MODERN LANGUAGE CENTRE
MODULE SYLLABUS
Title and code number:
SPANISH Stage 2
One Term Module
(4AALSN12)
Credit/Value:
Credit Level 4 = 15 credits
Prerequisite for entry:
Spanish 1, or Spanish GCSE (Grade B
or below), or A1 level of the CEFR, or
equivalent
Course delivery
and duration:
3-hour face-to-face tuition plus 1-hour
task-based e-learning component x 10
weeks in one semester.
Students are expected to spend approx.
8-10 hours per week in self study,
including homework, speaking practice,
and interactive exercises.
See website for semester dates,
timetable and teachers’ surgery hours:
www.kcl.ac.uk/mlc
EDUCATIONAL AIMS OF THE MODULE
This module aims to enable the students to:
 develop the skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing in Spanish in
areas of most immediate relevance such as basic and personal
information, shopping, local geography, etc.
 interact in simple and routine tasks requiring a direct exchange of
information on familiar matters.
 develop strategies for coping with unfamiliar language or unexpected
responses, such as asking for repetition or clarification, listening or looking
for key words.
 use Spanish to reinforce/further their knowledge of other disciplines.
 acquire linguistics skills, tools and knowledge to become independent lifelong learners by using Spanish for target academic activities and personal
enrichment.
 develop an insight into the nature of language, culture and society and a
greater degree of intercultural competence.
 work towards the acquisition of a “fifth language skill”, which will enable
students to reflect on different cultural values and behaviours to help
them develop intercultural sensitivity.
 act with limited autonomy, under direction or supervision, within defined
guidelines take responsibility for the nature and quality of their learning.
LEARNING OUTCOMES OF THE MODULE
This course is broadly equivalent to A2 Basic User, Waystage level of the
Common European Framework. The students will be able to demonstrate
intellectual, transferable and practical skills appropriate to a Credit Level 4
module and in particular will demonstrate the ability to:
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use a restricted factual knowledge base and range of vocabulary in areas
of most immediate relevance such as basic and personal information,
shopping, local geography, etc.
participate in short conversations in routine contexts on topics of interest.
understand utterances and frequently used expressions related to areas
such as basic personal information, shopping, local geography, etc.
describe in simple terms aspects of student’s background, immediate
environment and matters in areas of immediate need.
write short simple notes, messages and personal letters (e.g. thanking
someone for something, apologizing, confirming an arrangement).
read and assess fairly short, straightforward texts with assistance, and
engage in evaluative thinking using given criteria.
objectively compare some aspects of the new culture to their own using
the tools of intercultural learning.
use TEL as a mean of communication, as an aid to learning generally and
as an aid to collaborative and individual learning.
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CLASS DELIVERY, BLENDED LEARNING AND TEACHING METHODS
 Although every class is designed taking into consideration the above
objectives, the structure of particular sessions may vary. The general
approach to all Modern Language Centre classes is communicative - the
language is dealt with in real life situations and students are encouraged
to participate and to interact creatively and flexibly with others as part of a
team.
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On enrolling for this Spanish course, students are automatically enrolled in
the virtual learning environment specially prepared for King’s students of
Spanish: Language and Communication Skills on KEATS. It contains
interactive reading, listening and grammar activities at six levels from
Beginner to Advanced, as well as tips for learning, general information,
and facilities for blogs & wikis. It is an invaluable aid for private study and
revision. Completing all set tasks for Stage 2 is compulsory.
https://keats.kcl.ac.uk/login/index.php
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There is a compulsory task-based e-learning component fully integrated
into the course for which students should dedicate approx. 3-4 hours of
study per week. The tasks are set by the teacher and are aimed at
delivering an ePortfolio including students’ audio recording, video
interviews, online grammar exercises and some aspects of intercultural
learning learned throughout the course and with the support of some elearning tools. The ePortfolio is monitored but not formally assessed.
Spanish will be used to communicate in class and students will be asked to
participate in classroom activities and to contribute to short role-plays, and
other language-centred activities.
TOPICS – LEXICAL CONTENT
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Work and one’s professional life and career
European institutions
City life: buildings, streets, directions
Food and culinary habits
The weather
Transport and Travelling
Feelings
Shopping for specific items
Daily routines, timetable
Expressions of time
Telephone conversations
Introduction to television, press and media
Introduction to some notions of Spanish History and traditions
Introduction to some notions of Spanish culture
3
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Exchanging Written correspondence
Revision and consolidation of topics from the previous level
LANGUAGE FUNCTIONS - PRAGMATICS
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Describing people, places, objects and situations at a higher level and more
fluently
Making arrangements: suggesting, accepting, refusing
Asking for explanation, clarification, permission
Asking for information and speaking about professional life
Asking more complex questions in a formal/informal way
Buying, asking for prices and quantities
Asking for more advanced directions
Making a booking and expressing preferences, or complaints
Making comparisons
Talking about feelings and opinions
Understanding simple letters, emails, memos
Writing simple personal letters
Expressing opinions and ideas at a higher level
Giving instructions and advice
Describing and comparing objects and events
Telling stories, narrating events in the past tense
Speaking about projects and plans
Talking about the future / speaking about future events
Understanding simple information on the media
GRAMMAR AND USE OF LANGUAGE
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Revision and consolidation of all grammar aspects introduced at a lower
level (Present tense of regular/irregular verbs; simple and compound
prepositions; definite/indefinite articles; gender and number of adjectives;
possessive adjectives; etc.)
Past tenses and their difference in use
Regular and irregular verbs in the past tenses
Personal pronouns
Direct and indirect pronouns
Comparative and superlative adjectives and pronouns
Use of prepositions of time
Introduction to relative pronouns
Simple Future tense
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COURSE BOOK(S)
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ELE ACTUAL A2, Curso de español para extranjeros, by Virgilio Borobio,
Ediciones SM - Libro del alumno + Cuaderno de ejercicios
Relevant materials taken from a variety of sources will be provided by the teacher.
RECOMMENDED MATERIAL FOR SELF-STUDY
Students’ Basic Grammar of Spanish (English Edition)- Editorial Difusión
Competencia Gramatical en uso. Ejercicios de gramática: forma y uso
A2 + Claves – Editorial Edelsa
Collins Spanish Dictionary or any other good bilingual dictionary
IT resources for independent learning:
 KEATS material + MLC resources on-line
LANGUAGE RESOURCES CENTRE
In order to support independent learning and the contact with the culture of the
language(s) they are learning, students are encouraged to use the resources in
the Language Resources Centre – LRC (K-1.072, first basement), which
provides a friendly learning environment with state of the art facilities.
During the first weeks of the course, the module teacher will arrange an induction
session for the class in the LRC so that students can familiarize themselves with
the facilities. During term time the LRC will facilitate free speaking practice
sessions as well as a range of workshops on language learning. For a list of
topics and all dates and times, including the opening hours of the LRC, please go
to the website: http://www.kcl.ac.uk/artshums/depts/mlc/olc/index.aspx
ATTENDANCE
Attendance is compulsory for all language modules. If a student’s attendance
falls to unsatisfactory levels s/he may be removed from the module or prevented
from taking the assessment.
For further information on the attendance requirements of the module please see
the website:
http://www.kcl.ac.uk/artshums/depts/mlc/study/modules/compuls.aspx
If students miss a class because of illness or urgent personal matters, it is their
responsibility to catch up on the contents of the missed class by checking the
KEATS module and/or contacting the teacher.
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ASSESSMENT
For all details regarding deadlines and dates for assessment see the website
www.kcl.ac.uk/artshums/depts/mlc/study/modules/assess/bymod/index.aspx
Formative Assessment
Formative assessment takes place during the Reading Week. It does not count
towards the final mark, but failure to submit the work may result in the student
being withdrawn from the module or prevented from sitting the examinations. It is
strongly recommended to complete the formative assessment as it will provide
viable feedback on the student’s progress.
Test: 2 hours
0%
Feedback
All pieces of formative assessment are normally returned to students within 2
weeks, and teachers will provide feedback in groups and/or individually. In
addition students can book an individual surgery session. Contact details and
applicable surgery hours can be found here:
http://www.kcl.ac.uk/artshums/depts/mlc/people/index.aspx
Final (Summative) Assessment
Oral exam: 15-20min
Exam period: Period 1 or during Revision week,
immediately before the start of Exam Period 2 (May)
40%
Written exam: 2 hours
Exam period: Period 1 or Period 2
60%
Dictionaries or notes are not allowed during the final examination. Past papers
are available on KEATS.
For more details on the final assessment for this module, including dates, please
see: http://www.kcl.ac.uk/artshums/depts/mlc/study/modules/assess/bymod/index.aspx
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WEEK BY WEEK SYLLABUS
WEEK
st
1 week
LEARNING
RESOURCES
 ELE Actual A2
Textbook +
Activity Book Lesson
1
CONTENT/TOPICS
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Introduction to the
course aims and
objectives
 Expressing wishes
 Expressing obligation
and needs
 Expressing plans and
intentions
 Expressing certainty,
uncertainty and
possibility
2nd
week
 ELE Actual A2
Textbook + Activity
Book Lesson 2
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3rd
week
 ELE Actual A2
Textbook + Activity
Book Lesson 3
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GRAMMAR
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Revision of topics
covered at the
previous level
 Quiero que/me
gustaría + infinitive
 Tener que/necesitar/
Hay que + infinitive
 Ir a + infinitive
 Estar seguro/a de
que …
 Es probable /
posible, puede ser,
quizá(s)
Expressing physical
condition and state of
mind
Expressing feelings
Expressing physical
sensations
Expressing pain
Offering, accepting
and refusing things
Making suggestions
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Muy-mucho
Verb doler
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Exclamations: ¡Qué
…!
Present Indicative:
alternancia e-ie
Asking for food in a
shop
Asking for prices and
quantities
Asking for
food/service in a
restaurant
Addressing people
formaly and
informally
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7
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Present Indicative:
alternancia e-i
Countable/
uncountable nouns
Algo – nada
Otro, un poco (más)
de
E-LEARNING
COMPONENT
Get to know the KEATS
e-Portfolio
Post a personal profile
on EPOS:
 create an alter ego
and a profile for you:
name, age, profession,
character, etc. Imagine
you are in your gap
year in Spain or Latin
America and you are
recording your
experiences on a diary
 Choose a setting for
your story.
TASK 1:
Setting up your
imagined diary:
 Do a bit of research on
your city/places in
Spain/Latin America
and write a little
presentation or a
schedule of the
journey if you are
travelling around the
country
 Include also a
description of other
people involved in your
diary/journey.
TASK 2:
You are meeting a group
of Spanish friends in a
“Mesón”:
 Give a detailed
description of what the
group eats and drinks
and mention some
peculiarities about the
Spanish cuisine that
you are discovering.
4th
week
 ELE Actual A2
Textbook + Activity
Book Lessons 4 +5
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5th
week
 ELE Actual A2
Textbook + Activity
Book Lessons 6 +7
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week
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Talking about clothes
Making comparisons
Shopping for clothes
and shoes
Expressing wishes
Asking for and giving
permission
Talking about
actions in progress
Congratulating
someone on his/her
birthday
Offering presents
Expressing
admiration and
appreciating objects
Offering, accepting
and refusing food
and drinks
Placing events in
time
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Pretérito Perfecto
Ya-aún/ todavía no
Creer/pensar que...
Lo más + adjective+
es
(No) Estoy de
acuerdo con …
porque …/ Con +
Personal pronouns
Comparatives
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Direct object
pronouns (OD): lo,
la, los, las
 ¿Puedo + infinitive?
Sí, claro
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Present continuous:
Estar + gerund
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Para + personal
pronouns
Exclamations ¡Qué
…!
Some uses of Ser &
Estar
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TASK 3:
You are writing an email:
 to your Spanish pals
(or recording a voice
message) keeping
them updated on your
experiences this week.
Read/ Listen to the
story of your peers and
leave at least one
question for each of
them
 Answer in writing to
the questions that your
peers left under your
presentation.
TASK 4:
You have been invited to
one of your new Spanish
friends’ birthday party
next week and:
 you would like to get
something nice for
him/her
 Discuss with your
group of friends on an
appropriate clothing
item to buy as a
present
 Describe (written or
recorded) the party
and how people are
dressed there and
what they are
eating/drinking etc.
Reading Week
Formative assessment
6th week
7th
Talking about recent
past events
Apologizing and
explaining
Talking about
personal
experiences
Talking about things
that you have
already done or that
have not done yet
Expressing opinions
Expressing
agreement or
disagreement
 ELE Actual A2
Textbook + Activity
Book Lessons 8+12
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Feedback on
Formative
Assessment
8
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Verb Preferir
Acabar de + Infinitive
Comparisons
Imperative
affirmative
TASK 5:
A friend of yours is willing
to visit one of the cities in
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th
8 week
 ELE Actual A2
Textbook + Activity
Book Lessons 13 +9
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9th
week
 ELE Actual A2
Textbook + Activity
Book Lesson 15
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10th
week
 ELE Actual A2
Textbook + Activity
Book Lesson 11
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 Pretérito indefinido:
regular & irregular
verbs: ir, ser, estar,
venir y hacer
 Prepositions: en /de
 Ser + bueno/malo
 Estar bien/mal
 Parecer + adjective
Spain/ Latin America that
you have already visited:
 Describe to him/her
your experience of the
city, emphasizing a
particular
experience/anecdote
occurred in the trip
 Describe also the
people that you have
met in that city and
what they like to do
etc.
Talking about last
weekend and spare
time activities
Talking about your
life
Talking about
someone’s life
Expressing certainty
and evidence
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Pretérito indefinido
(revision and
consolidation)
Verbs with
prepositions:
Conocer a, casarse
con, divorciarse de,
etc.
Some irregular
verbs: (tener/morir)
TASK 6:
Describing and talking
about places and
people in the past
Talking about habitual
actions in the past
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Pretérito Imperfecto:
regular and irregular
verbs
Prepositions: a (a los
diez años), de (de
pequeño)
TASK 7:
Making a telephone
call
Talking about cultural
events: timetables
and places
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Present Indicative:
irregular verbs
alternancia o-ue
Querer + infinitive
Poder + infinitive
TASK 8:
Asking about and
expressing
preferences
Making comparisons
Asking for and giving
information about
means of transport
and places
Asking for and giving
directions
Talking about past
travelling
experiences
9
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While exploring
Spanish/Latin American
culture, you have
discovered a fascinating
Spanish character (either
real or fictional):
 Prepare a little
presentation of his/her
biography
 Read the
presentations made by
your classmates on
their characters and
make some enquiries
related to certain
aspects of their past
that might be of your
interest
Describe an event that
took place in the
childhood of your
character and:
 explain why the
experience was so
important
 Read/listen to your
classmates
descriptions and ask
some relevant
questions based on
their experiences
There is a film festival
taking place in the city you
are at present and you are
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th
11 week
 ELE Actual A2
Textbook + Activity
Book Lesson 14
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Accepting & refusing
invitations
Arranging a date
Describing objects
Expressing purpose
Expressing
possession
General revision
Preparation for the
Final Exams
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Use of the present
tense to talk about
the future
very keen to see some of
the films:
 Send an invitation to
one of you Spanish
friends, giving details
of the film(s) you
would like to see, as
well as information on
the screening
timetabling and invite
him/her to join you.
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Ser para + Infinitive
Ser de + name of
material
Ser de + name of
person
Ser + possessives
Direct and Indirect
object pronouns
General revision
TASK 9:
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12th week
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Write a reply to any of
the invitations received
to attend the festival
and give your reasons
for accepting or
refusing the invitation
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Write the end of your
story.
Revision/catch-up classes or one-to-one
tutorial support as agreed with the teacher
The syllabus may vary according to students’ needs. Term times and teaching
dates can be found here: (http://www.kcl.ac.uk/artshums/depts/mlc/study/modules/dates.aspx)
ASR 07/2016
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