IH TARRAGONA, SPAIN (through International House Barcelona, but held in Tarragona) TEEN PROGRAM

This course takes place in the pleasant coastal resort of Tarragona, approximately 60 miles south of Barcelona. Tarragona is a provincial capital and has a population of around 115,000. It is situated on the Costa Dorada and is an ideal location for teens. The town is lively, but not too big. It has sandy beaches within walking distance of the school. It is very close to Port Aventura, one of Europe’s largest theme parks.

THE SCHOOL AND CAMPUS This course for teens is a joint venture between IH Barcelona and IH Tarragona. Tarragona has extensive experience in organizing teen courses and dealing with younger students—almost 90% of IH Tarragona’s students are under the age of 17 years. The school building is on a broad tree-lined avenue (the Rambla) in the very center of the city. The school is spread over two floors of a typical town house and there are 10 spacious classrooms as well as a study area and students' lounge.

THE COURSE The course is designed to ensure that students enjoy their Spanish classes as much as they enjoy the rest of the program. Classroom activities are therefore varied and where possible involve tasks or games that make the learning process interesting and fun. The goal of the course is to develop the students' language skills in all areas but the emphasis is on developing speaking and comprehension skills, so there are a lot of practical activities that involve a great deal of interaction. As there are many nationalities, it is relatively easy to ensure that everyone uses Spanish to communicate. The school ensures that students get the most out of their visits to places of interest in and around Tarragona so some class time is devoted to project work focused on the social program activities. Students are grouped into Spanish courses according to their level. There are three hours of Spanish classes Monday through Friday, and there is a maximum of 12 students per class.

ACCOMMODATION This program provides accommodation with host families or in a school residence.
Family Stay: Families are specially chosen because they have experience with teenagers and like receiving them into their families. Students are housed in double rooms with a roommate assigned. Full board is included in the family stay, and families do enforce the curfews set by the program. Some of the host families live within walking distance of the school. However, in many cases it will be necessary for the students to take a bus from their family to the school. A 30-day student bus pass is included in the course fee.

School Residence: The Sant Jordi student residence is located in the city center, less than 15 minutes walk from the school. The residence was opened in 1998 and is very well maintained. Accommodation is available in spacious double or triple rooms with sheets and towels provided. The bedrooms are equipped with wardrobes, writing desks and chairs, desk lamps, bookcases and mirrors. Accommodation includes all meals. Facilities that are available free to students include a TV lounge, a computer room, separate study rooms, and a gymnasium. Washing machines are also available for a small charge. Students are provided with a key to their room. There is a 24-hour reception service.

Airport pickup and return from the Barcelona airport is included in your accommodation cost for either family stay or residence stay.

ACTIVITIES The course includes a very full program of excursions included in the course fee. The provisional program of activities for July-August 2008 is as shown below. In the evenings, additional activities will be organized to keep the students entertained. These will include talent competitions, karaoke, arts and craft activities, etc.

TYPICAL SCHEDULE
Week 1

• Monday: Orientation walk around Tarragona and welcome party. Fireworks display on the beach
• Tuesday: Discover Tarragona competition
• Wednesday: Aquapolis Waterpark
• Thursday: Arrabassada Beach and sports
• Friday: Casa Castellarnau
• Saturday: Full-day excursion to Barcelona
• Sunday: Day with the host family or picnic on the beach

Week 2

• Monday: Orientation walk around Tarragona or Milagro beach
• Tuesday: Bowling
• Wednesday: Visit to the Roman walls
• Thursday: Arrabassada Beach and sports
• Friday: Free afternoon for shopping and Farewell party
• Saturday: Full-day excursion to Port Aventura
• Sunday: Day with the host family or picnic on the beach

Additional weeks have varied destinations, but include the same sort of activities.

TRAVEL & ARRIVAL Students should arrange to fly into the Barcelona airport. Airport pickup and return from/to the Barcelona airport is included in the program cost. Arrival should be arranged for the Sunday before the program begins and departure should be arranged for the Saturday after the course ends. A valid passport is needed for entry into Spain.

AGES ACCEPTED 13 TO 17 YEARS

2011 DATES (2 week minimum you may study for more than 2 weeks) June 27, July 4, July 11, July 18, and July 25

For a current pricing schedule, please visit our fees and registration section for Barcelona.

REGISTRATION Please use the online registration form (secured server) to complete your registration. Indicate this school and Teen in the program choice. This is an all inclusive program, with one fee. The deposit required is 17.5%.

REFERENCES

Christopher Fung, mattbuchwitz@yahoo.com
Marley Pegler, MD, bwwb21@hotmail.com, adampegler@msn.com
Jennifer Howell, WI, rhowell@gtl.net, jenniferlynnhowell@hotmail.com

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