High School Spanish Projects
There's no better way to learn a language than to use it-either by conversing with native speakers or by applying it in a creative project. Charles Leahan has been teaching Spanish in parochial high schools outside Philadelphia for 40 years. He says the kind of project he assigns depends on the ability level of the class. Here are some ideas for all skill levels.
Map it out
Leahan's elementary students have to create maps to their houses, labeling all landmarks, such as trees, billboards, buildings, and intersections. "If I can find my way to their house, it helps their grade," he says. "If I get lost, bad things happen to them."
Pen Pals
Using aliases, so that students don't know with whom they are communicating, students can exchange letters-in Spanish, of course-with pen pals from other Spanish classes.
Essay es Excellente
Essay assignments can be tailored to coincide with the current Spanish lesson. "What I did during summer vacation" could be a great way to reinforce using past tense. "What the world will be like in 2025" would utilize future tense. What may seem like cliché essay subjects are that much more interesting when written in another language.
Journaling
Leahan says that all of his students keep a journal in the classroom. Writing is done in class, away from the "help" offered by the internet. Again, topics are suggested based on what the class is studying. Free-form journal writing is also a great way to have students "think in Spanish."
Make use of media
Leahan says his students "have a ball" making and recording commercials on video, and many are more comfortable with the buffer zone of a camera, rather than speaking directly in class. Leahan says the creation of a newspaper by his more advanced Spanish classes is "probably the most creative project" his students have undertaken. The top students were the editors, responsible for finding mistakes. The paper included want ads, sports, Dear Abby-style advice columns, and editorial cartoons-everything that would be included in a real newspaper. The paper was then distributed to all Spanish classes. Finally, PowerPoint or other electronic presentations such as Keynote are very popular, according to Leahan, with topics ranging from Spanish artists and authors to meals to the Inquisition.
Buenas Suertes!
One word of advice Leahan offers for teachers is to have students mark their peers' work. "I have found they learn more by having hands-on involvement than by being a passive recepient," he says. "Actually they end up being more fair than I would have been, and in some cases, even stricter."
Tags: Leahan says, Spanish classes, students have, creative project, have students, High School
