Spanish I Online

Students begin their introduction to Spanish with fundamental building blocks in four key areas of world-language Spanish study: listening comprehension, speaking, reading, and writing. The extensive use of authentic materials (video, audio, images or texts) allows for a contextualized and interactive presentation of the vocabulary and the linguistic structures. Students are actively engaged in completing task-based activities individually and collaboratively while formulating and testing hypotheses about different aspects of the target language. The materials and the activities engage students in such a way that they learn to develop the necessary metacognitive strategies to be successful both in the processing of the authentic input and in negotiating meaning tStudents begin their introduction to Spanish by focusing on the four key areas of world language study: listening, speaking, reading, and writing. The course represents an ideal blend of language learning pedagogy and online learning. Each unit consists of a new vocabulary theme and grammar concept, reading and listening comprehension activities, speaking and writing activities, multimedia cultural presentations, and interactive activities and practices which reinforce vocabulary and grammar. There is a strong emphasis on providing context and conversational examples for the language concepts presented in each unit. Students should expect to be actively engaged in their own language learning, become familiar with common vocabulary terms and phrases, comprehend a wide range of grammar patterns, participate in simple conversations and respond appropriately to basic conversational prompts, analyze and compare cultural practices, products, and perspectives of various Spanish-speaking countries, and take frequent assessments where their language progression can be monitored. The course has been carefully aligned to national standards as set forth by ACTFL (the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages).