Spanish Level 1(A) - October 2024

Course Dates: Thursday 10, 17, 24, 31 October; 7, 14, 21, 28 November; 5, 12 December 2024

Course Delivery: This is a blended learning class which will consist of a weekly 2 hour in person class together with supporting resources. These resources will include a 5-10 minute preparation video, focusing on a relevant language teaching point to the upcoming class and 30 minutes of online exercises to follow up on teaching in the online class. You will be expected to watch the video and complete the online exercises ahead of each weekly class. Classes will be limited to a maximum of 20 students.

Learning Objectives: Students taking the level 1 course are not expected to have any previous knowledge of the language. The aim of level 1 is to introduce students to the language, the culture and basic grammatical concepts and to equip them with the skills to communicate at an essential level in a target language context.

Potential Topics:

1: “Alphabet and pronunciation”

-Introduction: course, teacher and students

-Alphabet; Pronunciation: Letters, words, sentences, key sounds, accentuation (strong syllabe - sílaba tónica)

2: “Colours and numbers”

-Colours: and how to use them (sing, pl, masc, fem - blanco/a/os/as…); Numbers: cardinal and ordinal (One, first... - Uno, primero…); Asking and telling the time

3: “Dates and seasons – Greetings and farewells”

-Days of the week and months: dates; Seasons of the year (perhaps basic vocabulary about climate too); Greetings and farewells;

4: “Asking and giving personal information”

-Ask and give personal information (Yo, tú…): Name, surname, age, phone, email, profession…; Countries and nationalities;

5: “Food and Eating out”

-Types of Food and drinks; Typical Spanish food and food habits (5 meals of the day…); Different tastes, condiments, cutlery…; Food menu and eating out

6: “Travelling and going on holidays”

-Means of transport; Holydays and tourism; Useful vocabulary (bookings, asking for help…); Activities and sports (Nadar, comer, caminar, ir…)

7: “Ask and give directions”

-Shops and city vocabulary; Ask and give directions: (right, left, to the left of, next to…)

8: “Physical descriptions”

-Describing yourself and others: height, skin, hair, eyes… (to be tall, to be skinny... - ser alto, estar flaco…); To have and to wear

9: “House and family”

-The house and it’s description; The family and their description (my mum... - mi madre…)

10: “Going shopping”

-Clothes vocabulary; Going shopping: how much it is, it´s cheap/expensive, I want this/that one…

Learning outcomes: Students will have developed a beginner’s vocabulary in the topic areas outlined above so that they can communicate at a basic level in the language. Students will understand basic words and phrases. Students will be able to formulate simple sentences.

Is there a minimum age to register for a Language Centre course?

You must be a minimum of 18 years old to register for an in person course and a minimum of 16 years old to register for any on-line Language Centre course.

What are the course fees?

There are different fees depending on registration type. All course fees are payable on enrolment. --Student fee: £20.00 --Staff fee: £20.00 --General Public: £88.00

Are these courses accredited?

A Queen's Certificate will be awarded to all students who attend regularly. A minimum of 70% attendance is required for certification.

In addition any current Queen's student can apply for Degree Plus accreditation. Degree Plus enables students to gain recognition from Queen’s for completing extra-curricular work related learning alongside their degree.

How often do I attend?

Classes, which usually last 2 hours, are held weekly, as far as possible outside normal university teaching hours (e.g. late afternoon, early evening, some are scheduled for Wednesday afternoon) and run for 10 weeks starting in October and again in January and April. You will also be expected to complete homework ahead of class.

Is my registration fee transferrable?

Yes, if you feel after your first class that the level of language is too high/low, you can transfer to another class, provided that there is available space.

What's the refund policy?

All refunds before the start of the course must be requested in writing. Refunds are paid as follows:

(Please note EVENTBRITE will charge 6% administration fee on all refunds)

Before (and including) 25 September– full refund

26 September to 3 October (inclusive) – 50% refund

No refunds available from 4 October (inclusive)

Refunds are not normally paid after the beginning of classes. Any such request must be made in writing to the Language Centre Manager and must be related to reasons beyond your control and supported by written evidence. These refunds will be at the Language Centre Manager’s discretion. All refunds, where agreed, will be subject to an administrative fee of £10.00 for QUB staff and students and £40 for members of the public.

How can I contact the organiser with any questions?

You can email any queries you have to [email protected]

Host or Publisher The Language Centre at Queen's