Although I don't expect my students to be fluent by the end of this course, I do hope for them to be able to communicate with some of the many Spanish speakers in our community by the time they leave me.
I teach various levels of Spanish in a Title 1 school district.
We have a large Hispanic population in the community and at the school, although many of our other students don't always have much experience with other cultures or places.
I want my students to have every opportunity to advance in life that students at some of the bigger districts in the state have. Learning a language is one of the best ways to do that. Learning a language exposes students to other ideas, cultures, and people. I try to incorporate topics, such as travel, that the students find interesting.
I also teach some Spanish for Native Speakers classes. These students have a variety of backgrounds: some were born in the US, and some were born in different Latin American countries. Some are more comfortable communicating in Spanish and others in English. Most of them value what they learn in Spanish class because they are learning more about their own language: something that is part of who they are.
My Project
Vocabulary is a fundamental part of learning a new language. This is my second year teaching at this school, and when I started last year, I only had about twenty dictionaries. Most of those dictionaries were falling apart or missing pages.
I have students that don't always know all the vocabulary that they should have learned in level 1 or in my own class. If a student doesn't know a word or can't figure it out on his or her own, it can be difficult to do assignments. My students are able to access an online dictionary, but sometimes the Internet is down at school or students might not have access to a computer or phone with internet access. Having a set of Spanish-English dictionaries in good condition will allow students to build their vocabulary.
This particular dictionary is also especially designed with students in mind.
This project will improve my classroom because it make it easier for students to look up unfamiliar words and expand their vocabulary.
Expanding vocabulary is one of the most important parts to learning a language, and learning a language will change my students' lives by exposing them to different perspectives, helping them understand the structures of their own language, and teaching them to communicate with all types of people.
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