Sunday 5 December 2010
El Cine: Culture in Film
Culture and film go hand in hand. You cannot have one without the other. Cine Latino Americano is a site that you can use to search for films in the Spanish speaking world. Each film has a short introduction so that the viewer can know about the story line. This site would be great for students and teachers. Students could browse films from the country of their choice and introduce them to the class. Teachers could use the site to find interesting movies to show the students, first previewing them to see if they are class appropriate. After, the teacher could give students prepared discussions questions about the film. This is definitely for advanced learners because content and richness of language can be very complex in movies, and context may be an important factor to consider. Giving students some background information so that they may better understand the plot might be in order. Film can reveal a lot about culture in other countries, so this is a valuable way of presenting it to students.
Saturday 4 December 2010
Las Noticias: Culture in the News
Culture and news are very much intertwined because culture affects the news and the news affects culture. One of the most popular news sites in Peru is El Comercio. It is a bit sensationalist, but it is good for learning about current events in Peru. There are videos about events, and it covers cultural themes like soccer, singers, and food. There is also a section about politics. This site would be suited for learners in advanced placement classes or college classes interested in the comings and goings of other countries. There are popular news sites in every Spanish speaking country. El Clarín is famous in Argentina, and El País is popular in Spain. Students can write summaries or present about a current event in class.
Popular Culture in Spanish
Actualidades: Learn Spanish through Pop Culture
This site is taken from Betsy's blog because I thought that it pertains to culture with a modern spin. It incorporates current music, TV, art, and film into lessons designed for teaching Spanish. Popular culture is as much about cultural competence as any other type of cultural aspect of a country because it also influences the way people see the world. I especially like the music and art sections of this site because there are cloze passages set to popular music in Spanish so that students can actively listen to fill in the blank, and there are many different Latin American artists represented so that students can get a taste of the variety of art that exists in the Spanish speaking world. I think this site is a real find.
This site is taken from Betsy's blog because I thought that it pertains to culture with a modern spin. It incorporates current music, TV, art, and film into lessons designed for teaching Spanish. Popular culture is as much about cultural competence as any other type of cultural aspect of a country because it also influences the way people see the world. I especially like the music and art sections of this site because there are cloze passages set to popular music in Spanish so that students can actively listen to fill in the blank, and there are many different Latin American artists represented so that students can get a taste of the variety of art that exists in the Spanish speaking world. I think this site is a real find.
Thursday 2 December 2010
Folklore
Folklore
This is a great site for resources dealing with dances, holidays, and festivals in Latin America. Put out by UT, it has a complete list of all Latin American countries and their respective cultural distinctions, especially with regard to folklore. This would be a great springboard for research papers or presentations for students interested in traditional dances and clothes in Latin American countries. Many of the descriptions are intermediate level and short exerpts could even be appropriate for lower intermediate students who are interested in this kind of topic. For other dance ideas, a teacher could find videos of dances or even teach a short demo dance class in Spanish. It would be a great alternative to traditional TPR methods of teaching because it would be in an actual context.
This is a great site for resources dealing with dances, holidays, and festivals in Latin America. Put out by UT, it has a complete list of all Latin American countries and their respective cultural distinctions, especially with regard to folklore. This would be a great springboard for research papers or presentations for students interested in traditional dances and clothes in Latin American countries. Many of the descriptions are intermediate level and short exerpts could even be appropriate for lower intermediate students who are interested in this kind of topic. For other dance ideas, a teacher could find videos of dances or even teach a short demo dance class in Spanish. It would be a great alternative to traditional TPR methods of teaching because it would be in an actual context.
Wednesday 1 December 2010
La Historia
History is a culturally relevant theme that allows us to understand where people have come from and why they are in the current situation. Sites like these would be good for research papers about historical events in different countries. This site is from Mexico. It outlines from the ancient times and the Mayas all the way to the elections of 2000. This kind of information should be for intermediate to advanced classes, and students should choose one time period of interest to write about. This is not the only site on history. There are so many Spanish speaking countries to choose from.
Historia Mexico
Historia Mexico
El Piáz: One Language, Many Cultures
Cultura Argentina: Arte, Deportes, y Alimentacion
This site provides information about cultural activities of Argentinians. It includes descriptions of typical art, music, sports, and food of Argentina. All of the explanations are in Spanish. This would be most suitable for an upper-intermediate class because of its advanced level of vocabulary and long explanations. I thought this would be a suitable site to choose from if students were to do a research project about culture. It would give them a lot of input to play with, and they could pick and choose the part of the culture that interests them the most so that they can become experts in that one area and have something to talk about that they enjoy. The following are also websites dealing with culture from other countries:
La Cultura - Generalidades
This site touches on basic culltural distinctions of Peru that make it a unique environment for travel and living. It primarily focuses on the art, architecture, music, languages, and holidays of Peruvians, but it also includes a section on typical cultural customs, literature, and handicrafts. The information presented in the site is extensive, and there are great photographs to go along with it. One possible lesson idea would be to get each student to report on a different country in Spanish and have them give presentations by taking pictures from websites like these and explaining them to their classmates.
Cultura Cubana
This site is about music, dance, film, literature, and art found in Cuba.
Todo sobre Espana
Everything about bulls, fiestas, flamenco, and food of Spain can be found on this site.
This site provides information about cultural activities of Argentinians. It includes descriptions of typical art, music, sports, and food of Argentina. All of the explanations are in Spanish. This would be most suitable for an upper-intermediate class because of its advanced level of vocabulary and long explanations. I thought this would be a suitable site to choose from if students were to do a research project about culture. It would give them a lot of input to play with, and they could pick and choose the part of the culture that interests them the most so that they can become experts in that one area and have something to talk about that they enjoy. The following are also websites dealing with culture from other countries:
La Cultura - Generalidades
This site touches on basic culltural distinctions of Peru that make it a unique environment for travel and living. It primarily focuses on the art, architecture, music, languages, and holidays of Peruvians, but it also includes a section on typical cultural customs, literature, and handicrafts. The information presented in the site is extensive, and there are great photographs to go along with it. One possible lesson idea would be to get each student to report on a different country in Spanish and have them give presentations by taking pictures from websites like these and explaining them to their classmates.
Cultura Cubana
This site is about music, dance, film, literature, and art found in Cuba.
Todo sobre Espana
Everything about bulls, fiestas, flamenco, and food of Spain can be found on this site.
Thursday 18 November 2010
La Literatura - Written Culture
Virtual Spain
Here is a comprehensive website for famous Spanish literature. It is best suited for advanced classes, though due to the variety of forms of literature, some of the material could be used for intermediate classes. It has everything from short love poems of the middle ages translated into simplified Spanish to biographies of authors in the period of modernism. Many authors are listed without websites, so for teachers who love this kind of material, you might want to find new authors in the list to read and share with students.
Here is a comprehensive website for famous Spanish literature. It is best suited for advanced classes, though due to the variety of forms of literature, some of the material could be used for intermediate classes. It has everything from short love poems of the middle ages translated into simplified Spanish to biographies of authors in the period of modernism. Many authors are listed without websites, so for teachers who love this kind of material, you might want to find new authors in the list to read and share with students.
Sunday 14 November 2010
El Arte - Culture in any Language
Why can artists and musicians be internationally renowned? Because they speak a different, universal language for all to see and hear. Diego Rivera was a famous Mexican artist in the early 1900's and was influenced by greats like Picasso and Cezanne. Here is an endless pictoral gallery of his work. Diego Rivera Paintings
One way to use art as a language instruction or assessment tool is to have students describe some kind of picture in the second language. Why not include pictures that are culturally relevant to the language being spoken? For beginner classes, have students ask and answer eachother's questions about paintings of famous artists by using a small set of newly learned vocabulary. For advanced classes, have students compare and contrast paintings, interpret them, relate them to daily life, explain the historical background of them, etc. For more input, find explanations of the paintings and have students look up new vocabulary of the paragraphs.
One way to use art as a language instruction or assessment tool is to have students describe some kind of picture in the second language. Why not include pictures that are culturally relevant to the language being spoken? For beginner classes, have students ask and answer eachother's questions about paintings of famous artists by using a small set of newly learned vocabulary. For advanced classes, have students compare and contrast paintings, interpret them, relate them to daily life, explain the historical background of them, etc. For more input, find explanations of the paintings and have students look up new vocabulary of the paragraphs.
Intercambio - Sharing Language through Video
Fluent Future Videos
This site is especially useful for learning new grammar points and vocabulary--language skills that are necessary for cultural competence. The site itself is meant to be a language exchange platform. If one signs up, there is access to native speakers as language exchange partners on the web, but for classroom purposes it would be better to stick with the instructional videos as supplements to a class lesson. There is a long list of videos to choose from. I recommend the ones that are rated with four stars. In the best video, a man instructs how to use the command form by giving commands to his dog. It is educational and entertaining, and it has meaningful delivery, so it maintains the attention of the students.
This site is especially useful for learning new grammar points and vocabulary--language skills that are necessary for cultural competence. The site itself is meant to be a language exchange platform. If one signs up, there is access to native speakers as language exchange partners on the web, but for classroom purposes it would be better to stick with the instructional videos as supplements to a class lesson. There is a long list of videos to choose from. I recommend the ones that are rated with four stars. In the best video, a man instructs how to use the command form by giving commands to his dog. It is educational and entertaining, and it has meaningful delivery, so it maintains the attention of the students.
Friday 12 November 2010
¡Que Rico! La Cultura Atra Vez de la Comida
Food is one of the central aspects of any culture. It is not only fun to eat and cook, it is also fun to talk about. The food of the Spanish and Latin world is diverse, delicious, and unique. If you want get any native speaker talking, ask them about food and they are sure to have an opinion about it.
Cocina Hispana
Here is a clip taken from a college Spanish class with students who utilize their Spanish to explain how to cook common dishes found in Latin America. This could be used as a model for your own class. Have your students cook a dish and present it to the class. Teach certain phrases to aid them in explaining how to cook like, ¨Primero, preparamos,¨ ¨Vamos a poner,¨¨Mezclamos,¨etc. The following are websites in Spanish with different recipes from many countries to choose from.
¡Buen Provecho!
Cocina Hispana
Here is a clip taken from a college Spanish class with students who utilize their Spanish to explain how to cook common dishes found in Latin America. This could be used as a model for your own class. Have your students cook a dish and present it to the class. Teach certain phrases to aid them in explaining how to cook like, ¨Primero, preparamos,¨ ¨Vamos a poner,¨¨Mezclamos,¨etc. The following are websites in Spanish with different recipes from many countries to choose from.
¡Buen Provecho!
Thursday 11 November 2010
La Arquitectura es Cultura - Cities and Monuments in Spain
If my blog is actually representing itself as a site for cultural competence, the first place that it should look for culture is in the architecture in the cities. The more one knows about the famous monuments of the world, the more interesting conversations can be in the target language with native speakers. There is nothing in the world quite like the Sagrada de Familia Cathedral or the architecture of Gaudi found in Barcelona.
Ciudades y Monumentos en Espana
This clip has music to keep students' entertained, writing to keep them learning new vocabulary, and content knowledge that is interesting because it deals with tourist site they might be inspired to go see someday. There are many ways this could be used as a springboard to start a lesson depending on whether you want to focus on listening, reading, writing, or speaking. All of those could be included in the lesson. Have students listen for certain phrases in the music and raise their hand when they recognize them. Get them to read the text and answer questions about it after viewing the video twice, either written or orally. Have students write down five new vocabulary words they do not know, look them up or ask the teacher, and practice them orally with a partner to remember them.
Ciudades y Monumentos en Espana
This clip has music to keep students' entertained, writing to keep them learning new vocabulary, and content knowledge that is interesting because it deals with tourist site they might be inspired to go see someday. There are many ways this could be used as a springboard to start a lesson depending on whether you want to focus on listening, reading, writing, or speaking. All of those could be included in the lesson. Have students listen for certain phrases in the music and raise their hand when they recognize them. Get them to read the text and answer questions about it after viewing the video twice, either written or orally. Have students write down five new vocabulary words they do not know, look them up or ask the teacher, and practice them orally with a partner to remember them.
Videos in Spain
This short clip breifly illustrates the excitement of Christmas in Spain by ringing bells and watching clocks. Not only is it informal, but it is rather silly, and the language is simple enough for beginning to intermediate speakers. If you feel in a silly mood, this clip might work perfectly for the right class who is receptive to silliness when studying Spanish.
Las Campanadas
Here is another video with subtitles in Spanish. It is about Spanish eating and working schedules and how they are distinctive from other cultures. The video paints the Spanish use of time in a negative light, so a good class discussion questions might be, ¨Do you think the Spanish working schedule is really as negative as the video portrays it to be? It is higher level and almost news-like, so I suggest that a teacher pick out vocabulary words to have students review before the viewing so that they have a better grasp of the material. Listening to this video several times would probably be appropriate for intermediate students, and having students pick out words they do not know and defining them would be a good vocabulary building exercise.
Horarios España
Las Campanadas
Here is another video with subtitles in Spanish. It is about Spanish eating and working schedules and how they are distinctive from other cultures. The video paints the Spanish use of time in a negative light, so a good class discussion questions might be, ¨Do you think the Spanish working schedule is really as negative as the video portrays it to be? It is higher level and almost news-like, so I suggest that a teacher pick out vocabulary words to have students review before the viewing so that they have a better grasp of the material. Listening to this video several times would probably be appropriate for intermediate students, and having students pick out words they do not know and defining them would be a good vocabulary building exercise.
Horarios España
Monday 18 October 2010
Why Learn Spanish?
Welcome to my blog!
This blog is my humble attempt to give students and teachers of Spanish resources that offer insight into the culture of the world in Spanish. I believe that the more you know about the culture of the people who speak Spanish, the more rapport and communicative competence you acheive, and along with this knowledge comes cooperation, harmony, and understanding.
Aqui hay un video que explica porque algunas estudiantes estudian espanol.
Why they study Spanish - Por que estudian espanol
Here are some other reasons why language is important from a cultural perspective:
Some characteristics that separate us from the animals are our appreciation of beauty, our capacity to create, and our ability to learn and understand. Language allows for this to happen by functioning as a medium to tell stories, teaching survival skills, giving us insight about the choices we make, and passing traditions and knowledge to others. It fills the monotony of every day life by making it andecdotal and meaningful.
It also reveals the inner person and allows those who use it and learn it on a regular basis a chance at making an exciting intellectual, spiritual, and scientific journey. As humans not only do we face a mirror everyday but we also face our fellow humans with whom we must communicate to survive. Without language we would live in a lonely world. Language is as valuable and as dangerous as fire. It can spread in all directions if it conveys something of interest or notoriety. It can cause as much harmony as it can conflict, and it can begin, maintain, or end human relationships. It is the medium through which religion and politics spread, and it allows us to document our history and knowledge. It is used in literature and drama to evoke emotion and self-contemplation.
Foreign languages are merely different forms of the same medium with certain unique characteristics attributed to the cultural history and traditions of the language speaking group. Knowing foreign languages gives us insight about the cultural history and common practices of people who live in different areas. It facilitates the appreciation of the beauty of different heritages and respect of their traditions. It is also allows for the appreciation of unique individuals with interesting perspectives, thus adding to our own perspective and making us more interesting. It can also allow us to look at our own culture, appreciate it, and respect it by viewing it in a different light. This is why I study and teach language.
This blog is my humble attempt to give students and teachers of Spanish resources that offer insight into the culture of the world in Spanish. I believe that the more you know about the culture of the people who speak Spanish, the more rapport and communicative competence you acheive, and along with this knowledge comes cooperation, harmony, and understanding.
Aqui hay un video que explica porque algunas estudiantes estudian espanol.
Why they study Spanish - Por que estudian espanol
Here are some other reasons why language is important from a cultural perspective:
Some characteristics that separate us from the animals are our appreciation of beauty, our capacity to create, and our ability to learn and understand. Language allows for this to happen by functioning as a medium to tell stories, teaching survival skills, giving us insight about the choices we make, and passing traditions and knowledge to others. It fills the monotony of every day life by making it andecdotal and meaningful.
It also reveals the inner person and allows those who use it and learn it on a regular basis a chance at making an exciting intellectual, spiritual, and scientific journey. As humans not only do we face a mirror everyday but we also face our fellow humans with whom we must communicate to survive. Without language we would live in a lonely world. Language is as valuable and as dangerous as fire. It can spread in all directions if it conveys something of interest or notoriety. It can cause as much harmony as it can conflict, and it can begin, maintain, or end human relationships. It is the medium through which religion and politics spread, and it allows us to document our history and knowledge. It is used in literature and drama to evoke emotion and self-contemplation.
Foreign languages are merely different forms of the same medium with certain unique characteristics attributed to the cultural history and traditions of the language speaking group. Knowing foreign languages gives us insight about the cultural history and common practices of people who live in different areas. It facilitates the appreciation of the beauty of different heritages and respect of their traditions. It is also allows for the appreciation of unique individuals with interesting perspectives, thus adding to our own perspective and making us more interesting. It can also allow us to look at our own culture, appreciate it, and respect it by viewing it in a different light. This is why I study and teach language.
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