Spanish & Portuguese Basic Language Program

Protagonistas Study Guide

Protagonistas takes both a “communicative and functional-notional” (IAE-5) approach to the study of Spanish, meaning that this textbook is designed to give students ample opportunity interpreting (hearing and reading) Spanish as well as regular practice developing interpersonal skills in Spanish (by speaking with and listening to classmates). The book is based on developing communicative skills for real world (functional) situations and cultural information is embedded in the program at all points.

The following is a guide for preparing for successful study in this course, but each student is encouraged to develop a preparation method that suits his or her learning style and needs.

The program consists of a textbook and an on-line program, both of which should be consulted regularly. For the on-line portion of the program, the student is directed to http://vhlcentral.com where s/he can follow the on-line Student Guided Tour to quickly become familiar with the program features.

In the textbook, each unit (Unidad) follows a similar format, and the following features should be noted:

• The Unit Opener page presents the communicative goals of the unit in clear bullet points. Use this as a checklist for studying.
• Next are two Lecciones for each Unit, each of which follows the below format:
• • The first four pages of each lesson present useful vocabulary in blue sidebars and practice exercises in the main section. The Mi experiencia section is an open-ended activity that wraps up the two-page lesson.
  • The next two pages present a protagonist from the Spanish-speaking world, who will share his/her perspective with you. There are written and oral excerpts available to accompany these excerpts, as well as an opportunity for you to compare this person’s experiences to your own.
  • On the next page, you will find the Tarea final and Yo puedo sections, which serve as closing activities for the unit.
    
  • • The Tarea final exercises will often guide you through written activities to practice implementing what you have learned.
      
    • The Yo puedo section presents a checklist of skills you should be able to do after you complete this unit.
  • The following two pages, Gramática funcional, are formal explanations of the grammar points you have worked with implicitly in the lesson itself. Consult this section if you feel that you need targeted explanations and more mechanical practice opportunities. Students who wish further grammatical explanations are invited to consult the Grammar Reference in the Appendix of the textbook as well.
  • Next is Vocabulario, a presentation of the vocabulary for the unit in list form.
• Following the presentation of the two Lecciones, is a two-page Avance section.
• • For odd-numbered units, this section presents a culturally relevant reading (Lectura) with related follow-up activities.
  • For even-numbered units, this section presents two features: Estrategias and Compentencias.
  • • Estrategias are study tips which can be very useful for the new language student.
    • Competencias are review activities that you might find useful for studying and preparing for exams.
• The last page of each unit is entitled Flash cultura and presents activities to go along with a mini-documentary series that accompanies the program.