John C. Warner
Objective One
TRAVEL Students will learn the vocabulary which will enable them to go to an Hispanic travel agency and plan a trip to a Spanishspeaking country.
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vocabulary which allows students to purchase an airplane ticket and to make hotel/motel reservations is presented to students on a ditto. (See sample lesson plans.)
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the included dialogue, “The Travel Agent” should be reproduced and presented to Students.
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the teacher can then go over the dialogue and vocabulary. After sufficient practice, students can role-play the dialogue for this particular situation.
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As a followup activity, students can write an original dialogue based on the situation with the teacher’s help. The classroom atmosphere and decor can easily be changed to depict that of a travel agency and students can discuss such things as airplane and hotel reservations, car rental, etc.
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Students can man to take a trip to one of the Hispanic Travel Agencies in the city to gather information for their imaginary voyage.
Objective Two
FOOD Through the use of dialogues and skits, once again, students can learn about the foods and eating customs of Puerto Rico and other Hispanic areas. They will learn how to order food in a restaurant while also gaining understanding of some of the typical foods of the Island.
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food vocabulary is presented on a ditto which the teacher can distribute to the students. (See sample lesson plans.)
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After the vocabulary has been mastered, the included “restaurant” dialogue can be duplicated and presented to the students.
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Students will read the dialogue with the teacher and then roleplay the different characters.
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It would be interesting to prepare a typical menu as one of the class projects and then to prepare some dishes which will be tasted in the classroom. It is always helpful to have some “handson activities” for the students especially where food is concerned.
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Students may wish to culminate this portion of the unit with a trip to one of the area’s Hispanic restaurants.
Objective Three
SHOPPING Once again, vocabulary for this section is presented on a ditto which can be duplicated and distributed to students. It may be helpful to subdivide the category of shopping into smaller more specific categories based on what the students or “tourists” are shopping for.
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By the end of this part of the unit, students will be able to function in many different shopping situations. Once again, through the use of dialogues, students will learn the vocabulary to shop for gift items and clothing so that they will be able to function in a department store in Spanish.
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It is always helpful to dramatize situations. Students should get used to the idea of using the language. The classroom can be converted to suit almost any situation. If students are actually involved in buying merchandise, they will better understand the material being presented.
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Students should plan to go into a store in an Hispanic neighborhood to shop using the Spanish which they have learned in the classroom.
Objective Four
MEDICAL Students will be able to function in Spanish during a medical emergency.
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Vocabulary dealing with parts of the body and illness can be duplicated and presented to students.
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Students will have to describe a pain in different parts of their bodies in Spanish. They will also have to describe any medical problems which they might have.
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Students can fill out sample medical forms and questionnaires in Spanish such as admitting forms and medical alert forms which accompany this unit and can be easily duplicated by the teacher.
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Students may wish to visit one of the health clinics or nursing homes in the area and do some volunteer work as there are often large Spanish-speaking populations in the facilities in this area. In this way, students can experience first hand the health related services provided in the Hispanic community and also be able to use the information gained in the classroom in a useful and productive fashion.
The following are Spanish dialogues with their English translations which accompany the lesson plans for the four major objectives of this unit. The dialogues are original and each set is preceded by a duallanguage vocabulary list for each situation. Additional materials are available for this unit through the YaleNew Haven Teachers Institute Office located at 53 Wall Street, New Haven.