This study guide called “Cómo analizar/evaluar un texto literario o película para A level Spanish”, is for students of A-level Spanish who are studying for the exam questions on literary texts/films. It aims at helping students excel at their exams by practising their close reading and film analysis, as well as learning more about the Spanish language, its people and their culture. This study guide covers the 9 main aspects to watch out for, when writing an essay, as well as giving advice on essay-writing. Each chapter contains an exam-like question and a model answer, and after reading the text, students have to answer comprehension and vocabulary questions. Also, answers to all the questions can be found at the back of the study guide, therefore it can be used in class, as homework or as self-study for more independent students. The guide is divided into nine chapters, one for each of the most important aspects of essay writing for A level Spanish: 1.Characterisation 2.Argument/plot 3. Themes/topics 4.Structure 5. Literary and cinema techniques 6.Language (use of language and relevant quotes) 7.Socio-historical context 8. Essay organisation of the test 9.Symbols and symbology The guide contains references, quotations and examples taken from 9 of the main literary texts/films for A level AQA and Edexcel, namely: 1.La Casa de Bernarda Alba de García Lorca 2.El otro árbol de Guernica de Luis de Castresana 3.Como agua para chocolate de Laura Esquivel 4.El coronel no tiene quien le escriba, de García Marquez 5.Primera Memoria de Ana M. Matute 6. El laberinto del fauno de Guillermo del Toro 7.Ocho apellidos vascos de Martinez-Lázaro 8. Diarios de Motocicleta, de Walter Salles 9. Las 13 Rosas, de Martinez-Lázaro I hope you find it useful and you enjoy it! ¡Buena suerte con los exámenes! Escrito por Jose I Ermina Irazábal, enero de 2024

Este recurso resume la novela de “El Otro Árbol de Guernica” y tambien ofrece un repaso de los temas principales de esta obra de Luis de Castresana. El texto contiene 10 preguntas de comprensión que ayudarán a los estudiantes a aumentar su conocimiento crítico de la obra para que puedan tener éxito en sus exámenes de A level. El texto ha sido adaptado de la guía de estudio que escribí para ZigZag Education, llamada “Getting to Know: el Otro Árbol de Guernica” https://zigzageducation.co.uk/synopses/7457-getting-to-know-el-otro-arbol-de-guernica?pod=7457This resource summarises the novel “El Otro Árbol de Guernica” is summarised. Additionally, the novel´s topics are explored so that students taking A level Spanish can gain confidence in tackling the cultural topic question in their exams.

“Olé José”, Spanish Podcast for Beginners and textbook aims at to make sure that you not only improve your Spanish skills, but also have fun learning. You will find entertaining stories, fun activities and engaging exercises that will help you to learn Spanish in an enjoyable way. “Olé José” is the first series of podcasts for Spanish learners and its main character is George, a British man wanting to learn to speak Spanish as his motivation is to holiday and to retire in Spain. The second podcast/texbook is called “¿Qué pasa podcast? Soy rapero y Youtubero” and it is aimed at Spanish learners in their second year of learning and the main protagonist is called Alex, the son of José, George´s Spanish teacher. It is available at https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/resource-12830855 . The third and final podcast/textbook is called “La Vuelta a España de un Británico” and it continues with the story of George wanting to improve his Spanish so that he can move to Spain. It is available at https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/resource-12754402 One of the best ways to learn a language is by immersing yourself in the culture. That is why we have included cultural notes throughout the book to improve your awareness of Spanish culture. By understanding the customs and traditions of Spanish-speaking countries, you will be able to communicate more effectively with native speakers and appreciate their way of life. Listening to podcasts is a great way to improve your Spanish language skills, to improve your pronunciation and to increase your cultural awareness of Spanish speaking countries. You can also practice repeating what you hear, which will help you sound more natural when speaking Spanish yourself. In addition to these benefits, listening to podcasts is also motivating. It is easy to get bored with traditional language learning methods like textbooks and flashcards. Podcasts, on the other hand, are often entertaining and engaging. This can help keep you motivated to continue learning and improving your Spanish skills.Another advantage of listening to podcasts is that they are easy to access. You can listen to them anytime/anywhere: while commuting, exercising, or even just relaxing at home. We understand that grammar can be intimidating for many learners. That is why we have included good grammar explanations in English to help you to understand the rules of Spanish grammar. With our clear and concise explanations, you will be able to use the correct grammar structures when speaking and writing in Spanish. We hope that you will enjoy learning Spanish with this textbook and the accompanying podcasts, which can be a valuable tool in your language learning journey. Remember to take your time, practice regularly and most importantly, have fun! Happy learning! Muchas gracias, amigos. Jose I Ermina Irazábal, September 2023

This is an extensive resource, 24 pages, with 7 different model answers, 3 recommended for AS and 4 for A level. In the resource 10 different key quotes from the film are used to illustrate the main points and advice is given on how to structure the essays and on how to use quotes effectively in order to impress the examiners and get the highest possible marks. En estas 24páginas vamos a analizar 10 citas clave que nos ayudarán a comprender mejor esta fantástica película de Guillermo del Toro. Cada una de las 10 citas viene con un breve análisis del contexto en el que se usan las citas durante la película y en qué tipo concreto de preguntas de examen de AS or A level Spanish se podrían usar como evidencia o para ilustrar un tema/punto principal que quieres destacar en tu respuesta. Asimismo, cada una de las 10 citas se usa para responder 7 posibles preguntas de examen de AS y A level Spanish de AQA, Edexcel o Eduqas con respuestas modelo. Hay 7 respuestas modelos, 3 de ellas son recomendadas para AS y las otras 4 para A level. Es posible usar las preguntas del examen como ejercicio de lectura solo o también como práctica para que los estudiantes escriban sus propias respuestas. Recuerda que para responder las preguntas del examen con éxito, tienes que respaldar tus puntos de vista personales de la película con ejemplos y pruebas, y es por ello que usar las citas de la película apropiadamente en tus respuestas juega un papel tan importante en hacer que consigas la mejor nota posible en tus exámenes. Además, el uso de las citas mostrará a los examinadores que entiendes la película de “El Laberinto del Fauno” y que tienes un conocimiento extenso sobre ella.

“La Vuelta a España de un Británico” es Una historia entretenida con 86 páginas y 23 capítulos, para estudiantes de español de nivel intermedio (GCSE, A level, adultos) con ejercicios de comprensión y de gramática y sus respuestas. An entertaining story for learners of Spanish at intermediate level with comprehension and grammar activities and answers. “La Vuelta a España de un Británico”, is a comprehensive practical study guide for students learning Spanish as a Foreign Language at intermediate level (A2, B1 and B2). You can view this resource for This practical study guide includes 23 blogs of approximately 300 words each. Each of the 23 blogs is accompanied by a glossary to enable students to understand the text and to facilitate the learning of an extended vocabulary. Additionally, each blog includes at least one main grammar point, with a main focus on the most important verb tenses that students require at intermediate level. This ranges from the present perfect, to the subjunctive or to the differences between the always tricky “ser” and “estar” verbs. Other non-verb grammar points include the differences between “por” and ”para” or the object pronouns. A table with a list of all the grammar points used in this booklet can be found on page 5. Each blog includes follow up exercises that encourage students to practise vocabulary, grammar and to learn from the contents of the blogs. Each blog includes sound recordings of all 23 blogs, so that students can listen to the blogs while reading and improve their listening skills. The exercises offer students plenty of opportunities to practise the four language skills of reading, speaking, listening and writing and to learn key vocabulary, grammatical structures and cultural aspects of Spanish speaking countries. Some of these follow-up exercises include: “True, False or Not Mentioned” reading exercises or multiple choice questions, as well as comprehension questions in both English and Spanish. In addition, there are some “Sentence Builders” exercises, based on the methodology used by Gianfranco Conti and Dylan Viñales, which aims to give students confidence in memorising and using key structures that will be very important to improve their Spanish. The resource can be used in different ways: as a main text book in Spanish lessons, as a self-study guide or as a revision booklet for the Spanish certificates from Instituto Cervantes, such as the “Diplomas de español” at A2, B1 or B2 levels. I hope that you all enjoy using this revision guide as much as I have enjoyed putting it together. ¡Muchas gracias y buena suerte! Written by José I. Ermina Irazábal

Bienvenidos a este podcast sobre el contexto socio histórico de España para A level Spanish. Me llamo José, soy profesor de español, traductor y escritor de libros de texto y hoy os presento este nuevo podcast para estudiantes avanzados de español (nivel B2/C1). En la página 6 están los enlaces donde podéis escuchar los 23 episodios del podcast. El podcast trata sobre la historia social de España desde principios del siglo XX hasta nuestros días, con especial énfasis a los siguientes temas que forman parte del temario de A Level Spanish (AQA y Edexcel): -la dictadura franquista y la monarquía, -la Transición democrática -cambios en la familia y el ciberespacio -la música española y el patrimonio musical -la inmigración y el racismo/ la xenofobia -obras literarias y películas de A level: “El laberinto del fauno”, “La Casa de Bernarda Alba”, “las 13 Rosas”, “Réquiem por un Campesino muerto”, “Ocho apellidos vascos”, “Todo sobre mi madre”, “el otro árbol de Guernica”, “Primera Memoria” … En este podcast, vamos a llegar a conocer el conjunto de circunstancias históricas, sociales y culturales en las que viven y vivían los españoles o en las que están ambientadas algunas de esas obras literarias/ películas para A level Spanish. A free sample can be downloaded from here https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/-13113577 Welcome to this podcast about the socio-historical context of Spain for A level Spanish. My name is José, I am a Spanish teacher, translator and textbook writer and today I am presenting this new podcast for advanced students of Spanish (B2/C1 level). On page 6 there are the links to be able to listen to the 23 episodes of the podcast. The podcast is about the social history of Spain from the beginning of the 20th century to the present day, with special emphasis on the following topics that are part of the A Level Spanish syllabus (AQA and Edexcel): -the Franco dictatorship and the monarchy, -the democratic transition -changes in the family and cyberspace -Spanish music and musical heritage -immigration and racism/xenophobia -literary works and films for A level: “El laberinto del fauno”, “La Casa de Bernarda Alba”, “las 13 Rosas”, “Réquiem por un Campesino muerto”, “Ocho apellidos vascos”, “Todo sobre mi madre”, “el otro árbol de Guernica”, “Primera Memoria” … In this podcast, we are going to get to know the set of historical, social and cultural circumstances in which the Spanish people live and lived or in which some of these literary works/films for A level Spanish are set.

-"¿Qué pasa podcast?" is a series of 22 podcasts with accompanying transcripts, grammar and exam-like activities for AQA GCSE Spanish Higher Tier lessons. This resource contains an entertaining story linked to 22 podcasts and worksheets with activities, such as “Sentence Builders” and AQA exam-like exercises. The study guide can be used for self-study as it has the answers at the end or by non specialist teachers. -“¿Qué pasa, podcast? Soy rapero y YouTubero”, is a comprehensive practical study guide for AQA GCSE Spanish that will help your students to succeed in their exams. It uses humour and a fresh engaging story, written in the first person from the point of view of a 15 year old boy called Alex. Alex lives in England but he is bilingual in English and in Spanish. He spends every summer at his grandparent´s house in San Sebastian, Northern Spain. There, he learns about Spanish culture, food and festivals, before coming back to school in England. You can try this resource viewing a sample with the first two podcasts via this link https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/-12830895 -The podcasts have been written to facilitate practice and learning of the AQA Spanish GCSE syllabus. The resource is divided into 22 podcasts with follow-up exam practice questions, plus there is a final worksheet on characterisation, which acts as a bridge to the A level syllabus. -The students can listen to the podcasts conveniently while they are on the go and they can listen to them while reading the transcripts and before doing the GCSE exam-like questions. -Each podcast includes at least one GCSE Spanish topic and overall the resource covers all the main GCSE AQA topics. To help students learn vocabulary relevant to the GCSE topics, the podcasts include words from the AQA vocabulary list. In addition, each podcast has one or more grammar teaching points. A table with a list of both the GCSE topics and the grammar points used in this booklet can be found on pages 6 and 7. Each podcast has around 150 words. The resource can be used in different ways: to complement your teaching, as a revision booklet, for independent study, to set homework or for cover lessons. This resource can be differentiated. For lower level students, we suggest that you use the texts as reading exercises, whilst higher level students, can listen to the podcast first and attempt to answer the questions before reading the text. The music used in the podcasts has been written by my 15 year old son, whose artistic name is Lil Reddy, you can check out his YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLuRXSjGyHPXtVhLdp7X3KQ

Bienvenidos a este podcast sobre el contexto socio histórico de España para A level Spanish. Me llamo José, soy profesor de español, traductor y escritor de libros de texto y hoy os presento este nuevo podcast para estudiantes avanzados de español (nivel B2/C1). En la página 6 están los enlaces donde podéis escuchar los 23 episodios del podcast. El podcast trata sobre la historia social de España desde principios del siglo XX hasta nuestros días, con especial énfasis a los siguientes temas que forman parte del temario de A Level Spanish (AQA y Edexcel): -la dictadura franquista y la monarquía, -la Transición democrática -cambios en la familia y el ciberespacio -la música española y el patrimonio musical -la inmigración y el racismo/ la xenofobia -obras literarias y películas de A level: “El laberinto del fauno”, “La Casa de Bernarda Alba”, “las 13 Rosas”, “Réquiem por un Campesino muerto”, “Ocho apellidos vascos”, “Todo sobre mi madre”, “el otro árbol de Guernica”, “Primera Memoria” … En este podcast, vamos a llegar a conocer el conjunto de circunstancias históricas, sociales y culturales en las que viven y vivían los españoles o en las que están ambientadas algunas de esas obras literarias/ películas para A level Spanish. A free sample can be downloaded from here https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/-13113577 Welcome to this podcast about the socio-historical context of Spain for A level Spanish. My name is José, I am a Spanish teacher, translator and textbook writer and today I am presenting this new podcast for advanced students of Spanish (B2/C1 level). On page 6 there are the links to be able to listen to the 23 episodes of the podcast. The podcast is about the social history of Spain from the beginning of the 20th century to the present day, with special emphasis on the following topics that are part of the A Level Spanish syllabus (AQA and Edexcel): -the Franco dictatorship and the monarchy, -the democratic transition -changes in the family and cyberspace -Spanish music and musical heritage -immigration and racism/xenophobia -literary works and films for A level: “El laberinto del fauno”, “La Casa de Bernarda Alba”, “las 13 Rosas”, “Réquiem por un Campesino muerto”, “Ocho apellidos vascos”, “Todo sobre mi madre”, “el otro árbol de Guernica”, “Primera Memoria” … In this podcast, we are going to get to know the set of historical, social and cultural circumstances in which the Spanish people live and lived or in which some of these literary works/films for A level Spanish are set.

“La Vuelta a España de un Británico”, is a comprehensive practical study guide for students learning Spanish as a Foreign Language at intermediate level/A level (B1 and B2). This study guide will help students to improve their oral and written Spanish as well as to improve their grammar and their cultural awareness of Spain. The text uses humour and a fresh engaging story, written in the first person from the point of view of a 67 year old retired man called George. He is also called Jorge, Jordi or Gorka throughout his travels around Spain. This practical study guide includes 23 podcasts of approximately 300 words each. Each of the 23 podcasts is accompanied by a glossary to enable students to understand the text and to facilitate the learning of an extended vocabulary. Additionally, each podcast includes at least one main grammar point, with a main focus on the most important verb tenses that students require at intermediate level. This ranges from the present perfect, to the subjunctive or to the differences between the always tricky “ser” and “estar” verbs. A table with a list of all the grammar points used in this booklet can be found on page 5. Each podcast includes follow up exercises that encourage students to practise vocabulary, grammar and to learn from the contents of the podcasts. The exercises offer students plenty of opportunities to practise the four language skills of reading, speaking, listening and writing and to learn key vocabulary, grammatical structures and cultural aspects of Spanish speaking countries. Listening to podcasts is a great way to improve your Spanish language skills, to improve your pronunciation and they can be very motivating. You can also practice repeating what you hear, which will help you sound more natural when speaking Spanish yourself. “La Vuelta a España de un Británico” is the third series of podcasts for Spanish learners. It is available at https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/resource-12754402 . The other two parts of this series are : “Olé José” at beginners level available at https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/resource-12904380 . The second podcast/texbook is called “¿Qué pasa podcast? Soy rapero y Youtubero” and it is aimed at Spanish learners in their second year of learning. It is available at https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/resource-12830855 The resource and the podcast can be used in different ways: as a main textbook in Spanish lessons, as a self-study guide or as a revision booklet for A level Spanish or for the Spanish certificates from Instituto Cervantes, such as the “Diplomas de español” at B1 or B2 levels. I hope that you all enjoy using this revision guide as much as I have enjoyed putting it together. ¡Muchas gracias y buena suerte! Written by José I. Ermina Irazábal

-"¿Qué pasa podcast?" is a series of 22 podcasts with accompanying transcripts, grammar and exam-like activities for Edexcel GCSE Spanish Higher Tier lessons. This resource contains an entertaining story linked to 22 podcasts and worksheets with activities, such as “Sentence Builders” and Edexcel exam-like exercises. The study guide can be used for self-study as it has the answers at the end or by non specialist teachers. -“¿Qué pasa, podcast? Soy rapero y YouTubero”, is a comprehensive practical study guide for Edexcel GCSE Spanish that will help your students to succeed in their exams. It uses humour and a fresh engaging story, written in the first person from the point of view of a 15 year old boy called Alex. Alex lives in England but he is bilingual in English and in Spanish. He spends every summer at his grandparent´s house in San Sebastian, Northern Spain. There, he learns about Spanish culture, food and festivals, before coming back to school in England. You can try this resource viewing a sample with the first two podcasts via this link https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/-12830867 -The podcasts have been written to facilitate practice and learning of the Edexcel Spanish GCSE syllabus. The resource is divided into 22 podcasts with follow-up exam practice questions, plus there is a final worksheet on characterisation, which acts as a bridge to the A level syllabus. -The students can listen to the podcasts conveniently while they are on the go and they can listen to them while reading the transcripts and before doing the GCSE exam-like questions. -Each podcast includes at least one GCSE Spanish topic and overall the resource covers all the main GCSE Edexcel topics. To help students learn vocabulary relevant to the GCSE topics, the podcasts include words from the Edexcel vocabulary list. In addition, each podcast has one or more grammar teaching points. A table with a list of both the GCSE topics and the grammar points used in this booklet can be found on pages 6 and 7. Each podcast has around 150 words. The resource can be used in different ways: to complement your teaching, as a revision booklet, for independent study, to set homework or for cover lessons. This resource can be differentiated. For lower level students, we suggest that you use the texts as reading exercises, whilst higher level students, can listen to the podcast first and attempt to answer the questions before reading the text. The music used in the podcasts has been written by my 15 year old son, whose artistic name is Lil Reddy, you can check out his YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLuRXSjGyHPXtVhLdp7X3KQ Tes paid licence

a cultural powerpoint on the lines of who wants to be millionaire. for years 8/9 and maybe KS4

Revision quiz about El Laberinto del fauno, based on the study guide from ZigZag Education. Quiz de repaso de la película “El Laberinto del Fauno” con preguntas basadas en la guía de estudio de Zigzag education Getting to Know: El Laberinto del Fauno https://zigzageducation.co.uk/synopses/7800-getting-to-know-el-laberinto-del-fauno?pod=7800 con preguntas sobre el contexto histórico, personajes, técnicas cinematográficas, citas y el éxito de la película.

In this resource, students will be able to read three texts about the novel “El otro árbol de Guernica” and then they have to respond to comprehension questions for A level Spanish. The answers are provided at the back. “EL otro árbol de Guernica” is a novel that delves into the symbology of the Spanish civil war. The historic context of the war serves as a backdrop and it becomes one of the main themes explored in the book, especially in section 1. The novels main themes are analysed in section 2. Throughout the novel, the author uses various symbols to represent different aspects of the war and its aftermath, which are explored in section 3. One of the central symbols in the novel is the Guernica tree, which represents the resilience of the Basque people in the face of adversity. The tree survived the bombing of Guernica during the war and became a symbol of hope for the people who lived there.

Este recurso resume la novela de “Primera Memoria” y tambien ofrece un repaso de los temas principales de esta obra de Ana Maria Matute. El texto contiene 10 preguntas de comprensión que ayudarán a los estudiantes a aumentar su conocimiento crítico de la obra para que puedan tener éxito en sus exámenes de A level Spanish Edexcel. El texto ha sido adaptado de la guía de estudio que escribí para ZigZag Education, llamada “Getting to Know: Primera Memoria” https://zigzageducation.co.uk/synopses/8179-getting-to-know-primera-memoria?pod=8179​ This resource summarises the novel “Primera Memoria” and also the novel´s topics are explored so that students taking A level Spanish Edexcel can gain confidence in tackling the cultural topic question in their exams.

Este recurso de 11 páginas resume la película de “El Laberinto del Fauno” y tambien ofrece un repaso de las claves, los temas y los símbolos principales. . El texto contiene 16 preguntas de comprensión que ayudarán a los estudiantes a aumentar su conocimiento crítico de la obra para que puedan tener éxito en sus exámenes de A level Spanish AQA , Edexcel o Eduqas. El texto ha sido escrito expandiendo en muchas de las ideas de la guía de estudio que escribí para ZigZag Education, llamada “Getting to Know: El Laberinto del Fauno”https://zigzageducation.co.uk/synopses/7800-getting-to-know-el-laberinto-del-fauno?pod=7800​​ This resource summarises the fantastic film "El Laberinto del Fauno” and also the film´s key aspects,topics and symbology are explored and analysed in a novel way so that students taking A level Spanish AQA, Edexcel or Eduqas can gain confidence in tackling the cultural topic question in their exams.

this is a fun test for GCSE-A level Spanish students that wish to research on a Spanish region, in this case the Basque region in the North of Spain. Students can research what the right answers are to the 10 questions. At the bottom of the resource you can fin the answers to the test, which can be delete before giving the test to the students. Depending on how many answers they get right they will be different Basque characters. For example if they get7 or more they are the "Lehendakari" or Basque prime minister, if they get more than 5 they are a vicelehendakari, if they get more than 3 they are are an "iratxo" or Basque pixi and if they get less than 3 they are Tarttalo, an one eyed monsterlike creature. What are your students? lehendakaris, vicelehendakari, iratxos o Tarttalos? Find it out! This test is part of a textbook for A2 that can be viewed on http://zigzageducation.co.uk/synopses/5713-getting-to-know-pais-vasco.asp , Happy teaching!