What's New
Elevated Language and Cultural Competency through Authentic Readings
Nuevos mundos 4e has been updated with compelling and thought-provoking authentic readings featuring a wide diversity of voices and perspectives from across the Spanish-speaking world, including the United States. Authentic texts expose students to standard Spanish and serve as a springboard for speaking and writing practice. In the pre- and post-reading activities, students explore, describe, analyze, interpret ideas, debate, and convince another person of a different point of view. Cultural readings provide the historical context heritage students need to better understand and appreciate their identity and place in a global society.
Refining the Art of Spoken and Written Expression
In the section El arte de ser bilingüe, students participate in an extended individual, pair, or group assignment. They synthesize chapter themes by using their speaking and/or writing communication skills. By expressing themselves in Spanish, students are compelled to examine their own linguistic and cultural identities. Extended assignments allow heritage students to become more creative with Spanish and to carry out real-world tasks in a functional capacity. Sample tasks include writing a short autobiography, translating a short narrative, role-playing, creating a resume, and preparing for a job interview. Improved communication skills open opportunities beyond the classroom.
Increased Cultural Awareness through Inspiring New Media
Nuevos mundos 4e now includes Sonido y color media section that features authentic films, interviews, and music to engage students and tie together the chapter’s themes. Students are exposed to Hispanic culture and language nuances from backgrounds other than their own. This encourages them to break away from their own stereotypes and prejudices and open their minds to the beautiful diversity that exists in the Spanish-speaking world.
Adding Depth to the Learning Experience
The online Cuaderno de español para bilingües provides written and oral practice that expands on the language and themes in the chapters. The online workbook includes a variety of straightforward activities in spelling and selected grammar, as well as language-related practice dealing with false cognates, anglicisms, idiomatic expressions, proverbs, and other vocabulary topics. Activities range from discrete to open-ended types, such as partner or group chat, and instructors have the ability to assign the ones that meet the needs of their students. Completely integrated with the Supersite, the online Cuaderno de español para bilingües (webSAM) provides instant feedback and grading for select activities.
The Supersite: A Comprehensive Course Management Tool
The Nuevos mundos 4e Supersite is an online learning environment that features textbook content as well as additional activities, assignable for use online as individual, partner chat, or group chat activities. The composition engine is particularly useful in a heritage learner class for developing writing skills. The Supersite’s simple interface, innovative new tools, and seamless integration with the textbook provide students with the resources they need to be successful.
The Supersite also offers a wide array of resources to support instructors, including a customizable gradebook, assessments, sample lesson plans, and tools that allow instructors to add their own content. Instructors not only have the flexibility to design assignments to meet the needs of their students, but they also have the resources to develop multi-modality (hybrid, face-to-face, online) courses.
Overall, the Supersite offers a dynamic and flexible approach to learning and teaching.