SPANISH PROGRAMS - CANCÚN, MÉXICO

Course Description

We have found the best way to learn Spanish is for the student to have total immersion in the language, culture, society and customs of Mexico. Our method of using small groups (3-6 students per class) and the special class dynamic will facilitate learning to speak and understand Spanish and become acquainted with Mexican culture in the shortest possible time.

Instead of a traditional grammar program, classes are designed to provide a fully balanced intensive immersion experience for our students. This means that they incorporate all aspects of language acquisition: conversation, grammar, reading, writing, general comprehension and idiomatic expressions. In addition to formal textbooks, we use a wide variety of current materials: newspapers, literature, audiocassettes, videos, advertisements, music, short stories and more. Classes also incorporate field-trips and out-of-class learning experiences by taking students to practice their Spanish in marketplaces, museums, buses, restaurants, and others areas where communication practice is a necessity. Thus classes remain interesting as well as educational!


TEACHER QUALIFICATIONS

El Bosque del Caribe professors have university degrees with teaching certification. They have also completed our “Spanish as a Second Language” intensive training course in addition to various professional development workshops both nationally and internationally. These include the ACTFL (American Council for the Teaching of Foreign Languages)-sponsored seminar in the U.S.A.


CLASS PLACEMENT

Upon arrival you will be given an oral and written placement exam to determine which level is most suitable for you. These exams are given every Monday at 7:45 am before classes begin; students need to be punctual in order to be assigned a level for that week. The exams ensure an effective learning environment in a class appropriate to your knowledge of Spanish. The Academic Director is always available for consultations and to reevaluate your placement should you feel that you have been placed in an unsuitable level.

CLASS STRUCTURE

Classes consist of groups ranging from 1 to 6 students, the average group size being 3 to 4 for most of the year, except during high season ( June-August), when 5 to 6 is the norm. The minimum age in order to be considered for study is 18 (exceptions can be made under special circumstances pursuant to interview and recommendations).

ACADEMICS

The Spanish intensive program at El Bosque del Caribe International Language Center consists of seven levels, from Beginners 1 to Superior.
Here after is a short description of the contents and objectives of each course.

Beginners 1

(4 weeks aprox)
Basic tenses of Spanish grammar. Basic vocabulary required for "Survival Spanish". Audio-lingual Spanish and structure exercise. All classes are in Spanish.
The objective of this course is to give the student the ability and the confidence to communicate and use the most common structures of the Spanish language.
At the end of Beginners 1, you will be able to use the present and past tense of the indicative mode, and to handle daily situations at home, restaurants, banks, shops, etc... You will be familiar with greetings and introductions and certain basic commands.

Beginners 2
(4 weeks aprox)
The past tenses (preterit and imperfect), future, conditional and the subjunctive mode. Expansion of vocabulary. Audio-lingual practice and structure exercises. Classes in Spanish.
The objective for you is to be able to understand and take part in conversations on simple topics of daily life using all grammar tenses and enough grammar structures.

Intermediate 1
(4-5 weeks aprox)
Past tenses (pretérito and imperfecto), future, conditional and the subjunctive mode. New vocabulary. Audio-lingual practice and structure exercises. Classes in Spanish.
Review of the indicative and subjunctive modes, direct, indirect and reflexive pronouns, with an emphasis on conversation.
The objective of this course is for you to acquire a better command of the different grammatical structures and know enough vocabulary to take part in conversations on general topics as well as express their opinion and read any next with a simple vocabulary.

Intermediate 2
(4 weeks aprox)
The subjunctive mode. Demonstrative adjectives and pronouns, passive voice, uses of the infinitive. Expansion of vocabulary. Audio-lingual practice and structure exercises. Classes are in Spanish. Review of the subjunctive mode, the direct, indirect and reflexive pronouns, with an emphasis on conversation.
The objective of this course is to give you a better command of the grammatical structures and enough vocabulary to take part in conversations on non-specialized themes and express their opinion. You will also be able to read any text with a non-technical vocabulary.

Advanced 1
(4 weeks aprox)
Development of conversation, composition and redaction. Analysis of vocabulary. Classes are held in Spanish.
The emphasis of this course is on the correct use of Spanish structures in conversation and composition. You begin to learn the techniques of editing.
The objective of this course is to describe and narrate in a proper style, defend their ideas in a conversation with valid arguments and a wide vocabulary. You will also be familiar with different editing techniques.

Advanced 2
(6 weeks aprox)
Development of conversation, composition and editing. Analysis of vocabulary. Classes are held in Spanish. In this course, the emphasis is on the correct use of Spanish structures in conversation and composition. You begin to learn the techniques of editing.
The objective of this course is to teach you to describe and narrate properly and defend your ideas in a conversation as well as to make you more familiar with the techniques of editing.

Superior
(no limits)
Reading and discussion. Analysis and expansion of vocabulary. Advanced grammar. Translation. Classes in Spanish.
The objective of this course is to improve written and oral communication with precise structural forms. You learn to translate texts maintaining the semantic and syntactic forms of the original text. At the end of the course, you are fluent enough to handle Spanish at the highest


Course Methodology

ACTFL Model

Our teaching method is based on 7 levels of the ACTFL model (American Association of Teachers of Foreign Language) that ranges from complete beginners to advanced levels. Classes will include lectures and interactive exercises including grammar, oral and written activities, presented by two different teachers each day, one for the first three hours, the other for the second two. An emphasis on grammar and vocabulary is continuous throughout every course level.

Schedule

The schedule consists of 3 hours devoted mostly to grammar, followed by another 2 hour class in a different format involving conversation and vocabulary-building through dialog, discussions of culture and customs, games, songs, videos, and other exercises, including, perhaps, a literature class for advanced students.