In spanish 3 this year, we covered 2 major units, both largely focussed on grammar. We gain understanding by reading 2 novels, these were El Ekeko, and Testigo.
In the book El Ekeko, we followed the story of a boy growing up very poor. He had been bullied and spent most of his time working. One day, he found an old doll in his mother's closet. He discovered that this doll had powers and started to use it to get gifts and food. He would draw a picture of what he wanted and put it with the doll under his bed. In the morning, that item would be there. At the end of this story, he starts to overuse and exploit the doll, but when he sees the kid who used to bully him struggling with family, he decides to give him the money he needs for his sister to get medicine.
The book Testigo was the story of a boy who is a witness to a murder, and to stay safe, must move. It is based off a true story and shows the process of being an immigrant. He has to travel through Mexico and then cross the US border. It shows the struggles of language barriers, gang violence, money issues, coyotes (someone to hire to help cross a border), and touches on the discrimination of immigrants. After many weeks, he does make it into the United States after being detained. It was especially interesting to know that it was a true story.
In this class, I could notice my conversational skills increasing greatly. I can understand most of what I hear in spanish, even if I can't necessarily speak to the same level. Having more of a focus on practical use of spanish, rather than tests and assignments, greatly sped up this process. I could see myself moving to a Spanish 4 class in the future, because I definitely can see myself benefiting from this and using the skills I learn in my life. I want the ability to travel and feel as though I know enough about the culture and language of a place. Overall, I have built a large amount of useful information and skills from this class.
In the book El Ekeko, we followed the story of a boy growing up very poor. He had been bullied and spent most of his time working. One day, he found an old doll in his mother's closet. He discovered that this doll had powers and started to use it to get gifts and food. He would draw a picture of what he wanted and put it with the doll under his bed. In the morning, that item would be there. At the end of this story, he starts to overuse and exploit the doll, but when he sees the kid who used to bully him struggling with family, he decides to give him the money he needs for his sister to get medicine.
The book Testigo was the story of a boy who is a witness to a murder, and to stay safe, must move. It is based off a true story and shows the process of being an immigrant. He has to travel through Mexico and then cross the US border. It shows the struggles of language barriers, gang violence, money issues, coyotes (someone to hire to help cross a border), and touches on the discrimination of immigrants. After many weeks, he does make it into the United States after being detained. It was especially interesting to know that it was a true story.
In this class, I could notice my conversational skills increasing greatly. I can understand most of what I hear in spanish, even if I can't necessarily speak to the same level. Having more of a focus on practical use of spanish, rather than tests and assignments, greatly sped up this process. I could see myself moving to a Spanish 4 class in the future, because I definitely can see myself benefiting from this and using the skills I learn in my life. I want the ability to travel and feel as though I know enough about the culture and language of a place. Overall, I have built a large amount of useful information and skills from this class.