Primer paso a la cultura

Spanish » Books » Spanish Level 1 » Primer paso a la cultura
ISBN 978-2-921554-80-0
Price: $21.50 per book
minimum order 15

Introduce the family through a Goya painting, the house with Bolivar's home, numbers with the Aztec calendar! This workbook contains a full year of cultural materials, interesting, well presented and, above all, content-based. Both the vocabulary and the grammar studied in most first year books is put into context. Check out the Teacher's edition which has additional information, model tests and the answer key;
A teacher's edition is included FREE of charge with the purchase of a set of Student's books.
 

El español en el mundo

1. Mapamundi
2. España
3. Norteamérica y Centroamérica
4. Sudamérica y el Caribe
5. El español y otras lenguas

México D.F.

6. La Ciudad de México
7. La calle Madero
8. Coyoacán

Personajes históricos

9. Carlos V
10. Moctezuma y Cortés
11. Simón Bolívar

Las culturas indígenas

12. Copán: una ciudad maya
13. El calendario azteca
14. Las misteriosas Líneas de Nasca

La pintura, la música y la arquitectura

15. Goya
16. La música, el idioma universal
17. Rodrigo
18. Gaudí

El nuevo milenio

19. Adiós peseta
20. La computadora / el ordenador
21. El fútbol

Students Edition:    
 

Teacher's Edition: 

Segundo paso a la cultura

Spanish » Books » Spanish Level 2 » Segundo paso a la cultura
ISBN 978-2-923851-00-6
Price $23.50 per book

2010 Edition FULL COLOR
Mínimum Order: 15

Art, science, education, animals, archeology and more! The Andean countries are as varied as their geography! The units are thoughtful and make the students reflect. Help your students go beyond learning vocabulary and grammar to becoming educated world citizens. Learning Spanish is much more than conjugating verbs and memorizing vocabulary!

A teacher's edition is included FREE of charge with the purchase of a set of Student's books.

Ecuador

1. La educación
2. El mercado de Otavalo

Venezuela

3. Los deportes

El mundo natural

4. Ecuador: los Andes
5. Perú: el río Amazonas
6. Chile: el desierto de Atacama

Bolivia

7. La llama
8. La mina de Potosí

Perú

9. Cusco
10. El Señor de Sipán

Colombia

11. Fernando Botero
12. Cartagena de Indias

España

11. El Parque Nacional de Ordesa y Monte Perdido
12. La cigüeña blanca

Student Edition:     
 

Teacher's Edition: 

Tercer paso a la cultura

Spanish » Books » Spanish Level 3 » Tercer paso a la cultura
ISBN 978-2-921554-95-4

2006 Publication
Price: $21.50 per book
Minimum order 15

Catch the interest of every student! These units are as diverse as the members of the classroom: Almodóvar's movies, modern pilgrims walking to Santiago de Compostela, the stars of the southern hemisphere and television soaps. Make your students reflect on the many aspects of the Spanish speaking world, with special emphasis on the countries in the Southern Cone.

A teacher's edition is included FREE of charge with the purchase of a set of Student's books.

I. España

1. Pedro Almodóvar
2. Federico García Lorca
Nota cultural: Galicia
3. El Camino de Santiago
4. Un desastre ecológico: el Prestige

II. El Cono Sur

Paraguay
5. Paraguay: La excepción a la regla

Argentina
Nota cultural: ¡Vamos a Argentina!
6. La telenovela
7. Jorge Luis Borges
8. Las cataratas del Iguazú

Uruguay
Nota cultural: La pampa
9. El mate y la carne

Chile
Nota cultural: Chile, país de muchas regiones
10. El cielo del sur
11. El Festival Internacional de la Canción de Viña del Mar
 

III. Mexico

12. Nace un volcán: El Paricutín
13. El turismo como industria: Cancún y Huatulco
Juego - El Camino de Santiago
 

Student's Edition:  

Teacher's Edition: 

Abrir Paso - Libro 1

Spanish » Books » Spanish Level 1 » Abrir paso Libro 1 
ISBN 978-2-923851-18-1

2011 Edition FULL COLOR
Price: $21.50 -
Minimum order: 15 

Teach culture from day 1!  This workbook gives the classroom teacher and her students a level specific workbook of cultural information, all easily understandable.  Help your students go beyond simply reading words to thinking about the many facets of the Spanish speaking world.  Ride the Metro in Mexico City, study Picasso, talk about soccer.  Using cognates, charts, short texts and images, advance your student’s basic knowledge not only of the structures, but also of the Spanish speaking world. 

1. Los países y sus capitales
2. Mapas de Latinoamérica
3. Mapas de España

4. Dos países: Perú y España
5. Dos ciudades: Barcelona y México D.F.

6. Los ambulantes 
7. El metro de la Ciudad de México
8. La independencia de México
9. Miguel de Cervantes y sor Juana

10. Pablo Picasso
11. Juan Carlos I

12. Los deportes
13. El fútbol
14. La música
15. Las estrellas de la música popular

16. La importancia mundial del español
17. ¿Por qué tienen muchos nombres los hispanos?
18. ¿Quiénes hablan bien el español?
19. El dólar no es la moneda en todo el mundo

20. Ganador(a) del premio "Visita Andalucía"
21. Granada: La Alhambra
22. Una ciudad española: Torremolinos

23. Las regiones de Latinoamérica

Abrir Paso - Libro 2

Spanish » Books » Spanish Level 2 » Abrir paso Libro 2
ISBN 978-2-921554-59-6
Price $19.00 per book
Minimum order: 15

Go beyond teaching to educating students to live in a diverse multi-cultural world. The emphasis of this workbook is on México, Central America and the Caribbean countries. Thus, find out how the coquí, Puerto Rico’s famous mascot hatches; how Mexico City has tried to reduce pollution; how the monarch butterfly has survived despite their forests being in danger, and much more. Content-based units catch the imagination of many different students for they are varied, interesting and diverse.

México

1. La contaminación en la Ciudad de México
2. La mariposa monarca: mariposa migratoria
3. Rivera, Orozco, Siqueiros, tres muralistas mexicanos
Nota cultural: regatear

El Salvador, Honduras y Guatemala

4. El transporte: autobuses
5. La ruta maya: ecoturismo
6. ¿Es la marimba un instrumento latinoamericano?
Nota cultural: la Navidad y el Año Nuevo Panamá, Costa Rica y Nicaragua
7. Carretas y autobuses: arte popular en Panamá y Costa Rica
8. De San José a Puerto Limón
9. El Canal de Panamá: entre Atlántico y Pacífico Nota cultural: los insultos y los piropos

Cuba, República Dominicana y Puerto Rico

10. El béisbol
11. Un papá modelo: la rana coquí
12. ¡Vamos a bailar! el merengue y la bachata
Nota cultural: comidas y bebidas del Caribe

España

13. Sevilla: Expo '92 y la importancia del Encuentro
14. Barcelona: ¿para quién son los Juegos Olímpicos?
15. Madrid: 1992
Nota cultural: ¿Es la siesta el deporte nacional de España?

Abrir Paso - Libro 3

Spanish » Books » Spanish Level 3 » Abrir paso Libro 3
ISBN 978-2-921554-60-2
Price 19.00 per book
Minimum order 15

Ecuador has participated in the Olympic Games for the last 100 years. During that entire period they have won one bronze medal. Should they participate or should the funds be used locally? This is an example of the kind of thoughtful question asked in this workbook.

More than basic country information, it provides the student with contextualized exercises that are content-based. The focus of this workbook, intended for a third year Spanish class is the Andean countries. No need to photocopy, here is an entire year of well organized, culturally relevant materials. The exercises on the three different past tenses will help your students achieve mastery.

Venezuela

1. Isla Margarita: turismo venezolano y extranjero
2. Caracas: una ciudad latinoamericana
3. El petróleo: mucho más que un producto de exportación
4. Simón Bolívar: El Libertador
Nota cultural: ¿Qué piensa el latinoamericano del norteamericano?

Colombia y Ecuador

5. Gabriel García Márquez, escritor colombiano
6. La cocaína: problema de nuestros días
7. Las Islas Galápagos: islas extraordinarias
8. La participación del Ecuador en los Juegos Olímpicos
Nota cultural: de negocios

Perú y Bolivia

9. La Amazonía y la ecología del mundo
10. La papa: comida del pasado y del futuro
11. Machu Picchu: ciudad mágica
12. Jacinta Quispe: ambulante
Nota cultural: la ropa

España

13. ¿Qué visita el turista?
14. El fútbol y la tele
15. Perico Delgado: ciclista
Nota cultural: la España del futuro y las consecuencias sociales

Abrir paso - Libro 4

Spanish » Books » Spanish Level 4 » Abrir paso Libro 4
ISBN 978-2-921554-61-9
Price: $21.50 per book
Minimum order: 15

How often have you been able to give your students texts on civil rights, ecology, dance and tourism?

This volume, intended for Spanish 4, goes well beyond reviewing the subjunctive and the conditional. In the class discussions your students will encounter arguments from different points of view, and will realize how difficult it is to find solutions to some problems. The questions raised in this workbook will help students learn that world is not all black and white but that it includes many shades of grey! Although this workbook gives special emphasis on the Southern Cone countries, there are four units that deal with Spain, la madre patria.

Argentina

1. El tango
2. Decir Argentina es decir carne
3. Buenos Aires, París de Sudamérica
Nota cultural: la hora

Chile

4. La Región de los Lagos
5. Violeta Parra y la Nueva Canción
6. Chile, ¿maravilla económica o desastre ecológico?
7. Carmen Quintana
Nota cultural: la cortesía

Uruguay y Paraguay

8. El español de América: el caso uruguayo
9. El Galpón y el teatro uruguayo
10. Treinta comunidades utópicas: los jesuitas en el Paraguay
11. Paraguay, un país bilingüe
Nota cultural: saludos y despedidas

España

12. El olivo: el árbol más característico del Mediterráneo
13. Hace mil años, ¿quién iba a Córdoba?
14. Felipe II
15. Las meninas de Velázquez

Útil - web based writing activities

Spanish » Printed Material » Writing Activities » ÚTIL, Web-based writing activities
ISBN 978-2-921554-98-5
Size: 8 ½ x 5 ½
Price: $19.50

Get substantial discounts for additional copies!
 

A teacher's best resource for writing ideas.

Students use the Internet to find images and information that bring alive the Spanish speaking world and then develop these into interesting and exciting written assignments.

A great gift idea for all Spanish teachers!

• brings learning languages into the digital world
• is completely bilingual
• has over 200 Internet assignments
• can be used by all levels
• is filled with AMAZING cultural images

In addition, the assignments

• promote authentic language experiences
• actively develop knowledge
• bring the Spanish speaking world into the students' world
• allow students to learn authentic culture
• can be used as individual, group or project work

To quote a teacher:

"a great resource. I like it, especially because it gives the students choices and it allows for creativity".

AP1A - Los países y sus capitales

Abrir Paso Level 1
ISBN 978-2-923851-23-5

2011 Edition
Price: $9.99

Mapas de Latinoamérica Mapas de España Maps! Maps! Maps! Clear, well drawn, easy to reproduce! Each map provides essential information so your students can master the geography of the Spanish speaking world. Much more than just countries and capitals!

The maps are contextualized: there is a map of different musical styles; another of the conquerors and the explorers; a map of the cities of Spain shows where some famous Spanish painters were born.

• Subject matter: geography of Latin America and Spain (11 different maps)
• Vocabulary: names of countries and capitals, names of cardinal points, names of oceans, names of various famous people and places
• Grammar: ser, llamar, estar Oral practice: ¿Cómo se llama? ¿Es...? ¿De dónde es....?
• Internet: Key word list to facilitate a search

AP1B Personajes históricos

Abrir Paso Level 1
ISBN 978-2-923851-24-2

2011 Edition
Price: $9.99

• Miguel de Cervantes y sor Juana
• Pablo Picasso
• Juan Carlos I

Do not wait to introduce Cervantes, Picasso and the king of Spain, Juan Carlos I until your students are «ready.» Writers, painters and kings! What a combination! Introduce these Spanish icons at the very beginning level.

• Subject matter: introduction to Spanish literature, art and history
• Vocabulary: basic literary; basic art; royal family
• Grammar: articles; agreement; interrogative pronouns
• Oral practice: Cervantes; music and art; Juan Carlos' family
• Homework: book; change paragraph to 3rd person; my family
• Internet: Key word list to facilitate a search

AP1C Deportes y música

Abrir Paso Level 1
ISBN 978-2-923851-25-9

2011 Edition
Price: 9.99

• El fútbol
• La música

Sports and music! Two subjects that both students and teachers like. Introduce your students to the World Cup. Have them do a logic exercise to determine who will win the Cup. Inductive and deductive skills are part of the learning process and the Spanish classroom is one more place to learn.

The music of Spain and the Americas is rich and varied. Introduce your students to the merengue, the chachachá and the tango; learn the names of the instruments and extend the vocabulary. Simple verbs like cantar, presentar and bailar have corresponding nouns. Content based means that the information comes from the text and the students make the connections!

• Subject matter: sports and music
• Vocabulary: names of sports; names of instruments; verbs related to music
• Grammar: ser / hay; jugar; interrogative pronouns, prepositions en and de
• Oral practice: sports, cartoon about sports in Spain; music
• Homework: sports figures; music, song and dance
• Internet: Key word list to facilitate a search

AP1D Preguntas sobre el mundo hispano

Abrir Paso Level 1
ISBN 978-2-923851-26-6

2011 Edition
Price: $9.99

Preguntas sobre el mundo hispano

• La importancia del español
• Los nombres de los hispanos
• ¿Quiénes hablan bien el español?
• Monedas latinoamericanas

Students tend to group all Spanish speakers together. Here are four short units that point out the similarities and difference between the more than 20 countries where Spanish is spoken. Not only do they eat different foods, they also have different money. What a wonderful way to review geography, nationalities and the family!

• Subject matter: general information
• Vocabulary: names of money; nationalities; family; names of languages
• Grammar: ir verbs and stem changes; review of ar, er, ir verbs; prepositions de & en
• Oral practice: languages taught in different countries; regional accents; work habits
• Homework: countries where Spanish is spoken (map); weekly schedule; my language; a family tree; languages taught at my school
• Internet: Key word list to facilitate a search

AP1E - Compara los países

Abrir Paso Level 1
ISBN 978-2-923851-27-3

2011 Edition
Price: $9.99

• España y El Perú
• Barcelona y México D.F.
• Las regiones de Latinoamérica

Because our students are unfamiliar with the Spanish speaking world, here are three easy units to set them straight. Compare two countries, Spain and Peru, two cities, Barcelona and Mexico City and finally, divide Latin America into regions so they do not get so confused. Remember that our units are always contextualized. Thus, simple agreements are practiced with information about Mexico City and interrogative pronouns are used to ask basic questions about Peru and Spain.

• Subject matter: history and geography
• Vocabulary: basic adjectives; places in a city; nouns related to geography
• Grammar: placement of adjectives; hay; agreement; prepositions
• Oral practice: compare Spain and Peru; compare Barcelona and Mexico; map work
• Homework: my home town; comparing two countries
• Internet: Key word list to facilitate a search

AP1F - España: Andalucía

Abrir Paso Level 1
ISBN 978-2-923851-28-0

2011 Edition
Price: $9.99

Andalucía

• Ganador(a) del premio "Visita Andalucía"
• Granada: La Alhambra
• Una ciudad española: Torremolinos

We used to teach our students about the Moorish influence at the advanced levels. Here is the opportunity not only to admire the architecture but also to counter stereotypes and racism. Your students will walk through the Alhambra and practice gustar. They will choose a place to visit in Andalucía and also spend the day at one of Spain’s most popular holiday resorts, Torremolinos. Deductive thinking skills and important information about Muslim Spain are the corner stones of the three thematic units.

• Subject matter: Andalucía: places, people, history
• Vocabulary: house, hotel, tourism; numbers; meals
• Grammar: gustar, interesar, encantar, preferir; por la mañana, por la tarde, por la noche
• Oral practice: interview, an exceptional building, the Alhambra; visit Torremolinos
• Homework: Decision on place to visit; a postcard; visit Torremolinos
• Internet: Key word list to facilitate a search

AP1G - México

Abrir Paso Level 1
ISBN 978-2-923851-29-7

2011 Edition
Price: $9.99

Los ambulantes

El metro de la Ciudad de México

La independencia de México

• Why are there so many street vendors in Latin America?
• What do they sell?
• Find out the answers and review clothing!
• Take the metro and the bus! Learn the words and their genders for different modes of transportation. Do some simple arithmetic to figure out the number of metro riders in Mexico City by car, by day and by hour. Attractive pictures make you feel like you are there.

Miguel Hidalgo declared Mexico's independence from Spain from the steps of a church in a little town. Have your students practice right, left and center by finding the stores and restaurants in that same town today. Practice the vocabulary of the house with Miguel Hidalgo's home. Compare Mexico's independence to your own country. There are many comparisons that can be made: dates, bells, heroes and more.

• Subject matter: street vendors; transport; independence
• Vocabulary: clothing; transport; city and buildings
• Grammar: singular and plural; articles; prepositions of place
• Oral practice: street vendors; transport; independence
• Homework: describe a picture; transport I use; draw a map
• Internet: Key word list to facilitate a search

AP1H - El español en el mundo

Abrir Paso Level 1
ISBN 978-2-923851-30-3

2007 Edition
Price: $9.99

• Más mapas de Latinoamérica
• Más mapas de España

More contextualized maps! Practice the alphabet and geography, first with basic information and then with a game. Learn to recognize the shapes of different Spanish speaking countries! Practice the pronunciation of the names of the countries! Analyze and compare the size and population of different countries and compare them to your own country. Make logical conclusions with the information. Combine lots of content with very elementary language. Only with content-based units is it possible to introduce so much cultural information!

• Subject matter: geography; countries and languages
• Vocabulary: alphabet, countries, capitals, languages
• Grammar: es / no es; es / son; singular and plural of nouns
• Oral practice: names of countries, capitals; alphabet game
• Homework: indentify countries where different languages are spoken
• Internet: key words for Net search
• Model tests and teacher's guide

AP1I - México D.F.

Abrir Paso Level 1
ISBN 978-2-921554-74-9

2006 Edition
Price: $9.99

México D.F.

• La Ciudad de México
• La calle Madero
• Coyoacán

A great city, a busy downtown street, a famous neighborhood! Get a sense of the size of one of biggest cities on our planet. Discover how the past and the present are visible in the city. Walk down a street between two of the main plazas and practice street numbers for the different stores on Calle Madero. March around the lovely square in the neighborhood that Frida Kahlo called her own. Practice the basic vocabulary of the city, the times of the day and review the singular and plural of nouns. Basic language structure and vocabulary are well matched to sophisticated ideas.

• Subject matter: city; one street; one neighborhood
• Vocabulary: city; street; meals
• Grammar: definite articles; agreement; hay/ no hay; ar, er, ir verbs
• Oral practice: two pictures; a street; two schedules
• Homework: my city; identify a given street; two schedules
• Internet: key words for Net search
• Model tests and teacher's guide

AP1J - Más personajes históricos

Abrir Paso Level 1
ISBN 978-2-923851-32-7

2007 Edition
Price: $9.99

Más personajes históricos

• Carlos V
• Moctezuma y Cortés
• Simón Bolívar

Teach the vocabulary of the house with Bolivar's home. His house had a large room to pray and an area for the animals. There were two dining rooms but only one small bathroom. Compare this house with the one your own. This is authentic cultural information!

The animals of the Old World! The foods of the New World! Today we cannot imagine Europe without tomatoes or the American west without cattle! And what about those invisible animals, the viruses and bacteria that killed the indigenous population? Only through content based units can you transmit so much information and promote culture understanding with simple vocabulary and beginner grammar.

We have all done different versions of family trees in class. Try working on the family tree of Charles V. Introduce his grandparents, Isabel and Ferdinand, the Catholic kings. Compare his family to yours and practice the vocabulary of the family. Check out a map of Charles V's world and practice the names of the languages then spoken.

• Subject matter: family and empire; New and Old Worlds; independence
• Vocabulary: family; plants and animals, house
• Grammar: posessive adjectives; tener; ¿dónde? ¿qué?
• Oral practice: family; domestic and wild animals; house
• Homework: tree of royal families; animals of two worlds
• Internet: key words for Net search
• Model tests and teacher's guide

AP1K - Las culturas indígenas

Abrir Paso Level 1
ISBN 978-2-923851-33-4

2004 Edition

2011 Edition
Price: $9.99 

 Las culturas indígenas

• Copán: una ciudad maya
• El calendario azteca
• Las misteriosas Líneas de Nasca

The fact that some calendars are round and others are rectangles shows the diversity of our world. It does not matter whether we divide the year into 20 months or 12 months, we will end up with the same number of days. How is this possible? This unit underlines the fact that we are all inhabitants of the same planet. Learning about the many views of diversity is important!

The indigenous cultures of Central and South America allow you to practice basic vocabulary and grammar. The unit on the Maya reviews numbers in two different formats: the Maya and ours. The unit on the Nasca Lines deals with animals and the body.

• Subject matter: mayas, aztecas; nasca and other cultures
• Vocabulary: numbers; days, weeks and year; body
• Grammar: adverbs of place; tener; articles
• Oral practice: other calendars; extraterrestrials
• Homework: other calendars; mysteries
• Internet: key words for Net search
• Model tests and teacher's guide

AP1L - Tres artistas españoles

Abrir Paso Level 1
ISBN 978-2-923851-34-1

2003 Edition
Price: $9.99

Tres artistas españoles

• Goya
• Rodrigo
• Gaudí

The teacher's favorite unit in the Level 1 copy masters! Teach the vocabulary of the family with Goya's painting, La familia de Carlos IV. In the picture find the parents (the king and the queen), the three sons, the three daughters, the kings' brother and sister, even a little baby, the grandchild. And what are they wearing? Great fun!

Walk through Barcelona in search of the Gaudi sites. First visit the Casa Mila, then on to the church of the Sagrada Familia and finish the day at the Parque Güell. The metro maps and the street map serve as a great way to practice giving directions!

• Subject matter: painting, music, architecture
• Vocabulary: family, clothing; music, giving directions
• Grammar: agreement; gustar; subir, bajar, tomar
• Oral practice: student presentations of other paintings; musical taste; compare 2 houses
• Homework: a painting; family tree of Carlos IV; fiestas in Spain; give directions
• Internet: key words for Net search
• Model tests and teacher's guide

AP1M - El nuevo milenio

Abrir Paso Level 1
ISBN 978-2-921554-79-4 -

2004 Edition
Price: $9.99 

El nuevo milenio

• Adiós peseta
• La computadora / el ordenador
• El fútbol

Spain moves into the new millennium! Now part of the European Union, the Euro permits free access to all the countries. Students compare the old bills with the new ones. Numbers!

Not only will the students learn the vocabulary of the computer, they will find out that there are words that are said differently in Spain and in the Americas. The unit gives excellent information on search engines in Spanish and allows the students to write emails in Spanish.

Soccer! What a wonderful game! The whole world plays soccer. All you need is a ball! Get your students to talk about the World Cup, about other sports and all of this using gustar, interesar and encantar.

• Subject matter: money; computers; sports
• Vocabulary: money (caro / barato); computers, sports
• Grammar: verbs, gustar, interesar, encantar
• Oral practice: prices, a poll
• Homework: literary, mathematical or artistic options; Net search; ID card
• Internet: key words for Net search
• Model tests and teacher's guide

AP2A - México: pasado y presente

Abrir Paso Level 2
ISBN 978-2-921554-30-5

2007 Edition
Price: $9.99

México: pasado y presente

• Las culturas indígenas
• Rivera, Orozco y Siqueiros, tres muralistas mexicanos
• Nota cultural: regatear

Although only parts of the Maya and Aztec script have been deciphered, we can learn a great deal about other cultures from their sculptures, drawings and architecture. Have your students analyze a stone statue of a mother with her children and learn about the food they ate, the clothes they wore and child rearing.

Rivera, Orozco, Siqueiros! These Mexican muralists are world renown. Introduce your students to some paintings and link the painters to Frida Kahlo, the wife of Diego Rivera. All teachers like this subject. The students will like it just as much.

• Subject matter: how to read the Maya hieroglyphics;Mexican art
• Vocabulary: nouns and verbs related to cultures of the Americas; art
• Grammar: gender / prepositions
• Oral practice: student plays role of archaeologist; analysis of a Frida Kahlo painting
• Homework: research indigenous culture
• Internet: Key word list to facilitate a search

AP2B - México: ecología

Abrir Paso Level 2
ISBN 978-2-921554-31-2

2001 Edition
Price: $9.99

México: ecología

• La contaminación en la Ciudad de México
• La mariposa monarca, mariposa migratoria

The strength of content based units is that they present students with reality, including problems that are hard to solve. If Mexico City reduces the number of cars and cuts down the emission of CO2, the consequences are a large reduction in jobs. If the forests where the monarch butterfly spends its winter are fully protected, the people who live in the area and use the wood for cooking are left hungry. How can Mexicans solve these problems? These two units will elicit lively and thoughtful class discussions! Your students will automatically relate the problems to their own environment and you will see how excited they can get!

• Subject matter: ecology
• Vocabulary: urban life; seasons, animals
• Grammar: poder plus infinitive; stem change UE
• Oral practice: urban transportation where you live; migratory animal
• Homework: transportation; an animal
• Internet: Key word list to facilitate a search

AP2C - Guatemala y Honduras

Abrir Paso Level 2
ISBN 978-2-921554-32-9

2001 Edition
Price: $9.99

Guatemala y Honduras

• ¿Es la marimba un instrumento latinoamericano?
• El transporte: autobuses
• Nota cultural: La Navidad y el Año Nuevo

The New World has welcomed people, animals, objects and ideas from all the continents. The example given in this thematic unit is the marimba, an instrument that combines African, European and indigenous elements. Is the marimba Guatemalan? Is the whole bigger than its parts? The equivalent in the United States is jazz: it is played on both European and African instruments, it has an African beat and it began in the United States.
Make those grey cells work!! The world is a big place!

• Subject matter: music, historical background; general information
• Vocabulary: rural and urban population; various means of transportation
• Grammar: agreement; por and para
• Oral practice: jazz; buses
• Homework: students own musical interest; trips, food
• Internet: Key word list to facilitate a search

AP2D - El Salvador y Costa Rica

Abrir Paso Level 2
ISBN 978-2-921554-33-6

2001 Edition
Price: $9.99

El Salvador y Costa Rica

• La ruta maya: ecoturismo
• De San José a Puerto Limón
• What is ecological tourism? What are its characteristics? Why is it different from traditional tourism? Find out!

In Central America, temperature depends on altitude. Thus, it can be cool in the mountains but if you travel down to the coast, just a few hours away, it is very hot. Content based learning goes beyond mere geographical information. In this unit, in addition to learning about weather, there is an exercise about countries that export bananas and import industrial products. Let the students make their own conclusions about the basic economic problems that poor countries face.

• Subject matter: tourism, geography, history
• Vocabulary: animals, agricultural products (bananas)
• Grammar: articles; querer and poder
• Oral practice: tourism and ecotourism; comparing imports and exports of target culture and own country
• Homework: Maya and Aztec cultures; park, letter requesting information
• Internet: Key word list to facilitate a search

AP2E - Panamá, Costa Rica y Nicaragua

Abrir Paso Level 2
ISBN 978-2-921554-34-3

2001 Edition
Price: $9.99

 Panamá, Costa Rica y Nicaragua

• Carretas y autobuses; arte popular en Panamá y Costa Rica
• El canal de Panamá: entre Atlántico y Pacífico
• Nota cultural: los insultos y los piropos

Are the buses in your city painted a certain color? Do they have any other decorations? In Panama every driver decorates his own bus and writes the names of his mother, sisters and girlfriend on the windows! And in Costa Rica, they decorate the carts. In the past, oxen pulled the carts; today they have trucks and the old carts are filled with flowers and used as lovely decorations. Cultural traditions can be fascinating.

The Panama Canal could not be built until the problem of yellow fever had been solved in that area. Talk about the importance of medical breakthroughs and how such a major engineering project is carried out.

• Subject matter: popular art; history and geography
• Vocabulary: adverbs of place; medical
• Grammar: agreement; verbs
• Oral practice: school transport; map work
• Homework: transportation, public advertisements; hospitals, old people
• Internet: Key word list to facilitate a search

AP2F Puerto Rico y la República Dominicana

Abrir Paso Level 2
ISBN 978-2-921554-35-0 

2001 Edition
Price: $9.99

Puerto Rico y la República Dominicana

• El béisbol
• Un papá modelo: la rana coquí
• Nota cultural: comidas y bebidas del Caribe

Poverty? Science? We don't very often get a chance to deal with these subjects at this level. Go beyond the stereotypes of Caribbean baseball players and find out why there are so many in the Big Leagues today. Explore some fun facts of science with the coquí, a tiny tree frog with a very loud call. In this animal, it is the male that cares for the eggs and guards them until they hatch. Read all about it.

• Subject matter: sports; science (amphibians)
• Vocabulary: sports; climate, machismo
• Grammar: ser / estar / hay
• Oral practice: sports seen as an industry; gender questions
• Homework: sports, athletes; women
• Internet: Key word list to facilitate a search

AP2G España 1992

Abrir Paso Level 2
ISBN 978-2-921554-36-7

2001 Edition
Price: $9.99

España 1992

• Sevilla: Expo '92 y la importancia del Encuentro
• Barcelona: ¿para quién son los Juegos Olímpicos?
• Madrid: 1992
• Nota cultural: ¿Es la siesta el deporte nacional de España?

In 1992 Spain celebrated the 500th anniversary of the 'discovery' of the Americas. Barcelona hosted the Olympic Games, Seville had the World Fair and Madrid grew by leaps and bounds. These units are much more than just facts: compare the size of your classroom to the length of Columbus' boats; analyze the consequences of hosting the Olympic Games and find out how the Prado Museum began.

• Subject matter: history; sports; tourism, general information
• Vocabulary: views of the discovery of the Americas; sports / business; the city
• Grammar: preterit; articles
• Oral practice: comparing products of the New World and the Old World; a concert
• Homework: students' background; salaries of stars; immigration and emigration
• Internet: Key word list to facilitate a search

AP2H España: ecología

Abrir Paso Level 2
ISBN 978-2-923851-43-3

2011 Edition
Price: $9.99

España: Ecología

• El Parque Nacional de Ordesa y Monte Perdido
• La cigüeña blanca

Diary entries of a group of friends hiking in the Pyrenees bring alive the mountains that separate Spain from France. The group goes hiking in a Spanish national park, which opens the subject of the role of nature in our lives. The comparative is an obvious grammatical point as students compare various Spanish national parks, the northern parks with high mountains, the southern parks with wetlands and sand dunes. The information provided highlights the differences between two Spanish regions.

There are no storks in the Americas. This bird, mythologized as the carrier of newborn babies, can be seen in many Spanish cities. The stork is a huge bird, with a wing span of up to one meter. In the past storks spent the summer in Spain and other European countries and wintered in Africa, yet with today's changing climate, many storks have stopped migrating. This fascinating science unit also deals with the Autonomous Regions, the Spanish equivalent of states or provinces.

• Subject matter: ecology, Extremadura, Pyrenees
• Vocabulary: parks, body parts
• Grammar: comparative and superlative
• Oral practice: regional and national parks, game on Extremadura
• Homework: letter; animal in danger of extinction
• Internet: key words for Net search

AP2I - El mundo natural

Abrir Paso Level 2
ISBN 978-2-923851-44-0

2011 Edition
Price: $9.99

El mundo natural

• El río Amazonas
• Los Andes
• El desierto de Atacama

High mountains, vast deserts and long rivers! South America's geography lends itself to scientific study. Who were the first scientists to scale the Andes, sail the Amazon River across the continent and delve into the mysteries of the driest desert on earth? What did they discover? Use all three units to interest your students in science, ecology and weather! These units will appeal to the many students who care about the future of our planet.

• Subject matter: mountains, water and desert; science
• Vocabulary: mountains, rivers, oceans, lakes, climate, seasons
• Grammar: poder, querer, comparatives
• Oral practice: comparisons with Rockies, Mississippi
• Homework: science project
• Internet: key words for Net search
• Model tests and teacher's guide

AP2J - Colombia

Abrir Paso Level 2
ISBN 978-2-923851-45-7 

2011 Edition
Price: $9.99

Colombia

• Fernando Botero
• Cartagena de Indias

Have fun describing Botero's oversized people! (What a wonderful way to practice those adjectives!) Acquaint your students with Botero's huge bodies, round faces and tiny feet. Once they have studied the paintings in this unit, they will also understand his opinions about Colombian society.

Cartagena de Indias is the only remaining walled city in the Americas with the walls intact in many areas. The unit is built around two short texts. The first is a dialogue between two young men during the colonial period. The second text describes what the city and its wall, built to protect the city from slave raiders, looks like today. And there is more! García Márquez uses the city as the locale for one of his books and the characters are described within this spectacular colonial city.

• Subject matter: painter, port city
• Vocabulary: painting, city
• Grammar: verbs with stem changes; descriptive adjectives
• Oral practice: paintings, forts
• Homework: stereotypes, cities named after cities in the Old World
• Internet: key words for Net search
• Model tests and teacher's guide

AP2K - Ecuador

Abrir Paso Level 2
ISBN 978-2-923851-46-4 

2007 Edition
Price: $9.99 

Ecuador

• La educación
• El mercado de Otavalo

Discover the similarities and differences between your school and schools in Ecuador. Review and extend school vocabulary (classroom, courses, after school programs). Have the students discover how the same building houses two schools, one in the morning, the second in the afternoon.

Indoor and outdoor markets. What do they sell? Do you or don't you bargain? And if you do, are there rules to follow so you are always respectful of other cultures?

• Subject matter: school; market
• Vocabulary: school; market
• Grammar: ordinal numbers; ser / estar
• Oral practice: compare two schools; describe a photograph of the market
• Homework: create a school pamphlet; create a school emblem; good manners
• Internet: key words for Net search
• Model tests and teacher's guide

AP2L - Bolivia

Abrir Paso Level 2
ISBN 978-2-923851-47-1 

2004 Edition
Price: $9.99

Bolivia

• La llama
• La mina de Potosí

You may know that llama wool is used to make ponchos and sweaters. But did you know that the Incas sacrificed llamas in their rituals? That even today the excrement is used as fuel; that llama meat is considered a delicacy; that their fur makes warm slippers? Broaden their horizons!

Bolivia's mines introduce a world of dangerous work but they are also a way of practicing those tricky reflexive verbs. Entire families work in the mines and child labor makes for an excellent discussion. Are the children that work in the mines any different from those that flip hamburgers? And if so, how are they different? The units make your students reflect, analyze and compare their world with other realities.

• Subject matter: animals; mines
• Vocabulary: animals; modes of transportation
• Grammar: por / para; reflexive verbs
• Oral practice: working children
• Homework: NGOs in Bolivia; project: to better the conditions of a specific group
• Internet: key words for Net search
• Model tests and teacher's guide

AP2M - Perú

Abrir Paso Level 2
ISBN 978-2-923851-48-8

2011 Edition
Price: $9.99

Perú

• El Cusco
• El Señor de Sipán

Fiestas! Celebrations! The Incas had great gatherings in their capital, Cusco, to celebrate the winter solstice. Today Peruvians celebrate the same day in the same place. Learn all about Peruvian fiestas, combining Inca and Peruvian, past and present, new and old.

An archeological dig is a huge challenge! The archeologists want to save the artifacts for posterity; the police are desperate to keep the peace; the local people would like to make some money (some legally, others illegally) from the excavation. Delve into the mysteries of one specific dig, the Señor de Sipán, considered as important as the discovery of King Tutankhamen's tomb in Egypt. As always, this is a text for the Spanish teacher and students for it deals with the preterit and adverbs of place.

• Subject matter: celebrations; arqueology
• Vocabulary: celebrations; body; verbs of movement
• Grammar: preterit
• Oral practice: Neruda poem; express points of view
• Homework: visit Machu Picchu; pretend being an archeologist
• Internet: key words for Net search
• Model tests and teacher's guide

AP3A - Venezuela: turismo y vida urbana

Abrir Paso Level 3
ISBN 978-2-923851-49-5

2011 Edition
Price: $9.99

Venezuela: turismo y vida urbana

• Isla de Margarita: turismo venezolano y extranjero
• Caracas: una ciudad latinoamericana

Venezuela has tropical beaches, high mountains, vast plains and a huge area that is part of the Amazon basin. Really? Students and teachers are always surprised by the variety. Practice fillers, such as bueno, pues, bien.

In Europe, the cities grew large in the 19th century; in Latin America they exploded in the 20th century. Why do people leave the countryside and head for the city? Is it good or bad? An easy math exercise will give you some idea of the numbers. Expand their vocabulary of stores. Repetition and extension! Increase their understanding of the Spanish speaking world.

• Subject matter: tourism; geography, history
• Vocabulary: natural world, urban life
• Grammar: prepositions; definite and indefinite articles
• Oral practice: imaginary vacations to LA; your city
• Homework: natural world; describe a city
• Internet: Key word list to facilitate a search

AP3B - Venezuela: presente y pasado

Abrir Paso Level 3
ISBN 978-2-923851-50-1

2011 Edition
Price: $9.99

Venezuela: presente y pasado

• El petróleo: mucho más que un producto de exportación
• Simón Bolívar: El Libertador

Venezuela supplies most of the oil used in the eastern states of the United States. How has the country used the oil wealth? Practice ordinal numbers and get your students to talk about oil dependence and consumption.

Bolívar's face in on the bills; there is a mountain named after him; there is a city named after him; there is even a country named after him. Does that sound familiar? That's right! Just like Washington. (He has a state not a country, named for him.) Learn more about Bolívar in this lively and interesting history unit.

• Subject matter: daily life; history
• Vocabulary: ordinal numbers; government, democracy
• Grammar: agreement; preterit
• Oral practice: products made from oil; George Washington and other figures
• Homework: consequences of rules banning use of petroleum run vehicles; national heroes
• Internet: Key word list to facilitate a search

AP3C - Colombia: literatura y vida diaria

Abrir Paso Level 3
ISBN 978-2-923851-51-8

2011 Edition
Price: $9.99

Colombia: literatura y vida diaria

• Gabriel García Márquez, escritor colombiano
• La cocaína: problema de nuestros días
• Nota cultural: ¿Qué piensa el latinoamericano del norteamericano?

Colombia is probably the country that invokes the greatest number of stereotypes. Learn about the cocaine trade and about García Márquez, the great Colombian writer. The students have not yet reached the level where they can read his novels, but they should be acquainted with his work. This unit relates his works to information about his country.

• Subject matter: literature, culture; daily life
• Vocabulary: literary, commercial
• Grammar: preterit; preterit perfect
• Oral practice: a novel; drug problems in your community
• Homework: a novel you have read; should some drugs be legal?
• Internet: Key word list to facilitate a search

AP3D - Ecuador: ciencias naturales y deportes

Abrir Paso Level 3
ISBN 978-2-923851-52-5

2011 Edition
Price: $9.99

Ecuador: ciencias naturales y deportes

• Las islas Galápagos: islas extraordinarias
• La participación del Ecuador en los Juegos Olímpicos
• Nota cultural: de negocios

When Charles Darwin wrote his Origin of the Species, his research was based on empirical observations in the Galápagos Islands. It was there that he realized that some species develop singular traits according to their needs. Today the islands are a paramount tourist destination where tourists admire giant turtles, warm water penguins, the Galápagos albatross and many other animals. Language study includes not only the animals, but many cognates that begin with ES in Spanish. Discussion topics deal with man, the most dangerous of all animals.

If the Olympic medals are always won by the richest countries, should the poorer countries even bother to attend? Find out how Ecuador has fared in the Olympics in the last one hundred years. Decide if the money should be spent sending athletes to the Olympic Games or should be used locally. Many questions don't have easy answers.

• Subject matter: ecology; sports
• Vocabulary: parts of the body; competitive sports
• Grammar: prepositions and accents; comparative and superlative
• Oral practice: describe a photograph; television coverage of the Olympic Games
• Homework: endangered animals; who should participate in the Olympic Games
• Internet: Key word list to facilitate a search

AP3E - Bolivia: ecología

Abrir Paso Level 3
ISBN 978-2-923851-53-2

2011 Edition
Price: $9.99

Bolivia: ecología

• La Amazonía y la ecología del mundo
• La papa: comida del pasado y del futuro

During the Irish potato crisis, millions of people died and tens of thousands left Ireland. What does this have to do with Bolivia? The potato is an Andean plant and was a staple there long before it was transported to Ireland. Learn everything about the potato, including a lovely Neruda poem called 'Oda a la papa.'

We don't often think of the Amazon basin as part of Bolivia, yet in fact more than half the country is covered by the thick tropical forest we call the 'lungs of the earth.' What are the consequences of cutting down the trees? Compare the region to the United States and then compare two maps showing American forests past and present. Practice ser, estar and hay.

• Subject matter: ecology
• Vocabulary: natural world; agricultural products
• Grammar: use of ser, estar and hay
• Oral practice: consequences of forests disappearing; analysis of a Neruda poem
• Homework: open subject on an ecological theme; description of a plant useful to mankind
• Internet: Key word list to facilitate a search

AP3F - Perú: pasado y presente

Abrir PAso Level 3
ISBN 978-2-923851-54-9

2011 Edition
Price: $9.99

Perú: pasado y presente

• Machu Picchu: ciudad mágica
• Jacinta Quispe: ambulante
• Nota cultural: la ropa

Every teacher wants to visit Machu Picchu. Convey that excitement to the students! Walk along the Inca Trail to the ruins; participate in the yearly clean-up. Language and culture are intertwined, so you can practice adverbs in Cusco, the gateway to Machu Picchu.

Domestic servants, child labor, street vendors! Deal with reality! What are their lives like? Spanish is more than conjugating verbs!

• Subject matter: tourism; daily life
• Vocabulary: adverbs of place; chores in the home
• Grammar: prepositions; contrast between present and present perfect
• Oral practice: native languages of North America; interview of potential home worker
• Homework: you are an archeologist, describe the find; should there be street vendors?
• Internet: Key word list to facilitate a search

AP3G - España: deportes

Abrir Paso Level 3
ISBN 978-2-923851-55-6

2011 Edition
Price: $9.99

España: deportes

• El fútbol y la tele
• Alberto Contador: ciclista
• Nota cultural: La España del futuro y las consecuencias sociales

Does a cyclist deserve the medal because the drug he used was not on the list of banned substances for a particular meet? The use of drugs has been a problem not only in cycling but also in other sports and the students will have a lot to say on the subject. The unit serves to introduce the vocabulary of cycling and to practice the imperative, but as always in content-based materials, it is the subject matter that carries the day.

Sports and television serve as a lead into the huge changes Spain has experienced in the last 50 years. The country has gone from being a relatively poor country to a very rich one. Only a short while ago, Spaniards left their country to work in Germany and Switzerland; today Spain receives immigrants from the whole world who do the jobs Spaniards are no longer willing to do.

• Subject matter: sports; daily life
• Vocabulary: games; cycling, running
• Grammar: muy or mucho; agreement; imperative, preterit
• Oral practice: questions about Spanish television programming; solitary sports vs. team sports
• Homework: letter requesting information; solitary sports vs. team sports
• Internet: Key word list to facilitate a search

AP3H - México: ciencias naturales y turismo

Abrir Paso Level 3
ISBN 978-2-921554-57-2

2006 Edition
Price: $9.99

México: ciencias naturales y turismo

• Nace un volcán: el Paricutín
• El turismo como industria: Cancún y Huatulco

A farmer was working in his field when suddenly, right there, a volcano started to grow. A week later, a hill that spouted lava stood in the field and a month later there was a volcano. Discover the birth of a volcano and the ravages it inflicted on two villages, the people and the animals. What happened to them? Where did they go? This unit has a role playing activity where students have a town hall meeting with the local authorities to hammer out the details of their relocation.

The Mexican government decided to create resorts in places that were formerly tiny villages. How did they go about it and what were the results? Is tourism good or bad for the local inhabitants? How is the wealth generated by these huge resorts distributed?

• Subject matter: science, geography, tourism
• Vocabulary: mountains, hotels, beaches
• Grammar: ser / estar in preterit and imperfect; future
• Oral practice: town hall meeting; type of tourism preferred; analyze a cartoon
• Homework: describe a scientific or a natural phenomenon; future vacations
• Internet: Key word list to facilitate a search

AP3I - Dos creadores españoles del siglo XX

Abrir Paso Level 3
ISBN 978-2-921554-70-1

2006 Edition
Price: $9.99

Dos creadores españoles del siglio XX

• Pedro Almodóvar, cineasta
• Federico García Lorca, poeta

Explore the fascinating world of two great Spanish artists. A great writer, García Lorca and a world famous director, Almodóvar. This copy master offers a wonderful introduction to Lorca's poetry and Almodóvar's films. Your students will learn the vocabulary of films and poetry; they will write a poem and give opinions on movies!

• Subject matter: movies, theater
• Vocabulary: movies, theater, poetry
• Grammar: preterit
• Oral practice: movies, actors, directors, a survey; theater
• Homework: ID card, movies; write a poem
• Internet: key words for Net search

AP3J - Argentina

Abrir Paso Level 3
ISBN 978-2-921554-89-3

2005 Edition
Price: $9.99

 Argentina

• La telenovela
• Jorge Luis Borges

Love, love, love! The whole world is interested in the subject! Latin American soap operas are sold to over 100 countries and watched by millions the world over. What makes them so popular? With the information on themes and the vocabulary provided, your students will write their own soap operas. Enjoy!

Learn about Borges's life from early childhood to old age by comparing his life to examples from your students reality. Since Borges was blind, (he inherited an illness that progressively blinded him), the unit deals with the five senses and how people cope with disabilities.

• Subject matter: television, literature
• Vocabulary: television, literary genres, the five senses
• Grammar: past tenses: perfect, preterit, imperfect
• Oral practice: movies, actors, directors, a survey; theater
• Homework: interview with an author, painter or photographer; write a TV soap
• Internet: key words for Net search
• Model tests and teacher's guide

AP3K - España: Galicia

Abrir Paso Level 3
ISBN 978-2-921554-92-3

2005 Edition
Price: $9.99

España: Galicia

• Un desastre ecológico: el Prestige
• El Camino de Santiago

Oil not only fuels our engines, it soils our oceans. When the oil tanker Prestige sank off the coast of Galicia, the entire coast line was affected. Like the Exxon Valdes in Alaska, the consequences for the ecology of the region and the livelihood of its inhabitants were colossal. A discussion on our dependence on oil will raise important subjects.

Saint James is said to have visited Galicia twice and according to legend is buried in Santiago de Compostela. A cathedral marks the spot and serves as magnet to thousands of pilgrims. During the Middle Ages, pilgrims walked to Santiago from as far away as Germany; today the Pilgrimage Road to Santiago is filled with modern pilgrims of all ages. Whereas in the past they came to receive absolution for their sins, discover why today's pilgrim walk for months on end. The unit is written from the point of view of a several pilgrims, all with very different goals. This unit also includes a game on the Camino de Santiago that highlights both the peril and the pleasure.

• Subject matter: ecology, history, legend
• Vocabulary: ecology, pollution, pilgrim/pilgrimage
• Grammar: imperfect, preterite
• Oral practice: each individual counts; the best and worst of El Camino
• Homework: plant a tree; research into topics of interest
• Internet: key words list to facilitate a search
• Model tests and teacher's guide

AP3L - Chile

Abrir Paso Level 3
ISBN 978-2-921554-93-0

2006 Edition
Price: $9.99

Chile

• El cielo del sur
• El Festival Internacional de la Canción de Viña del Mar

When you look up to the sky, do you really see a Big Dipper or do you join the stars in such a way that you visualize a dipper? When Magellan saw the Southern Cross, he saw just that, a cross. But when the indigenous people of Chile saw the same stars they saw the head of a bird. Compare the two with a legend and a story. Relate them both to the scientific discoveries from the power telescopes in the Atacama Desert. This unit helps students understand multiple realities.

Popular music is of great interest to many students and teachers. Read about Latin America's biggest song contest in the Chilean coastal city of Viña del Mar. Compare this music festival to North American award ceremonies and discover ´the monster.´

• Subject matter: astronomy, popular music, Isabel Allende
• Vocabulary: the sky, myth and legend, music, story, novel
• Grammar: pronouns; future
• Oral practice: the Zodiac, astronomy, astrology; traveling to a festival
• Homework: flags and constellations, the Zodiac, science fiction; festivals, phobias
• Internet: key words list to facilitate a search
• Model tests and teacher's guide

AP3M - Uruguay y Argentina

Abrir Paso Level 3
ISBN 978-2-921554-94-7

2006 Edition
Price: $9.99

Argentina y Uruguay

• Nota cultural: La pampa
• El mate y la carne
• Las cataratas del Iguazú

Are we what we eat and drink? What do we drink? Soft-drinks? Milk? Coffee? Why are we so addicted to our coffee? And why are Uruguayans so addicted to their mate? Do we eat too much meat? Uruguay is a huge meat producer and its people are also great meat consumers. And what about quantities? Who is overweight? Make your students reflect on the consequences of poverty and wealth.

Five times bigger than Niagara Falls, Iguazú Falls is one of the most popular tourist destinations in South America. Discover the falls, visit the sites and compare them to Niagara Falls. Finally, reflect on the use of water no only as a source of electricity, but as a commodity in today's market.

• Subject matter: bebidas/comidas, agua
• Vocabulary: sufixes; restaurant; the natural world
• Grammar: imperative, future, preterite, ser/estar; reflexive verbs
• Oral practice: South American tourism sites; tastes, consumption of meat, of coffee
• Homework: advertisements, diets; a visit to a memorable location
• Internet: key words list to facilitate a search
• Model tests and teacher's guide

AP4A - Argentina

Abrir Paso Level 4
ISBN 978-2-921554-46-6

2000 Edition
Price: $9.99

Argentina

• El tango
• Decir Argentina es decir carne

'Dicen que el tango tiene una gran languidez, por eso lo prohibió Pío diez.' The Pope tried to stop the tango: lyrics, dance, music, all! What was so offensive that the Vatican tried to intervene and have it barred world wide? Practice the preterit and the imperative and decide if this is just another musical style and dance or if the tango is a way of celebrating machismo.

Do you eat meat every day? Is your dinner incomplete without meat? If your answer is yes, you eat like most Argentines. Compare the pampa and Patagonia. Contrast both with your own country. And all of this while learning accents.

• Subject matter: music; daily life
• Vocabulary: music and parties; domestic animals
• Grammar: preterit and imperfect; accents
• Oral practice: musical likes and dislikes; food likes and dislikes
• Homework: descriptive composition about music; about foods
• Internet: Key word list to facilitate a search

AP4B - Chile: ecología

Abrir Paso Level 4
ISBN 978-2-921554-47-3

2000 Edition
Price $9.99

Chile: Ecología

• La Región de los Lagos
• Chile: ¿maravilla económica o desastre ecológico?

Chile's Lake District, with its forests, mountains and lakes, is closer to our image of the Rocky Mountains than of South America. 'Es indispensable que vengas a conocer.' Practice the subjunctive and get rid of those stereotypes about Latin America.

Our supermarkets stock fruits and vegetables from around the world. Because the seasons are inversed, Chile is one of the biggest providers of fresh fruits and vegetables during the northern hemisphere winter months. Think about the positive and negative consequences of industrial farming and their impact on the ecology. Knowledge is power!

• Subject matter: tourism; ecology Vocabulary: prefixes in and im; fruits, industrial vocabulary
• Grammar: subjunctive
• Oral practice: tourist destination; fruits in our supermarkets
• Homework: letter requesting tourist information; arguments in favor and against chemical fertilizers
• Internet: Key word list to facilitate a search

AP4C - Chile

Abrir Paso Level 4
ISBN 978-2-921554-48-0

2000 Edition
Price: $9.99

Chile

• Violeta Parra y la Nueva Canción
• Carmen Quintana
• Nota cultural: la cortesía
• Is folk music and protest music the same? Are they related? Read the sad story of the suicide of a talented musician, Violeta Parra. Discuss different musical styles, indigenous instruments and the world wide fame of certain rock stars. Does MTV rule the world?

Do you know a burn victim or someone who has had a life threatening accident? This unit deals with two teen-agers who were doused with gasoline and set on fire. Why? When? What happened? The language classroom is the perfect place to discuss civil rights. It is also the perfect place to review and extend the vocabulary of the body and practice the subjunctive. 'Es triste que Carmen haya sufrido tanto.'

• Subject matter: music; history and daily life
• Vocabulary: instruments; body parts
• Grammar: subjunctive
• Oral practice: traditional music vs. videos; an accident or a death
• Homework: musical group; exemplary individual; death
• Internet: Key word list to facilitate a search

AP4D - Uruguay

Abrir Paso Level 4
ISBN 978-2-921554-49-7

1998 Edition
Price: $9.99

Uruguay

• El español de América: el caso uruguayo
• El Galpón y el teatro uruguayo

The language spoken in the different Spanish speaking countries is quite different. There are words that are different, there are even verb conjugations that are different. Use the language of the Buenos Aires region, which includes Uruguay, as an example and compare.

Does your school have an annual play? What kind of plays do the students present? Drama (both meanings!) in Uruguay. Also artistic creation in jail. Wow!

• Subject matter: language; theater
• Vocabulary: language; theater
• Grammar: subjunctive; punctuatio
• Oral practice: language development; art therapy
• Homework: library work on specific words; strength in helping others
• Internet: Key word list to facilitate a search

AP4E - Paraguay

Abrir Paso Level 4
ISBN 978-2-921554-50-3

1998 Edition
Price: $9.99

Paraguay

• Treinta comunidades utópicas: los jesuitas en el Paraguay
• Paraguay, país bilingüe
• Nota cultural: saludos y despedidas

Teachers think that because they know little about Paraguay, they should stick to Mexico and Spain. But Paraguay is such a fascinating country and the story of the Jesuit missions is unique. All the information the teacher needs is included! Live and learn! The Jesuits and a bilingual country! Interesting materials, content-based and culturally relevant.

• Subject matter: history, religion; linguistics
• Vocabulary: conquest; school
• Grammar: por and para; preterit; conditional
• Oral practice: paternalism, theocracy; repress a language, proper time to learn a language
• Homework: a religious community; learn a language
• Internet: Key word list to facilitate a search

AP4F - España

Abrir Paso Level 4
ISBN 978-2-921554-51-0

1998 Edition
Price: $9.99

España

• El olivo: el árbol más característico del Mediterráneo
• Hace mil años, ¿quién iba a Córdoba?

Did you know that in the past Europe was divided into butter eaters, those people who lived in the north and had cattle and olive eaters, those who lived in the south and had olive trees? Did you know that the olive tree is mentioned in the Bible? That the Greeks made wreaths with its branches and that it serves as a symbol of peace? How can this possibly interest the students? Easy! They love to talk about food, including symbolic food like bread and wine.

A thousand years ago, the Moors ruled most of the Iberian Peninsula. What did they eat? What games did they play? Who were the inhabitants of the Peninsula? How did the Moors treat their Christian and Jewish subjects? This unit is very relevant today! It deals with multi-cultural and multi-ethnic peoples living side by side.

• Subject matter: ecology; tourism and daily life
• Vocabulary: meals, trees; religio
• Grammar: conditional perfect; future and future perfect
• Oral practice: a snack; compare Maimónides and Averroes
• Homework: an edible product; library research project on words
• Internet: Key word list to facilitate a search

AP4G - España

Abrir Paso Level 4
ISBN 978-2-921554-52-7

1999 Edition
Price: $9.99

España

• Felipe II
• Las meninas de Velázquez

Teacher's favorite art unit! Present Velázquez, Goya and Picasso! The unit includes a text on the people in the Meninas; then comes the vocabulary of painters and painting plus more paintings, oral presentations, oral exercises with cartoons of two paintings, even a list of Spanish museums and painters for further study. What more can you ask?

Much maligned and misunderstood, Felipe II has always been pictured as the arch villain. True or false? Did you know that his reign coincided with the Golden Age of Spanish literature?

• Subject matter: history; art
• Vocabulary: empire; art and war
• Grammar: imperfect subjunctive
• Oral practice: ways of transmitting information then and now; Goya's paintings and cartoons
• Homework: imaginary life; describe Guernica
• Internet: Key word list to facilitate a search

AP4H - Argentina & Paraguay

Abrir Paso Level 4
ISBN 978-2-923851-09-09

2010 Edition
Price: $9.99

Argentina & Paraguay

• Paraguay, la excepción a la regla
• Buenos Aires: París de Sudamérica
• Nota cultural: la hora

When you think about New York or Paris, a huge city comes to mind. Buenos Aires is right in there. A huge megalopolis (it has some 13 million inhabitants), its inhabitants like to boast that they have as many psychiatrists as New York. Have your students discover its architectural masterpieces and active cultural life, always with the language study in mind. What an excellent way to extend the vocabulary of the city and work on the passive voice.

Mafalda is a beloved, timeless cartoon character. Several generations are devoted followers of her comments on life, family and friends. Read the cartoons and laugh. Humor is always good.

• Subject matter: comic strip; a city
• Vocabulary: regular and electronic correspondence; public places in a city
• Grammar: diminutives, passive voice
• Oral practice: analyze a comic strip; debate on primary and university education
• Homework: comic strip; immigration and university education
• Internet: Key word list to facilitate a search

AP4I - Cuba

Abrir Paso Level 4
ISBN 978-2-921554-68-8

2006 Edition
$9.99

Cuba

• Un galeón: Nuestra Señora de Atocha
• Una plantación azucarera: Manaca Iznaga

Slavery is a difficult subject. Learn about Manaca Iznaga, a Cuban sugar cane plantation. Slavery can be analyzed from many points of view: history, ecology, mathematics, literature and more. Give your students a choice as to what kind of oral presentation they would like to prepare. Allow them to follow their own interests and relate slavery to mathematics, science, art and literature.

• Subject matter: transport; sugar and slavery
• Vocabulary: maritime; sugar and slavery
• Grammar: difficult genders
• Oral practice: the world in 1622 (role playing); description of two photographs
• Homework: stems from world in 1622 role playing; a research project
• Internet: key words for Net search

AP4J - México Colonial

Abrir Paso Level 4
ISBN 978-2-921554-77-0

2002 Edition
Price: $9.99

México colonial

• Sor Juana y la cocina de Nueva España
• El Camino de la Plata

She is our first female poet, our first great feminist. She chose the convent rather than marriage. What was convent life like? Sor Juana read and wrote, she corresponded with learned men all over the world and she cooked. Practice the imperative with a recipe for flan straight from the convent! Discuss how the role of women has changed over the centuries.

The Camino de la Plata goes from Mexico City to Santa Fe, New Mexico. Read about marching north in search of silver from two points of view, a Spaniard's letter to his mother and two Chichimecas talking. A cartoon included has the following caption: Voy a California por el oro. No me interesa construir naciones. Let your students discuss the opening of the American West, the gold rush, and compare it with the Mexican experience.

• Subject matter: colonial daily life; convent life; silver towns
• Vocabulary: cooking (verbs and nouns); convent; colonial cities
• Grammar: imperative
• Oral practice: give ingredients until class guesses dish; visit various cities
• Homework: recipe; two famous cooks; daily life of rich and poor
• Internet: key words for Net search
• Model tests and teacher's guide

Presente A : El mundo hispano

Presente (1/8)
ISBN 978-2-923851-01-3

Publication date: 2011
Price: $9.99

An introduction to the Spanish speaking world through its most beloved themes and places plus some very surprising ones.

Presente B - España

Presente (2/8)
ISBN 978-2-923851-02-0

Publication date: 2011
Price: $9.99

Bicycling and queens, cities and paintings! Students investigate and present many facets of Spain’s rich culture.

Presente C - México

Presente (3/8)
ISBN 978-2-923851-03-7

Publication date: 2011
Price: $9.99 

The Web allows students to research view and present a multitude of subjects related to Mexico. Not just the beaches and the Aztecs, but some unforgettable places that are off the beaten track.

Presente D - Los Países Andinos

Presente (4/8)
ISBN 978-2-923851-04-4

Publication date: 2011
Price: $9.99

The subject matter that the students research is as varied as the students themselves. Thoughtful ideas like the messages conveyed by clothing or interviews with García Márquez show the scope and variety of the Andean countries.

Presente E - El Cono Sur

Presente (5/8)
978-2-923851-05-1

Publication date: 2011
Price: $9.99

The Internet search include both classical subjects about the Southern Cone, the tango and the gaucho, as well as little known subjects of great importance such as modern migratory movements and adventure tourism.

Presente F - El Caribe

Presente (6/8)
ISBN 978-2-923851-06-8

Publication date: 2011
Price: $9.99

Because the Internet allows students both to see the sights and to hear the music, Carnival truly comes alive. Specific places such as the national parks of Puerto Rico and Cuban poster art become much more accessible.

Presente G - América Central

Presente (7/8)
ISBN 978-2-923851-07-5

Publication date: 2011

The Internet allows students to get the facts, but the assignments allow them to put those facts in context. Students research subjects as varied as chocolates, pirates and human rights and in turn present that information to the class.

Presente H - Estados Unidos

Presente (8/8)
ISBN 978-2-923851-08-2

Publication date: 2011
Price: $9.99

The complex world of Hispanics in the United States is explored from many points of view: art and pop artists, migrants and the border, food and music.

Útil A - Viajes & Turismo

Útil  (1/6)
ISBN 978-2-923851-10-5

2008 Publication
Price: $9.99 

Students explore both the famous and the out of the way places in the Spanish speaking World. They include Machu Picchu and Aracataca; La Boquería and Bilbao; Cartagena de Indias and the Chilean Lake Region. The places are diverse: markets, beach resorts, treasure fleets. The assignments tap into students´ natural attraction to the digital media.

Download and print yourself or order the printed book. For best prices, get both the downloads and the print copy. The print copy becomes as easy reference guide.

Útil B - Deportes

Útil (2/6)
ISBN 978-2-923851-11-2

2008 Publication
Price: $9.99 

The assignments include everything from the clothing athletes wear, prizes they receive, autographs gathered, minor leagues, stadium, tickets, fans and drug abuse. Traditional and non-traditional sports are covered. Thus, there are assignments on soccer, bicycling, skiing, baseball, and more that integrate technology and advance cultural understanding.
 

Download and print yourself or order the printed book. For best prices, get both the downloads and the print copy. The print copy becomes as easy reference guide.

Útil C - Artes

Útil (3/6)
ISBN 978-2-923851-12-9

2008 Publication
Price: $9.99

High and low cultural topics are covered. Don Quijote and Las Meninas, El Prado and the Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, the sardana and Venezuela´s youth orchestras. We include photography, pre-hispanic masks and Carnival costumes. Not only Frida Kahlo, but also María Félix, Lola Flores, Mercedes Sosa and Celia Cruz. The culture of the Spanish speaking world is so very rich!
 

Download and print yourself or order the printed book. For best prices, get both the downloads and the print copy. The print copy becomes as easy reference guide.

Útil D - Ciencias & Naturaleza

Útil (4/6)
ISBN 978-2-923851-13-6

2008 Publication
Price: $9.99

Students interested in ecology will not be disappointed by the large variety of subject matter: not only the Galápagos Islands and the monarch butterfly, but also the white stork, the largest of all migratory birds, plus the llama and the hairless dog.

In addition, students are given the tools to explore the Amazon rain forest as well as national parks in several countries. Many wonderful out of the way places!
 

Download and print yourself or order the printed book. For best prices, get both the downloads and the print copy. The print copy becomes as easy reference guide.

Útil E - Vida Diaria - Festivales

Útil (5/6)
ISBN 978-2-923851-14-3

2008 Publication
Price: $9.99

Among the festivals the students will write about are Holy Week, the Day of the Dead and a huge choice of Spanish festivals.

Daily life includes assignments on transportation (the metro), clothing (famous designers), hotels, the classroom and food. This is a great way to advance cultural knowledge.
 

Download and print yourself or order the printed book. For best prices, get both the downloads and the print copy. The print copy becomes as easy reference guide.

Util F - Historia & Geografía

Útil (6/6)
ISBN 978-2-92385115-0

2008 Publication
Price: $9.99

There are assignments on Atahualpa and Moctezuma, Bolívar and San Martín, Carlos V and Felipe II, the Spanish Royal Family. In addition, both the World Heritage Sites and the Seven Wonders of the World are included.

The Internet opens the door to information and allows students to see images of all the places. In many cases, students include and describe the images they have found.
 

Download and print yourself or order the printed book. For best prices, get both the downloads and the print copy. The print copy becomes as easy reference guide.

Parcours 1A

Thematic Units (fr) Level 1
ISBN 978-2-921554-10-7
Price: $9.99

Le français en Europe et en Amérique

Maps! Maps! Maps! All with basic information! Make those grey cells work! Some countries are large both in size and population; others are small in size but large in population. Get to know the different parts of the world where French is spoken. Maps are easy to photocopy and easy to understand! Maps included: Switzerland, Monaco, Luxembourg, Haiti, the French overseas departments, France, Québec and more.

• Subject matter: geography of French speaking world
• Vocabulary: countries, languages, nationalities, numbers (1-10)
• Grammar: être; appeler, parler, articles
• Oral practice: map work
• Homework: map work
• Internet: Key word list to facilitate a search

Parcours 1B

Thematic Units (fr) Level 1
978-2-921554-11-4
Price: $9.99

• Paris
• La rue Saint-Honoré
• La Provence

Content based thematic units allow students to engage with more complex subject matter despite having only a limited vocabulary. Visit Paris and identify its landmarks, walk down a specific street and practice il y a. A map of Provence identifies the region through its painters; two songs bring alive its bridges. Sur le pont d'Avignon....Enjoy!

• Subject matter: introduction to Paris and Provence
• Vocabulary: city; right and left; rivers
• Grammar: articles; il y a; il n'y a pas; adjectives
• Oral practice: identify places in Paris; find an address; identify rivers
• Homework: places in your own city; describe a region
• Internet: Key word list to facilitate a search

Parcours 1C

Thematic Units (fr) Level 1
978-2-921554-12-1
Price: $9.99 

• Napoléon
• Molière
• Astérix
• What a funny combination: Napoléon, Molière and Astérix! Introduce your students to these three icons of French culture in your first year French class. Napoléon serves as a wonderful introduction to the vocabulary of the family because it combines the family with the historic reality. The unit on Molière, who is usually taught at a more advanced level where there are a lot fewer students, permits your students to do easy comparisons between school plays and Molière's works. Finally, Astérix introduces a cartoon character who is emblematic of the French speaking world.
• Subject matter: introduces people and cartoon character
• Vocabulary: members of the family; European countries; basic vocabulary of the theater and cartoon
• Grammar: possessive adjectives; avoir; comment and où; interrogative pronouns
• Oral practice: Napoleon's family; my family; theater and plays at my school
• Homework: genealogical tree; a play; a cartoon
• Internet: Key word list to facilitate a search

Parcours 1D

Thematic Units (fr) Level 1
978-2-921554-12-1
Price: $9.99

La Belgique, La Suisse, Monaco

• Le chocolat belge
• Les montres suisses
• Le Palais de Monaco

Small countries, big histories. The Grimaldi Palace is a wonderful way to practice the rooms in the house and proves the strength of content based learning! So much better than a pretend house! Students compare their homes to a grand palatial residence.

Switzerland is the land of watches. This unit allows you to review numbers both to tell time and to introduce or review the European currency, the euro.

We always teach the vocabulary of food. Let's start with chocolates. So delicious! So Belgian!

• Subject matter: introduces three countries through chocolates, watches, palace
• Vocabulary: foods; days of the week; languages spoken; vocabulary of the house
• Grammar: beaucoup and un peu; ouvrir, fermer and pouvoir; articles
• Oral practice: ordering a meal; school week (comparison); Grimaldi palace
• Homework: foods; shopping; home
• Internet: Key word list to facilitate a search

Parcours 1E

Thematic Units (fr) Level 1
ISBN 978-2-921554-14-5
Price: $9.99 

 La Martinique, L'Afrique

• Un voyage en Martinique
• Youssou N'Dour
• Le français en Afrique

Teachers often look for materials that will speak to specific students. Two of the units deal with Africa: the first is about music, the second about languages. Teach musical instruments with Youssou N'Dour's band; have your students think how the languages now spoken in North and South America have displaced the original languages. Then focus your attention on Africa and see where French is spoken. This information is an excellent way of practicing quel / quels and quelle / quelles.

A young tourist packs her bags for a holiday in Martinique. Review clothing to help her select the right items to pack. Once in Martinique, she writes her friend a postcard, a cloze exercise. Upon her return, she goes back to school where her teacher explains French DOM and TOM.

• Subject matter: geography, historical background
• Vocabulary: clothing, days of the week; musical instruments; colonialism
• Grammar: adverbs of place, aller, faire; articles; avant and après
• Oral practice: imaginary vacations; band, videos; French spoken in Africa
• Homework: imaginary vacations; music; languages
• Internet: Key word list to facilitate a search

Parcours 1F

Thematic Units (fr) Level 1
ISBN 978-2-921554-15-2
Price: $9.99 

 Le Québec

• La neige
• Clara Hughes, athlète
• La ville de Québec

Many schools visit Quebec City. Here is the perfect preparatory unit. Learn about the ramparts, the river, the upper and lower town, all at a beginners level. The word Quebec comes from the Algonquin word Kébec: the place where the river narrows. Let your students reflect on the origin of the names of other towns and cities.

The unit on snow includes an exercise about the amount of snow that falls in Montreal in an average winter; the cost of clearing that snow in Montreal, and the effect of salt. The song included is Mon pays (Mon pays, ce n'est pas un pays, c'est l'hiver.) Weather and clothing follow.

A female athlete, winner of several Olympic medals, provides the context to present different winter sports and the vocabulary of the body.

• Subject matter: climate; winter sports; city
• Vocabulary: climate; winter sports; parts of the body; adjectives related to the city
• Grammar: combien; adjectives
• Oral practice: a song; winter clothing; interview with an athlete; names of cities
• Homework: one season; an athlete; a city
• Internet: Key word list to facilitate a search

Parcours 3A

Thematical Units (fr) Level 3
ISBN 978-2-921554-45-9
Price: $9.99 

 La France

• "J'ai un beau château" (châteaux de la Loire)
• Il était une fois un ballon (vol d'une mongolfière)
• 
  Why were the Châteaux de la Loire built? Who lived there? What was it like to live in the Loire Valley in the Middle Ages? Practice the imperfect of avoir and être in the context of living in a castle. Because different students have different interests, we have included a discussion on the reality based games and for others, the song Ah! Mon beau château.

This unit starts with the invention of the hot air balloon and takes the student all the way to traveling into space. It includes air travel past and present. As always content based materials, make the students think about problems and problem solving. Here the students have to deal with animal rights. Is it right or wrong to send animals into space or use them for laboratory experiments?

• Subject matter: Loire valley château; science
• Vocabulary: buildings, transport
• Grammar: imperfect
• Oral practice: games based on Middle Ages; animals in scientific experiments
• Homework: description of a place; an amazing event
• Internet: Key word list to facilitate a search

Parcours 3B

Thematic Units (fr) Level 3
ISBN 978-2-921554-53-4
Price: $9.99 

 La France

• "Qui a eu cette idée folle ... ?" (système scolaire français)
• La vie à vélo (le Tour de France)
• What are the differences and similarities between schools in France and our schools? Schedules? Subjects taught? Grading? Compare! A poem, Jacques Prévert's Page d'Écriture and a traditional song, Sacré Charlemagne give the students varied subject materials to work with.

The Tour de France is the most famous cycling race in the world. For a few years it was dominated by Lance Armstrong. How does an athlete prepare for this race? And what about all the talk of drugs? Do they or don't they take drugs? Is that the only way you can win? And if so, what does that mean for all sports?

• Subject matter: French schooling, sports training
• Vocabulary: verbs of movement, sporting equipment, objects used in daily life
• Grammar: reflexive and pronominal verbs
• Oral practice: an in-class survey, game: "Le Tour de France"
• Homework: my favourite sport; a very different day
• Internet: Key word list to facilitate a search