User guide
| STEP BY STEP Spanish Steps will introduce you to simple, spoken Spanish language. The language you'll learn will help you to find your way, order meals, introduce yourself, etc and to understand predictable things that people will say to you. The course is made up of 24 short steps or units: Taking a taxi ride, Checking into a hotel, etc. These are organized into 6 sections: Finding your feet, Night out, etc. We'd recommend that you follow them in sequence, though you can just dip into the individual ones. Spanish Steps has been devised to be used in short sessions that you can fit around your own schedule, whenever and for however long it suits you. Frequent, short visits will also help you fix the language in your memory. You can see the whole syllabus here. It matches the Common European Framework Level One, which is recognized across Europe as a benchmark for simple conversational language. |
| WHAT DO YOU NEED? A computer connected to the Internet. Capability to play sound, eg you should be able to listen to music or other audio on your computer. A piece of software, Flash, to be able to hear the sound. If it's not already on your computer, it can be installed easily and free of charge by using the BBC WebWise guide. Without Flash you'll still see text and pictures, but you won't be able to enjoy the audio. To watch the optional videos you'll also need Real Player. |
| THE FEATURES When you click on Start in one of the units or steps, you'll see the following screen:   Slideshow:The slideshow, containing pictures and sound, is in the middle of the page. This shows highlights of Kevin's visit to Madrid. You can watch with the Spanish text in vision, or with an English translation, using the Next button to click your way through. There's also a summary at the end of each slideshow. To see these you'll need Flash (see above). Alternatively you can read a transcript of the dialogue, with pictures but no sound. You can also print the transcript to revise it later. |
| Key Words | Sounds of Spanish: At the top of each slideshow you'll find some useful links to help you. Key Words gives the ten essential words of the step. You can also get help with grammar or pronunciation by clicking on the second link. Both links are in pop-up windows, which means you can call them up at any point in the unit without leaving the main content. There's also an index of all the Grammar Tips of the course, accessible from the left hand side of your screen. |
| Vocabulary list: Here you'll find all the Key Words used in Spanish Steps listed in alphabetical order. You can search for words in English to find the Spanish equivalent, or look up Spanish words to understand what they mean. You can access the vocabulary list at all times from the link on the left hand side of the screen. |
| Activities: The links at the bottom of the page lead you to four engaging and practical activities:  Re-arrange the conversation:Here you drag and drop the bits of the slideshow dialogue to put them in the right order. This will help you to remember the phrases.  Guess the words:Guess the meaning and learn the key words of the unit.  Play and practise:Vocabulary, listening or grammar activities related to the unit.  Your turn:Your opportunity to use the language you've just learnt, in a typical Spanish situation. |
| More: This is the link to more BBC and non BBC Spanish sites. Use these sites to get some more practice on the language presented in the unit. You'll also find the original video clip of Kevin's journey round Madrid. This is an enjoyable enhancement if you have a fast connection to the Internet. To watch it you need RealPlayer. There are two versions of RealPlayer: a commercial and a free version. To download and install the free version follow this step-by-step guide from BBC WebWise. If you have any other media player or an older version of RealPlayer, they may not be suitable and you may have to download the software again. |
 Fact file: Each unit ends with a cultural factfile about Spanish life and customs. Here is the index of all the files. |
| Learning log: These printable pages allow you to keep a record of the Spanish Steps units as you work through them. Once you've completed a unit jot down your comments and any words you find useful or difficult. |
 At the end of each section there's a challenge, to check how much you've learnt, in the form of a game of espionage. If you already know some Spanish you can start with these, using them as a fast track through the early material. |
| Next Steps Finished the course, or thinking about joining a class? Check our suggestions about the next steps you can take. |
| DELAYS ON THE INTERNET There are times of day when the Internet, just like roads, experiences high demand or high traffic, when more people than usual are navigating at the same time, creating bottlenecks. You will then have to wait to receive some of the features, particularly the video, the sound and the slideshow. If you experience a delay, you can use the alternative versions, which will download more quickly. |
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