Tag: spanish immersion
5 Spanish verbs that change meaning in the past tense
Did you know that there are 5 Spanish verbs that change meaning when you use them in the preterite and imperfect past tenses? If you’ve been studying Spanish for a bit, you know there are always exceptions to the rules. So just when you thought you had those past tense verb meanings memorized… these 5
Saber vs. Conocer – they both mean “to know” in Spanish?
Did you know…there are two verbs in Spanish to express what you or someone knows. Saber versus Conocer. Do you know when to use each one? These verbs are not interchangeable – their use depends on the context. Do you know which verb to use in the following sentences? Saber or Conocer? So how did
Why We Teach Medical Spanish
Every time I promote anything “Medical Spanish”, whether it’s local courses, online courses, immersion trips, free lessons, etc – literally ANYTHING – I ruffle the feathers of a small percentage of the people who have received the promotion. It’s like clockwork – I can expect that within 24 hours of starting a promotion, someone will respond to
Live It Up and Make the Most of your Immersion Experience!
Living with a host family in Costa Rica and attending interactive and stimulating language classes, puts you in a unique position to learn Spanish outside of just a regular classroom. You are able to experience the Costa Rican Culture first-hand. When we arrived, in Manuel-Antonio, I was in the Honeymoon stage—trying to find the best
Summer ’13 High School Spanish Immersion
Summer ’13 High School Spanish Immersion in Costa Rica: Our High School Immersion Students had a life-changing summer in Costa Rica! Before departing the USA, we talked extensively about the challenges, benefits and beauties of this unique Spanish Immersion program that combines living with host families, intensive Spanish classes, meaningful volunteer work and of
3 Principles for International Medical Work
International medical work is rewarding for the healthcare professionals who travel abroad. Three guiding principles ensure your work is proper, ethical, and sustainable within your target communities as well. For the past 10 months Common Ground has been evaluating its international medical work in Costa Rica. Our self-evaluation started as we came across some interesting
High School Spanish: An Effective Immersion Model
An effective immersion model is educational, fun and inserts students into the community There are a lot of summer programs out there for high school students, with different approaches to student travel and education. Our Spanish immersion program has not only proven to improve language ability, but it’s a hit with teachers, parents, and of
Shakira Teaches Spanish Verbs: Future Tense and Gerunds
A fun and useful activity for learning Spanish verb tenses; have Shakira help you out with planning an easy classroom activity: Spanish Teachers – Don’t let practicing Spanish verb tenses be a drag when you can engage your students with one of the best parts of Latino culture: ¡La música! Shakira’s song “Estoy Aquí” from
Top 5 ways to prepare for study abroad in Latin America
I’m going to study abroad in Latin America! What now? Once you’ve made the decision to study abroad, what you do in the months leading up to your departure can make a huge difference in the kind of experience you have. Here are some tips to help you get the most out of your program:
Notes from the field: Practicing medicine in Costa Rica
Over the past six weeks, fifteen healthcare professionals from Colorado traveled to Costa Rica with Common Ground’s Spring 2010 Medical Mission. They lived with Costa Rican families, studied Medical Spanish, and provided medical treatment in local communities where many people have little or no healthcare. The clinical work ranged from making house calls in extremely
Sing your verbs: Teaching the irregular preterite tense
Use one of the easiest tunes to remember the tricky irregular preterite tense Irregular preterite tense can be difficult for many students. We all know that remembering the lyrics to a favorite song is easier than memorizing verb conjugations. So when it comes time to introduce your students to a new set of irregular verbs,
Out of the classroom and into the world: Formal Spanish greetings
Formal Spanish Greetings- Getting Started Whether you’re traveling to Costa Rica with us this summer or working with Latinos in your own community, properly greeting and conversing with the people you meet is crucial to getting off on the right foot. We’ve talked about the importance of greetings in Latin culture, but it’s also important
Spanish Immersion and the 5 C’s of Foreign Language Education
Spanish Immersion in Costa Rica and the 5 C’s of Foreign Language Education The 5 C’s of Foreign Language Education have been developed by ACTFL as the national standard for foreign language teaching,* and have been wholly adopted at the local level by educational organizations, including The Colorado Congress of Foreign Language Teachers(CCFLT). Common Ground
Beyond Hola: Spanish Greetings in Costa Rica (and beyond)
Informal Spanish greetings If you’re traveling to Costa Rica with Common Ground this spring or summer, you’ll be greeted a lot of different ways by Ticos (Costa Ricans). Greeting people is extremely important in Latin culture – you’ll do it dozens of times a day – so you’ll want to diversify your repertoire. Here’s some
Donations needed for upcoming medical mission
Can you help us help the under-served in Costa Rica for our medical missions? Each year Common Ground International leads a medical mission in Costa Rica for student and professional participants. Over the years the groups who have traveled to Costa Rica have had the opportunity to take donated medical supplies to help re-stock clinics
Medical Spanish Students, Find us on Facebook!
Have you lost touch with your Medical Spanish classmates? Find Common Ground on Facebook for information about upcoming classes, trips, social events, as well as cultural information, news from Latin America, language services and photos from our immersion trips to Costa Rica!
