This section might be illustrated with symbols associated with Hispanic customs and traditions (i.e. flags, mexican foods, famous landmarks in Latin America or Spain, bull fights, etc.) This section is specifically designed for cultural materials. Students can keep the words to songs in this section. They can sketch slides of famous places or they can cut out ads for products. If these can’t be found, teachers can bring in Spanish magazines and newspapers for students to use (i.e. Ma–ana, El Diario). Current event newspaper clippings can be given as homework assignments and then displayed on boards. Students can also give media reports from T.V. or radio (i.e. SIN, WLVH Radio 94).
All of the sections of the notebook are intended as a point of departure for teaching culture and can be adapted to any foreign language. Students are immediately involved in the people, countries, and products of the language they are studying. They immediately begin learning meaningful vocabulary and grammatical structure without the frustration of memorization. Students are actively involved in illustrating their title pages and contributing information to the class via the media. Motivation should be high because students will naturally become more interested in those things they know something about.
Throughout the year, the teacher should continue to add to the notebook sections with material incorporated from textbook units. Using real pictures of people and places instead of flash cards is a good idea. Teachers can find plenty of pictures from magazines. Showing students a picture of the Cathedral of Mexico to teach that “ésta es una iglesia” creates a mental image while learning a new lexical item at the same time. Grammar is the key to communication but it can be presented in a much more meaningful and interesting way than some of our textbooks suggest.
Students need to feel positive about what they are doing and studying. Even less gifted students can contribute by bringing in clippings and drawings. They take pride in their notebooks when they’ve worked so hard to illustrate them. Recent studies demonstrate that if students have positive attitudes, they will do well. Foreign language teachers should aim at developing interest and awareness. If all a teacher has accomplished is a smattering of lexical items, nothing at all has been accomplished. Successful teachers prefer to see their students leave class at the end of the year saying: Quiero ir a Mexico or Me gusta la comida.
In conclusion, the teaching of culture should become an integral part of foreign language instruction. Culture should be our message to students and language our medium. It should begin on the very first day of class and should continue every day after that. This does not imply that linguistic constructs will be ignored. Many elements of culture are imbedded within the language itself (i.e. tú vs. usted). Basing dialogues on situations that are authentic (using body language) is as important as linguistic structure and semantics. Using pictures as much as possible, preferably ones from target language magazines is advocated. While pictures cannot teach the sounds or structures of a language, they can often show what language stands for. Lastly teachers should concentrate on active learning and should give students more hands-on experiences so that they can feel, touch, smell, and see! These kinds of activities will keep students motivated and will result in positive attitudes, greater awareness, and academic success.
Independent Activity Sheets
CULTURAL NAMES
DIRECTIONS:
Write the names of each of your classmates below. Ask each of them what cultural groups their parents and grandparents are from and list them next to their name. At the bottom of the page total the number of cultural groups in the whole class. Decorate the classroom with flags or symbols for each cultural group.
NAME
CULTURAL GROUP
Class Total:
CULTURAL NAMES:
NEIGHBORHOOD EXPLORATION
DIRECTIONS
:
Walk around your neighborhood and make a list of streets and stores that are named after people. Next to each name write the cultural group that the name comes from. Ask your teacher or parents for help. This will give you a record of the groups that have been or still are in your neighborhood.
STREET NAMES
:
CULTURAL GROUPS
:
STORE NAMES
:
CULTURAL GROUPS
:
CULTURAL ARTIFACTS
DIRECTIO
NS:
An artifact is an object or a thing. Some artifacts are of special importance or meaning to a cultural group. Ask your parents or grandparents if they have an artifact from their cultural group that you could bring to school to tell the class about.
ARTIFACT
:
WHERE IS THE ARTIFACT FROM
?
IMPORTANT OR INTERESTING INFORMATION ABOUT THE ARTIFACT
:
CULTURAL SCAVENGER HUNT
DIRECTIONS
:
Many of the things we buy are made in other countries. Read the labels on your clothes, shoes, household appliances, and other objects in the house. List where they come from.
OBJECT
:
COUNTRY
:
GETTING TO KNOW YOUR CLASSMATES
DIRECTIONS
:
Many times we think we know students in class because we see them every school day. But there are many things about our classmates that we probably don’t know. Make a list of questions to ask students you don’t know very well. Interview them using your questions.
As a conclusion to this activity each of you might introduce the person you interview to the class.
SAMPLE INTERVIEW QUESTIONS:
What do you like to do in your spare time?
If you could make three wishes what would they be?