Author Description

A proven, four-skills communicative program for introductory Spanish, ¡Claro que sí! provides a strong emphasis on developing oral proficiency and cultural awareness. This text owes its popularity and success to its grounding in several solid principles: students learn best by doing; skill integration promotes language development; language is culture and culture is reflected in language; self-expression in language contributes to attaining proficiency; recycling of material is essential to moving from learning to acquisition; and learning is enhanced when it is enjoyable. A chapter-opening conversation, also recorded on the Student Audio CD and Cassette, provides practice in listening comprehension and speaking, while engaging students in a continuous story line that follows the daily lives of several characters. Each chapter includes two Lo esencial sections, offering thematic presentations of vocabulary accompanied by illustrations and contextualized practice. Immediately following these, Hacia la comunicación features a functionally sequenced grammar presentation in English, with a variety of communicative activities for practice. For instructor and student convenience, the Table of Contents identifies where material is first presented, where it is recycled, and where grammar explanations appear in the Activities Manual. In-text icons and annotations correspond with the Activities Manual, the Student Audio CD or Cassette, the web site, and the TravelTur CD-ROM. Additional student annotations highlight learning strategies, relevant cultural information, and study tips. The Nuevos horizontes sections include writing instruction tied to chapter functions and vocabulary and opportunities for peer- and self-editing. The TravelTur Video features authentic footage shot on location in San Antonio, Madrid, Bogota, and San Juan. The Instructor's Resource Manual contains related viewing activities. The text-specific web site features self-tests and web-search activities. G