All teachers know that effective preparation for an upcoming academic year has no upper limit. Every single piece of additional knowledge can make a huge difference to students’ study efforts and ultimate academic success further down the line. So why would you choose to prepare for your upcoming AP® Spanish Language and Culture course in any way other than the best?
Centro MundoLengua is the only private language school in Spain whose preparatory AP® workshops have received full accreditation by the College Board®. This means that Spanish teachers participating in our AP® Spanish Language and Culture program receive certified instruction and training at the standard necessary in an environment conducive to continued, professional development. Participating in an AP® Spanish Language and Culture workshop in Spain provides an unparalleled opportunity for cultural and linguistic immersion that is unattainable in similar workshops in the United States or elsewhere. Plus, with various financial incentives and stipends available for teachers who travel together with their students to attend our Pre-AP® Spanish Language and Culture program, there really is no better way to prepare for the new school year!
Well, you don’t have to just picture it. Our pre-AP® Spanish program in Seville offers high school students all of the above and more!
There is no substitute to full linguistic immersion when preparing effectively for a language teaching course. Choosing the host city can sometimes be a tough process. But in the case of Spain, Sevilla effortlessly stands out from other potential destinations. Cultural context is the framework that allows Spanish language teachers to understand the evolution of the language that they impart, and Sevilla’s identity as the spiritual home of many of the cultural traditions that Spain has become internationally synonymous with make it the ideal place to prepare for the upcoming academic year. And besides, Sevilla is an extremely liveable city; its role as the leading transport hub in Spain’s south facilitates arrival and travel further afield, and its excellent cuisine is never fails to delight visitors. Yet it is among the city’s ancient cathedrals, Moorish patios, cobbled alleyways, quaint plazas, hyper-modern bridges, bustling tapas bars and fiery flamenco taverns where you will truly feel the Sevillano Spirit that has inspired artists, musicians, dancers, performers and even a Hollywood director or two.
The largest Gothic cathedral in the entire world is the ideal place to begin this list. Constructed in the 12th century, the final resting place of none other than Christopher Columbus impresses visitors on the inside as much as the outside, with a giant central nave and 80 side chapels facing it. An outstanding collection of fantastic religious artwork, iconography, carvings and features make the cathedral more than deserving of its UNESCO World Heritage Site status.
And adjoining the side of the cathedral is the single most iconic image of Sevilla. La Giralda was originally a minaret that formed part of the Moorish mosque prior to the Catholic reconquest in the 12th century and was converted into a bell tower by the Castilians. It can be seen from all over the city, and if you manage to climb to the top of this 340 feet high tower, some of the best views of the city and surrounding area are your reward.
Mudéjar is the world-famous architectural style closely associated with Andalusia that elegantly fuses Christian design and Muslim / Jewish craftsmanship, and the Real Alcázar, a 14th century palace located in the city center, is said to contain the finest and purest elements of Mudéjar work in the entire world. Its network of plazas, fountains, patios, corridors and of course the palace itself were even used to film the hit television series “Game Of Thrones”!
The Barrio de Santa Cruz is known as the “Old Jewish Quarter” by locals and is possibly the most mysterious neighbourhood in all of Sevilla. This labyrinth of cobbled streets, narrow alleyways and towering stone buildings have a strange way of keeping the rest of the modern world, including its noise and traffic, outside. And as you wander the winding streets of Santa Cruz in the late afternoon while peering at the various plaques and carvings all around that tell the stories of the Barrio’s former residents, you may well feel yourself stepping back in time….
This semi-circular structure sits directly opposite the charming Parque de María Luisa and was chosen as a filming location for the film “Star Wars: Episode 1 – The Phantom Menace”. Its arching fountain, elegant bridges, elegant moat and cavernous archways will therefore be familiar to many viewers, but what they may not be familiar with is the colorful tiled porticos that line the enormous edifice, each one dedicated to a specific Spanish province. Built as recently as 1928, Plaza de España has become of the Sevilla’s most popular locations for photography.
Another location that’s great for photo enthusiasts is the Metropol Parasol, more commonly known by locals as “Las Setas” thanks to its close resemblance to a giant mushroom. The single largest wooden structure in the entire world sits on top of the city’s ancient Roman ruins (that are still accessible to visitors), but as the sun begins to set, you’ll want to climb to the top of the Metropol Parasol in order to enjoy some of the finest nighttime views of the whole city.
Sevilla always has something else to offer. Other attractions include:
Introductions: Warm-up activity. Overview and agenda. Understanding the modes of communication and how to build proficiency across modes. Test-day administration/proctors/equipment/language labs. Selecting resources for the course. Inclusion of the National Standards and the 5 C’s; Communication, Comparisons, Communities, Cultures and Connections. Using the AP® Themes to develop instructional units of study that integrate the modes of communication. Course Planning and Pacing Guides. What about textbooks and test prep books? AP® Central and the AP® Community. Join the AP® Spanish Language and Culture AP® Community. The AP® Spanish Language and Culture Exam Format: Which areas are most problematic for your students? What strategies do you have in place to help students be successful? Section I: Multiple Choice-Interpretive Communication. Section 2: Free Response-Interpersonal and Presentation Communication. Essential Questions. Lesson planning, scope and sequencing. Reflection.
Warm up activity. Questions regarding homework assignment, share some ideas. Working with Essential Questions to develop units of study that integrate the AP® Spanish Language and Culture Themes. Working with thematic units. How many thematic units per quarter/semester will I cover? What are the contexts that will be developed in this thematic unit? How will I integrate other themes? How many units do you cover in one semester? Developing written and print interpretive communication; strategies for success. To include; charts, graphs, articles, literature Strategies for working with charts and graphs. Activities/assessments Developing audio, visual and Audio Visual communication, strategies for success. To include, radio broadcasts, podcasts, short clips, cortometrajes; films, art. How do I integrate and use art in film in my AP® Language course? Strategies for working with audio, visual and audio visual communication. Activities/assessments Using graphs, charts and maps. Using graphic organizers and mind maps. Using authentic literature in the AP® Spanish Language and Culture Classroom; reading comprehension strategies. Scaffolding poetry and prose. Authentic literature; accessible to all students. Adapting and scaffolding the AP® Literature reading list for Spanish language and at the lower levels. Using video in the classroom to enhance thematic units. What films are appropriate at this level? Lesson planning; a work in progress. Preparing a thematic unit Working in small groups to present on the final day; each group will work with a different theme. Reflection
Warm up activity. Questions regarding homework assignment, share some ideas. Developing interpersonal speaking skills. Activities/assessments Strategies for success. Building proficiency Scaffolding interpersonal speaking Scoring criteria Review and score student samples from the AP® Spanish Language and Culture 2021 exam. Scaffolding interpersonal writing Scoring Criteria Review and score student samples from the AP® Spanish Language and Culture 2021 exam. Developing interpersonal writing skills, activities, assessments, scoring criteria. Activities/assessments The email Strategies for success. Building proficiency Using and integrating connector words Organizational strategies Lesson planning; a work in progress. Preparing a thematic Unit Working in small groups to present on the final day; each group will work with a different theme. An outline of a sample unit Reflection
Warm up activity. Questions regarding homework assignment, share some ideas. Developing presentational writing skills, activities, assessments, scoring criteria. Activities/assessments The persuasive essay Strategies for success. Building proficiency Using and integrating connector words Organizational strategies Scaffolding presentational writing Scoring criteria Review and score student samples from the AP® Spanish Language and Culture 2021 exam. Scaffolding presentational speaking Scoring criteria Review and score student samples from the AP® Spanish Language and Culture 2021 exam. Other ideas for scoring criteria Developing presentational speaking skills; strategies for success, building proficiency. Activities/assessments The cultural comparison Strategies for success. How do we make comparisons? Organizational strategies
Understanding the cultural component and integrating culture into all levels of instruction. What is culture? Whose culture? How will this be evaluated? How do we scaffold culture? How do you transform culture and teach intercultural competence? Using the new College Board®’s new 2021-2022 support materials AP® Question bank / Performance Dashboard Unit materials Personal Progress Checks Course Framework Presentations of Thematic Units Evaluations & certificates Final Words of Wisdom
Ken Stewart was the first ACTFL National Foreign Language Teacher of Year. He spent his entire career at Chapel Hill High School in North Carolina, and more recently taught Advanced Spanish Writing at Duke University.
A National Board Certified high school Spanish teacher, he has taught middle grades through college. He was the recipient of ACTFL’s Florence Steiner Award for Leadership in Foreign Language Education K-12.
He has served on the AP® Spanish Language and Culture Test Development Committee, as a question leader at the AP® Reading, and has been a College Board consultant for over 25 years.
He has conducted over 200 workshops and summer institutes throughout the US, Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and Latin America. Ken is the Director of Professional Development with Vista Higher Learning. An aficionado of languages and cultures, Ken speaks Spanish, Portuguese, and some French; he has traveled and worked in 50 countries.
Maritza Sloan received a B.A. degree in Spanish from Oklahoma State University, a M.A. in Education from Hamline University in Minnesota, and an Ed.D. in Social Justice from the University of Missouri – Saint Louis. In addition to her degrees, she has studied Spanish literature at the University of Salamanca, and Santiago de Compostela in Spain.
This is her tenth year of teaching Spanish at Ladue Horton Watkins high School in Saint Louis, Missouri. Prior to Missouri, Maritza taught for 15 years at Plano Independent School District in Texas where she started the AP Spanish Literature curriculum for the district.
Maritza is the sponsor of the Spanish Honor Society in her school where the students are very involved in volunteering work with both their community and the Spanish speaking community in other countries. She also advocated for the Seal of Biliteracy for the state of Missouri and helped Ladue become the first school in Missouri to award the Seal to 22 students in 2018. Every year since 2018 more than 50 seniors obtain the Seal of Biliteracy.
Maritza is a College Board AP consultant for Spanish Language and Culture and Spanish Literature and Culture. She has presented many Spanish Language and Literature workshops and sessions at AATSP, APAC, MFLA, SWCLT, CSCTFL and ACTFL.
Maritza is the Past President for the American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese, AATSP. Maritza served as the Secondary Education member and then Co-Chair of the Curriculum Development Committee for AP Spanish Language and Culture from July 2012 till June 2019. She is a Co-Author of EntreCulturas 1 a Spanish text book. In 2012 she was named Texas Foreign Language Teacher of the year.
Laura Zinke, a native of Arizona, taught AP Spanish, on the campus of McClintock High School, for 38 years, where she also served as the department lead of the Foreign Language Department for 20 years. Laura has been actively involved in AATSP for the past 30 years; serving as the State President of the Arizona Chapter and the National President.
Laura has a Bachelor’s degree from Northern Arizona University and a Masters from Middlebury College and is a Gifted Endorsed teacher in the State of Arizona. She has served as a reader, a Table Leader and a Question Leader at the AP Spanish Reading and currently serves as an Assistant to the Chief Reader.
Laura was a member of the AP Spanish Language Curriculum Development and Assessment Committee and served as the high school co-chair of the AP Spanish Language and Culture Committee for five years.
Laura has been an Advanced Placement Faculty Consultant since 1994 presenting both weekend workshops and summer institutes; she has been a presenter at various regional and national and international Foreign Language and AP conferences and is a former Fulbright Teacher exchange participant to Córdoba, Argentina.
Some of the activities may include:
The total will be divided in 1 deposit due today and 1 final payment. The final payment will be due 8 weeks prior to the program start date.
AP® Spanish Language and CultureSevilla, SpainHousing included
June 18th - July 1st, 2023
New and experiencedAP Spanish Teachers
2,195.00$
AP® Spanish Language and CultureSevilla, SpainNo housing included
1,695.00$
June 25th - July 1st, 2023
1,795.00$
1,545.00$
Centro MundoLengua AP® Spanish Language and Culture Summer Institute has been endorsed by the College Board®. College Board®, AP®, Advanced Placement®, Advanced Placement Program®, AP® Vertical Teams, Pre-AP® and the acorn logo are registered trademarks of the College Board®. Used with permission.