Welcome to the Monterey Institute's Summer Intensive Spanish Program! Over the course of 8 weeks, the program offers 180 hours of intensive elementary, intermediate and advanced level language and cultural instruction giving students an opportunity to jump-start their Spanish studies or take them to an higher level of study.
In addition to intensive in-class instruction lead by native or near-native Spanish speakers with extensive experience in teaching, the program also gives students access to teaching assistants providing tutoring and additional opportunities for language practice. The program also sets up language and culture oriented activities such as movie nights, dance lessons, or trips to local Spanish Missions to even further immerse students in their target language and culture.
Elementary Spanish
The elementary class is designed for students with no or minimal knowledge of Spanish. The class uses a communicative approach to engage students in the learning process. In conjunction with the texts and associated audio material, students will be exposed to authentic readings and listening, will participate in didactic games and engage in functional and communicative activities such as role plays, dialogues, and presentations. The texts were carefully chosen to not only expose students to the language, but also provide them with a thorough understanding of the culture in Spanish speaking countries around the world. Students in the elementary Spanish program should expect to spend an additional 2-4 hours per day outside class to complete homework assignments and prepare for the next day's class. During the summer session, classes are 5 hours a day, Monday through Friday.
Intermediate Spanish
The intermediate class is designed for students with at least one year of recent college-level Spanish studies. Students are required to take a placement exam in all four skills at the start of the program. Placement is determined by students' language proficiency level, not the length of their previous studies.
The class uses a communicative approach to engage students in the learning process. In conjunction with the text and associated audio and web-based material, students will have many opportunities to practice communicating in Spanish in both speaking and writing. The intermediate course is designed to feature current events and topics related to students' interests. To achieve this goal, the text is supplemented by authentic readings from Spanish newspapers and magazines as well as audio visual material from films and television. Students in the intermediate Spanish program should expect to spend an additional 2-4 hours per day outside class to complete homework assignments and prepare the next day's class. During the summer session, classes are 5 hours a day, Monday through Friday.
Advanced Spanish
The advanced level Spanish course is a content-driven course with limited grammatical support. Upon enrollment is this level, students should be able to sustain an involved discussion of considerable length, talk about a variety of topics, initiate, sustain and conclude a social interaction or a conversation involving a complex situation. In terms of writing skills, students should be able to use a limited but suficient range of structures with a general control over grammar. Students in the advanced level Spanish program should expect to spend an additional 2-4 hours per day outside class to complete homework assignments and prepare the next day's class. During the summer session, classes are 5 hours a day, Monday through Friday.
The Monterey Institute does not have an on campus bookstore. Therefore, it is necessary to purchase your text books before you arrive. We highly recommend that you order your texts online through the vendor of your choice before the SILP sesson begins. Textbooks may take 3-4 weeks to arrive so you may be half way through the program before you receive them. If you are unsure of your level, please use your score from the diagonistic test as a guide. Or, you may want to purchase both books and send one back after the session begins.
Elementary Spanish
PANORAMA, 2nd Edition, Author: Blanco, Donly, Package includes text plus textbook listening activities CD, Vocab CDs (3), pocket Dictionary, Video CD Rom, and 2 Interactive CD Roms. Also includes workbook/video manual and lab manual: ISBN: 1-59334-671-9, Publisher: VISTA HIGHER LEARNING.
Intermediate Spanish
ENFOQUES, Curso intermedio de lengua Espanola, 2nd edition, Author: Blanco/Colbert:
Includes text with free supersit access code, plus free Fotonovela DVD
Package also includes Student Activities Manual: ISBN: 1-60007-194-5, Publisher: VISTA HIGHER LEARNING
Advanced Spanish
RIVISTA, 2nd edition, Author: Aparasi, Blanco, Rinda. ISBN: 1-60007-1007.
Includes text with free Super Site Code. http://www.vhldirect.com
All texbooks may be purchased online at www.vistahigherlearning.com
Pablo Oliva
Spanish Language Coordinator
pablo.oliva@miis.edu
