Welcome To Spanish 1

There are 22 verb forms

and 106 conjugations for every verb in Spanish

We won’t be memorizing them

Instead, we’ll be using these verbs, and other vocabulary, naturally,

organically

as they occur in real speech,

real conversations

So welcome to Señor Delman’s Spanish 1 class

Where we share one simple motto:

Say goodbye to the traditional grammar/translation method

Say hello to authentic communication

What is authentic communication?

Communication The ✏ ✏

ability to understand what is said The ability to say what you mean ✏ ✏ The ✏ ✏

ability to match your speech to the situation

In other words, in this class we will be active participants in

meaningful contexts

But how is a second language acquired?

Well, it’s a very complex proposition

What needs to be internalized: ✏ New

words ✏ New sounds (can you trill your “r”?) ✏ Subtle shifts in meaning ✏ Putting sentences together ✏ Appropriate situational usage ✏ How it all hangs together

The process itself is very complex Simultaneously you’ll be: ✏

Processing input

✏

Developing a mental picture of how things work

✏

Making subconscious “connections”

✏

Producing meaningful speech

It’s a system that occurs in natural stages, subconsciously, in the background, which “clicks” in its own time, on its own internal moving sidewalk.

So there’s nothing you have to do except receive comprehensible input

And lots of it

Language Acquisition vs. Skills Learning

What’s the difference?

If you wanted to learn to swim, would you

Go to a library and read everything you could about strokes, breath control, and aquatic dynamics?

Or would you jump in the shallow end of the pool and work your way gradually into deeper waters?

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That’s the difference between learning about a language and

learning a language

Your job here is to GET WET!

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How we’ll be acquiring Spanish ✏Visuals ✏Games

✏Group

activities ✏Birthday parties ✏Computer (CNN en español) ✏Home movies ✏Skits ✏Songs ✏Electronic field trips

Don’t get me wrong— Language skills have their place ✏ Writing ✏ Editing ✏ In

depth study of a language ✏ Fine-tuning your understanding

Recognizing Obstacles Remember the complexity of learning and processing? There’s little chance you’ll become a native-quality speaker, (psst…your teacher isn’t) so relax, have fun and go easy on yourself

Classroom Behavior Se habla español

Occasions when you may speak English: 1. You’re on fire 2. You’re way too frustrated 3. Spanish has momentarily stopped being fun

Otherwise, Spanish is spoken from the moment you enter the room until the moment you leave the room

Classroom Attitude We are a learning family We support each other We learn from each other We’re all in this together

Are we ready?