Spanish Language and Culture Program
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SSPPAANNIISSHH LLAANNGGUUAAGGEE AANNDD CCUULLTTUURREE PPRROOGGRRAAMM FFOORR UUSS UUNNIIVVEERRSSIITTIIEESS We at AIL Madrid are committed to delivering the most inspiring and motivating Spanish lan- guage and culture immersion programs for university groups. Our study trips combine inten- sive Spanish studies with interactive afternoon activities and weekend excursions allowing students to rapidly improve their Spanish skills and confidence, explore Madrid’s most spec- tacular sights and gain a deeper insight into the Spanish way of life. We have successfully organised study trips for hundreds of groups from most European coun- tries, as well as from the US, Canada, China, Azerbaijan and Nigeria for 8 years. Thanks to the unrivalled quality, professional service and flexibility in our organisation, a great number of schools come back year after year to relive their experience at AIL Madrid, recommending us to their colleagues and friends. Our US based partners: CONTENT 1. SPANISH LANGUAGE & CULTURE SAMPLE PROGRAM 3 2. INTENSIVE SPANISH COURSE 5 3. ACTIVITIES AND EXCURSIONS 7 4. HOUSING – MADRID HOMESTAYS 12 5. PRE-DEPARTURE SERVICES 14 6. ON-SITE SERVICES 15 7. AIL MADRID ACADEMIC FACILITIES 16 8. MADRID 17 9. CONTACT DETAILS AND BOOKING CONDITIONS 18 2 1. SPANISH LANGUAGE AND CULTURE SAMPLE PRO- GRAM Below you can find a sample program of a 4-week stay in Madrid. This program is however flexible and can be tailored to the preferences of the group. WEEK 1 Wednes- Satur- Sun- Sunday Monday Tuesday Thursday Friday day day day Break- Break- Breakfast Breakfast Breakfast Breakfast Breakfast fast fast Arrival to 9am Madrid Orientation Spanish Spanish Spanish Spanish – Barajas day course course course course 12:50pm Airport, transfer Excur- to AIL Lunch Lunch Lunch Lunch Lunch Free sion to Madrid break break break break break and time El Esco- meeting rial Treasure Guided visit 4pm with host Spanish Orientation hunt in of the Visit of the – families cooking day Madrid´s Prado Madrid Zoo class 6pm city center Museum 8:30/ Welcome Dinner Dinner Dinner Dinner Dinner Dinner Dinner 9pm party WEEK 2 Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday Break- Break- Breakfast Breakfast Breakfast Breakfast Breakfast fast fast 9am Spanish Spanish Spanish Spanish Spanish – course course course course course 12:50pm Lunch break Lunch break Lunch break Lunch break Lunch break Excursion Free time to Toledo Language Linguistic Guided visit Bike tour 4pm exchange Guided visit activities in of the Reina along the – with Spanish of the King’s the Retiro Sofia Mu- Manzanares students over Palace 6pm Park seum River tapas 8:30/ 9pm Dinner Dinner Dinner Dinner Dinner Dinner Dinner 3 WEEK 3 Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday Break- Break- Breakfast Breakfast Breakfast Breakfast Breakfast fast fast 9am – Spanish Spanish Spanish Spanish Spanish 12:50pm course course course course course Excursion Lunch break Lunch break Lunch break Lunch break Lunch break to Aran- Free time juez Guided visit Afternoon 4pm of the Thys- Cinema night with hot Flamenco Spanish songs – sen Borne- with Spanish chocolate and dance classes workshop misza Mu- movies 6pm “churros“ seum 8:30/ 9pm Dinner Dinner Dinner Dinner Dinner Dinner Dinner WEEK 4 Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Breakfast Breakfast Breakfast Breakfast Breakfast Breakfast 9am – Spanish course Spanish course Spanish course Spanish course Spanish course 12:50pm Lunch break Lunch break Lunch break Lunch break Lunch break Transfer to airport and Guided tour of departure 4pm Visit of a wine- Spanish fa- the Real Madr- Art, drawing or – ry and wine shion work- id Soccer Sta- pottery class tasting shop 6pm dium Farewell-Party 8:30/ 9pm Dinner Dinner Dinner Dinner 4 2. INTENSIVE SPANISH COURSE Our intensive Spanish program aims at improving students’ knowledge of the Spanish language and their abilities to communicate correctly and effectively outside the classroom. SYLLABUS In order to facilitate credit transfer, the syllabus, course objectives, course evaluation frame- work and assessment criteria may be provided by faculty members of the groups. CREDITS The program can include as many hours as needed to match the university credits requirements. GROUPS The Spanish language classes take place in one or more small learning groups, ac- cording to the number of participants and the Spanish levels of the students. TEACHING MATERIAL Carefully selected modern and interactive materials with intention of maximizing the students’ participation, interaction and engage- ment in class are used. We offer a combination of academic text books and exercises, com- plemented by ludic and topical handouts and learning based games and activities. COURSE CERTIFICATE On the last day of their course all students will receive a certificate accredited by the Cervantes Institute that confirms their participation in the course, their level and their attendance rate. 5 SPANISH TEACHERS THAT MAKE A DIFFERENCE Their personality and classes… Our Spanish teachers love what they do and are pas- sionate about sharing their language, culture and heritage with foreign students - nothing gives them greater pleasure and pride than seeing you improve your Spanish skills and communicate with greater fluency. The teachers work as a team, share knowledge and benefit from the huge bank of internally developed learning materials and up-to-date publications. This ensures they select the most appropriate approach for each student or group, explaining even the most difficult grammar and language issues in a simple and memorable way. Students will find our teachers to be fun and innova- tive, creating a friendly and relaxed atmosphere whilst exceeding course objectives, giving them the necessary confidence to interact and practice Spanish at all times. Their qualifications and experience… Our native Spanish speaking teaching team has been handpicked based on their academic qua- lification including Masters in teaching Spanish as a foreign language, post graduate teaching certificates, ongoing training and professional development courses and seminars. All our Spanish teachers have several years of experience in teaching Spanish as a foreign lan- guage to young US students with diverse Spanish levels and learning objectives. We also have official Business Spanish teachers who have a broad commercial awareness and insight. They focus on giving training to our corporate clients, in business schools and embassies adapting the class style to the students’ needs and interests. You have the option to select the final teachers based on your reviews of the résumés and profiles of our experienced general and/or Business Spanish teachers. 6 3. AFTERNOON EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES AND WEEKEND EXCURSIONS We offer a wide range of task-oriented activities. These will allow the students to explore Spain’s culture and considerably help improve their Spanish skills. The activities always take place with AIL Madrid´s native teachers. Please see below the descriptions of some of our “star” activities: TREASURE HUNT IN MADRID´S CENTER This activity allows the students to familiarize themselves with Madrid´s most spectacular sites whilst having a fun, interactive time completing a series of questions and tasks on Madrid and Spain. GUIDED VISIT OF THE PRADO MUSEUM Prado Museum is one of the most important and richest museums in the world. The mu- seum's collection includes over 7,000 paint- ings from the XVI to the XX century. Since it is not possible to see the entire collection in just a few hours, the group will explore the important works of Velázquez, Goya and El Greco. VISIT OF THE MADRID ZOO AQUARIUM A visit of the 20-hectare Madrid Zoo Aquarium, located inside the enormous city park Casa de Campo, is an unforgettable experience. Opened in 1770, it is one of the largest zoos in Spain and one of the few zoos in the world that houses Giant Pandas. As all the explanations are written in Spanish, therefore this activity offers the possibility to learn some new Spanish vo- cabulary whilst exploring what nature has to offer. SPANISH COOKING CLASS Students discover the secrets of Spanish cuisine preparing 2 simple and delicious traditional Spanish dishes – gazpacho and ensaladilla rusa. This activity includes going to a local market to buy the products, recipe explanation, cooking and tasting. 7 LINGUISTIC ACTIVITIES IN THE RE- TIRO PARK The Retiro Park is a 350 acres monu- mental-art city park, a perfect outdoor fresh air venue to host language based activities. These will include a series of questions and task aimed at giving the students the opportunity to learn more about the Retiro Park, it´s history and Spanish culture. Furthermore, it also involves tasks like interviewing in Span- ish and interacting with the local madri- leños. REINA SOFIA MUSEUM The Reina Sofía Museum is a contemporary art gallery containing works from the late XIXth century to the present day. The museum includes paintings by Spanish artists such as Picasso, Dalí and Miró. BIKE TOUR ALONG THE MANZANARES RIVER The area surrounding the Manzanares River has recently been reformed. There is now a park along the banks of the River where you can enjoy the beautiful scenery and a fun bike ride. Visiting the Manzanares River is the best way to get to know the new face of the city. LANGUAGE EXCHANGE WITH SPANISH STUDENTS This activity offers an excellent opportunity to get to know some local young people while practicing Spanish over delicious Spanish tapas. ROYAL PALACE The Royal Palace of Madrid is a must-see, as it is one of the most beautiful buildings in the city, and the official residence of the King of Spain. The palace has over 3400 impressive rooms, although only some of them are open to the public. In the Palace the group can admire a unique collection of historic and artistic works. 8 AFTERNOON WITH HOT CHOCOLATE AND “CHURROS“ One thing you can’t miss when visiting Spain is trying chocolate con churros (hot chocolate and churros).