A community-based project Maria Carreira

Background Spanish 250: A class for Spanish HL speakers; Six-units, hybrid. Meets two days a week for a total of four hours. Online work: 2 hours per week. Level: Intermediate-mid (typical learner); Focus: Mechanics (spelling, grammar) with a view toward laying the groundwork for writing and literature courses. Project-based. Program characteristics: Two HL classes, Span 250, 300 (writing course).

Projects Community-based project Career-based project

Projects Community-based project Career-based project

Project goals and objectives To think critically about the place of Spanish in these communities, and, more generally, in society at large; To learn more about local HL-speaking communities (Interpretive, reading) ; To present their findings to the classroom (Presentational, speaking and writing)

Components Use demographic tools (U.S. Census, other online sources) to gather data on a community or setting in So. CA (students choose); Prepare a written report on demographic data that relates to the question of the place of Spanish; Prepare a PP presentation discussing their findings and their assessment of the place of Spanish in the public domain

Total project time: 7 weeks Phase I (two weeks): Phase II (three weeks); Phase III (three weeks, overlapping with phases I, II) Phase IV (two weeks)

Phase I: Gathering data Two steps: (a) Week 1: Collecting data (mostly in English); (b) Week 2: Evaluating the data, preparing a list of facts about the community (turned in and graded)

Phase II: Preparing a written report Three steps: (a) Week 3 (Step I): Accessing reports of this type written in Spanish for other places (Mexico, Spain, Madrid); (b) Week 4 (Step 2): Studying the format, vocabulary and language of these reports; (c) Week 5 (Step 3): Preparing report to be turned in (peer editing)

Sample report

Phase III: Studying the linguistic landscape Three steps (a) Week 2 (Step 1): Studying signs (functions, authorship, intended audience); Preparing a hypothesis about signs in Spanish in their community; (b) Week 3-4 (Step 2): Picture gathering; (c) Week 5 (Step 3): Organizing findings, refining hypothesis,

Phase IV: The presentation Two steps (a) Week 6 (Step 1): Preparing the PP i. Techniques: what to do and not to do; ii. Elements of the presentation (assessing original hypothesis, findings, conclusions) (b) Week 7 (Step 2): Present the report in stations

In a mixed class… Writing component; Speaking component; HL and L2 learners, who has the primary responsibility for each of these components?

Projects Community-based project Career-based project

Career-based project: Objectives Learn to speak about your professional field (vocabulary, structures); What they already know: Content, how to access sources of information on vocabulary and organization What they need to know: language

Process: How do they learn the language? Locate and read articles on their field of study in the target language; Study the vocabulary, structure, expressions… Prepare a glossary with key vocabulary, sample sentences

Product Glossary (not just a listing of words); PP presentation

Summarizing The projects… Respond to learners’ desire to connect with local HL communities; Respond to learners’ professional goals; Teach learner autonomy; Teach vocabulary and professional language; Teach presentational skills that are transferable to other courses