Contemporary Films Provide a Window into Culture
In each lesson, the Cine section showcases a full-length film or an episode from a film by a contemporary Spanish-speaking filmmaker. These films offer entertaining and thought-provoking opportunities for students to build listening comprehension skills and to gain cultural knowledge of the Spanish-speaking world.
- Prepárate provides background information and practice to enhance students’ comprehension of the film.
- Mira la película breaks up the film into meaningful sections to ensure understanding before students continue watching.
- Piénsalo activities, following the viewing of the film, progress from basic comprehension toward open-ended conversation and writing.
Analyzing Literature Encourages Critical Thinking
In addition to authentic film, each lesson features a Literatura section, which includes three to four reading passages by well-known authors—all chosen for their notable importance in the field and relevance to the chapter theme. From short stories to poems and dramas, the variety of authentic literature offers diverse perspectives on various social, political, and cultural issues. This promotes critical thinking and encourages students to consider different viewpoints, fostering empathy and cultural sensitivity. Analyzing the language and structures in the readings teaches students how to understand complex texts, which leads to improvement in their own language proficiency and comprehension skills.
- Prepárate provides background information and practice to enhance students’ comprehension and appreciation of the literary text.
- Lectura features compelling literary texts by some of the Spanish-speaking world’s greatest writers, richly illustrated with fine art and photography.
- Piénsalo post-reading activities begin with basic comprehension practice and progress toward open-ended conversation and writing.
Writing Workshops Enrich the Learning Experience
Escritura pulls the entire lesson together with a longer, structured writing task. These writing workshops include a variety of writing genres, provide models and suggestions for the organization of ideas, and guide students from draft to revision to final version. Writing encourages the practical application of language vocabulary and structure, critical thinking, and cultural understanding, leading to more comprehensive language proficiency.
Context Makes the Material More Relatable and Engaging
The Contexto histórico and Contexto cultural features offer several significant advantages and benefits. They help students understand the setting, time period, and cultural milieu in which the work was created. They prompt students to consider why certain events, themes, or characters are portrayed in a particular way and how they reflect broader societal or historical issues. Students are better able to engage in the content in a more meaningful and informed way when they are presented with historical and cultural context.
