In my language class, I have to opportunity to learn Spanish in an immersive environment. Through the use of song, movie, written word, and board games, my peers and I are steadily building our vocabulary through the practical use of the language. This class not only teaches students about Spanish, but also the intricacies and quirks present in their own primary language.
One of our major projects in Spanish this year is a group short film! These films will be presented at the MAMS film fest at the end of the year. We began by learning strategies for filming interesting and well framed shots as a class. Then, during B-Term, we created storyboards (seen below) in our groups to map out our films. In C-Term, we have begun filming. Once completed, the last step will be to edit the short films.
My group’s film, “¡Clue! En español” is a comical take on the classic movie Clue. Set in MAMS, it shows the craziness that ensues when students begin disappearing. In the storyboard below, you can see one character spying on another, then two characters conversing in the dark. For this project, I am working with Abhinav, Megan, Phia, and Tim.
Explored through movies and short stories, one of the major themes of A Term in Spanish was childhood, or la niñez. To end this unit, students wrote an essay describing an important event from their childhood. In my essay, I wrote about the experience of loosing my nana to cancer and the warm memories we had together in my early years. This was the first formal piece that I have written about this life changing experience. Looking back, I can tell I learned a lot more than Spanish when composing this essay.
In addition to reflecting on our childhood, this essay was also used as a tool to practice the preterite and imperfect tenses.
Unable to display PDF file? Download the essay instead.