Note: I recently deleted a link from my blog because I noticed that the writers placed accents where they do not belong. If you notice a low quality link, please let me know so I can remove it. I don't think it's realistic to send our students out onto the Web to do research and hope that they will know which sites are good sources. It's important to direct them to quality sources for reading practice, listening practice, and research. That is what I hope to achieve with this blog. Your feedback will help in this endeavor. Thank you for following my blog. I hope you will find it a useful resource for the classroom or your continued study of the Spanish language.
Reading:
* Newspapers worldwide. I found this link in the Spanish Praxis study manual made by the makers of the Spanish Praxis test. I have not checked all the links in it, but assume it is a good source that was checked by the authors of the Spanish Praxis manual.
* About Reader's Digest: If you feel that you have a weak foreign language department in high school or college, I would like to share my personal insights as to why that might be. I have been studying Spanish since the 7th grade and I have spoken to many other Spanish teachers through the years, and many agree that there is not enough middle level reading for students. Most programs have beginning and intermediate textbooks and then suddenly leap into Spanish literature, which is challenging even for a Spaniard! The leap is just too great and too soon, but is a common practice in our country. First, let's make sure students are literate and fluent in Spanish. Sadly, Reader's Digest is considered unacceptable for the classroom by many old school teachers and yet it is interesting, well written, and perfect for intermediate learners with a wide range of relevant and current stories that will appeal to many students. You can feel safe sending your students to find articles here too because it is always appropriate content for students of all ages.
These are the skills that will prepare them to be successful when they take on Hispanic literature. My dream was to have a class set of Reader's Digest for my students, but it just never happened. It almost happened at CCC. Students were very interested in this idea and even willing to pay for their subscription. But, I think it got defeated by my department head because students in another class complained that their teacher wasn't doing the same. I wasn't trying to upstage anybody, but that is often how education works. I just wanted to create something fun and relevant that my students would look forward to reading.
Teaching suggestions using Reader's Digest in Spanish:
Use the same article for Spanish II, III, and IV, just have different expectations for each level. In Spanish II you want them to look forward to reading these articles, not expect them to understand everything and explain to them that that is o.k. It's all part of the learning process. It's normal. You want them to get comfortable with taking on authentic language reading samples and to experience success. I would suggest creating a standard worksheet that simply requires them to answer: Who, what, where, why, when. Who wrote the story and why? Who are the main characters? What is the main idea of the story? Where and when did it take place. Ask them in Spanish and have them answer in witing in Spanish. Best of all use this same story later as part of a test. The work they did on the homework will then translate into a good grade on their test if they did the assignment. This is all part of preparing them to experience success, which will keep them wanting to read and enjoy the assignments. By making the task the same, they become relaxed about doing the assignment and confident. You can always ask impromptu oral questions to see how much more they are getting beyond the basic written questions you gave them and to challenge them. Even better, offer extra credit questions on the test that go beyond the basic comprehension questions assigned. That will reward those who took the time to try to understand the article beyond the basic assignment without hurting others' grades.
Listening:
* The EP Podcasts and Audiria Podcasts are websites that were recommended in the Praxis Spanish test study guide made by the makers of the Praxis Spanish test for teachers.
* I purchased an audiobook by Fonolibros and found the sound quality to be excellent, but I could not read along with my book in Spanish because the audio was abridged.
Grammar:
* The grammar reference manual is excellent for teachers, Spanish majors, upper level students of Spanish. It is only a reference book. There are no exercises. This is the best grammar reference manual I have ever seen. It was recommended reading from the Spanish Praxis test prep manual made by the makers of the Spanish Praxis.
* The grammar website was recommended in the Praxis Spanish test prep manual made by the makers of the Praxis Spanish exam for teachers.
Books:
* The introduction to Hispanic literature book was recommended in the Spanish Praxis study guide written by the makers of the Spanish Praxis test. I purchased it and really like it.
* The New Spaniards by John Hooper was required reading for a Spanish graduate course. It was a page turner!
Literature Posts:
"The Modern Word" is a link that I found on the Nobel Prize Official Website and assume they would only list a quality source on their Web page. Let me know what you think.
Reading:
* Newspapers worldwide. I found this link in the Spanish Praxis study manual made by the makers of the Spanish Praxis test. I have not checked all the links in it, but assume it is a good source that was checked by the authors of the Spanish Praxis manual.
* About Reader's Digest: If you feel that you have a weak foreign language department in high school or college, I would like to share my personal insights as to why that might be. I have been studying Spanish since the 7th grade and I have spoken to many other Spanish teachers through the years, and many agree that there is not enough middle level reading for students. Most programs have beginning and intermediate textbooks and then suddenly leap into Spanish literature, which is challenging even for a Spaniard! The leap is just too great and too soon, but is a common practice in our country. First, let's make sure students are literate and fluent in Spanish. Sadly, Reader's Digest is considered unacceptable for the classroom by many old school teachers and yet it is interesting, well written, and perfect for intermediate learners with a wide range of relevant and current stories that will appeal to many students. You can feel safe sending your students to find articles here too because it is always appropriate content for students of all ages.
These are the skills that will prepare them to be successful when they take on Hispanic literature. My dream was to have a class set of Reader's Digest for my students, but it just never happened. It almost happened at CCC. Students were very interested in this idea and even willing to pay for their subscription. But, I think it got defeated by my department head because students in another class complained that their teacher wasn't doing the same. I wasn't trying to upstage anybody, but that is often how education works. I just wanted to create something fun and relevant that my students would look forward to reading.
Teaching suggestions using Reader's Digest in Spanish:
Use the same article for Spanish II, III, and IV, just have different expectations for each level. In Spanish II you want them to look forward to reading these articles, not expect them to understand everything and explain to them that that is o.k. It's all part of the learning process. It's normal. You want them to get comfortable with taking on authentic language reading samples and to experience success. I would suggest creating a standard worksheet that simply requires them to answer: Who, what, where, why, when. Who wrote the story and why? Who are the main characters? What is the main idea of the story? Where and when did it take place. Ask them in Spanish and have them answer in witing in Spanish. Best of all use this same story later as part of a test. The work they did on the homework will then translate into a good grade on their test if they did the assignment. This is all part of preparing them to experience success, which will keep them wanting to read and enjoy the assignments. By making the task the same, they become relaxed about doing the assignment and confident. You can always ask impromptu oral questions to see how much more they are getting beyond the basic written questions you gave them and to challenge them. Even better, offer extra credit questions on the test that go beyond the basic comprehension questions assigned. That will reward those who took the time to try to understand the article beyond the basic assignment without hurting others' grades.
Listening:
* The EP Podcasts and Audiria Podcasts are websites that were recommended in the Praxis Spanish test study guide made by the makers of the Praxis Spanish test for teachers.
* I purchased an audiobook by Fonolibros and found the sound quality to be excellent, but I could not read along with my book in Spanish because the audio was abridged.
Grammar:
* The grammar reference manual is excellent for teachers, Spanish majors, upper level students of Spanish. It is only a reference book. There are no exercises. This is the best grammar reference manual I have ever seen. It was recommended reading from the Spanish Praxis test prep manual made by the makers of the Spanish Praxis.
* The grammar website was recommended in the Praxis Spanish test prep manual made by the makers of the Praxis Spanish exam for teachers.
Books:
* The introduction to Hispanic literature book was recommended in the Spanish Praxis study guide written by the makers of the Spanish Praxis test. I purchased it and really like it.
* The New Spaniards by John Hooper was required reading for a Spanish graduate course. It was a page turner!
Literature Posts:
"The Modern Word" is a link that I found on the Nobel Prize Official Website and assume they would only list a quality source on their Web page. Let me know what you think.
