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Portuguese 1

In this first and full year course, students will have an introduction to the Brazilian Portuguese language with focus on the culture of Lusophone countries. This course is guided by the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Language World Readiness Standards and is designed to help students begin working towards proficiency in Portuguese at the novice level.

Students will be expected to read, listen, speak, and write in Portuguese regularly. Students will be asked to make cultural comparisons and to demonstrate understanding of practices and perspectives of the Lusophone culture. Students will engage in activities and discussions that promote an approach to global awareness through eight thematic units:

  • Greetings
  • The Classroom
  • School
  • Friendships
  • Entertainment
  • Family
  • Home
  • Contemporary Life

Students will engage in lessons that incorporate eBook interactive practices and overview of vocabulary, grammar and cultural perspectives. They will also have the opportunity to use authentic resources to learn and engage in topics presented in each unit. They will apply their knowledge by participating in discussion forums, video notes assignments, writing simple sentences in Wikis, Blogs and dropbox assignments, and demonstrate mastery by completing formative and summative assessments. In this standard-level course, students are expected to invest approximately 6 hours per week on their course work. Buckle up and get ready for the adventure!

Acknowledgements

  • Additional Course Fee of $80.
  • This course contains an end-of-course proctored exam. Instructions for students to identify an appropriate adult proctor are included in the course lessons.

Course Objectives

Course Essential Questions:

  • How do we communicate in Brazilian Portuguese about everyday life/situations through reading, writing, speaking, and listening at the novice level?
  • What are some major cultural aspects of the various Portuguese speaking (Lusophone) countries?
  • How do Brazilian and other Lusophone cultures compare to one’s own culture?
  • How does Brazilian Portuguese language and culture influence today's global societies?

Course Learning Objectives:

  • Comprehend written, audio, audiovisual, and visual text through the ability to describe the literal meaning of the text.
  • Speak and/or write to others demonstrating comprehension and the use of oral and written strategies.
  • Present by using appropriate oral, visual and written strategies to communicate an idea to an intended audience.
  • Identify and interpret a variety of cultural practices of Lusophone countries.
  • Compare and contrast Brazilian cultural norms to the cultural norms of one's own community.
  • Describe the influence of Portuguese language and culture in today's world.

Additional Requirements

  • Access to a device that allows writing special characters easily (i.e. á, à, â, é, ê, í, ó, ô, ú, ü, ã, õ, ç).
  • Access to a computer with audio, microphone, and camera.
  • Access to a device that will enable students to record and upload videos of themselves speaking in target language in order to exhibit proficiency in the speaking domain and for assessment purposes.
  • Sufficient bandwidth to support video uploads (up to 5 minutes).
  • This course contains an end-of-course proctored exam. Instructions for students to identify an appropriate adult proctor are included in the course lessons.