When planning my lessons, I take into consideration how my class objectives will impact my students' overall advancement; I am constantly looking for ways in which students will develop self-directed attitudes towards learning and reflective approaches to their work. I also provide multiple outlets for their creativity allowing them to showcase their knowledge and to develop ownership for their products.
The following are examples of activities and projects where students not only learned about Spanish language and culture, but also exercised their critical thinking, understanding of technology, digital literacy, problem solving, and building connections across curriculum.
The following are examples of activities and projects where students not only learned about Spanish language and culture, but also exercised their critical thinking, understanding of technology, digital literacy, problem solving, and building connections across curriculum.
On Cultural Topics
The following is a collection of videos students created to demonstrate their linguistic proficiency by presenting their original research on a cultural topic of their choice. As you will see, when learners can explore their own curiosities, they exceed by far any expectations they and you may have about how much they can learn.
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Podcasts from Rethinking Spanish
These podcasts are the result of a collaboration between the students in "Rethinking Spanglish" taught by me at Binghamton University and "The Spanish of the Southwest" taught by professor Damian Wilson at University of New Mexico.
El cerebro multilingüeTwo students discuss the relation between neuroscience and Spanglish.
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¿Qué es la identidad hispana y como se conecta a la lengua?Students approach identity from different angles, including social issues, individual perceptions and more.
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Las poblaciones latinas en Nueva York y Nuevo México.Students look at key differences between the Latinx communities, especially in politics, immigration and how Hispanics shape the places where they live.
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High School Highlights
Working with students at the elementary and secondary level implies doing things in unique ways. These pieces show some of the work student created while learning and getting curious about the language and cultures.
Sing'a'tonLanguage has to feel like an earworm.
In this project students were asked to choose a song of their liking and use it to review vocabulary related to one of the topics studied throughout the year. They had a minimum amount of words, and they had to choose a creative way to present and use it in the class. |
Annual International DinnerEvery year, the ELL students invite their family, friends, and teachers to a special dinner to celebrate their heritage and to share their understanding of their new nation. In addition to passing dishes from different countries, students prepare songs, presentations and displays to exhibit their work of previous weeks. It is a great opportunity to value our diversity and to celebrate our heritage.
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Cultural PiñatasYou take any excuse to make learning authentic and meaningful.
In this project students created traditional piñatas representing different events, traditions or cultural elements of the Hispanic culture. They shared their research and enjoyed an authentic Hispanic tradition. |
