During this first session (or sessions) the students are presented with possible stories in oral form. Depending on class composition, interests, and seasonal appropriateness one of the stories from
Mundo Real
could be used as a basic plot, allowing the students to add their own ideas and an original ending to the story. For this purpose I have included in the resource list at the back of this unit a short synopsis of some of the scripts. I hope the variety of topics covered will suit most high school students, since the settings and cast suggested in
Mundo Real
present definite personalities and settings within the multi-racial community of a large city. I have focused on these stories because they all portray typical experiences of Puerto Rican students and their parents in the United States. The neighborhood, or “barrio”, has very definite boundaries, so well defined that it becomes almost a small town, where all the action takes place.
Since it is my belief that work will move more smoothly if the students are presented with a chosen group of situations, I would initiate the introduction with an oral presentation of the following stories:
Delia and Santa Clause, What is a Puerto Rican?
, and
The Bilingual Godmother
. At this point the teacher will have to be familiar with these programs and stories. For this purpose I would suggest a reading of the synopsis at the end of this unit, and also checking your local television listings for day and time of
Mundo Real
and
Que Pasa, U.S.A.?
Visualization Exercise: Based on The Bilingual Godmother
episode Procedure: Ask students to close their eyes and listen to the following story:
It is eight a.m., and you come down to the kitchen for breakfast. Your grandparents are already up and talking in Spanish. You say good morning to them and start asking questions in English, which they have difficulty understanding. You get upset with them, and tell them that they should learn English since they now live in America. They ask you to practice your Spanish or you will forget it. You leave the kitchen, angry and frustrated. Your grandparents are hurt and upset by your attitude. You think about it all day, then an idea comes to you: you will be their teacher, starting today, English classes after school...yes, the more you think about it, the more excited you get... Soon your grandparents will be all over town, speaking in English. No more translating for them, and, who knows, they may even start answering the telephone: You must hurry home and tell your brother, he might be able to help you with this project . . .
After the oral presentation, students will open their eyes again. At this point, I will have a list of questions ready for them to answer orally, questions which I feel will help in giving this story some further shape. Depending on how they respond in the question/answer period and on what kind of discussion is generated, I will be able to judge whether this basic plot will hold their attention and eventually develop into a full script. If this particular story does not work, I will go back to the other scripts and do another exercise with a new one.
Sample Questions
: Based on the visualization
Where do the grandparents live? With whom?
Do you think they would rather live somewhere else? Why?
What is the problem between the granddaughter and the grandparents?
Can we give them all names?
What is the solution she has thought up?
Who does she want to help her?
Homework Assignment: Above questions can be handed out and the students would write paragraphs, continuing the story. This controlled composition exercise is in preparation for the actual script writing that will take place in step II of the eight components I will present.
At the end of component I of my project, students would have:
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1. Heard the story from me (listening skills).
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2. Answered questions about the story.(memory, comprehension, inferences, oral responses).
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3. Contributed details and possible outcome of the story
This component might take one or two sessions of time (E.S.L. classes meet for two (45 minutes) periods a day).