During third trimester, students in Middle School Advanced Spanish finished reading Francisco Jimenez’s novel Senderos Fronterizos, the sequel to Cajas de Cartón. After considering the particular life experiences that helped shape the main character in the book, students wrote their own memoirs, which consist of a series of four short stories that all center around a particular theme important to the personal growth of each student. Students also read the novel Bendíceme, Última by Rudolfo Anaya. Similar to Senderos Fronterizos, Bendíceme, Última is a coming-of-age story about a young boy grappling with profound questions about faith, death, and destiny. For a creative expression project, students created a piece of visual art that depicts the most salient themes and symbols in the book. Students also read the weekly news from Spanish-speaking countries, ultimately putting together a short podcast about one the most interesting stories they learned from the past few months.
Students in Advanced 1 centered their studies on Argentina this trimester. Specifically, they explored how the military dictatorship in Argentina affected daily life in the 1970s. After reading a short novel about a US reporter who investigates the thousands of disappeared people by the hands of the government, students considered the importance of a free press and created artwork that pays homage to the many victims of this time. Students also wrote news articles reporting on the political changes that led to these events as well as the organizations working to help restore justice in the country. Finally, students kept up with current events in Argentina each week, ultimately producing a short podcast about news from the country over the past few months. Additionally, students had the chance to read the last installment of the three-part novel series that they have been reading all year. As a final project, students created a mockumentary video in which they reveal the exciting conclusion to this mysterious and dramatic saga!
During the third trimester the Español Avanzado 2 class continued their study of Spanish-speaking Caribbean countries by delving in the history of Rafael Leónidas Trujillo dictatorship in the Dominican Republic. After learning about Trujillo’s background, the rise of his regime, and the many cruelties it ensued, students read the first part of the novel En el tiempo de las mariposas by Julia Álvarez. Their study of the book began with an exploration of Julia Álvarez’s life events and their connection to the story. It then centered on the character development of the Mirabal sisters, as distinct but also interwoven members of their family. Lastly, students examined how the first part of the novel presents each sister’s attitude towards Trujillo and how, as they grow up and move away from their home, it changes. For their final project of this unit, the students were asked to explore the lives and roles of the Mirabal sisters during and after Trujillo’s regime. Each student was given the opportunity to choose a specific area to focus on, as well as choice in the product they would create. For the second half of the trimester, the student chose what topic they wanted to study. After selecting “Spanglish”, our classes focused on learning about the origin of the word “(e)spanglish”, understanding the general characteristics of the dialect (focusing on its phonological, lexical, semantic and pragmatic traits), and exploring different examples of its usage. For her final project, Maya chose to create an infographic in which she explains why Spanglish should be considered a language, based on the definition of “language” and its connection to its users. She also provides examples of Spanglish, highlighting some of its most recurrent traits.