Diversity, Global Learning, Upper School
When Language Comes to Life: Advanced Spanish Students Demonstrate Language Proficiency and Cultural Awareness
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This week, 11th and 12th grade students in Annette Galindo’s Advanced Spanish class enjoyed a special opportunity to present their findings on themes such as world challenges, families and communities, science and technology, personal identities, and more. The students, working in small teams, were invited to research one of the themes in Spanish-speaking countries and to then connect and compare their findings to their communities in the US.
The goal? To engage them to consider not only the countries and themes, but the 5 C's (Cultures, Communication, Communities, Comparisons, and Connections) of the ACTFL World-Readiness Standards for Learning Languages.
While some teams chose to present creative PowerPoint presentations to their peers, others transformed themselves into news reporters in imaginative videos that detailed their findings. The results did not disappoint as the students spoke fluid Spanish, delivering informative, fun, and engaging presentations and videos. They shared their research in Spanish, entertained questions from classmates in Spanish, and even had an impromptu opportunity to engage with DEI Director Catalina Martinez, a native of Columbia who visited the class to watch the presentations.
“I’m so proud of these students,” said Annette. “Their language skills are so impressive, and they worked so hard to reach this level of sophistication.”