Beginners’ A1

Beginners’ A1 presents a collection of items which are intended to support your learning of Spanish.

These resources  focus on some aspects of the language relevant to beginners’ level.

There are a variety of items to cater for the needs of the learner at this stage. They have been organised by weeks but this is just one possible way of going about covering the key content. It is down to each of you to decide how best this can fit your needs, time available and interest.

Let me know what you think. Send your suggestions by using the CONTACT SPANISH BYTES page. Enjoy your learning adventure!

INTRODUCTION

• Week 1

1. Useful phrases to use in the classroom from day one
2. The alphabet
3. First steps into Spanish (includes numbers 0-20)
4. Quiz: masculine or feminine?
5. Quiz: SER, VIVIR and TENER
6. Activity: Gender and number
7. Learn and test yourself: adjectives of nationality
8. Quiz: él o ella?
9. Giving personal information about famous people
10. Make connections “Spanish age”
11. Listening activity: Spanish-speaking places
12. Listening activity: Personal information, introducing yourself

• Week 2

1. Introduction to Spanish verbs
2. Professions and endings
3. Word agreements: some questions
4. Numbers 20-100
5. How to improve your listening comprehension skills
6. Appointments with yourself
7. Dalí, pintor surrealista
8. Spanish-speaking places
9. Learning by numbers
10. Where are all these things from?
11. Music and identity, a mirror

• Week 3

1. Present tense conjugation
2. Expressing intentions
3. Some key words for asking questions
4. A set of reading comprehensions
5. About music
6. About food
7. Smarter Spanish
8. Practising your numbers

• Week 4

1. Wh-questions
2. Question words
3. Question words: some practice
4. Transforming phrases
5. Ser, Estar and Hay
6. Describing places
7. ¿Dónde está Santiago?
8. Mi pueblo / Mi ciudad
9. Describing my town / my city
10. A visual taste of Latin America
11. Weather conditions
12. Listening activity: Córdoba
13. More culture: In the Sierra Tarahumara

• Week 5

1. Simple present: uses, some irregular verbs & practice
2. Work and means of transport
3. Practicing your numbers
4. Motivational (Learners like you)
5. Shopping for food: Some useful vocabulary
6. Tutorial: shopping for food (DIALOGUES)
7. En la frutería
8. Typical Spanish food and traditional covered markets
9. ¿Estar or Haber?

•  Week 7

1. Talking about a famous person’s toolkit
2. Verbs GUSTAR & ENCANTAR
3. Special verbs: questions
4. Responding to statements made with GUSTAR
5. Physical descriptions SPANISH
6. My family
7. Apapachar
8. READING COMPREHENSION: Letter to Pedro

• Week 8

1. Routine, preparing oral practice
2. ¿Qué hora es?
3. Verbs of Routine
4. ROUTINE: verbs and expressions of time
5. Simple present: uses, some irregular verbs & practice
6. Reflexive verbs
7. Improving your writing
8. Your writing
9. Listening activity: A day with Claudia

• Week 9

1. Routine: revision & practice
2. Verbal periphrases, coming to the rescue!
3. Verbs of routine: revision and practice
4. Qué or Cuál
5. Practice your verb conjugation
6. Vocabulary building (daily routines & time references)
7. Present continuous tense, an introduction
8. Present continuous, more practice
9. Ordering some food in a restaurant
10. More culture: Percussion in the Spanish-speaking world

Week 10

1. Conjugated verb plus a linking word, or not, plus an infinitive
2. Ir+infinitive: one type of future tense
3. Wishes and duties: QUERER + infinitive and TENER + infinitive
4. Oral practice
5. One picture many sentences
6. Giving directions
7. Making decisions on verbs and verb conjugation

SOME REVISION

1. Quizzes
2. Preparing for an oral assessment
3. Reading comprehension
4. Responding to statements made with “gustar”
5. Special verbs: using the right form
6. Translation Medley
7. Making comparisons