home

=These are some of the issues facing Spanish for Spanish/Heritage Speakers classes that teachers need to be aware of and address:=


 * **Two of the most important components are:**
 * Including an important __**literacy**__ component
 * Which has to include __developmental literacy__ [leveled readers] and __content literacy__ [read-a-louds]
 * Including a heritage/self-esteem/cultural component
 * To inspire pride in their language abilities and multicultural identities
 * We should especially be looking for Latin-Americans (that is to say people who have heritage and influence in both Spanish speaking countries **and** the United States: a dual heritage/identity)


 * Varying levels of proficiency (Very beginner-never speaks Spanish at home to advanced-speaks Spanish a lot outside of class)
 * Basing instruction off of content and not grammar
 * Linking other and varied disciplines/materials (i.e. geography and history and not just language)
 * Basing instruction off of engaging themes and enduring principles (in order to interest and motivate the students and make their learning relevant and meaningful)
 * Using authentic products/tasks/learning activities to make instruction applicable to real life
 * Including these important parts (as stated by Dr. Ray Graham, Brigham Young University):
 * 1) A program for developing learners’ ethnic and educational identities; to help them understand that they are valued individuals and that their Spanish speaking abilities are a great asset and that they are capable of completing high school and attending college. Some of the things that could be done in this part of the curriculum would be to use movies and discussion groups to explore their potential; to use individual and family ethnographies to explore their heritage as children and grand children; to use written and video presentations to present aspects of their family’s heritage and culture.
 * 2) A program for developing learners’ reading skills. This would consist, in part, of a leveled readers program with benchmark assessments and interesting and motivating readers at many different levels to help learners progress along a continuum, much like the program we are trying to implement in the middle schools, but with high interest/low readability tests for each level.
 * 3) A developmental writing program that begins with activities for developing fluency in writing and proceeds to the development of published works using the writers’ workshop. This would include activities designed to foster the development of the whole continuum of writing skills, including the whole range of editing skills (orthography, punctuation, grammar, etc.).
 * 4) A program for teaching high culture, including geography, history, art, music, dance, etc.
 * 5) A program for teaching literature beginning with folk tales from the Hispanic world and including drama, poetry, short stories, novels, etc.
 * 6) Other components that you find from a review of the literature on what is being done around the U.S. in Spanish for Spanish Speaker classes.