Unit information: Brazilian Portuguese for General Purposes Level 1 Grade 1 in 2012/13

Unit name	Brazilian Portuguese for General Purposes Level 1 Grade 1
Unit code	LANG10005
Credit points	20
Level of study	C/4
Teaching block(s)	Teaching Block 4 (weeks 1-24)
Unit director	Mrs. Ramos-Alvaro
Open unit status	Open
Pre-requisites	None
Co-requisites	None
School/department	Department of Hispanic, Portuguese and Latin American Studies
Faculty	Faculty of Arts

Description including Unit Aims

This is an accelerated language unit aiming to bring students to GCSE standard in one year. It focuses on general structures and functions of the Portuguese language and includes practice in the four skills (speaking, listening, reading and writing) in order to enable students to communicate effectively in Portuguese at an elementary level. It also covers cultural and social aspects of the language, with an emphasis on Brazilian Portuguese. The unit will include:

• general communication skills
• grammar foundation
• general vocabulary development
• reading and writing skills
• listening and speaking skills
• social skills
• introduction of basic academic skills and language
• cultural and social aspects of the target language
• e-learning opportunities

This unit aims to:

• provide students with a solid foundation of the essential structures of the Portuguese language thus enabling them to communicate effectively across the four key language skills (listening, speaking, reading and writing) at an elementary level on a variety of general topics
• enable participants to give and understand information and to achieve a confident elementary level of communicative competence in everyday situations
• introduce students to the customs, culture and society of the regions/countries in which the language is spoken and to develop student awareness of the general social and cultural background of the language
• enable students to apply their developing language skills into areas related to their field of study
• raise and develop learning autonomy and self-study skills, introducing students to e learning in the target language using Blackboard

Intended Learning Outcomes

By the end of the unit, the students will:

• be able to communicate effectively on a variety of general topics, having achieved a confident elementary level of communicative competence in everyday situations
• have developed elementary skills in listening, speaking, reading and writing in Portuguese
• have developed an awareness of the general social and cultural background of the target language
• be able to start applying their developing language skills into areas related to their field of study.
• have made full use of e learning opportunities at the Language Centre (blogs, wikis Blackboard, etc )

The expected exit level in listening, speaking, reading and writing skills at the end of the 24 week unit is Level A1 and part of level A2 of the Common European Framework.

Teaching Information

The communicative approach will be used; learners will be involved in a variety of interactive and stimulating activities with maximum use of the target language. This will be supported by e learning opportunities; a Blackboard site, wikis, blogs and use of self-study facilities.

Assessment Information

Continuous assessment (CA) and final examination each accounting for 50% of the final mark.

Continuous Assessment (CA) December mid-sessional (30%) + Assignments (20%) = 50% of the final mark

The CA consists of a mid sessional test in December and marked coursework made up of assignments over the course of the year. Assignments cover the 4 skills and include vocabulary and grammar tests; set homework such as essays or summaries; role-plays; online blogs; oral presentations and listening comprehension tests.

Final Examination (FE)

• All 4 skills (speaking, listening, reading and writing) are assessed and carry equal weight.
• The FE consists of a 2.5 hour written paper and an oral examination in the target language

The overall pass mark for all language courses is 40%. In case of failure, students will have to

• Submit part of the coursework if the CA mark is below 40%
• Resit the final examination if the FE mark is below 40%.

Reading and References

The unit is based on a coherent scheme of work developed by the unit coordinator, which will be made available on Blackboard.