My Spanish III students are learning about Spanish food. I wanted to show them that not every Latino eats tacos, burritos, and quesadillas, so I found a cooking show by Ingrid Hoffman, a call her the Rachel Ray of Mexico. Students listened to her talk about how to prepare la salsa con el salmón de barbacoa. We talked about how fish dishes are important in Latino culture during the Lenten season and how this ties to Catholicism. Then, either with a partner, individually or in their groups, students listened to Ingrid's Cooking Show, Delicioso. The show was 20 minutes long and listening to anything for 20 minutes in the target language can seem like an eternity. But, students were so surprised that they COULD understand and get the general idea of the dish she was preparing.
I gave the students a helpful worksheet to use while listening. I asked simple, multiple choice and short answer questions with the times she gave the correct answer. Students worked together to get the answer. During her commercial break and while the salmon was cooking, her show mentioned el sabor de Chicago and students found out about this treasure so close to home. This lesson was embedded with authenticity! At the end of the lesson, students had to write if they would like to try this fish dish on a padlet activity. Click the image to the left to see what they wrote and the image on the right will give you a link to the resource.
I gave the students a helpful worksheet to use while listening. I asked simple, multiple choice and short answer questions with the times she gave the correct answer. Students worked together to get the answer. During her commercial break and while the salmon was cooking, her show mentioned el sabor de Chicago and students found out about this treasure so close to home. This lesson was embedded with authenticity! At the end of the lesson, students had to write if they would like to try this fish dish on a padlet activity. Click the image to the left to see what they wrote and the image on the right will give you a link to the resource.
I sent the padlet links to Ingrid Hoffman through twitter and she responded! And she used the present subjunctive (I didn't prompt her to do this) while writing back to the class!
Some students thought it was really cool while others weren't moved by it. So the question is, 'Why incorporate authentic resources into the curriculum? Why is it important to expose our students to authenticity and less workbooks and textbooks?" I think it is important for several reasons: The students of today are going to have to work with others from different cultures in the future. It's important to know about their traditions and customs and that you really DO need to know the present subjunctive! It's just not another useless piece of information. It can help you make connections, friends, and business deals in the 21st century. Also, when students are constantly exposed to authentic resources in the WL classroom, they won't be afraid to use it outside of our classroom walls. And, they MIGHT just start listening, watching, and reading Spanish for FUN. Why WOULDN'T you use authentic resources in your WL classroom?