Gente: A task-based approach to learning Spanish, 4th edition

For courses in Elementary Spanish.

Help students learn by doing

Gente helps students achieve a high level of oral proficiency as they learn by doing through a task-based approach. Rather than presenting explanations about the language, the authors immerse students in the actual experience of speaking, listening to, reading and writing Spanish. The text's consistent instructional sequence guides students to progress from a focus on input to a focus on output.

The 4th Edition offers updates based on extensive instructor and student feedback and new research in the language learning field. More task-based writing instruction and revised cultural and grammar coverage are also included.

Hallmark features of this title

• Consistent instructional sequence and task-based approach foster learning.
• Chapter-opener and Acercamientos sections intro the chapter theme, a global task for students to carry out, and the country that will serve as the chapter's cultural focal point.
• Vocabulary appears in the context of guided activities and in chapter-ending lists. Target structures appear in context via guided activities connecting form and meaning.
• Pair- and group-work focus on meaning and develop interpersonal oral discourse skills. Role-play activities prompt authentic interactions.
• Chapter-ending collaborations apply skills, reflect chapter goals and check progress with steps of varying difficulty.
• Discourse-based, strategic reading and writing develop comprehension skills with content-based tasks and pre- and post-reading activities.

New and updated features of this title

• NEW: Learning objectives start each chapter as “can-do” statements (aligned with ACTFL standards) to give students clear, specific goals.
• UPDATED: Chapters and tareas incorporate new and updated themes relevant to today's students; and activity revisions allow for completion within class time.
• UPDATED: Writing sections apply a more process-oriented approach to real-life writing tasks, with linguistic tools featured in boxes throughout; while post-writing sections include guided peer review and self-assessment to enrich the editing process.
• UPDATED: The testing program is pedagogically aligned, task- and performance-based throughout. Tasks assess productive language skills and are integrative (i.e. incorporate 2+ skills, such as reading to complete a speaking/writing task). Assessment rubrics provide task accomplishment and language proficiency criteria.
• UPDATED: The grammar scope and sequence has been revised to better help students learn how to use grammar practically.
• UPDATED Comparaciones culturales sections encourage further exploration of Spanish-speaking cultures and societies in the United States and globally by providing cultural content about the entire Spanish-speaking world, the focus country and its people's influence in the US. New activities foster comparisons and cross-cultural awareness.