que, menos…que, tan …como.
3. Vocabulary: Prepositions of place, furniture, parts of house, comparative adjectives.
4. Culture: Comparing USA/Spain (houses, life…)
Planning and presenting your ideal house.
Comparing cities with small villages.
Composition 1: How is Barcelona different from the USA?
I.D,I.E,II.A.,III.A,III.B., IV.A, V.A
Week 3
Unit 3
1.Functional: Describing peoples appearance and personality, talking about personal relationships and family
2.Grammatical: Verbs: parecerse, llevarse bien/mal, possessive adjectives,
3.Vocabulary: Personal and family relationships. Clothes. Description of appearance and personality
4. Culture: Families in Spain
Describing a person in the class.
Writing a profile for a Dating Agency.
Presenting your family to the class.
Composition 2 : My family.
I.A,I.E,II.A,III.A,IV.AV.A,V.B
Week 4
Unit 4
1.Functional: Giving instructions, orders and recommendations, to be+gerund
2.Grammatical: Imperative,
3. Vocabulary: Activity verbs
4.Culture: Social contact situations, Greeting people appropriately,
tú vs usted
In groups: Inventing a new machine and presenting it to the class
Midterm 1
I.B.,I.C,II.B,II.A,III.B,IV.A,IV.B,V.A.
Week 5
Unit 5
1.Functional: Talking about past experiences, talking about intentions and plans.
2.Grammatical: Past Perfect, Ir+a+infinitive,
3.Vocabulary: Time expressions with Past Perfect: ya, todavía no, esta semana…
4.Culture: Leisure time in Barcelona (movies, theater, concerts, exhibitions).
Unit 5
Interviewing a person in the class about his/her past experiences
Composition 3 : My experiences in Barcelona this semester.
I.A,I.B, II.B,III.A,III.B.,IV.B,V.B
Week 6Unit 6
1.Functional : Expressing tastes and food habits, buying food, explaining a recipe
2.Grammatical: se+impersonal, direct object pronouns.
3.Vocabulary: food, ways to cook, food containers, weight and measurements.
4.Culture: Spanish food habits, typical Spanish meals.
Planning a menu. Writing a recipe.
Oral presentation about a family meal in the USA.
Field Study 1: Santa Caterina Market
I.A,I.C.,I.E.,II.A.,II.B.,III.A,III.B.,IV.B,V.A
Week 7
Unit 7
1.Functional: Talking about biographies, talking about historical facts.
2. Grammatical: Indefinite, past indefinite vs past perfect.
3. Vocabulary: Events in your life (nacer, licenciarse…), Indefinite time expressions (ayer, hace…)
4.Culture: Spanish cinema.
Internet research and oral presentation about a celebrity biography.
I.A.,I.E,II.A,II.B,III.A,III.B,IV.B.,V.A.
Week 8
Class reader
1.Functional: Describing past habits and customs.
2. Grammatical: Past Imperfect.
3. Vocabulary: Time expressions with the imperfect (de repente, mientras…) Common verbs (ir a la escuela, pasar el verano…)
4.Culture: Spanish History.
Interviewing a person outside class about his/her childhood.
Comparing your life before and now and explaining to the class.
Midterm 2
I.A.,I.E,II.A,II.B,III.A,III.B,IV.B.,V.A.
Week 9
Class Reader
1. Functional: Describing an event in the past using different past tenses. Telling a story or a tale.
2. Grammatical: Past indefinite vs past imperfect.
3. Vocabulary: Language of tales (Había una vez, bruja, ogro…).
4.Culture: Barcelona: past and present
In groups, writing a tale after watching a video.
Field Study 2: My favorite place in Barcelona.
I.A.,I.E,II.A,II.B,III.A,III.B,IV.B.,V.A.
Week 10
Class Reader
1.Functional: Talking about the future, making predictions.
2.Grammatical: Future Imperfect.
3.Vocabulary: Time expressions with future, life events (casarse, tener hijos,conseguir un trabajo, tener salud…).
4.Culture: Spain in 20 years.
Role play: Fortune tellers.
Composition 4
Me in 2020.
I.A.,I.E,II.A,II.B,III.A,III.B,IV.,V.A.
Week 11
Unit 9
1.Functional: Describing illness, giving advice about illness and problems.
2. Grammatical: Verb doler, ser/estar.
3.Vocabulary: parts of the body, feelings, pains, symptoms.
4.Culture:Body language and gesture.
Unit 8
Role-play: I have a big problem.
Giving recommendations for different problems.
I.A.,I.E,I.D.,II.A,II.B,III.A,III.B,IV.B.,V.A.
Week 12
1.Functional:Review
2.Grammatical:Review
3.Vocabulary: Review
4. Culture: Coming back home. My experience abroad.
Oral presentations
Final exam
Corpas, Jaime & Garmendia, Agustín & Soriano Carmen (2004). Aula 2. Barcelona: Difusión.
Course Reader SP102 (2011). Barcelona, IES Barcelona.
Varios (2003). Bilingual dictionary: Español/Inglés—English/Spanish, Cambridge Klett Pocket. Cambridge University Press PRESS
Lorena Albert Ferrando earned her BA in Spanish Philology at the University of Zaragoza (Spain). In 2002 she moved to New York in order to pursue a PhD in Hispanic and Luso-Brazilian Languages and Literature. Between 2002 and 2010, she worked at several institutions such as Hunter College, New York University, Columbia University, and Princeton University. She moved back to Spain in 2010 to earn a Masters Degree in Teaching Spanish as a Second Language and is currently writing her Masters Thesis on Pedagogic Grammar. She continues to work for the "Princeton in Spain" program in the summer.
Sandra Becerril Balín earned her BA in Spanish Philology at Universitat de Barcelona and she was granted an Erasmus scholarship to study one academic year in Torino (Italy). Returning to Barcelona, she specialized in teaching Spanish as a Second Language and worked as instructor and teacher trainer in several institutions (International House, Leonardo Program from EU, Universitat Pompeu Fabra). She also worked one year for Interarts, a Cultural Co-operation Agency as a communications manager. In 2003 she moved to Boston (U.S.) where she spent three years. There, she was a Spanish teacher at the Masconomet Regional High School and also worked for Spanish Publishing Group, a company specialized in Spanish as a Second Language. She moved back to Barcelona in 2005, and has since worked as a writer and a project coordinator for Difusión, the leading Spanish Second Language publisher in Spain. She has been a teacher at IES Abroad Barcelona since January, 2011.
Núria Silvestre Ortiz is a native of Barcelona and studied Education at the University of Barcelona. After earning her degree, she started working as a teacher and continued studying, attending courses and workshops. In 2002, she taught Spanish in Berlin on a project co-financed by the Berlin Senate. In 2005, she completed a postgraduate program on teaching languages to adults. She has taught Spanish Language for foreigners at various American study abroad programs in Barcelona and to multicultural students at Centro Humboldt in Barcelona. She taught Spanish and Catalan to high-level employees of European and U.S. corporations and designed and developed Spanish courses for special purposes. She also designed and developed programs and exercises for use online and trained future examiners for the TELC exam. She was evaluator for the DELE exams. Núria speaks Spanish, Catalan and English.