Viaje a Través de la Lengua Española: Parte 1 [Beyond Books]

http://www.beyondbooks.com/spa01/index.asp

Viaje a Través de la Lengua Española: Parte 1

Old Spain meets the new millennium in Bilbao with the futuristic-looking Guggenheim Museum.

Un Viaje a España

Meet Samantha, a 16-year-old exchange student from Los Angeles, California. Sam has just embarked on a year of Spanish studies, and you're invited to tag along as she travels throughout the Spanish-speaking world.

Ready to take off? Get set for an action-packed journey, because there's a lot of ground to cover on this voyage into the Spanish language, or viaje a través de la lengua española. Throughout the Beyond Books Spanish program, Sam retraces paths of exploration as she voyages from the Old World to the New World. From Europe to the Caribbean, South America, and Central America, accompany her as she lives with host families, takes classes, hangs out with new friends, and explores the rich cultures of diverse regions.

Fasten your seatbelts and get ready for adventure. All you need to bring are your imagination and your curiosity. By the end of this trip, you and Sam will both be speaking Spanish!

Spanish is the official language of 20 countries. Click on the map of the world to view them. Click on the map of Europe to view the location of Spain.

The first part of this journey: un viaje a España. You guessed it — a trip to Spain, the land of toreadors and Don Quixote and the fascinating world of flamenco and fiestas, castles and conquistadores. Sam's adventurous itinerary will lead you through various regions of the country and allow you to discover the unique features of each. Visit cities, countrysides, parks, island beaches, coastal villages, and quaint streets. Spend a morning in Madrid's Prado Museum, check out a school in Sevilla, take a stroll down las Ramblas in Barcelona, and do much, much more. Once you begin to grasp the language and explore the culture, the possibilities are endless.

Map of Spain

Spain is made up of many distinct regions. Each section of this program focuses on a different area. Click on a region above to jump to that section.
And how will this virtual voyage help you in the "real" world? Foreign language proficiency is an invaluable skill, and you don't have to cross the globe to put it to use. Spanish is spoken by more than 350 million people around the world. It's the official language of 20 countries, it's spoken in parts of Africa and the Philippines, and it's quickly becoming the second language of the United States. It's also one of the five official languages of the United Nations.

¡Hola Samantha!
Throughout the Spanish-speaking world, cultural differences contribute to the composition of the language. Culture includes tangible things such as food, music, books, and games and abstractions such as ideas, beliefs, and behaviors. Imagine creating, conveying, or making sense of these things without language — it would be nearly impossible! Language is the common thread woven throughout all aspects of a society. It's the way ideas are expressed, and it's the key to understanding different cultures.

As you get a taste of Spanish culture, you'll discover that language connects social, political, educational, and economic segments of societies. With knowledge of the Spanish language, cultural immersion is at your fingertips. And with this program, you can build the foundation necessary to speak Spanish fluently.

The Beyond Books Spanish program follows the "Standards for Foreign Language Learning in the 21st Century" and is proficiency based. It's designed to develop and strengthen listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills. Every unit section is based on a theme, such as introductions, family, school, and home. Each focus page emphasizes a particular skill and includes practice activities so you can quiz yourself along the way. Dialogues between Sam and her new friends and Spanish family are presented throughout the program, both visually and aurally, so you can sharpen your listening and reading skills.

Winding mountain roads lead to this peaceful and picturesque Spanish village.
A tip for Spanish pronunciation. The consonant ll is pronounced like the ill in million. The ñ is pronounced like the ni in onion.

And that's not all. You'll get to read Sam's journal entries, postcards, and e-mails home. You'll find out what your globetrotting companion is thinking, where she's going, and what she's discovering. And you'll be learning Spanish language and culture along the way with the help of links to more information, photos, maps, videos, song clips — even live video cams.

The pages in this program are chock-full of information. Click your way through to discover a world of Spanish culture. Get answers to those burning questions, and answers to questions you never thought to ask. Want to know what the weather is like in Madrid right at this very moment? Find out about the hottest Spanish TV shows? Take a look at the latest models of Spanish cars? Get a behind-the-scenes look at the running of the bulls? Check out the traditional clothing of the Galicians? Listen to Spanish radio? Learn to prepare some typical Spanish food? You can do it all here.

And navigation is simple. On each unit page, Sam shares a new journal entry and lets you know what region she'll be exploring. This page is followed by five focus areas, which are structured by proficiency-based standards. Each focus area is accompanied by a page stuffed with links that will help you explore different cultural components of each region. Follow the "map" below to find all these treasures.

Enjoy your journey, and ¡diviértete! (Have fun!)

Each Unit Area in this program is divided into five Focus topics: Listening, Speaking, Reading, Vocabulary, and Writing, as explained here, and each focuses on a different aspect of the culture of the region.

Focus a
Listening: "¡Bienvenidos!"
Interactive scenes in which you can listen to and watch Sam talk with her host family and new friends.
Culture: Geography, weather, and government (Geografía, clima y gobierno).

Focus b
Speaking: "¡Vamos a charlar!"
Dialogues between Sam and her friends. Listen in Spanish, and read in both English and Spanish.
Culture: History and tradition (Historia y tradición).

Focus c
Reading: "¿Cómo y por qué?"
Straightforward lessons with Spanish examples and easy-to-follow English explanations.
Culture: Arts — Including music, dance, theater, and visual arts (Bellas artes).

Focus d
Vocabulary: "Vocabulario"
Vocabulary words with sound clips that allow you to hear how words are pronounced in Spanish.
Culture: Spanish daily life and leisure activities (Diversiones y pasatiempos).

Focus e
Writing: "¡Inténtalo!"
Practice activities ranging from reading comprehension to short essays to word searches.
Culture: Hot tourist spots (Sitios turísticos).

UNIT AND FOCUS AREAS

Viaje a Través de la Lengua Española: Parte 1

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