Bom Dia! : Portuguese Language Textbook

Spinner Publications is proud to announce the release of Bom Dia!, a contemporary Portuguese language textbook-artfully designed and colorfully illustrated-for first level Portuguese, grades 7-12. It is the first book published in more than two decades that meets Portuguese language requirements. For years, there has been a dramatic lack of teaching materials for Portuguese-language teachers at the middle and high school levels. Teachers have had to develop their own worksheets, textbook supplements and activities in order to teach within contemporary guidelines. Recognizing the scarce supply of Portuguese-language teaching materials, nine teachers from three Southeastern Massachusetts high schools---B.M.C. Durfee High School in Fall River, New Bedford High School and Taunton High School---formed a collaborative to change the situation. They were joined by high school administrators, professors at UMass Dartmouth, editors from Spinner Publications, and officials from the Ministry of Education in Portugal. Bom Dia! Level 1 is the product of this collaboration. It covers the first year of Portuguese for middle and/or high school students. A second volume, Bom Dia! Level 2, will cover materials for the second year. Together, these texts cover the topics and standards set forth in Stage 1 of the Massachusetts State Frameworks for Foreign Languages, and follow the National Standards developed by the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL). The Standards' five strands-Communication, Connections, Cultures, Comparisons and Community-are incorporated into every unit through reading exercises, vocabulary, structure, accuracy and proficiency activities, cultural information, pronunciation guides, review materials, interdisciplinary links and technology. Bom Dia! will be the hub of the new curriculum designed to meet the needs of teachers and students alike. The contents travel beyond formal grammatical boundaries to a world of Portuguese culture, history and geography. Because Portuguese is the third most widely spoken European language and seventh globally, its international importance cannot be underestimated. Great opportunities will open up for Portuguese language students through the continued development of the Bom Dia! curriculum. Read more