Have you ever wondered how tortillas were made? Did you know there is a difference between a Spanish tortilla and a Mexican tortilla? These are things my students beg to learn about. Learning Spanish is not just about the language but also about the culture. Food is a part of culture.
I teach 3 Level One High School Spanish classes.
I have a total of 75 students. The class sizes are 23, 25 and 27. The students are from mainly lower class and under-poverty line economic situations. The high school my students attend is the only high school in the county.
My Project
Most of my students have never traveled outside of the state, let alone the country. The closest thing to Hispanic food is from the local Mexican restaurant. However, the diversity of foods in Spanish speaking countries is vast. I do a food unit with my students comparing and contrasting various dishes from Mexico and Spain. The tortilla is the most obvious. In Mexico it is a round flat disc made of corn or flour. In Spain, however, it is similar to a potato omelet. During the food unit we will also discuss nutrition. Students will observe that Mexican tortillas are a healthy and inexpensive substitution to bread. Cultural activities such as cooking keeps students interested in foreign languages. We will make both types of tortillas in class so I will need 2 tortilla presses, 2 electric skillets and cooking utensils for this activity. Students will get to partake in a delicious element of Hispanic culture of which many never forget and many will try at home.
Teaching Spanish is a difficult task.
Grammar and vocabulary are not fun things to do. However, by incorporating a lesson for making tortillas students will be interacting with the language and learning without even realizing that they are. The materials will be used not only for this lesson but for Spanish club activities as well, extending past the two variations of tortillas.
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