• Course description: It will cover an intensive grammar review, a comprehensive selection of short stories written by Spanish-speaking authors, a review and enrichment of vocabulary, and an analysis of a variety of cultural and historical aspects. 

     

    Grammar: All grammar from previous years will be reviewed. Grammatical points we will be focusing on this year include:

     

    •   Present Tense [stem-changes, irregulars, ser/estar, por/para, past participles] 
    •   Pronouns and Adjectives [possessive, demonstrative, relative, direct and indirect]
    •   Progressive Tense 
    •  Preterite and Imperfect Tenses
    •  Perfect Tenses [all/including subjunctive] • Commands [all]
    •  Present Subjunctive/Indicative 
    •  Imperfect Subjunctive [including “si” clauses]/Indicative • Sequence of Tenses 

     

    Students write letters/postcards/correspondence in class in formal and informal settings which focus on:

    •  Writing Personal Letters and E-Mail Messages
    •  Extending and Replying to a Written Invitation
    •  Summarizing vs. Synthesizing Information
    •  Letters of Complaint
    •  Keeping a journal
    •  Writing a business letter
    •  Identifying point of view in Literature
    •  Explaining and Hypothesizing

     

    List of stories and poems to be read:

    1.  Ana María Matute: El Árbol de Oro 
    2. Una carta a Dios por Gregorio López y Fuentes
    3. Dos patrias (“Dos patrias tengo yo: Cuba y la noche”) por José Martí
    4. Rima XI por Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer
    5.  Hernando Telléz: Espuma y nada más 
    6. Gabriel García Márquez: Un día de estos 
    7. Francisco Jiménez: Cajas de Cartón 
    8. El salvamento por Ana Maria Matute