From the Publisher:
Composición consists of two texts: a standard text and a workbook that complements and expands the text material.
In response to the requests of adopters, the twelve chapters of the previous edition have been reduced to six chapters organized around the four major modes of writing: description, narration, exposition, and argumentation.
Material on comparison/contrast, cause and effect, analysis, and classification has been redistributed to other chapters.
Students do more writing throughout each chapter, including drafts and responding to drafts, so that by the time they have reached the end of the chapter they have completed a writing task.
Activities now give student practice in a variety of writing techniques, such as generating ideas, responding to ideas, peer editing, organizing, and so on.
New appendices include two former chapters, along with two newly created appendices on La correspondencia and Symbols for Correcting Compositions.
Grammar explanations have been simplified and the grammar exercises have been moved to the Workbook.
The exercises in the text and workbook help students expand and refine a number of writing tools control of grammar, range of vocabulary, rhetorical techniques, as well as strategies for getting started.
Within each chapter, the three-part organization of Composición focuses on the writing process. First, models are provided, accompanied by analysis, discussion questions, and exercises. Then a writing assignment is given. Finally, correcting and revising of the writing is addressed, including a grammar review, proof reading exercises, and checklists for revision.
New writing CD-ROM accompanies this edition. It contains a word processor with a Spanish thesaurus, spell-checker, and grammar reference. There is an Interchange feature that allows students to communicate together on-line during the writing process. An on-line Handbook contains key information (e.g., writing tips, etc.) from the textbook.
About the Author:
Guadalupe Valdés is a Professor of Spanish and Portuguese and Professor of Education at Stanford University. She works in the areas of Socio-linguistics and Applied Linguistics, and has published numerous articles in one of her concentrations, the teaching of Spanish to both monolingual speakers of English and bilingual Hispanics. Professor Valdes is the author of four Spanish-language textbooks, two of which focus on teaching Spanish to bilingual Hispanics. She served as a member of the editorial boards of several journals, including Modern Language Journal, Bilingual Review, and Hispanic Journal of the Behavioral Sciences.
Trisha Dvorak is a Continuing Education Specialist with Educational Outreach at the University of Washington. She coordinated elementary language programs in Spanish and taught courses in Spanish language and foreign language methodology. Professor Dvorak received her Ph.D. in Applied Linguistics from the University of Texas at Austin. She has published books and articles on aspects of foreign language learning and teaching and is co-author of Composición: Proceso y síntesis, a writing text for third year college students.
Thomasina Pagán Hannum is a retired Spanish teacher. She currently works as a Consultant on Language Testing with the Bilingual Unit of the State Education Department of New Mexico, and frequently presents workshops on writing in the language classroom. She received her MATS from the University of New Mexico and has completed considerable additional study in spanish Linguistics. She is co-author of Cómo se escribe, a text for Spanish-English bilingual students at the secondary level, a contributing writer for Paso a paso, a Spanish-language series for secondary students, and co-author of Un paso más, a workbook for bilingual students to accompany Paso a paso.
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