Driven by a proven six-step instructional design and time-tested approach
Six-step instructional design
Each lesson is organized into color-coded strands that present new material in clear, comprehensible, and communicative ways. With a focus on authenticity, cultural immersion, and the seamless integration of text and technology, language learning comes to life in ways that are meaningful to every student.
1. Context
Make it personal
- Provides visual context for the chapter theme
- New Puesta en escena Comprehensible Input Presentation included at the beginning of each lesson
- A primera vista questions allow students to use the Spanish they know to talk about the photos
- Redesigned lesson opens with clearly labeled Essential Questions, Can Do Goals, and IPA contexts, as well as a cultural focus on products, practices, and perspectives
2. Vocabulary
Put it into words
- New Contextos illustrations! theme-related vocabulary is introduced through full-color illustrations that reflect even more diversity and easy-to-reference lists
3. Media
Bridges Experiences
Instructional, cultural, and authentic streaming video presentations with optional captioning
Fotonovela
Brand new Fotonovela storyline videos follow Olga, Felipe, Manuel,Sara, Valentina, Juanjo - six diverse young characters living in Madrid, Spain.
Culture
En pantalla (Level 1) present authentic TV clips from around the Spanish-speaking world connected to the language, vocabulary, and theme of the chapter.
Authentic
En pantalla in DESCUBRE 3 includes authentic, complete, short films and documentaries from a Spanish-speaking director.
Panorama
Panorama showcases the nations of the Spanish-speaking world with short features about the country’s culture—history, places, fine arts, literature, and aspects of everyday life.
4. Culture
Culture presented in context
Cultural Perspective in DESCUBRE 1A/1B, 1 and 2
En detalle explores the chapter’s theme in-depth. All cultural readings feature even more scaffolded activities.
Cultural Perspective in DESCUBRE 3
Cultural exploration with a regional focus continues in the El mundo hispanohablante section. There are also literary selections on Spanish-speaking personalities and places in the Spanish-speaking world of interest to students.
5. Structure
Grammar as a tool
Estructura
Estructura offers clear and concise explanations followed by visually appealing examples
Comunicación sections
Updated Comunicación sections feature pair and group activities for interpersonal and presentational practice and provide a better balance of activities in the three modes of communication.
6. Synthesis
Pulling it all together
- Lectura offers context-based readings that pull all the chapter elements together
- Estrategia provides strategies for preparation and execution of the writing task related to the chapter’s theme
- Escuchar builds students’ listening skills with a recorded conversation or narration
ACTFL Standards
Teachers will see clearly which activities address which standards and can plan their classes accordingly with improved labeling in the Teacher Edition.
Additional Core Resources
Continuous practice, review and reinforcement helps students stay on track! See how additional core resources further support instruction and encourage student learning.
Practice Workbook
The Practice Workbook is completely coordinated with the textbook; the Workbook provides additional practice of the vocabulary and grammar presented throughout the textbook. The Workbook also helps build reading and writing skills in Spanish.
Assessment Program
The Assessment Program offers customizable online quizzes and tests for all levels: two quizzes per section (one controlled, one open-ended), multiple test versions with listening comprehension, interchangeable formats for make-ups, shorter versions, and cumulative exams, providing flexible options for assessing vocabulary and grammar mastery.
Writing Proficiency Workbook
The Writing Proficiency Workbook guides students from word- and sentence-level writing in Descubre 1 to full-length essays and presentation writing in Descubre 3.
Try Descubre for Yourself
With Descubre, your students’ speaking practice extends beyond the classroom — it’s continuous, personalized, and built to develop true language proficiency.