The course

Mi Vida Loca is a course for beginners, designed to match the Breakthrough Level of the Languages Ladder.

The episodes

There are 22 episodes, themed according to language topics such as directions, shopping, etc. You can check the full breakdown in the syllabus.

Each episode is a combination of real-action video with language teaching and practice, focused on developing communicative skills. The language is presented in small bitesize chunks when it's needed. Learners are encouraged to practise and to speak out loud to the characters they encounter.

Each episode should take no more than 20-30 minutes to complete for an absolute beginner. Learners can then be encouraged to watch the full episode or some of the key scenes more than once.

Each episode is accompanied by a consolidation learning section, bringing together all the key vocabulary, explaining the grammar structures and providing extra practice. All these pages are printable either from within the section or from the syllabus and printouts page.

Learners can also review the key scenes, tagged with the key language objective, by using the orange bar at the top of the video screen.

Key language

The key language has been introduced in small functional chunks per episode, focusing on one communicative topic. In the Learning Sections, which accompany each episode, the eight key words and phrases and main grammar point are presented. Another 16 words and a secondary grammar point are also available, as well as three or four activities for practice.

The topics are revisited and built upon in different episodes. For example, episode 2 presents the simplest form of ordering food and drink, and episode 5 builds upon it, with more complex structures and vocabulary.

Incidental language

The language in the dramatised scenes goes beyond breakthrough level. These sections should be followed with the help of subtitles, or just listened to for language familiarisation and gist.

Even so, they have been scripted with the needs of learners and teachers in mind: the language has been contained to keep more complex structures, such as the past tense, subjunctives or subordinate clauses to a minimum.

Classroom exploitation

First, have a look at the User guide to find out the essential technical details. If you have the right set-up, such as an interactive whiteboard or a projector with speakers, you could use it for whole class teaching.

There are a number of activities you can try, such as having the English subtitles turned off, for comprehension, or using the video conversations with the characters as roleplays.

You also have the option to print the vocabulary, grammar and activities in the Learning sections, which you can use as handouts or for pair work. (These are also all available from the syllabus page.)

If you don't have access to a computer suite or whiteboard, then Mi Vida Loca can be used as homework to either prepare for or reinforce classwork.

For more suggestions, visit Teaching with Mi Vida Loca. If you use Mi Vida Loca in the classroom, share your ideas.

Beyond beginners

Although the course has been devised for absolute beginners, learners at higher levels can also benefit from it. They have the option of skipping the learning scenes if they don't need to be reminded of the more basic aspects of the language and enjoying the dramatised scenes with the help of the Spanish subtitles or with the subtitles switched off.

Related external links

• Teachernet: Languages Ladder

• Asset Languages: Assessment Scheme

• Asset Languages: Specifications