Landscaping and Associated Trades Course

Intensive Immersion Program

Advanced Review and Reading Program

This is our latest conversational series using simplified language explanations.  Vocabulary is presented in the context of a continuing story in our new texts, En Realidad, Books One and Two.  Concentration is on learning vocabulary and phrases with heavy practice in dialog exercises. Books are also available for purchase separately and come with complete answer keys.

In the En Realidad story, Spanish teacher, Renata Fernández and her wacky friend and fellow Spanish teacher, Patricia Brown travel to Spain looking for the true identity of Librada de la Vega, who disappeared during the Spanish Civil War.  The story has a surprise ending in Book Two.

All our textbooks are a combination text and workbook.

In this series based on the Destinos videos, we utilize a balanced approach to language learning for adults, which we call Sight First.™  After early adulthood, our learning shifts from an auditory dimension to visual.  We teach you the four basic language skills in each lesson.  We start with the skill of reading, progress to writing, then listening and finally speaking.  Thus the same material is properly balanced in the four different skill areas necessary in order to gain mastery of the language.

Students who wish to go beyond the simplified series will transfer in to a higher level in this series.

The Skill of Reading

A conversation-based vocabulary of individual words and pre-cast phrases derived from practical everyday situations of work, travel and common communication terminology is presented at the beginning of each lesson.  

Various written exercises including graded readings develop the skill of reading, which includes learning the words and idiomatic expressions of conversational Spanish. 

The Skill of Writing

The mechanics of sentence construction are presented from the first lessons.  A tongue-tied student results from deficiency in the skill of sentence construction.  Vocabulary and language items are presented with exercises on sentence construction.

The Skill of Listening

The listening skill is practiced by viewing the episodes of the acclaimed Destinos Television Series.  These are half-hour video episodes to which each Practical Spanish lesson is matched. This bridges the gap from the way the language looks on paper to how it sounds when spoken.  The videos are viewed either in class or outside class at the student's option.

The Skill of Speaking

For most adult students this is the most difficult skill.  Each lesson concludes with a section called De improviso... . These are role-playing situations between student and teacher based on the testing scheme of the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL). 

In these structured role plays drawn from situations in the video, all the vocabulary and language material practiced throughout the lesson comes together.  Situations include talking on the telephone, ordering meals, taking a cab, buying a ticket on the train, getting a hotel room and various problems that arise in travel and life in general.

The texts used are Practical Spanish Book One by John St. Clair for the beginning series of courses, (Spanish 1 - 7); Practical Spanish Book Two by John St. Clair for the intermediate series (Spanish 21-26) and Temas y lemas by John St. Clair for the advanced series (Spanish 31 - 36)

This conversational course of eight weeks in length is for owners and supervisors of landscape, construction, construction clean up, janitorial services and property management concerns. 

This course helps you learn the language in the context of the vocabulary, phrases and situations common to these professions.  Workplace vocabulary includes, employer-employee relations, assignment of work, work place rules and actual terminology used in these professions.  The situations are common workplace problems.

Other basic vocabulary and language constructions follow the same Sight First methodology described above.

The text used is De Veras: Spanish for Use on the Job by John St. Clair

Rates vary depending on class size.   Discounts available for larger classes.  Classes are held at SFLI location in the Scottsdale Airpark.

In this program, the entire time is spent in the Spanish language.  If you have studied Spanish in the past but need to upgrade your speaking skills and usable vocabulary, this program is for you. Concentrated blocks of time are used for this program, such as a full day (6 hours) on successive Saturdays or other blocks that from time to time become available during business hours.

The En Realidad Books One and Two are used in this program.  See below.

Please call the Director at 480-596-0366 for more information.

Through the story an intermediate to advanced review of the Spanish language is presented.  More vocabulary and phrases are presented in the context of the story as well as more advanced role play situations at the end of each chapter. 

Copyright 2001 - 2009 by John F. St. Clair                                                                   This page last updated:  04/10/2009