If you struggle to communicate with your Spanish-speaking students and their families, and you don't know your cabeza from your codo (that's your head from your elbow), don't worry—help is here!
Whether you took a Spanish class 20 years ago and just want to brush up a bit, or you have never taken a Spanish class, you will learn the essential Spanish for teachers and bridge the communication gap with your Spanish-speaking students and parents. Rest assured that this won't be anything like your typical high school Spanish course. You will learn new words in easy-to-digest bites, and each lesson will include Supplementary Material to help you keep expanding your vocabulary.
This course starts with the basics of Spanish pronunciation and then moves right into simple words for everyday things, such as colors, numbers, and question words. It then moves on to conversational phrases, family names, and directions. You will understand what it's like on the first day of school and words relating to enrolling new students, conversing in the classroom, talking about rules and behavior, and basic vocabulary for various academic subjects.
Finally, you will discover some survival phrases for the parent-teacher conference as you learn to describe how a child is doing, talk about academic or behavior problems, and discuss grades and homework. By the end of this course, you will be well on the path to becoming a Spanish speaker and communicating more effectively with the Spanish-speakers all around you.
Tara Bradley Williams has authored several Spanish textbooks and occupational Spanish reference guides, including the "¡A Conversar!" and "¡A Trabajar!" series. She taught Spanish and English as a Second Language at the high school and community college levels for over 10 years. She has also operated a Spanish language school and served as a medical interpreter. Tara has BA degrees in Spanish and Sociology from St. Norbert College and an MA in Higher Education and Adult Studies from the University of Denver. She has studied Spanish at the Universidad de Ortega y Gasset in Toledo, Spain and has lived and traveled extensively in Spain and Latin America.
The instructional materials required for this course are included in enrollment and will be available online.
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Lesson 1
In this lesson, you'll discover that mastering the Spanish alphabet is as easy as A-B-C! You'll also learn simple tricks for pronouncing Spanish words, and you'll start building your vocabulary by learning to count from zero to nine.
Lesson 2
Today you'll learn the Spanish words for a rainbow of colors, and find out how to count all the way up to 199?all while learning fun facts about the culture of Latin America.
Lesson 3
Family is all-important in Latin culture, and in this lesson you'll find out how to say the names of all your student's relatives. Also, you'll start putting your words into conversational phrases and sentences.
Lesson 4
Today we'll explore pronouns, an important building block of your Spanish vocabulary. In addition, you'll learn how to talk about the months of the year and the days of the week.
Lesson 5
Super-charge your Spanish sentences with new power words! In this lesson, you'll learn prepositions, words for directions, and three new words for asking questions.
Lesson 6
If you think Spanish verbs are a big headache, you're in for a pleasant surprise today as we explore "easy" verb tenses. In addition, we'll delve into the difference between the "to be" verbs ser and estar.
Lesson 7
You'll add to your repertoire of Spanish survival phrases in this lesson and discover a simple way to ask key questions when enrolling new students. You'll also master an important new skill: telling time in Spanish.
Lesson 8
Today we're off to school, to learn the Spanish words for common classroom objects and activities. We'll also beef up your communication skills with a host of new adjectives that'll come in handy both in and out of the classroom.
Lesson 9
How are you feeling today? By the end of this lesson, you'll be able to answer that question in Spanish! You'll also know how to explain classroom rules, regulations, and instructions to students en espa?ol.
Lesson 10
Words for teaching, learning, and doing are at the top of our agenda today. In addition, we'll look at vocabulary builders you can use to explain concepts in English, math, science, and history.
Lesson 11
If you need to assist a student in the cafeteria or on the playground, you'll have lots of helpful words at your fingertips after this lesson. You'll also learn key vocabulary words for talking about those medical emergencies that sometimes happen on campus.
Lesson 12
Parent-teacher conferences go much more smoothly when you can share information directly with Spanish-speaking moms and dads. Today, you'll learn lots of new words for describing your students' strengths, pointing out areas where they can improve, and praising their achievements
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