Preview of this Guide

• Textbook Integration Icon System
• Tips for Integrating the Multimedia CD-ROM into your Course
• Tips for Integrating the Student Website into your Course
• Student CD-ROM and Website Used in Conjunction with the Textbook
• Goals of Integrating the ¡Continuemos! CD-ROM, Website, and Student Text

Textbook Integration Icon System

Please open the textbook in any lesson and look for examples of the following icons:


CD-ROM


STUDENT WEBSITE


INSTRUCTOR WEBSITE

These icons, found next to certain textbook sections, indicate the specific technology component in which the pertinent support activities are found. Special annotations accompanying the icons above refer students and instructors to the sections on each technology component where users may find specific supporting or additional activities.

CD-ROM

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Tips for Integrating the Multimedia CD-ROM into your Course

The ¡Continuemos! Student Multimedia CD-ROM consists of five parts: Vocabulario, Gramática, Aplicaciones, Video, and Juegos. In addition to these segments it includes a grammar reference, glossary, and help screens that are accessible at all times. The CD-ROM exercises are designed for use both prior to and while you are working through the text lesson, or as a review at the end of a lesson.

• The Vocabulario segment is broken into two topics, Ante todo and Lo esencial. The Ante todo portion serves as a pre-lesson activity to activate your background knowledge on the upcoming lesson theme. The Lo esencial section focuses on the vocabulary taught in the lesson itself. These activities offer immediate feedback and allow you to work at your own pace.
• The Gramática segment contains numerous exercises to practice the grammatical structures presented in each lesson of ¡Continuemos!. These language exercises provide customized feedback. Immediate access to grammar explanations is available so you can learn from your mistakes while working at your own pace.
• The Aplicaciones segment is broken down into two topic areas, ¿Comprende Ud.?: De escuchar…a escribir, and Lecturas periodísticas, which focus on the development of listening comprehension, writing and reading skills, and vocabulary.
• The Video segment provides short clips from the ¡Continuemos! video as the basis for the development of listening and speaking skills. These exercises incorporate a combination of viewing activities that include vocabulary and target grammar discrete point items, and student-recorded audio.
• The Juegos segment offers an entertaining environment for practicing the vocabulary of each lesson.

These CD-ROM exercises provide customized feedback and, in some exercises, require that you record your oral answers. All exercises are based on the information and media presented in each ¡Continuemos! lesson. The interactive practice with feedback reinforces in-class written, oral, and aural practice in a way that traditional workbook exercises cannot. With easy access to the glossary and grammar explanations, you can learn from your mistakes immediately while working at your own pace.

STUDENT WEBSITE

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Tips for Integrating the Student Website into your Course

The Student Website consists of seven segments related to each lesson of the text. Within these segments you will use self-check practice tests for grammar and vocabulary, video- and audio-based exercises, Web search activities, reading preparation activities, and electronic flashcards. Each of these components is fully integrated with the materials available in the ¡Continuemos! textbook.

• There are two vocabulary and grammar segments for each lesson. The first segment, ¿Cuánto recuerda?, activates your background knowledge on the grammar presented in each lesson. The second segment, Compruebe cuánto sabe, is for completion after you have studied the vocabulary and/or the grammar presented in the lesson. You can e-mail or print the answers. When you select Submit, you will see a corrected activity including score. These activities can be done either as you work through sections of the text or all at the end prior to unit exams. They provide additional practice and their self-check feature assists you in determining your areas of strength and weakness.
• In preparation for reading the El mundo hispánico section of the text, you are offered exercises that will help you develop your reading strategies. These exercises often deal with cognates and other word relationships that help you learn to read for the gist of meaning rather than concentrating on word for word translations.
• Hablemos de su país offers a writing activity based on that conversation section of the textbook lesson. The writing activity requires you to do some Web-based research. You are then asked to do an associated writing task that can either be e-mailed or printed and brought to class.
• The Web Search Activities expand upon the lesson themes.
• A canción or song is provided with each lesson on the Student Audio CD. This song is also available on the Student Website and includes exercises that practice the vocabulary and grammar presented in each lesson. Following the language practice exercises, you are asked to reflect on the meaning of the song, thereby building on your listening comprehension skills. You may listen to this audio clip as many times as necessary in order to respond to the questions.
• Video-based exercises integrate short clips taken from the ¡Continuemos! video. These exercises offer you directed listening comprehension and language practice.
• An interactive Flashcard tool is available from the website. These flashcards offer vocabulary and grammar practice to complement each lesson. Working at your own pace, you learn best by studying a few minutes every day. These interactive flashcards give you a fun way to practice and to keep track of where you left off the last time by separating the cards you remember and those you still need to learn. Flashcard stacks can be customized in numerous ways:
  1. Practice what you do not know
  2. Shuffle cards to change the order
  3. Mark learned cards
  4. View all or some of the cards
  5. Quickly review all cards
  6. Link to a Web-based quiz on that topic
  7. Print the cards

Student CD-ROM and Website Used in Conjunction with the Textbook

The CD-ROM groups practice of primarily theme-related textbook sections while the Student Website groups practice of primarily country-related textbook sections. This distinction exists for those instructors who either wish to emphasize one context or the other in their courses or who prefer to associate contextualized practice of one kind or the other with a specific technology component of the program.

1. The Student CD-ROM, which emphasizes lesson theme-related practice, includes the following activity sections:
   
   

   CD-ROM activity section	CD-ROM section correlates with textbook section…
   Ante todo: Pre-lesson activities related to the theme	The lesson opener and opening passage (also known as beginning-of-lesson dialogue)
   De escuchar a escribir: Listening and writing practice on the lesson theme	¿Comprende Ud.?: Activity 1 and Perspectivas socioculturales
   Lecturas periodísticas: Reading and vocabulary-building practice on the lesson theme	Lecturas periodísticas

   
   
   
2. The Student Website, which emphasizes country-related practice, includes the following activity sections:
   
   

   Website activity section	Website section correlates with textbook section…
   El mundo hispánico: Reading and vocabulary building practice on the country (or countries) featured in lesson	El mundo hispánico cultural essay
   Hablemos de su país: Hablemos…y escribamos:Optional conversation practice (accessed through the Instructor Website) followed by Web-based process writing practice on the country (or countries) featured in lesson	Hablemos de su país

Goals of Integrating the ¡Continuemos! CD-ROM, Website, and Student Text

When used with the textbook as explained above, the ¡Continuemos! Multimedia CD-ROM and the Student Website…

• support you in preparing for class and tests
• reinforce acquisition of the textbook vocabulary
• expand your vocabulary base
• reinforce your command of the textbook grammar structures
• further develop your vocabulary-building, reading, and process-writing strategies
• practice and integrate speaking, reading, and writing in the context of the textbook themes and featured countries.