Immerse yourself in Spanish language and culture! Identidades empowers learners to acquire Spanish language skills while immersing them in the richness of the Hispanic world and its people. I dentidades is a two-semester intermediate Spanish program that brings the goals of the National Standards to virtually every page of the text and its ancillary components. The program presents and treats the cultures of the Hispanic world in ways that are both appealing and appropriate for college students and simultaneously maintains reasonable expectations for their understanding and productive use of grammatical concepts and structures. Communicative and rich in cultural content, Identidades is engaging, supports the language-learning process, and prepares and encourages students to continue their exploration of the Spanish language and Hispanic cultures beyond the second year. Teaching & Learning Experience Communicative and Content-Based Approach - The goal of the program is to ensure that intermediate level Spanish learners build their language skills in rich communicative and cultural contexts. Communicative activities found throughout the program draw learners to the material presented and help them apply the content to their own experiences. Connect with Culture - By engaging with the cultural, artistic, and social manifestations that infuse the program, learners will deepen their understanding that the Spanish-speaking world is made up of many races, ethnic groups, and cultures. Explore Grammar - The philosophy that underlies the presentation of grammar in Identidades is that adult language learners benefit from straightforward explanations and examples, as well as from opportunities to use structures in both controlled and open-ended activities that embed the targeted structures in meaningful communicative contexts. Build Vocabulary - Learners are introduced to vocabulary in the context of thought provoking reading selections. Develop Skills - A strategy- and process-oriented approach to reading and writing guides learners to apply their cognitive skills to communication in a second language. Reading strategies and tips, which draw the learners' attention to key ideas or unfamiliar words or phrases in the passages of each chapter, help readers develop their reading-comprehension skills in Spanish, employing techniques and skills that they use automatically when reading in their native languages. Writing strategies and tasks provide guidance for students to produce descriptions, narrations, and explanations in writing. Research-oriented writing activities prepare the learner for courses beyond the second year. Personalize Learning - MyLanguageLabs' proven results will be available for fall 2012 courses. The Books à la Carte Edition is an unbound, three-hole punched version of the textbook and provides students with the opportunity to personalize their book by incorporating their own notes and taking only the portion of the book they need to class - all at an affordable price. Note: MyLanguageLabs does not come automatically packaged with this text. To purchase MyLanguageLabs access, please visit: www.mylanguagelabs.com or you can purchase a valuepack of the à la carte text + MyLanguageLabs 24-month access (ISBN: 0205034926).