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User:Bel

''' So, what is going on with this page ????? '''

Hello to anyone reading this!

So here it is - my wikiversity eportfolio for social psychology at the University of Canberra. Through this page I will discuss my learning relating to the lectures, tutorials and readings for the unit in order of the major topics covered throughout the semester.

Lecture 1
So after the first lecture, I am feeling afraid! No not really, I just get freaked out hearing about all the assessment in one sitting. I think what I really took away from the introductory lecture is social psychology and the focus on culture, hearing myself say that now makes me feel a bit silly though. I have thought about cultural differences, and considered how these differences can clash and impact on the world but had never given that much thought to this idea of humans being a ‘cultural animal’. I suppose in the past I would have considered culture as being something created by humans, and having as having certain benefits but it never really occurred to me what a huge role it plays, and that it is tied into our evolution.

While doing research for an assignment found an article that discusses an interesting perspective on the roles of culture, biology and evolution in the wearing of high heels in western women. Just thought I’d share it as it was pretty entertaining and stood out to me with my new found appreciation of culture and evolution.

http://web.ebscohost.com.ezproxy2.canberra.edu.au/ehost/pdf?vid=2&hid=7&sid=5e33bcab-6861-4130-ad5d-ee7b08617cca%40sessionmgr2

Lecture 2
What caught my attention most in this lecture was the clip of the Beijing Olympics advertisement played during the break. I must say though I wasn’t a big fan of the ad itself, the first minute was entertaining but it was about 10 minutes too long! I’ve never been a big sport fan but have probably paid more attention to the Olympics this year than ever due to the political and social debates that the host country has attracted.

I think it really demonstrates the diversity of human society and culture, and provides insight into how people assess other cultures, ideals, and political systems. Not being all that passionate about sport I would have thought the Olympics are still the Olympic no mater where they’re held? But it seems this year the athletes may have to share the spotlight with some very heavy issues.

So thought I’d share some headlines and clips I felt show the diversity in people’s response to this Olympic Games.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2008_Summer_Olympics

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0o4bhe4zoes

http://www.new.facebook.com/group.php?gid=12301571886

http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,23514548-662,00.html

http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/08/03/asia/games.php

Tutorial - 1 Introduction
I got the feeling this tutorial was designed to ease us into the subject material and to get us talking to one another. I enjoyed the activity where we had to organize ourselves into groups (eg. country of birth, marital status); I felt it showed the differences in people’s styles of communication and the dynamics of a big group working together. Each time we were given a new category you could see some people sort of take charge, announcing where one of the categories would group, while others (like myself I guess) would sort of wait till the groups had been established and then find their place.

Culture shock and cross cultural training
The tutorial on cross cultural training looked at exploring the cultural meaning of names, the issues of culture shock, and adaptive strategies.

I enjoyed the activity where we conducted a ‘cultural interview’ with a partner to learn about the personal significance of their name. The exercise was good for learning everyone’s name and it was interesting to hear people’s individual stories. I think it highlighted the cultural differences of naming children, and showed how something as seemingly arbitrary as a name can carry a lot of cultural significance by merging into an individuals self concept to become an important part of their identity.

Winkleman (1994) defines culture shock as a ‘multifaceted experience resulting from numerous stressors occurring in contact with a different culture’. This can most obviously occur when travelling or moving to another country, however as societies become increasingly multicultural culture shock can occur within societies and their various subcultures. Culture shock can create psychological problems and decrease wellbeing. The author states that while culture shock is a normal reaction there can be a wide range in how people cope and respond, and that interventions to promote cultural adaptation are crucial.

Anita Mak at UC is one of the co developers of EXCELL (Excellence in cultural experiential learning and leadership) which helps international students to learn and implement effective communication strategies in school, work, and social settings while helping them to understand why these new behaviours are culturally appropriate. The program enables less stressful and more effective social integration using a technique called cultural mapping.

In the tute we discussed how growing up in a society we all unknowingly become ‘experts’ in our culture. We understand the norms and expectation for countless situations without even realising. Having spent my whole life in Australia and only visiting very western countries (such at the US) I have never really experienced anything like this, and it made me think about the ‘cultural struggle’ so many people must face.

The Social Self
Baumeister and Bushman (2008) describe the self as a mechanism through which human beings travel through life, interact with others, enabling them to satisfy their needs. The very process of trying to define the self make you realize how complex an idea (if you can call it that) it is. In psychology it is common to learn about topics such as mental processes that we can’t actually see, but somehow the more I think about this idea of the ‘self’ the more abstract it seems.

I felt this quote summed up my thoughts quite well “On the one hand, the self is rich, messy, and complex...On the other hand, the self is structured, consistent, and coherent; it does fit together” (Fiske, 2004, p. 179).

In the reading Fiske (2004) described the many aspects of the self and how they relate to one another. He takes a cognition-affect-behaviour approach to the study of the self and highlights the importance of situational factors. Above all he stresses that the self is dynamic, not a fixed unchangeable construct. From the article I felt the concepts would be most easily understood (by myself and others) in a sort of concept map.

The article appraoches the self as a group of constructs that work together in a complementary fashion, while also building on one another. When considering the motives of the self this approach demonstrates the importance of the many various aspects in fulfilling such motives, leading to understanding and self enhancement and our ultimate need to belong.

Fiske’s article and drawing up the concept map helped me to fuse together all the different facets of the self that we have been learning about. And while the whole concept still scares me a little, I feel like I have a better understanding of how it all fits together!

Social Thinking
This topic covered issues such as social cognition, attitudes beliefs and consistency, social influence and persuasion.

Cognitive dissonance
I found this topic to be very interesting in particular the theory of cognitive dissonance. Cognitive dissonance holds that inconsistencies between an individual’s attitudes and behaviour produce ‘psychological discomfort’. Therefore the individual rationalises their behaviour in order to bring it into line with their attitudes, reducing the dissonance between behaviour and attitudes (Baumeister & Bushman, 2008). This theory related back to the idea that humans strive for consistency, and that our attempts to maintain this motivates much of our mental processes. I enjoyed learning about this topic because it is so relevant to everyday life, it seems that many an argument is started over someone being a ‘hypocrite’. People generally see them selves as being fairly consistent, but are quick to point out inconsistencies in others. Baumeister and Bushman (2008) refer to a study by Festinger and Carlsmith (1959) Cognitive Consequences of Forced Compliancewhich demonstrated that an individuals attempt to reduce cognitive dissonance was a stronger motivator for ‘true’ attitude change than even monetary reward.

Aggression
I felt I had to discuss Bandura’s article on film mediated aggression because it’s one of my favourite pieces of research. Banduras Bobo doll experiments were actually one of the first things I ever learnt about psychology back when I was in college. I think I always remember the experiment because when I first learnt about it I was like “well obviously children imitate violence” but then it occurred to be that these classic experiments were probably the source of my common knowledge!

The article focuses on the ‘modelling influence of pictorial stimuli’ and raises an important point when asking whether this demonstrates the modelling of true violence or simply children playing aggressively with a toy (Bandura, Ross, & Ross, 1988). The study also states that although the majority of children appeared to be affected by the aggressive media conditions most do not indiscriminately perform such aggressive acts. They believed this could be due to negative reinforcement on the parent’s part with them quickly prohibiting such behaviours. I thought this related back to the theme in the text ‘nature says go and culture says stop’ children are perhaps capable of and predisposed to easily model and learn various antisocial behaviours and it is up to parents and society to shape more prosocial behaviours.

Ghosts of Rwanda
As for the documentary Ghosts of Rwanda I don’t even know what to say. It is one of those events that people look back on in disbelief, wondering how could something like that happen in this day and age, how could everything have gone so wrong, and why didn’t anyone intervene sooner. 800 000 killed in 100 days, I found it really hard to actually comprehend such a loss of life. I think a number of psychological concepts potentially contributing to/relating to the genocide can be drawn from the documentary:

 * Instrumental aggression
 * Humiliation (experienced by the Hutus due to their oppression)
 * Deindividuation
 * Frustration aggression hypothesis
 * Triggered displaced aggression
 * Scapegoat theory

Disturbingly I found a recent article by the BBC suggesting that many of the Hutu malitiamen who feld to Congo and are still a threat to local Tutsis. Tutsi rebels are said to be arming themselves due to a lack of confidence in the UN and international organisations.

Prejudice
I must say I really enjoyed chapter 12 in the text as it discussed a lot of different aspects of prejudice and how people develop and maintain them. Today’s society is so focused on multiculturalism and breaking down prejudice (which is great) that I wonder if people somewhat suppress or deny their prejudicial thoughts rather than addressing them. Baumeister and Bushman (2008) describe prejudice as resulting from a variety of things ranging from boosting ones self esteem, competition over resources, rationalising oppression to mental heuristics. I really agree with the author’s stance on prejudice being a part of human nature, and as something that we are perhaps inclined toward and need to actively work at.

An interesting realisation I came to was that due to living and growing up in Australia I most likely think about racism, prejudice and discrimination in overly simplistic terms. The text discusses how an individual can suffer discrimination both in the presence and absence of prejudice. An interesting article I found Gay refugees face prejudice across the world points out the problems faced by gay refugees, that although people face jail for committing ‘homosexual acts’ in 76 countries, sexual orientation is not considered a valid plea for asylum in Australia. This was an issue that had never even occurred to me and I think highlights how the complexity and diversity of the modern world can readily result in the discrimination of certain groups. Whether or not this is also an issue of prejudice I feel is too big a topic for me to tackle here!

Aversive racism and the Australian eye experiment
I found the issue of aversive racism interesting as it relates to a point I made in the class discussion after watching the Australian eye video. While I found Jane Elliot’s experiment very interesting I did understand how people (both observers and participants) could see it as a bit extreme, and at times find it difficult to take seriously. While Australia is hardly free from racism I think a lot of younger people have never really witnessed the kind of blatant and overt racism that Jane Elliot demonstrates. Although it may have been more prevalent say 50 years ago I think a lot of racism today is very covert, and that a lot of discrimination may in fact be unintentional or due to ignorance. Aversive racism refers to a relatively modern form of racism where an individual will hold egalitarian beliefs and attitudes while at the same time harbouring prejudicial attitudes toward certain groups (Dovidio & Latane, 2000). Research has shown that aversive racism is often somewhat unconscious on the part of the perpetrator and tends to be evident in situations where prejudices will not be easily recognised by the individual or others, and can be rationalised by some other means. A longitudinal study by Dovidio and Latane (2000) concluded that while overt racism has decreased more subtle forms of prejudice have persisted.

This issue aside I think Jane Elliot’s experiment is a very good example of prejudice in general as the film demonstrated a number of the prejudice concepts we have been covering in the unit such as:
 * Ingroup/ outgroup memeber distinction
 * Minimal group effect
 * Outgroup homogeneity bias
 * Discontinuity effect
 * Self defeating and self fulfilling prophesy
 * Self serving bias
 * Social categorisation

Relationships
In line with what I have previously discussed concerning the self, interpersonal relationships and the need to belong is fundamental to the study of humans in a social context. An article by Baumeister and Leary (1995) describes interpersonal human attachment as a primary human motivation and vital to wellbeing. They review research pertaining to relationships and propose that this primary motivation explains many finding relating to interpersonal behaviours such as:

 * People naturally seek out social attachments - people with seemingly little in common form relationships, the concept of propinquity where people from relationships simply due to close proximity, people refrain form ending relationships even if they are unsatisfying or difficult to maintain.
 * Forming and solidifying relationships produces positive emotions- relationships greatly effect human emotion and cognition with the threat to a relationship often producing unpleasant emotions, people spend a large amount of time thinking about relationships and belonging
 * Deficits in relationships and belonging lead to psychological and physiological problems- behavioural problems such as eating disorders and suicide are more common in individuals who are ‘unattached’

They also state there are two aspects to the human motivation to belong; they need frequent interaction with the same individuals that are pleasant or positive, and such interactions need to occur within a long term framework of mutual care and concern (Baumeister & Leary, 1995).

Relationship satisfaction over time
What I found very interesting concerning relationships was a section in the text ‘I love you more each day’ (Baumeister & Bushman, 2008, p.372). It discusses evidence concerning changes in relationship quality over time from a number of different researchers. The general findings were that despite many couples believing their relationships improved over time they in fact either got worse or stayed the same. Next year my husband and I will have been married for four years and before reading this I definitely would have said our relationship had improved over that time!! The text also mentions that research has found to maintain a happy relationship; good things need to occur about five times more often than bad things. This made me think about a couple of things. Firstly I think the main reason I would have considered our relationship as having improved is due to the fact that we don’t disagree or argue as much, which made me wonder does this also mean we are doing less nice things for each other?? Something for me to think about I guess!

Groups
Baumeister and Bushman (2008) define a group as more than two individuals ‘being or doing something together’. The groups that are of interest to social psychologists however are somewhat more complex, they tend to be ‘united’, sharing a common identity, common goals, beliefs, practices and values. The solidarity of a group is strengthened by feeling similar to one another, and often by the presence of an out group (Baumeister & Bushman, 2008). Groups are important to both social and cultural animals, with human culture taking the meaning of ‘group’ to more than just a collection of something.

I was especially interested in the section of the text ‘Why do people love teams’ (p. 494). Research has shown that although team work does not necessarily foster better outcomes people often prefer to work in groups, believing that performance will be better. Baumeister and Bushman (2008) explain this occurrence due to the human need to belong, along with various other psychological benefits. I can definitely relate to this issue having done more than a couple of group assignment while at uni. I have noticed group members (myself included) will often to go great lengths to meet up (skipping class, changing work commitments etc.) only to get very little done in the time spent together. I think most people believe that the most productive work gets done individually yet there always seems to be this ‘need’ to come together.

Australian Zeitgeist and social disengagement
In the tute relating to prosocial behaviour we discussed the concept of Australian zeitgeist, social capital and social disengagement.

In class we loosely defined social capital as:

 * reciprocal relationships and investment in a society
 * having positive and collective networks within a society
 * a stored ‘goodwill’ that the society ca draw upon in times of need

It essentially deals with the meaning in a society, as opposed to material objects as is physical capital. Social capital both results from and requires engagement from members of the society. This engagement cannot be forced rather it must be the result of a collective agreement within the societies culture.

Then at the other end of the spectrum is social disengagement which is characterised by:

 * complete independence
 * lack of engagement (with community, family etc.)
 * total lack of interdependence

The lecture presented by Hugh Mackay discussed Australian society and the ever increasing problem of social disengagement. He discusses the dramatic social change that has occurred within a very small amount of time as psychologically impacting on many Australians. Australian society has become a source of anxiety for its inhabitants and many people have therefore ‘disengaged’ become more focused on themselves and to employ somewhat reductionist techniques to reasoning to look for simple answers in a complex world.

An issue that really stood out to me was the problem of abdication of personal responsibility than can come with fundamentalism. I agree with this in that when people see things in too simplistic a manner they tend to ignore many relevant details. As I have previously mentioned the human self is already predisposed to protect its self by externalising blame (eg. self serving bias & scapegoat theory) therefore social conditions which further encourage such externalising could cause many problems.

Bystander effect
Another concept which we covered in this topic which I was particularly drawn to was the bystander effect. The bystander effect is the consistent finding that individuals are less likely to help others when they are in a group as opposed to when they are alone (Baumeister & Bushman, 2008). I think unless you live in a very isolated area almost everyone has been in the situation where a stranger has needed help; of course the situation and strangers need could vary greatly in severity.

The text refers to the 1964 murder of Kitty Genovese in which a young woman was murdered in the street while a reported 38 nearby neighbours overheard the incident but did nothing. This event prompted Darley and Lantané two psychologists to research bystander effect and its possible causes (Baumeister & Bushman, 2008). Darley and Lantané (1988) propose that the lack of help is a result of the conflict experienced by bystanders as opposed to a lack of wanting to help or apathy. They propose people go through a number of steps when deciding whether or not to help an individual:

 * 1) Noticing an event
 * 2) Interpreting the meaning of the event (is it an emergency?)
 * 3) Taking responsibility for helping (the more people present the less responsibility felt- diffusion of responsibility)
 * 4) Having the capability or knowledge to help
 * 5) Providing help

At each stage there are a number of potential obstacles, however Darley and Lantané (1988) propose that ‘diffusion’ in responsibility for helping may be the critical factor to whether people help or not. In their experiment they staged an emergency in the form of someone experiencing a seizure, finding the presence of bystanders reduced participants’ feelings of responsibility for helping and subsequent reporting.

I can recall many instances where I have been in this sort of situation, and I will admit there have been times where I have helped and times where I haven’t. The text refers to a wide variety of obstacles to helping ranging from, lack of time, potential risks, ambiguity of situation, audience inhibition (fear of looking foolish if help is unwanted), and diffusion of responsibility. I agree with Darley and Lantané that diffusion of responsibility is the crucial determining factor, as in my personal experience when faced with this sort of situation one often confronts many of the obstacles listed and if there are a number of other people around I guess it’s easy to tell yourself ‘someone else will help’ when of course everyone else may be telling themselves the same thing.

Environmental
I must admit I had never heard of the term environmental psychology until I heard it in the lecture! I suppose it makes all the sense in the world, as humans interact with the environment on a variety levels very single day.

Environmental psychology is the study of ‘people-environment interrelationships and transactions’. It emerged in the 1960’s and relates to fields such as:

 * environmental perception and cognition
 * place attachment and identity
 * conservation behaviour and sustainability
 * climate change
 * natural resource management
 * disaster preparedness and response
 * urban and regional planning and design (Reser, 2008).

Green prescriptions
What I found very interesting in the lecture was the concept of a ‘green prescription’ for psychological and physiological problems. A recent article from the Sydney Morning Herald The benefit of nature of nurture discusses the ideas of green prescriptions and refers to research findings on vegetation and crime rates. The study of 98 public housing development buildings in Chicago found apartment block with high levels of plant life had 48% less property crimes and 56% less violent crime than those with little or no greenery.

In Conclusion
I must say I have found this exercise quite a challenge, it’s not everyday that you are given such free reign on an assignment at uni, and at first I found it quite overwhelming. I suppose what I have hoped to present here is a collection of what stood out to me and to convey my experiences in the unit. I honestly feel one would have to write a small novel to cover everything we have learned in this class as social psychology is such a far reaching field, it addresses human nature on so many different dimensions. Social psychology has perhaps been one of the most relevant psychology classes I have taken, and it seemed with every new topic illustrations from my life would come to mind. So to anyone who stumbles across this in the future (maybe after googling social psychology??) I hope you find my ramblings/notes of some interest and potential use ;-)

title: User:Bel


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User talk:Bel

Olympic games
Interestingly when I watched this link and saw the French reporter protest I saw the face of the Chinese representative: probably through such actions some/more Chinese people/government feel hurt in their pride and still continue or support quietly with what they do. Though that is no excuse.

>Re: Lecture 1 - Introduction I need credentials to login :-( let me see when James reads this :-)

>(ps. still figuring out wikiversity so I hope this is what this discussion page is for and I haven’t just violated your page!?) that was perfectly fine (and just a reminder: this is a wiki, you can not do anything wrong - all can be reverted again), Erkan Yilmaz uses the Chat (try) 09:41, 17 August 2008 (UTC)

Essay topic
These are good thoughts following our conversation - well done. So, how about we go with your second suggestion (because it is more specific) "What is gender role theory and what has been found from gender role research concerning intimate relationship quality between men and women?". I've updated this now at Social psychology (psychology)/Assessment/Essay/Topics. Let me know if I can do anything else to help out. -- Jtneill - Talk - c 23:47, 21 October 2008 (UTC)

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

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Asset-Based Community Development

For now see Asset-Based Community Development (ABCD; Wikipedia) and Kretzmann & McKnight.

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Networked learning/new concept

Networked learning is a process of developing and maintaining connections with people and information, and communicating in such a way so as to support one another's learning.

This self-paced course will assist you in developing online communication and Internet learning skills.

It is based on the principles of networked learning where individuals establish an online identity and formulate relationships with other people and information to communicate and develop knowledge.

This topic is used in:
 * Teaching and Learning Online

Participants and Learning support
The list of participants and learning support is available at:

 * Participants of the networked learning self-paced course

Processes and tools
The list of processes and tools is available at:

 * Online processes and tools

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Category:Teaching and learning online

This category is for pages in the Teaching and Learning Online project.

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User talk:Rocket000

 Hello Rocket000, and welcome to Wikiversity! If you need help, feel free to visit my talk page, or contact us and ask questions. After you leave a comment on a talk page, remember to sign and date; it helps everyone follow the threads of the discussion. The signature icon in the edit window makes it simple. To get started, you may

 * Take a guided tour and learn to edit.
 * Visit a (kind of) random random project.
 * Browse everything on Wikiversity, or visit a portal corresponding to your educational level: pre-school, primary, secondary, tertiary, non-formal education.
 * Find out about research activities on Wikiversity.

 * Read an introduction for teachers and find out how to write an educational resource for Wikiversity.
 * Give feedback about your initial observations
 * Discuss Wikiversity issues or ask questions at the colloquium.
 * Chat with other Wikiversitans on #wikiversity-en.

And don't forget to explore Wikiversity with the links to your left. Be bold to contribute and to experiment with the sandbox or your userpage, and see you around Wikiversity! --Gbaor 12:19, 4 August 2008 (UTC)

 Hi , I am Percy. Nice to meet you. I love the beach, swimming, fishing, and I am currently doing some research at Wikiversity on oceanography. I am also learning to play piano. What do you like? Can I be your mascot?

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Wikiversity:Wikiversity Day/2008/How do you celebrate?

This is a questionaraire about how people uderstand this kind of anniversary and how they would like personally to celabrate it.

Juan
Well, that day Ill be somewhere deepdown Eastern Slovakia, far away from any computer. I was thinking what can be my present to Wikiversity. And I have realised that I can give it Advertisement and/or Advertising. It is one of the things Wikiversity also needs. Actually I think I will make a T-shirt and put it on my skin that Day. And then I will celabrate, with some a-l. And probably animate some indigenous people to celabrate with me.

So what about a design of that T-shirt? There could be written: Wikiversity Day 2008, 15 augusta 2008 (back). Wikiversity logo (front side). Do we have a big png logo? I see not. Ummmm. Well maybe there should be "Open learning community" and link: www.wikiversity.com.--Juan 12:43, 4 August 2008 (UTC)
 * Nope, doesnt work. so just http://en.wikiversity.org/.--Juan 12:44, 4 August 2008 (UTC)

And maybe some collage from pictures and titles on the front site to entertain people.--Juan 12:47, 4 August 2008 (UTC)

Here are many media files regarding Wikiversity: commons:Category:Wikiversity. It should be not a problem to convert one you like to png. E.g. you could also make a cup, which you can use every day. Erkan Yilmaz uses the Chat (try) 16:56, 4 August 2008 (UTC)

 * Well, this was mentioned more like advertising. So thats why T-shirt. I am usually not having a breakfast with other people. Well, I will try to make some png, If I had time, but now, I think I will advertise Bloom Clock or Solar System on my baley.--Juan 17:06, 4 August 2008 (UTC)

Thuvack
I think I will tryout Juan's Idea, There is a little T-Shirt Printing shop near-by. Maybe I can get a T-shirt with a Wikiversity Logo and wear that to work(I hope It is not too cold for That).--Thuvack | talk 15:14, 6 August 2008 (UTC)


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User talk:Skittleys

 Hello Skittleys, and welcome to Wikiversity! If you need help, feel free to visit my talk page, or contact us and ask questions. After you leave a comment on a talk page, remember to sign and date; it helps everyone follow the threads of the discussion. The signature icon in the edit window makes it simple. To get started, you may

 * Take a guided tour and learn to edit.
 * Visit a (kind of) random random project.
 * Browse everything on Wikiversity, or visit a portal corresponding to your educational level: pre-school, primary, secondary, tertiary, non-formal education.
 * Find out about research activities on Wikiversity.

 * Read an introduction for teachers and find out how to write an educational resource for Wikiversity.
 * Give feedback about your initial observations
 * Discuss Wikiversity issues or ask questions at the colloquium.
 * Chat with other Wikiversitans on #wikiversity-en.

And don't forget to explore Wikiversity with the links to your left. Be bold to contribute and to experiment with the sandbox or your userpage, and see you around Wikiversity! --HappyCamper 12:56, 4 August 2008 (UTC)

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Ghosts of Rwanda

 is a PBS documentary about the 1994 Rwandan Genocide. One way to watch this documentary is via this playlist on youtube. Also see the official Ghosts of Rwanda (PBS) website which contains a considerable amount of additional information such as interviews with key players and a full transcript.

Overview

 * This film chronicles and revisits the harrowing story of the Rwandan Genocide of 1994, one of the worst human atrocities of the 20th century.
 * This 10th anniversary, American-made documentary (and accompanying website) includes interviews with several key figures, including government officials, diplomats, and eyewitnesses accounts.
 * Warning: This documentary contains disturbing emotional and graphic content. For example, you will see dead bodies in various states of mutilation and decomposition, although it is probably the interviews and human stories that are the most emotionally disturbing.

Connections between the Rwandan Genocide and Social Psychology

 * Participants in the social psychology (psychology) unit watch and discuss this documentary as part of studying prejudice and aggression.
 * The Rwandan Genocide and the "Ghosts of Rwanda" documentary offers a dramatic, real-world, major social event which illustrates many aspects of social psychology.
 * During the documentary almost every social psychological principle is revealed, in one form or another, particularly those related to prejudice, aggression, and violence, group processes and culture, as well as prosocial behaviour and altruism.

Observations and comments by students
Some students observations and comments which connect aspects of GOR with principles, theories, and research in social psychology are listed here (feel free to edit/add, etc.):
 * 1) SteveHenry observed that the interviewed farmer who had been involved in killing explained by this as the "devil" overtaking him (perhaps because "religion" provided a salient schema). Also note the self-serving attribution bias to explain one's "undesired" behaviours externally.

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Rwandan Genocide

The Rwandan Genocide (1994) involved the mass killing of hundreds of thousands of ethnic Tutsis and moderate Hutu sympathizers in Rwanda and was the largest atrocity during the Rwandan Civil War and was one of the most significant human atrocities of the twentieth century.

Overview

 * The Rwandan genocide was mostly carried out by two extremist Hutu militia groups, the Interahamwe and the Impuzamugambi, during about 100 days from April 6 through mid-July, 1994.
 * Somewhere between half a million and one million people were systematically slaughtered in three months (~100 days).
 * Approx. 14% of the Rwandan population died, including approximately 77% of Tutsis living in Rwanda.
 * This is numerically equivalent to approximately three September 11 incidents occurring every day for three months.
 * At least 500,000 Tutsis and thousands of moderate Hutus died. Note that several estimates put the death toll between 700,000 and 1,000,000, depending on the source.

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Wikimedia Ethics/Feedback 1

This feedback page is part of the Ethical Management of the English Language Wikipedia learning resource, where readers may give feedback in a similar way to how feedback is given in "brick and mortar" classrooms. Four questions are asked by the survey template, including three that are "show of hands" type questions, and one "short answer". Please do not use this page as a place for discussion and debate: if you have a question or comment about one or more of the responses, you can either ask them personally on their talk page, or bring it up for discussion on the main talk page for the project.

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User:Thuvack/Mind-Logs/2008 August

August-12-2008:Real life
I found myself writting this little phrase repeatedly here and at wikipedia without even thinking about what it means.

I am doing … In real life

Have you ever used the phrase to refer to your activities outside of wikiversity as real life activities? I have and am not sure if that is correct anymore. what is real? that I think is relative to the refference point of view. If I spend atleast 3 hours or more a day here at wikiversity can that be called real time and if time is a mere measure of our days is that not real life?

I am going to think twice before I use that expression next time! --Thuvack | talk 15:26, 12 August 2008 (UTC)
 * Yes, I also use(d) the term - I'd say: real is what you think, until someone/something comes along which proves you otherwise. Also the group photo helped that people are not anonym writers for me only - they have now a "real" face :-) I would like to extend the thoughts to after life. What happens when you die ? You are not real anymore ? In WV you stay - as we can see with Mirwin he is still being remembered - besides his family and friends in "real life". Is wiki the way to get immortal ? The marketing department of the foundation could need some new slogans :-) e.g. "No need for cosmetics - stay young forever - with wikis" or "It is the opium of the people to stay alive - wikis" Erkan Yilmaz uses the Chat (try) 21:02, 16 August 2008 (UTC)

August-06-2008:Customising my Wikiversity User account
I am always looking for ways to optimise my edits; views and browwsing here at wikiversity. This is due to daily Time constraints I need to manage( I am work after-all ). I just cant open each page to view changes on my watchlist or other pages I am interested in. This is where the little Gadget called:Navigation popups comes in.

There is a list of special gadgets you can enable for your account by going to your preferences page, then click on Gadgets. These gadgets are mostly based on JavaScript, so JavaScript has to be enabled in your browser for them to work. Note that these gadgets will have no effect on this preferences page.

These special gadgets are not part of the MediaWiki software, and are usually developed and maintained by users on local wiki. Local administrators can edit available gadgets using definitions and descriptions. There are currently three gadgets you can enable. Navigation popups Enhanced Talk: Color codes discussions to make easier to follow, much like some forums or bulletin board do. See for an example screen here. Round Corners: Provides more rounded corners for anyone who uses mozilla-based browsers, like firefox.

I have just enabled the Navigational popups gadget. This has made life much easier, and has once more optimised the time I spend here. I am trying to cutdown on time spent browsing and yet maintain my contribution momentum (Tricky isn't it?).

I should then take this time to thank those who create and mantain these gadgets. It is making a difference and is much appreciated.--Thuvack | talk 15:45, 6 August 2008 (UTC)

August-04-2008:Personal Organisation
Having been in the Most active participants list for two months I have come to realise that I could actually half the time I take to do Edits and yet mantain the amount of my contributions. It is all about personal organisation. I have started planning my daily activities on my linux box. I have it open the whole day at work anyway, so I can actually tick-off completed tasks as I finish them. I dont have a PDA but I am planning to get one very soon. I use To-do extension of Kontact and I must say I am happy with its performance. For longer projects I use the VYM (View your Mind ) for creating mind maps.

I think If I were to advise anyone starting on Wikiversity, concerning Personal Organisation it would be. "Plan what you want to edit or contribute before hand. Thinking on your feet isn't the same as Editing on your feet". You will have a better chance to see your progress if you plan your edits well before hand. This will save a lot of precious time (Especially if you Edit during your lunch time at work! ;-)… ).

This information age is getting faster and faster. it becomes even more impossible to get through the day without some kind of planning. I wonder what other wikivesitarians use for personal organisation tools or software.Happy wiki editing.-- Thuvack | talk 15:26, 4 August 2008 (UTC)
 * I stick to the traditional paper + pen. Losing these is not so risky than a PDA :-( Erkan Yilmaz uses the Chat (try) 23:13, 4 August 2008 (UTC)

title: User:Thuvack/Mind-Logs/2008 August


text: Template:Emoew survey 1-instructions

title: Template:Emoew survey 1-instructions


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Wikiversity:Wikiversity Day/2008/Group photo

How about making a group picture ? (we could mix also several pictures to make one complete photo?)
 * We could try . -- Jtneill - Talk - c 19:55, 6 August 2008 (UTC)
 * nice, now we must just select the pictures with same licence (mixing pictures with different licences into one whole brings probably problems :-. Or we design the page in a certain format so it looks like one of the mosaic designs ? Erkan Yilmaz uses the Chat (try) 20:11, 6 August 2008 (UTC)
 * Maybe for now we make something like w:Wikipedia:Facebook? -- Jtneill - Talk - c 23:17, 12 August 2008 (UTC)


text:
Wikiversity talk:Wikiversity Day/2008/Group photo

see Wikiversity talk:Wikiversity Day/2008, Erkan Yilmaz uses the Chat (try) 17:15, 4 August 2008 (UTC)

So why does Cormac get 3? --McCormack 03:47, 5 August 2008 (UTC)
 * There are now 3 persons having more than 1 picture of themselves listed. We can remove the additional ones later. I put them there so it gets a little crowded. Erkan Yilmaz uses the Chat (try) 06:25, 5 August 2008 (UTC)

Who'm I gonna shoot..??
I got my bow drawn back, arrow ready to fly...is it the puppy that gets it? Maybe those goats? Someone better move the babies to a safe place out of range... TWFred 03:52, 5 August 2008 (UTC)
 * :-) Erkan Yilmaz uses the Chat (try) 06:26, 5 August 2008 (UTC)


text: User:JWSchmidt/Emoew survey 1

title: User:JWSchmidt/Emoew survey 1


text: User:Erkan Yilmaz/Emoew survey 1

title: User:Erkan Yilmaz/Emoew survey 1


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Talk:Wikimedia Ethics/Feedback 1

about "This user believes it is appropriate to use Wikiversity as a forum for creating changes in Wikipedia": what kind of changes is meant here ? changes in:
 * mind of
 * an individuum
 * more than one person
 * policies
 * .. ? Erkan Yilmaz uses the Chat (try) 18:56, 4 August 2008 (UTC)

title: Talk:Wikimedia Ethics/Feedback 1


text: Category:Ethical Management of the English Language Wikipedia/Feedback


text: Category:EMOEW/Appropriate to study Wikipedia on Wikiversity


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User:Juandev/Spanish

errr, lets use what we have on wikibooks.
 * No, it si a nonsence Juan, you dont have time for this!

title: User:Juandev/Spanish


text: User:Countrymike/Emoew survey 1

title: User:Countrymike/Emoew survey 1


text:
Portal talk:Schools

Not sure yet how this page evolves, but there are also available:
 * Schools
 * Category:Schools
 * : Schools with subpages, Erkan Yilmaz uses the Chat (try) 21:50, 4 August 2008 (UTC)

Related pages: there is also Vision/2009/Namespace reform. --JWSchmidt 22:22, 4 August 2008 (UTC)

title: Portal talk:Schools


text:
User:Vinny Burgoo

 * s.

Or so it has been alleged.

Thenk you.

Bye!

title: User:Vinny Burgoo


text:
User:Oscar.Bell

Oscar Bell
I am Studying, bachelor of business administration with majors in management and psychology at the university of canberra. I am originally from a property west of Goulburn, and currently live in Ainsley.

I got into psychology through my involvement with rowing. I was heavenly involved in coxing (until I got to heavy for it as 55 kg is the cut of) and am still a coach of the sport. Both roles rely on your ability to get the most from your athletes, and the natural progression for me was to explore this in more depth through psychology.

title: User:Oscar.Bell


text:
User talk:Oscar.Bell

Well done
Good job on setting up your account,. Let me know if I can do anything as you go along. 'Official' Wikiversity welcome below. -- Jtneill - Talk - c 00:12, 5 August 2008 (UTC)

 Hello Oscar.Bell, and welcome to Wikiversity! If you need help, feel free to visit my talk page, or contact us and ask questions. After you leave a comment on a talk page, remember to sign and date; it helps everyone follow the threads of the discussion. The signature icon in the edit window makes it simple. To get started, you may

 * Take a guided tour and learn to edit.
 * Visit a (kind of) random random project.
 * Browse everything on Wikiversity, or visit a portal corresponding to your educational level: pre-school, primary, secondary, tertiary, non-formal education.
 * Find out about research activities on Wikiversity.

 * Read an introduction for teachers and find out how to write an educational resource for Wikiversity.
 * Give feedback about your initial observations
 * Discuss Wikiversity issues or ask questions at the colloquium.
 * Chat with other Wikiversitans on #wikiversity-en.

And don't forget to explore Wikiversity with the links to your left. Be bold to contribute and to experiment with the sandbox or your userpage, and see you around Wikiversity! Jtneill - Talk - c 00:12, 5 August 2008 (UTC)

 Hi! Our name is Vicky-Verity. We are twins and are Wikiversity mascots. We think Wikiversity is a great place to learn and make friends (when we aren't sleeping). Leave us a message!

Image license
Hi Oscar, Nice work experimenting with a scan(?) and image upload. I've tweaked the display a little bit on your user page. Also, since you are the main author, we need a license applied to the image. The choices of acceptable licenses are here: How to add a license template. Once you know the license to be added, go to Image:Intro.jpg, edit the page, add the template code, and save. If this doesn't make sense, let me know - I'm happy to help out. I also deleted Image:Image.JPG because it was a duplicate... Hope you're enjoying the rowing tonight at the Olympics! -- Jtneill - Talk - c 09:38, 11 August 2008 (UTC)

title: User talk:Oscar.Bell


text:
User:Freshacconci

Freshacconci at Wikipedia

title: User:Freshacconci


text: File:Countrymike jackson.jpg

title: File:Countrymike jackson.jpg


text:
User:Avietzke

Hello! My name is Amber, and I really just joined to sign up at the French Department. I am a native speaker of English, but have taken various French courses continuously over the past six years. If you want to get in touch with me regarding teaching or learning French, leave a message on my talk page and I'll get back to you as soon as possible. I also edit on the English Wikipedia under the same username.

This is also the place to contact me if you are here from the English Department at the French Wikiversity.

Bonjour! Je m'appelle Amber, et je me suis inscrite seulement pour participer au département de français. L'anglais est ma langue maternelle, mais je suis des cours de français continuellement depuis six ans. Si vous voulez me contacter au sujet d'enseigner ou apprendre le français, veuillez me laisser un message et je vous rejoindrai dès que possible. Je contribue aussi au Wikipédia anglais avec le même nom d'utilisateur.

C'est aussi l'endroit pour me contacter si vous êtes ici du département d'anglais à la Wikiversité française.

title: User:Avietzke


text: User:Privatemusings/Emoew survey 1

title: User:Privatemusings/Emoew survey 1


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Spanish 1/Countries

Spanish-speaking countries
Before learning Spanish, it is important to know the names of the countries where the language is spoken:

Norteamérica (North America)

 * México - Mexico
 * (los) Estados Unidos - (the) United States

El Caribe (The Caribbean)

 * Cuba - Cuba
 * República Dominicana - Dominican Republic
 * Puerto Rico - Puerto Rico

América Central (Central America)

 * El Salvador - El Salvador
 * Guatemala - Guatemala
 * Honduras - Honduras
 * Nicaragua - Nicaragua
 * Costa Rica - Costa Rica
 * Panamá - Panama

América del Sur (South America)

 * Colombia - Colombia
 * Venezuela - Venezuela
 * Ecuador - Ecuador
 * Perú - Peru
 * Bolivia - Bolivia
 * Chile - Chile
 * Paraguay - Paraguay
 * Argentina - Argentina
 * Uruguay - Uruguay

Europa (Europe)

 * España - Spain

África (Africa)

 * Guinea Ecuatorial - Equatorial Guinea

title: Spanish 1/Countries


text:
Spanish 1/Linguistic characteristics

Cognates
A cognate is a word in one language that looks similar and has a similar meaning to a word in another language. In Spanish, there are several cognates of English words. Recognizing cognates will help you understand surrounding words in a text even if you don't know what they entirely mean. The following is a list of a few cognates in Spanish to English.

 * aire = air
 * editor/a = editor
 * médico = medical
 * policía = police
 * dentista = dentist
 * similar = similar
 * piano = piano

Borrowed Words
Most, if not all languages have at least one borrowed word from another language. Borrowed words also act as cognates. A list of words in English borrowed from Spanish include: rodeo, patata, corral, rancho. The words mean rodeo, potato, corral, and ranch respectively. A list of words in Spanish borrowed from English include: pudín, jersey. The words in respective order mean pudding and jersey.

Pronunciation
One of the easiest things about Spanish is its pronunciation: almost everything is pronounced as it is written. However, there are some exceptions. The following is a list of pronunciation rules in Spanish.

 * a is pronounced between the a in the English words palm and trap. It is often approximated as the former by American English speakers and as the latter by British English speakers.
 * b is pronounced as an English b. However, in the middle of a word, it is pronounced "softer" and is often approximated as an English v.
 * c is pronounced like c in English. Before a, o, or u, it is pronounced like an English k. Before e or i, it is pronounced as an English s in Latin America or as the th in think in Spain.
 * ch is pronounced like ch in English.
 * d is pronounced like an English d but with the tongue touching the teeth. However, in the middle of a word, it is pronounced "softer" and can be approximated as the English th in this.
 * e is pronounced between the ea in the English words steak and meant.
 * f is pronounced as f in English.
 * g is pronounced like g in English. Before a, o, or u, it is pronounced like a g in the English word galaxy. However, in the middle of a word, it is pronounced "softer". Before e or i, it is pronounced as a Spanish j.
 * h, by itself, is never pronounced.
 * i is pronounced like i in the English word police.
 * j is pronounced similar to the h in English but "harsher." Try using a breathy huff of air from the throat or positioning the tongue higher in the mouth to achieve this sound. This is the same sound as some English speakers' pronunciation of the ch sound in loch or Bach. It is often approximated in English as h.
 * k is pronounced like k in English.
 * l is pronounced like the English l. If an English speaker pronounces the l's in the word lull differently, then the first l should be taken as an approximation.
 * ll is pronounced as the Spanish y by many Spanish speakers. The two sounds are not often distinguished by English speakers.
 * m is pronounced like m in English.
 * n is pronounced like n in English.
 * ñ is pronounced similar to and often approximated as the ny in canyon. Try pronouncing the n and y at the same time to achieve this sound.
 * o is pronounced between the oa in the English words goat and broad
 * p is pronounced like p in English.
 * q is always followed by u in Spanish and is pronounced like an English k. Note that the u is not pronounced here, unlike in English where qu sounds like kw.
 * r is pronounced by tapping the tip of the tongue against the gum ridge in the back of the upper teeth. This is the same sound as some English speakers' pronunciation of tt in better. It is often approximated by using the English r.
 * rr, called a rolled or trilled r, is pronounced like r but with multiple contacts between the tongue and the top of the mouth—this is often the sound that requires the most practice to get right for English speakers.
 * s is pronounced as the s in lesson.
 * t is pronounced like t in English.
 * u is pronounced similar to the u in rule.
 * v is pronounced the same as the Spanish b.
 * w is pronounced like the English w.
 * x is often pronounced as the Spanish j like in México, but it can also be pronounced like a sequence of k and s as in taxi.
 * y is pronounced similar to and often approximated as the y in the English word yet.
 * z is pronounced like s in English. Spanish speakers do not distinguish the sounds of the letters z and s as English speakers do.
 * ü is pronounced like the English w.
 * accents indicate where the stress in a word is. Stressed syllables in Spanish are pronounced slightly more loudly than unstressed syllables. Some words in Spanish are distinguished only by their stress. For example, in the word está, the last syllable is stressed while in the word ésta, the first syllable is stressed.

All letters, except h, are always clearly pronounced in Spanish. "H" is only pronounced in loanwords such as hip hop. There are dialectical differences in the pronunciation of Spanish and two of the most notable are lleismo/yeismo and ceceo/seseo which describe the extent to which ll and y are pronounced the same or whether or not "s" is pronounced with a th-type lisp.

Other Rules

 * In Spanish, the adjective typically comes after the noun (unlike in English, where the adjectives typically come first). Most adjectives, like nouns, are classified by gender: masculine nouns and adjectives usually end in o and feminine nouns and adjectives usually end in a. Adjectives that have gender in this course will have the feminine form in parentheses.

 * In Spanish, questions and exclamations are denoted by using a question or exclamation mark after and an upside down question or exclamation mark before the sentence. For example, ¿Qué? or ¡Hola!.

title: Spanish 1/Linguistic characteristics


text:
Spanish 1/The Basics

Before we start: Back-pocket notes
Note: This is Not all of Spanish 1!

As you start learning a different language, remember to concentrate in primarily four (4) aspects:
 * Reading
 * Writing
 * Listening
 * Speaking

Unfamiliar characters
In Spanish, there are a few characters that, in general terms, are not used in the English language.

 * Opening marks. Written questions and expressions of exclamation begin with a ¿ or a ¡ (inverted characters as the ones used in English); the purpose of these is to establish the beginning of the question or exclamation and, thus, alert the reader to prepare for the according intonation. The opening marks are paired with the (closing) ending marks.

á é í ó ú
 * Accents. The vowels are the only letters that may present an accent:

Notice that only one type of accent is used: "´".

Good to know: interrogative pronouns (what?, who?, where?, when?, how?, why?) ¿qué?, ¿quién?, ¿dónde?, ¿cuándo?, ¿cómo?, ¿por qué?, (respectively) are always written with an accent.

Also, later you'll learn about diaeresis, which may be presented over the letter u as: ü

In Spanish, ü is used in a limited amount of words and in conjunction with the letter g, as in: pingüino (penguin).

Additionally, an important known and characteristic letter of the Spanish language is: ñ called eñe. Though it looks like an n it is a different letter (it's sound is similar to that of the gn in lasagna; thus, lasaña in Spanish).

The character " ~ " (tilde) is formally called virgulilla de la eñe, and is not used on any other letter.

Sounds
Als in general terms, every letter of the alphabet has its own sound, so if you learn the sounds of the letters, you will soon be able to read the words.

Later note that there are some particularities about letters: c, s, x & z, and also about the letter h and ch, as well as y and ll. H or h are generally silent if it follows a C or c sounds like the initial sound in cheese [t͡ʃ].

Regarding pronunciation, the sound of the double r " rr " [r], is stronger than the sound of the single r [ɾ]. No word in Spanish starts with double-r (Rr).

Good luck. Buena suerte. Don't be nervous... don't be afraid of letting the Trigeminal nerve do its thing! Cheers!

¡Comencemos!

Greetings and Phrases

 * Buenos días. - Good morning.
 * Buenas noches. - Good night.
 * Buenas tardes. - Good afternoon./Good evening.
 * Hola. - Hello.
 * ¿Cómo te llamas? - What is your name?
 * Me llamo... - My name is...
 * Encantado(a). - Delighted.
 * Igualmente. - Likewise. / Same here.
 * Mucho gusto. - Pleased to meet you.
 * Señor (Sr.) - sir, Mr.
 * Señora (Sra.) - madam, Mrs.
 * Señorita (Srta.) - miss, Ms.
 * ¿Cómo estás? - How are you? (familiar)
 * ¿Cómo está usted? - How are you? (formal)
 * ¿Qué? - What?
 * ¿Cómo le va? - How do you do? (formal)
 * ¿Cómo te va? - How's it going? (informal)
 * ¿Qué tal? - How are you?
 * ¿Y tú? - And you? (familiar)
 * ¿Y usted? - And you? (formal)
 * bien - well
 * más o menos - more or less (so, so)
 * nada - nothing
 * regular - regular, okay
 * Lo siento - I am sorry
 * Gracias. - Thank you.
 * De nada. - You're welcome. / Not at all.
 * A su servicio. - At your service.
 * Adiós. - Good-bye.
 * Chao. - Bye.
 * Hasta luego. - See you later.
 * Hasta mañana. - See you tomorrow.
 * Hasta pronto. - See you soon.
 * Nos vemos. - See you.

Note
Remember:
 * in most countries, "ll" (double "L") is pronounced as "j" [d͡ʒ~ʒ]; "y" [ʎ~j] in Mexico and "sh" [ʃ] in Argentina...
 * in Latin America the "Z" is pronounced as "s" [s]; "th" [θ] in Spain.
 * J is used for the sound like in Bach [x~ɣ~h], g is pronounced hard [ɡ] before a, o and u, but the same as j [x~ɣ~h] before e and i. (To indicate, that it is pronounced hard before these gu- is written. Gü- simply is [ɡʷ].
 * letters in parentheses (a) are feminine, while those without (o) are masculine.

How To Use Ud and Uds (Tú/Usted [Ud.] - Vosotros/Ustedes[Uds.])
In Castillian Spanish (Spain), there are several ways to say "you." We must differentiate between familiar/formal and singular/plural forms. Tú (singular) is used when talking to someone you know, such as family, friends, or pets. Usted (abbreviated Ud.) is used in formal events, such as talking to a teacher, someone who you don't know well, or a person who has a high title, such as a police officer, etc. The plural of tú is vosotros/as, the female form is used only for a wholly female group. The plural of usted is ustedes. In Latinoamerica usted can also be used for a close friend and tú is never used as a polite form. Tú may be lost altogether and another pronoun vós may be used be present for certain contexts.

Time (tiempo)

 * Please read ¿Qué hora es?

 * ¿Qué hora es? - What time is it?
 * ¿A qué hora ....? - At what time ....?
 * Es la una. - It's one o' clock.
 * Son las dos. - It's two o' clock.
 * Son las tres y quince. - It's a quarter past three.
 * Son las cuatro y media. - It's half past four.
 * Son las siete menos cuarto. - It's a quarter to seven.

Whole Numbers
Note: After 30, numbers are named using the conjunction "y" (and), as to say: "thirty-and-one", "thirty-and-two", etcetera... "forty-and-eight", forty-and-nine", and so forth....
 * cero - zero (0)
 * uno - one (1)
 * dos - two (2)
 * tres - three (3)
 * cuatro - four (4)
 * cinco - five (5)
 * seis - six (6)
 * siete - seven (7)
 * ocho - eight (8)
 * nueve - nine (9)
 * diez - ten (10)
 * once - eleven (11)
 * doce - twelve (12)
 * trece - thirteen (13)
 * catorce - fourteen (14)
 * quince - fifteen (15)
 * dieciséis - sixteen (16)
 * diecisiete - seventeen (17)
 * dieciocho - eighteen (18)
 * diecinueve - ninteen (19)
 * veinte - twenty (20)
 * veintiuno - twenty-one (21)
 * veintidós - twenty-two (22)
 * veintitrés - twenty-three (23)
 * veinticuatro - twenty-four (24)
 * veinticinco - twenty-five (25)
 * veintiséis - twenty-six (26)
 * veintisiete - twenty-seven (27)
 * veintiocho - twenty-eight (28)
 * veintinueve - twenty-nine (29)
 * treinta - thirty (30)
 * treinta y uno - thirty-one (31)
 * cuarenta - forty (40)
 * cincuenta - fifty (50)
 * sesenta - sixty (60)
 * setenta - seventy (70)
 * ochenta - eighty (80)
 * noventa - ninety (90)
 * cien - one hundred (100)

Body Parts

 * (La) cabeza - (The) head
 * (La) oreja - (The) ear (outside)
 * (El) oído - (The) ear (inside)
 * (El) ojo - (The) eye
 * (La) nariz - (The) nose
 * (La) boca - (The) mouth
 * (La) lengua - (The) tongue
 * (El) cuello - (The) neck
 * (El) brazo - (The) arm
 * (El) pecho - (The) chest
 * (La) mano - (The) hand <<--- Notice that though the noun in Spanish ends with 'o' the article used is la.
 * (El) dedo - (The) finger / toe
 * (El) estómago - (The) stomach
 * (La) pierna - (The) leg
 * (El) muslo - (The) thigh
 * (El) pie - (The) foot
 * (El) pelo - body hair <<--- Though colloquially, "pelo" may mean head hair as well
 * (El) cabello - head hair
 * (La) piel - (The) skin
 * (El) músculo - (The) muscle
 * (El) corazón - (The) heart
 * (La) espalda - (The) back
 * (La) rodilla - (The) knee
 * (El) codo - (The) elbow
 * (El) hombro - (The) shoulder

Office Items

 * bolígrafo/pluma - pen
 * carpeta - folder
 * cuaderno - notebook
 * estudiante - student
 * hoja de papel - sheet of paper
 * (el) lápiz - pencil
 * (los) lápices - pencils
 * (el) borrador - eraser
 * libro - book
 * profesor, profesora - professor (male, female)
 * maestro, maestra - teacher (male, female)
 * sala de clases (salón de clases) / aula - classroom

Please Read

 * The articles El and La both mean the in Spanish. El is the masculine form and words that use el usually end in -o. La is the feminine form; most words that end in -a and all words that end in -ción are feminine. There are exceptions, as with the noun mano (hand) the article may not necessarily match the "o" or "a" standard: Las manos ("The hands).

Some nouns can be either gender, such as estudiante, which can be used as el estudiante or la estudiante to mean the student. Other examples of nouns contrary to the norms of gender are "el paraguas" (the umbrella), "el día" (the day) and "la radio" (the radio).

 * Some feminine words, like agua, use the form El when in singular form, as it is considered hard to say la agua due to the glottal stop (hiatus).

 * Some Spanish speakers prefer terms that may vary from other regions, for example, in central Mexico salón de clases is used instead of aula, and maestro(a) instead of profesor(a).

Calendar (el calendario)

 * (El) año - (The) year
 * (El) día - (The) day
 * (El) mes - (The) month
 * (La) semana - (The) week
 * (El) fin de semana - (The) weekend <<--- the article El is directed to fin (end); so it may be understood as: "El fin de la semana" (The week's end or the end of the week).
 * ¿Qué día es hoy? - What day is today?
 * ¿Cuál es la fecha? - What is the date?
 * Es el ... de ... - It's the ... of ...
 * Es el primero de ... - It's the first of ...
 * hoy - today
 * ahora – now
 * mañana - tomorrow
 * en el futuro – in the future
 * ayer - yesterday

Days of the week
As in English, the roots of the names for each of the days of the week maintain a link to planets and other cosmic bodies, which in instances were ultimately named after deities; Norse mythology for English (Germanic language) and Roman mythology for Spanish (Romance language).

So for example, for Monday, we find "moon" (day), which translates to luna, giving us lunes. Another example is Thursday, which was named after Thor, and has as parallel Jupiter; Jupiter (which is spelled the same in Spanish) is for jueves.
 * lunes - Monday
 * martes - Tuesda
 * miércoles - Wednesday
 * jueves - Thursday
 * viernes - Friday
 * sábado - Saturday
 * domingo - Sunday

Note: Look at the calendars, and notice that the week may start on Sunday instead of Monday!

Months

 * enero - January
 * febrero - Feburary
 * marzo - March
 * abril - April
 * mayo - May
 * junio - June
 * julio - July
 * agosto - August
 * septiembre - September
 * octubre - October
 * noviembre - November
 * diciembre - December

Cultural note
[1] Florescano, Enrico (2006). National Narratives in Mexico. Nancy T. Hancock (trans.), Raul Velasquez (illus.) (English-language edition of Historia de las historias de la nación mexicana, ©2002 [Mexico City:Taurus] ed.). Norman: University of Oklahoma Press. ISBN 0-8061-3701-0. OCLC 62857841. [2] a b Aztec Civilization [3] The Aztec Sun Stone
 * The names of days in Spanish and many other European languages are always lowercase except at the beginning of a sentence.
 * The Aztecs of Ancient Mexico developed a calendar. "The Aztec calendar stone, Mexica sun stone, Stone of the Sun (Spanish: Piedra del Sol), or Stone of the Five Eras, is a large monolithic sculpture that was excavated in the Zócalo, Mexico City's main square, on December 17, 1790.[1] It was discovered whilst Mexico City Cathedral was being repaired.[2] The stone is around 12 feet across and weighs about 24 tons.[3]."(taken from wikipedia)

Other words and phrases; some questions and answers

 * ¿Cómo se escribe ...? - How is ... spelled?
 * Se escribe ... - It's spelled ...
 * ¿Cómo se dice...? - How does one say...? (How do you say...?)
 * Se dice... - One says... (You say...)
 * ¿Qué quiere decir ...? - What does ... mean?
 * Quiere decir ... - It means ...
 * ¿Cuántos(as)? - How many?
 * en - in / on
 * hay - there is, there are
 * por favor - please
 * Punta... - Tip (point or vertex)

Alphabet
Showing uppercase and how the letter is proununced or named in Spanish.
 * A - a
 * B - be
 * C - ce
 * D - de
 * E - e
 * F - efe
 * G - ge
 * H - hache
 * I - i
 * J - jota
 * K - ka
 * L - ele
 * M - eme
 * N - ene
 * Ñ - eñe
 * O - o
 * P - pe
 * Q - cu
 * R - erre
 * S - ese
 * T - te
 * U - u
 * V - uve
 * W - uve doble
 * X - equis
 * Y - i griega/ye
 * Z - zeta

Country focus
Mexico (Spanish: México) is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the North Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of Mexico. Mexico is a federation comprising thirty-one states and a federal district, the capital Mexico City (CDMX), whose metropolitan area is one of the world's most populous.

Covering almost 2.3 million square kilometers, Mexico is the fifth-largest country in the Americas by total area and the 14th largest independent nation in the world. With an estimated population of 129 million (2019 estimated), it is the 10th most populous country and the most populous Spanish-speaking country in the world.

As a regional power and the only Latin American member of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) since 1994, Mexico is firmly established as an upper middle-income country.

Mexico is the 12th largest economy in the world by GDP by purchasing power parity. The economy is strongly linked to those of its North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) partners. Despite being considered an emerging world power, the uneven distribution of income and the increase in insecurity are issues of concern.

Mexican culture reflects the complexity of the country's history through the blending of pre-Hispanic civilizations and the culture of Spain, imparted during Spain's 300-year colonization of Mexico. Exogenous cultural elements mainly from the United States have been incorporated into Mexican culture. As was the case in most Latin American countries, when Mexico became an independent nation, it had to slowly create a national identity, being an ethnically diverse country in which, for the most part, the only connecting element amongst the newly independent inhabitants was Catholicism. The Porfirian era (el Porfiriato), in the last quarter of the nineteenth century and the first decade of the twentieth century, was marked by economic progress and peace. After four decades of civil unrest and war, Mexico saw the development of philosophy and the arts, promoted by President Díaz himself. Since that time, though accentuated during the Mexican Revolution, cultural identity had its foundation in the mestizaje, of which the indigenous (i.e. Amerindian) element was the core. In light of the various ethnicities that formed the Mexican people, José Vasconcelos in his publication La Raza Cósmica (The Cosmic Race) (1925) defined Mexico to be the melting pot of all races (thus extending the definition of the mestizo) not only biologically but culturally as well. This exalting of mestizaje was a revolutionary idea that sharply contrasted with the idea of a superior pure race prevalent in Europe at the time.

Factbox: Official Language: Spanish

Other Languages: 62 other Native languages, English

Capital: Mexico City (Ciudad de México, México D.F.)

Government: Democracy

Area: 1,972,550 sq km (761,606 sq mi) (15th)

Population: 111,211,789 (July 2010) (11th)

Religion: Christianity 95% (mainly Catholic), Non-religious 2.5%, Buddhism 0.1%, other 2.4% (mainly traditional Mayan or Aztec beliefs)

Human Development Index HDI : 0.854 (HIGH, 53rd) HDI List of Countries

Independence: September 27, 1821

Currency: Mexican pesos

title: Spanish 1/The Basics


text:
Spanish 1/Activities

Activities

 * comer - to eat
 * beber - to drink

 * bailar - to dance
 * cantar - to sing

 * correr - to run
 * escribir cuentos - to write stories
 * escuchar música - to listen to music
 * estudiar - to study
 * esquiar - to ski
 * hablar por teléfono - to talk on the phone
 * ir a la escuela - to go to school
 * hacer la tarea - to do homework
 * jugar videojuegos - to play videogames
 * leer revistas - to read magazines
 * montar en bicicleta - to ride a bicycle
 * montar en monopatín / patineta - to skateboard
 * nadar - to swim
 * pasar tiempo con amigos / amistades - to spend time with friends
 * patinar - to skate
 * jugar deportes - to play sports
 * tocar la guitarra - to play the guitar
 * trabajar - to work
 * usar la computadora - to use the computer
 * mirar la televisión/ver la tele - to watch television

Words to describe something you like or dislike

 * A mí - (Used for emphasis when talking about what you like.)
 * A mí no - (Used for emphasis when talking about what you dislike.)
 * Me gusta... - I like to...
 * Me gusta más... - I like to...better.
 * Me gusta mucho... I like to...a lot.
 * Me gusta poco... I like to... very little.
 * A mí también. - I do too....
 * A mí tampoco. - I don't either / Me neither.
 * No me gusta... - I don't like to do...
 * No me gusta (para) nada... - I don't like to...at all.
 * ¿Qué te gusta hacer? - What do you like to do?
 * ¿Qué te gusta hacer más? - What do you like to do more?
 * ¿Te gusta...? - Do you like to...?
 * ¿Y a ti? - And you?

Other frequently used words

 * ni - neither, nor
 * o - or
 * y - and
 * ¡Bueno! - good
 * ¡Bien! - well
 * sí - yes
 * no - no
 * también - also, too
 * tampoco - neither {opposite of también}
 * nunca - never
 * a veces - sometimes
 * siempre - always
 * no... sino... - not... but rather...
 * No me gusta trabajar sino escuchar música. I don't like to work but rather listen to music.

Cultural note

 * Many schools in Latin America don't have a Physical Education class or sports teams, instead many students go to local gyms to join sports teams.

Cognates/False Cognates
Cognates are words that have a common etymological origin. False cognates look similar but actually have different meanings.

Cognates

 * popular = popular
 * usar = to use
 * guitarra = guitar
 * instrumento = instrument
 * importante = important
 * flamenco = flamenco
 * tango = tango
 * merengue = merengue
 * salsa = salsa
 * cumbia = cumbia
 * famoso = famous
 * famosa = famous
 * no = no

False Cognates

 * el pie = the foot
 * actual = current

Instrumentos

 * acordeón - accordian
 * bajo - bass
 * clarinete - clarinet
 * claves - keys
 * güiro - güiro
 * maracas - maracas
 * oboe - oboe
 * saxofón - saxophone
 * sintetizador - synthesizer
 * tambor - drum
 * trombón - trombone
 * trompeta - trumpet
 * tuba - tuba
 * violín - violin

Cultural Insight (Dances)
Many famous dances have originated in Spanish-speaking countries. Below are lists of dances and their country of origin:

-Flamenco: Spain

-Tango: Argentina

-Merengue: Dominican Republic

-Salsa: Puerto Rico

-Cumbia: Colombia

Country focus (Estados Unidos)
The United States of America (Spanish: Estados Unidos), usually referred to as the United States, the U.S. or America, is a constitutional federal republic comprising fifty states and a federal district, as well as several territories, or insular areas, scattered around the Caribbean and Pacific. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its forty-eight contiguous states and Washington, D.C., the capital district, lie between the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, bordered by Canada to the north and Mexico to the south. The state of Alaska is in the northwest of the continent, with Canada to its east and Russia to the west across the Bering Strait, and the state of Hawaii is an archipelago in the mid-Pacific.

At 3.79 million square miles (9.83 million km²) and with more than 300 million people, the United States is the fourth largest country by total area, and third largest by population. The United States is one of the world's most ethnically diverse nations, the product of large-scale immigration from many countries. The U.S. economy is the largest national economy in the world, with a nominal 2006 gross domestic product (GDP) of more than US$13 trillion (over 25% of the world total based on nominal GDP and almost 20% by purchasing power parity).

The nation was founded by thirteen colonies of Great Britain located along the Atlantic seaboard. Proclaiming themselves "states," they issued the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. The rebellious states defeated Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War, the first successful colonial war of independence. A federal convention adopted the current United States Constitution on September 17, 1787; its ratification the following year made the states part of a single republic. The Bill of Rights, comprising ten constitutional amendments, was ratified in 1791.

In the nineteenth century, the United States acquired land from France, Spain, the United Kingdom, Mexico, and Russia, and annexed the Republic of Texas and the Republic of Hawaii. Disputes between the agrarian South and industrial North over states' rights and the expansion of the institution of slavery provoked the American Civil War of the 1860s. The North's victory prevented a permanent split of the country and led to the end of slavery in the United States. The Spanish-American War and World War I confirmed the nation's status as a military power. In 1945, the United States emerged from World War II as the first country with nuclear weapons, a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, and a founding member of NATO. In the post–Cold War era, the United States is the only remaining superpower—accounting for approximately 50% of global military spending—and a dominant economic, political, and cultural force in the world. The United States is a multicultural nation, home to a wide variety of ethnic groups, traditions, and values.

Factbox:

 * Official languages: none (English is the de facto language)

 * Other Languages: Spanish, French, German, Cantonese, Tagalog, Vietnamese, Mandarin, Italian, Korean, 327 other languages

 * Capital: Washington D.C.

 * Government: Democratic Republic

 * Area: 9,629,091 sq km (3,794,066 sq mi) (4th)

 * Population: 310,101,000 (July 2010) (3rd)

 * Religion: Christianity 78.5% (Protestant 51.3%, Catholic 23.9%, Mormon 1.7%, other Christian 1.6%), Non-religious 15%, Judaism 2.1%, Buddhism 2%, Islam 1%, Hinduism 0.4%, other 1% (mostly Unitarian Universalism, traditonal beliefs, Sikhism, Jainism, Confucianism, Taoism, etc.)

 * Human Development: 0.956 (VERY HIGH, 13th)

 * Independence: July 4, 1776

 * Currency: United States Dollar

title: Spanish 1/Activities


text:
Spanish 1/Adjectives

Adjectives

 * artístico(a) - artistic
 * atrevido(a) - daring
 * bueno(a) - good
 * deportista - sports-minded
 * desordenado(a) - messy/unorganized
 * estudioso(a) - studious
 * gracioso(a) - funny
 * impaciente - impatient
 * inteligente - intelligent
 * ordenado(a) - neat/orderly
 * paciente - patient
 * perezoso(a) - lazy
 * reservado(a) - reserved, shy
 * serio(a) - serious
 * simpático(a) - nice
 * sociable - sociable
 * talentoso(a) - talented
 * trabajador(ora) - hardworking
 * amigable - friendly

Personal questions & statements

 * ¿Cómo eres? - What are you like?
 * ¿Cómo es usted? - What are you like (you formal)?
 * ¿Cómo es? - What is he/she like?
 * ¿Cómo te llamas? - What's your name? (informal)
 * ¿Cómo se llama usted? - What's your name? (formal)
 * ¿Cómo se llama él? - What's his name?
 * ¿Cómo se llama ella? - What's her name?
 * ¿Cómo se llama? - What's his/her name?
 * ¿Eres ...? - Are you ...?
 * le gusta ... - he/she likes ...
 * no le gusta ... - he/she doesn't like ...
 * soy ... - I am ...

Relationships

 * amigo - male friend
 * amiga - female friend
 * esposo - male spouse
 * esposa - female spouse
 * niño - little boy
 * niña - little girl
 * chico - boy
 * chica - girl
 * muchacho - boy
 * muchacha - girl
 * familia - family
 * yo - I
 * él - he
 * ella - she

Other words

 * a veces - sometimes
 * muy - very
 * pero - but
 * según - according to
 * según mi familia - according to my family

Grammar: Adjectives
In Spanish, most adjectives are classified by gender. Masculine adjectives usually end in -o and feminine adjectives usually end in -a. Masculine adjectives are used to describe males and masculine nouns, while feminine adjectives are used to describe females or feminine nouns.

Masculine
 * ordenado
 * trabajador
 * paciente
 * deportista

Feminine
 * ordenada
 * trabajadora
 * paciente
 * deportista

Definite and Indefinite Articles
Definite articles describe a specific thing, while indefinite articles are used to refer to other things.

 * el - the (masculine)
 * la - the (feminine)
 * un - a, an (masculine)
 * una - a, an (feminine)

Vocabulario adicional

 * coleccionar sellos-estampillas - to collect stamps
 * coleccionar monedas - to collect coins
 * jugar al ajedrez - to play chess
 * patinar sobre hielo - to ice-skate
 * practicar artes marciales - to practice martial arts
 * bombardino - baritone
 * trompa de llaves - French horn
 * misterioso(a) - mysterious

Cultural Insight (Friendships)
In Spanish-speaking countries, most families are close-knit and friends tend to be more of acquaintances than friends than those in English-speaking societies.

Country focus (Cuba)
Cuba (Spanish: Cuba, ) consists of the island of Cuba (the largest and second-most populous island of the Greater Antilles), Isla de la Juventud and several adjacent small islands. Cuba is located in the northern Caribbean at the confluence of the Caribbean Sea, the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean. Cuba is south of the eastern United States and The Bahamas, west of the Turks and Caicos Islands and Haiti and east of Mexico. The Cayman Islands and Jamaica are to the south.

Cuba is the most populous insular nation in the Caribbean. Its people, culture and customs draw from several sources including the aboriginal Taíno and Ciboney peoples, the period of Spanish colonialism, the introduction of African slaves, and its proximity to the United States. The name "Cuba" comes from the Taíno language the exact meaning of which is unclear, but may be translated either "where fertile land is abundant" or "great place". The island has a tropical climate that is moderated by the surrounding waters; however, the warm temperatures of the Caribbean Sea and the fact that the island of Cuba sits across the access to the Gulf of Mexico combine to make Cuba prone to frequent hurricanes. Cuba's main island, at 766 miles (1,233 km) long, is the world's 17th largest. Cuban culture is much influenced by the fact that it is a melting pot of cultures, primarily those of Spain and Africa. Cuba is most notably known for its music, which is very rich and is the most commonly known expression of culture, as well as sports, notably baseball.

Factbox:

-Official Language: Spanish

-Other Languages: African languages, Portuguese, French, Cantonese

-Capital: Havana (La Habana)

-Government: Communism

-Area: 110,861 sq km (42,803 sq mi) (105th)

-Population: 11,236,444 (July 2010) (70th)

-Religion: Christianity 85%, Atheism 14.44%, Buddhism 0.25%, Hinduism 0.21%, other (Judaism, Animism, Islam, etc.) 0.1%

-Human Development: 0.863 (HIGH, 51st)

-Independence: January 1, 1959

-Currency: Cuban Peso, Cuban Convertible Peso

title: Spanish 1/Adjectives


text:
Spanish 1/School

Schedule

 * el horario - schedule
 * almuerzo - lunch
 * clase - class
 * clase de ... - ... class
 * matemáticas - math (mathematics)
 * ciencias sociales - social studies
 * banda - band
 * educación física - PE (physical education)
 * inglés - English
 * arte - art
 * tecnología - (technology)
 * computación - computers (technology)
 * drama - drama
 * ciencias naturales - science
 * español - spanish
 * historia - history
 * álgebra - algebra
 * horario - schedule
 * en la ... hora - in the ... hour (class period) e.g.: in the fourth hour
 * tarea - homework

School verbs

 * enseñar - to teach
 * estudiar - to study
 * hablar - to talk

Words to talk about order

 * primero(a) - first
 * segundo(a) - second
 * tercero(a) - third
 * cuarto(a) - fourth
 * quinto(a) - fifth
 * sexto(a) - sixth
 * séptimo(a) - seventh
 * octavo(a) - eighth
 * noveno(a) - ninth
 * décimo(a) - tenth

School supplies

 * calculadora - calculator
 * carpeta de argollas - three-ring binder
 * diccionario - dictionary
 * necesito - I need
 * necesitas - you need
 * bolsa/bolso - bag
 * mochila - backpack
 * morral - backpack
 * sacapuntas - sharpener
 * papel - paper
 * cuaderno - notebook
 * computadora - computer
 * ordenador - computer (Spain)
 * audífonos - headphones
 * marcador(es) - marker

Words to describe classes

 * aburrido(a) - boring
 * difícil - difficult
 * divertido(a) - amusing/fun
 * fácil - easy
 * favorito(a) - favorite
 * interesante - interesting
 * práctico(a) - practical
 * más ... que - more ... than
 * alegre - joyful

Other words

 * a ver ... - Let's see ...
 * ¿Quién? - Who?
 * para - for
 * mucho - a lot, much
 * tengo - I have
 * tienes - you have

Pronouns
Pronouns are essential to the Spanish language and mastering them will be very useful in the language. In Spanish, these are the SUBJECT PRONOUNS. Pronouns have "person" (First, Second or Third) and "number (singular or plural)."

First        I   (singular)     we (plural) Second      you  (singular)     you (you all - plural) Third   he, she, it (singular)  they  (plural)

The Spanish equivalents of the English subject pronouns are

 * yo - I
 * tú - you (familiar)
 * usted (Ud.) - you (formal)
 * él - he      (*Note there is no subject pronoun in Spanish for the English "it" because all nouns are either "he" or "she" and have gender.)
 * ella - she
 * nosotros - we (masculine)
 * nosotras - we (feminine)
 * vosotros - you (plural, familiar, masculine)
 * vosotras - you (plural, familiar, feminine)
 * ustedes (Uds.) - you (plural, formal)
 * ellos - they (masculine)
 * ellas - they (feminine)

There are two forms for "we" - nosotros and nosotras, if all guys or guys and gals then "we" would be "nosotros." If "we" refers to all women or females, then "nosotras" is used. The same is true for "vosotros" and "vosotras."

1st person singular: yo

2nd person singular: tú, usted (Ud.) (*Note the familiar and formal, different from English)

3rd person singular: él, ella

1st person plural: nosotros, nosotras

2nd person plural: vosotros, vosotras, ustedes (Uds.) (*Note that in English the plural of "you" is "you.")

3rd person plural: ellos, ellas

Conjugating -ar verbs
The majority of verbs in Spanish end in -ar, such as bailar, cantar, and hablar. Conjugating verbs replaces the to part of the word and adds the pronouns in.

Below is the list of endings for conjugating -ar verbs. You "chop off" the -ar and add the appropriate ending. At the end of each Spanish verb the subject is "built-in," and in fact, in communication, many times the subject pronoun is omitted because of these specific endings.

 * yo: -o

 * tú: -as

 * usted (Ud.), él, ella: -a

 * nosotros, nosotras: -amos

 * vosotros, vosotras: -áis

 * ustedes (Uds.), ellos, ellas: - an

Note: Usted and ustedes use the 3rd person form of conjugation.

An example of conjugating -ar verbs, using hablar:
 * hablo - I talk
 * hablas - you talk (singular)
 * habla - he/she talks
 * hablamos - we talk
 * habláis - you talk (plural)
 * hablan - they talk

Remember that when talking to a person you don't know well or a respected person, use the usted (Ud.) form and ustedes (Uds.) form when talking to a group of people where there is at least one person you call usted individually.

Vocabulario adicional

 * griego - Greek
 * biología - biology
 * geografía - geography
 * geometría - geometry
 * química - chemistry
 * trigonometría - trigonometry
 * francés - French
 * cálculo - calculus
 * economía - economics
 * alemán - German
 * latín - Latin
 * anuario - yearbook
 * fotografía - photography

Cultural Insight (School life in Spanish-speaking countries)
In Spanish-speaking countries, school life is very different from that in North American English-speaking countries. Schools in Spanish-speaking countries require students to wear uniforms and teachers usually lecture more than having students participate in the classroom. Also, children in Spanish-speaking countries go to school more often than those in North - American English-speaking countries, children in Spain attend school for 190 days, Argentina for 185 days, while the United States school year lasts 180 days. School days in Spanish-speaking countries also last longer than those in other countries, usually having at least 6-7 periods a day, the former common in the USA as well.

Country focus (República Dominicana)
The Dominican Republic (Spanish: República Dominicana) is a nation located in the Caribbean region's island of Hispaniola. Part of the Greater Antilles archipelago, Hispaniola lies west of Puerto Rico and east of Cuba and Jamaica. Its western third is the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are occupied by two countries, Saint Martin being the other.

The Dominican Republic is the site of the first permanent European settlement in the Americas, its capital Santo Domingo, which was also the first colonial capital in the Americas. It is the site of the first cathedral, university, European-built road, European-built fortress, and more.

For most of its independent history, the nation experienced political turmoil and unrest, suffering through many non-representative and tyrannical governments. Since the death of military dictator Rafael Leonidas Trujillo Molina in 1961, the Dominican Republic has moved toward a liberal economic model which has made it the largest economy in the region and a representative democracy.

The culture of the Dominican Republic, like its Caribbean neighbors, is a blend of the European colonists, Taínos and Africans, and their cultural legacies and like nearby Cuba, it's culture is usually expressed through music and cuisine.

Factbox:

-Official Language: Spanish

-Other Languages: French, Haitian Creole, English

-Capital: Santo Domingo (Santo Domingo de Guzmán)

-Government: Democracy

-Area: 48,730 sq km (18,815 sq mi) (130th)

-Population: 10,090,000 (2009) (82nd)

-Religion: Christianity (mostly Catholic) 96%, Animism 2.18%, Buddhism 0.1%, other (Bahá'í, Islam, Judaism, Non-religious) 1.72%

-Human Development: 0.777 (90th, MEDIUM)

-Independence: February 27, 1844

-Currency: Dominican Peso

title: Spanish 1/School


text:
Spanish 1/The Classroom

Objects/objetos

 * bandera - flag
 * computadora - computer
 * mochila - backpack
 * pantalla - screen (computer)
 * papelera - wastepaper basket
 * ratón - mouse (computer)
 * reloj - clock
 * sacapuntas - pencil sharpener
 * teclado - keyboard (computer)

Classroom furniture

 * escritorio - desk
 * pupitre - desk
 *  mesa - table
 * silla - chair
 * puerta - door
 * ventana - window
 * pizarra - white board

Location

 * a la izquierda de... to the left of
 * a la derecha de... to the right of
 * al lado de la/del ... - next to the/of the ..., besides the ....
 * allí - allá - there
 * aquí - here
 * debajo de la/del ... - under the/of the ...
 * delante de la/del ... - in front of the ....
 * detrás de la/del ... - behind the ....
 * ¿Dónde? - Where?
 * en ... - in ...
 * encima de la/del ... - on top the/of the ...

Note: Use de la when referring to a feminine noun and del when referring to a masculine noun.

Words describing ownership

 * de - of
 * mi - my
 * tu - your

Note: In Spanish there are no apostrophes, instead use de to indicate ownership, for example, "Marisol's pen" in English would be "bolígrafo de Marisol" in Spanish.

Other phrases

 * Es un(a) ... - It's a/an ...
 * Hay ... - There is, There are ...
 * ¿Qué es esto? - What is this?
 * ¿De quién es esto? - Whose is this?

Estar (to be)
In Spanish, there are two ways to say to be, estar and ser. Estar is used to refer to temporary events, such as emotions, location, and time.

 * estoy - I am
 * estás - you are (singular)
 * está - he/she is
 * estamos - we are
 * estáis - you are (plural)
 * están - they are

Note: Usted and ustedes are always conjugated in the él/ella and ellos/ellas forms respectively.

Definite and indefinite articles (plural)
As you may remember, el and la are the two singular direct articles in Spanish, both meaning the. The singular indirect articles are un and una, both meaning a, an. Use plural articles when referring to more than one thing.

 * los, las - the
 * unos, unas - some

Note: To make words ending in a constant, add -es except for the letter z, whose plural form ends in -ces.

Vocabulario adicional

 * engrapadora - stapler
 * grapas - staples
 * lápiz / lápices - pencil / pencils
 * tijeras - scissors
 * detrás de mi - behind me
 * detrás de ti - behind you
 * Hasta pronto. - See you soon.

Cultural Insight (Spare Time)
In many Spanish-speaking countries, people tend to spend their free time with friends and family. A stroll in the park or retreat is usually done with family and chatting at local cafés and plazas are more associated with friends.

Country focus (Puerto Rico)
Puerto Rico (Spanish: Puerto Rico) is a self-governing unincorporated territory of the United States located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of the Virgin Islands. The territory is composed of an archipelago that includes the main island of Puerto Rico and a number of smaller islands and keys, the largest of which are Vieques, Culebra, and Mona. The main island of Puerto Rico is the smallest by land area but third largest by population among the four Greater Antilles (Cuba, Hispaniola, Jamaica, and Puerto Rico).

Puerto Ricans often call the island Borinquen, from Borikén, its indigenous Taíno name. The terms boricua and borincano derive from Borikén and Borinquen respectively, and are commonly used to identify someone of Puerto Rican heritage. The island is also popularly known as "La Isla del Encanto", which translated means "The Island of Enchantment."

Puerto Rican culture is a mix of four cultures, African (from the slaves), Taíno (Amerindians), Spanish, and more recently, North American. From Africans, the Puerto Ricans have obtained the "bomba and plena", a type of music and dance including percussions and maracas. From the Amerindians (Taínos), they kept many names for their municipalities, foods, musical instruments like the güiro and maracas. Many words and other objects have originated from their localized language. From the Spanish they received the Spanish language, the Catholic religion and the vast majority of their cultural and moral values and traditions. From the United States they received the English language, the university system and a variety of hybrid cultural forms that developed between the U.S. mainland and the island of Puerto Rico.

Factbox:

-Official Languages: English, Spanish

-Other Languages: French, other European languages, Native American languages

-Capital: San Juan

-Government: Commonwealth of the United States

-Area: 9,170 sq km (3,515 sq mi) (170th)

-Population: 3,285,874 (2020)

-Religion: Christianity (Catholic 85%, Protestant 8%) 93%, Islam 0.13%, other (Non-religious, Buddhism, Judaism, Animism) 6.87%

-Human Development: 0.942 (1998 data)

-Independence: Territory of the United States

-Currency: U.S. Dollar

title: Spanish 1/The Classroom