Spanish
ULSP10010 - Beginners' Spanish
- Credits: 20
- Level: 1
- Pre-requisite: None
- Co-requisite: Open to students not following Honours courses in Spanish. This course is not open to native or near native Spanish speakers.
- Taught during: Both semesters
- Timetable
- Description: This course is for absolute beginners. It aims to give students a basic knowledge of reading, listening, spoken and written skills in a dynamic and communicative way, through individual, pair and group work and studio-based and authentic texts. The focus is on accuracy as well as communication. Students will be expected to use the range of resources available to them in the Language Centre and to communicate with native speakers wherever possible, in order to develop cultural competence.
- Learning outcomes: Upon successful completion of the course, students should be able to:
1) Understand short, simple messages and announcements; 2) read short simple texts and find specific information; 3) communicate in simple, routine situations; 4) write simple notes, messages and short personal letters.
By the end of the course, students should be able to perform at Level A1/A2 of the Common European Framework.
- Transferable skills: pair and team work, focussed listening, informal presentations, language awareness, cultural appreciation.
- Teaching and learning methods: seminars, three hours per week.
- Assessment:four pieces of assessed work as follows:
- Semester one: Written (Reading, Grammar, Writing) 30%
- Semester two: Oral 20%; Listening 20%; Written (Reading, Grammar, Writing) 30%. Listening assessment will take place in the week before the Easter break (normally week 7 or 8); oral and written assessments will normally be scheduled during weeks 10, 11 and 12.
- Nature and timing of feedback: Feedback will include a combination of:
- informal ongoing oral and written feedback resulting from homework and class based learning activities;
- formal written feedback will be given following every assessment.
- Convenor: Ana Niño
- Taught by: Mayte Álvarez, Esther Heredero, Sandra Torres
- Maximum entry: 25 per group
- Set texts: Nuevo Avance 1, ISBN 978-8497785280. Textbooks will be complemented by tutor with extra contents and resources in line with the CEF standards for each level.
- Recommended texts: Nuevo Avance 1 - Cuaderno de Ejercicios: Student Exercises Book in Spanish, ISBN: 978-8497786690; Reading: Easy Spanish Reader with CD-Rom ISBN 9780071603386; Basic Spanish Grammar for English Speakers, ISBN: 978-84-936688-2-2
- Pathway: ULSP20010 Intermediate Spanish