Publisher's Synopsis
Tu mundo immerses the Introductory Spanish classroom in a culturally rich world full of opportunities to discover and explore the powerful connections between language and culture. Instructors are provided user-friendly resources to guide students as they dive into intensive communicative practice, building confidence in their ability to interact in meaningful ways in Spanish. Importantly, instructors are also provided with the tools to build a sense of community in face to face, hybrid, and online classes, resulting in a unique personal experience that evolves organically and sparks a natural curiosity about their world.
In the Tu mundo classroom, we:
Embrace the language, not the rules: Tu mundo is designed to work well with a variety of communicative approaches. The goal is to provide an ideal environment where acquisition can take place, without fear of making mistakes. By jumping directly into communicative practice, students immerse themselves in the experience of active learning. This involves preparing at home using a variety of learning resources, prepping the necessary vocabulary and grammar in advance, and then coming to class ready to engage in conversation.
Achieve consistent performance: Tu mundo offers a dynamic adaptive learning tool called LearnSmart that focuses students on the grammar and vocabulary they haven't yet mastered, filling the gaps to prepare them for in-class communication. As the system tracks their progress, instructors are provided a unique window into their progress through extensive built-in reporting. Instructors can leverage additional tools in Connect like Voicethread to ensure that students are getting ample practice time whether they are working in a face to face, hybrid, or online format.
Create community and connections: Creating a sense of community in the face-to-face or virtual classroom is a huge part of language learning and something that Tu mundo does implicitly. Whether in a physical classroom or in Connect Spanish, students are provided with opportunities to engage in meaningful conversations and collaborative task-based activities. The Amigos sin fronteras, a cast of young Hispanic students who share common interests are featured throughout the entire program and showcased in the Amigos sin fronteras video segments. Through the amigos, students are exposed to a friendly model of how to apply what they're learning in order to interact with another friendly group of students: their own classmates. Furthermore, Tu mundo presents an interactive online environment that applies engaging content and task-based scenarios to enable students to practice their language skills in a fun, immersive, and motivating way.
Find meaning through high-interest culture and comparisons: Culture is often left behind- so Tu mundo offers it throughout. Each chapter features a country of focus, which doubles as the home country of one of the fifteen amigos. In addition to the in-chapter cultural sections, every chapter of Tu mundo features a second video segment called Mi paìs, narrated by the amigos themselves as they share information about their native countries. This window into the lives of the amigos provides a point of comparison in which students can interact with language and culture in a meaningful way.
