Experiencias Beginning Spanish - PROGRAM SAMPLER

x What if your students had a mentor as they were learning Spanish? In Experiencias , students meet Daniel and Sofía, mentors who guide them through the language learning process and offer learning strategies and insights into Spanish- speaking cultures. Focusing on meaningful and authentic communication, Experiencias provides a four-semester sequence that uses research in second language acquisition, metacognition, and learner-centered pedagogy to create a student-centered text. In Experiencias Beginning , students meet Daniel, a 25-year-old heritage speaker who works as a journalist and television host. In each chapter, students watch Daniel’s ‘how-to’ show where he interviews guests who teach skills like cooking a regional dish, creating a practical schedule, or shopping at a market. Daniel also blogs about his favorite places, movies, music, and people. Sofía expands on these perspectives and topics in Experiencias Intermediate . Guided by the ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines (2012), Experiencias concentrates on what students can realistically communicate after two to four semesters of classroom-based Spanish language instruction. Experiencias Beginning develops oral communication and literacy through a variety of authentic tasks. With the help of Experiencias Intermediate , students continue to develop communicative competencies while also focusing on practical literacies, digital humanities, and job-related skills. The communicative nature of the tasks found in the book encourages students to begin using Spanish immediately in the classroom as they develop their own personal meaning. Conceptual Foundation of Experiencias Experiencias utilizes the findings from the authors’ own classroom-based research in designing a program that allows students’ language proficiency to develop efficiently and effectively. This program focuses on what students perceive as one of the most interesting aspects of learning Spanish: the cultures of Spanish-speaking countries and the perspectives of native speakers. Experiencias allows students to experience language in an authentic way, weaving culturally relevant topics throughout each chapter. Experiencias presents students with strategies that encourage them to take charge of their language learning experience. The text offers a rich and rewarding language- learning experience in which students are likely to feel a sense of accomplishment, experience the Spanish language and associated cultures, and develop as life-long learners beyond the classroom setting. How does Experiencias achieve its goals? Experiencias utilizes the goals of the ACTFL World-Readiness Standards for Learning Languages (2015) as its organizational framework, embraces the ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines (2012) and fosters active, student-centered learning. By extending the language learning experience beyond the traditional grammatical syllabus, Experiencias addresses the frequent complaint from students after completing introductory programs that though they have some knowledge of Spanish grammar and basic comprehension skills, they cannot effectively communicate in the language. In every chapter, Experiencias offers realistic interactive encounters that relate to topics of interest to today’s language students. Key Features of the Program Video Components Appealing to the 21 st century learner, the unique videos in Experiencias Beginning present Daniel and his Spanish- speaking friends sharing their life experiences on Daniel’s ‘how-to’ show. In a casual setting featuring cross-cultural comparisons, Daniel’s videos allow students to practice real- life skills. In Experiencias Beginning , Daniel also narrates short video segments throughout the chapters, offering language acquisition tips and strategies. In Experiencias Intermediate , Sofía presents native speakers from the community with contemporary issues and asks for their perspectives on each topic. Preface