Understanding that students enter the Intermediate Spanish course at different levels, Atando Cabos brings students to a common proficiency level and "ties up the loose ends" from their first year of Spanish. Focusing on the significance of culture and interpersonal communication in learning a foreign language, this text is comprised of high-interest, relevant themes that motivate critical thinking and classroom discussions. Concentrating on the development of basic skills-listening, speaking, reading and writing, with an equal emphasis on fluency and accuracy-this text teaches students to express, interpret, and negotiate meaning in context while learning to analyze, compare, contrast, and understand Hispanic cultures.