Conversational Spanish for Beginners

Students will learn how to communicate and read/write in Spanish. Students will understand the various sounds in Spanish alphabets and use accents appropriately.

I have a Bachelor's degree in International Relations and double minors in Latin American Studies and Spanish from Stanford University. At Stanford, I lived in Santiago, Chile, for three months fully immersed in their culture learning more Spanish from my host family and in classes in Spanish. I also have a Master's degree from American University where I wrote a thesis on Cuban American identity politics which allowed me four travels to Cuba and 2 travels to Miami to interview various generations of Cubans and Cuban Americans on the changes in US-Cuban relations since Castro's socialist regime began.

My in-laws are of Dominican Republic and Mexican family heritages and I speak fluently with them. I also speak Spanish regularly with my two homeschooled children and while on family vacations to Dominican Republic.

1) Review Google Spanish class folder here with online exercises and homework:

https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=1z6Itc4bET-D1bIOYVCAo3nklvwlLWDpR

2) Research Spanish music/dances and countries where they are from as well as instruments used (Music and Dancing Half-time for 5 minutes of sharing/dancing/listening in each class)

Other family exercises:

-read a Spanish book together with family

-cut out food items and bring to class for translating (prepare a Spanish dish)

- practice Spanish language sounds in alphabets with family

- practice greetings with family

- Ability to pronounce Spanish words correctly

- Ability to conjugate verbs correctly

- Ability to identify objects in Spanish

- Ability to respond in Spanish to greetings and ask questions in properly

2 hours per week in class, and an estimated 1 - 2 hours per week outside of class.