Puntos de partida: An Invitation to Spanish (Student Edition) [Hardcover]

As the best-selling introductory Spanish textbook in the United States, Puntos de partida has long been a favorite of instructors across the country. For this new edition, the authors and editors of Puntos have turned to those very instructors to help formulate a plan that would respond to the needs of a changing discipline. We reached out to more than 275 students and instructors across the country, and the result is a thoroughly revised edition that we are confident will address new needs and preferences while continuing to provide the solid foundation in communicative language development that is the hallmark of Puntos de partida. Learn more about the Puntos program at the Online Learning Center - www.mhhe.com/puntos8 or at CENTRO - www.mhcentro.com Puntos de partida is available with CENTRO a portal learning management system through which various digital components, including Quia™ Workbooks and Laboratory Manuals and interactive e-books, are delivered. This McGraw-Hill exclusive system offers a single log-in authentication for students and a single gradebook for instructors.

Marty Knorre was formerly Associate Professor of Romance Languages and Coordinator of basic Spanish courses at the University of Cincinnati, where she taught undergraduate and graduate courses in language, linguistics, and methodology. She received her Ph.D. in foreign language education from The Ohio State University in 1975. Dr. Knorre is coauthor of Cara a cara and Reflejos and has taught at several NEH Institutes for Language Instructors. She received a Master of Divinity at McCormick Theological Seminary in 1991.

Thalia Dorwick retired as McGraw-Hill’s Editor-in-Chief for Humanities, Social Sciences, and Languages. For many years she was also in charge of McGraw-Hill’s World Languages college list in Spanish, French, Italian, German, Japanese, and Russian. She has taught at Allegheny College, California State University (Sacramento), and Case Western Reserve University, where she received her Ph.D. in Spanish in 1973. She was recognized as an Outstanding Foreign Language Teacher by the California Foreign Language Teachers Association in 1978. Dr. Dorwick is the coauthor of several textbooks and the author of several articles on language teaching issues. She is a frequent guest speaker on topics related to language learning, and she was also an invited speaker at the II Congreso Internacional de la Lengua Española, in Valladolid, Spain, in October 2001. In retirement, she consults for McGraw-Hill, especially in the area of world languages, which is of personal interest to her. She also serves on the Board of Trustees of Case Western Reserve University and on the Board of Directors of the Berkeley Repertory Theatre.

Ana María Pérez-Gironés is an Adjunct Associate Professor of Spanish at Wesleyan University, Middletown, Connecticut, where she teaches and coordinates Spanish language courses. She received a Licenciatura en Filología Anglogermánica from the Universidad de Sevilla in 1985, and her M.A. in General Linguistics from Cornell University in 1988. Professor Pérez-Gironés’ professional interests include second language acquisition and the use of technology in language learning. She is a coauthor of A otro nivel, Puntos en breve, Second Edition, and ¿Qué tal?, Seventh Edition. She is also a coauthor of the Student Manuals for Intermediate Grammar Review and Intensive and High Beginner Courses that accompany Nuevos Destinos.

William R. Glass is the Publisher for World Languages at McGraw-Hill Higher Education. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in Spanish Applied Linguistics with a concentration in Second Language Acquisition and Teacher Education (SLATE). He was previously Assistant Professor of Spanish at The Pennsylvania State University where he was also Director of the Language Program in Spanish. He has published numerous articles and edited books on issues related to second language instruction and acquisition.

Hildebrando Villarreal is Professor of Spanish at California State University, Los Angeles, where he teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in language and linguistics. He received his Ph.D. in Spanish with an emphasis in Applied Linguistics from UCLA in 1976. Professor Villarreal is the author of several reviews and articles on language, language teaching, and Spanish for Native Speakers of Spanish. He is the author of ¡A leer! Un paso más, an intermediate textbook that focuses on reading skills.