How old are the students? How long have they been in the Unites
States? Were they born here? I ask these questions because I
teach middle school ESL. I have noticed that the students that
have been here a while (especially those who were born here) are
more reluctant to speak Spanish in front of their peers, even if
their peers also speak Spanish. This may have to do with the
fact that they consider themselves American teenagers and don't
want to be seen as different. It also may be because although
they speak Spanish, it is really poor Spanish and they are
embarassed. Many of those who were born here claim that they
don't know how to read Spanish (although I have been able to
convince them that they can).
If you want to involve these students, you may want to begin
your class by translating the Spanish words in the reading on
the board and asking the class (in general, don't target a
specific group) if your translations are correct. For extra
measure, I usually attempt to pronounce the words. I have found
that even the most reluctant students love to poke fun at and
correct the teacher.
On 5/06/08, Heather wrote:
> On 5/05/08, lynne/ca wrote:
>> On 5/05/08, Heather wrote:
>>> I have several students in my class who speak languages
>>> other than English at home. The majority of those
>>> students speak Spanish. However, I have noticed that
>>> these students are very shy about sharing their knowlege
>>> of another language. When we encounter Spanish words in
>>> our reading they will not tell other students what they
>>> mean. I am wondering if anyone has any strategies to make
>>> these students feel more comfortable expressing what they
>>> know about their foreign language.
>>
>> They might be shy or embarrassed, but it also may be that
>> they don't read Spanish well.
>> Another possibility is that the particular words that are in
>> Spanish in the reading are difficult to translate - that
>> might even be why the words are written in Spanish in
>> the first place (it often is). A lot of times the Spanish
>> words that appear in English stories are cultural words like
>> quinceañera... foods like enchiladas or tamales... or
>> exclamations like ay caramba - they can be difficult to
>> translate because the translation would require an
>> explanation too, and a direct translation won't carry the
>> same cultural connotation that the Spanish word might.
>> Instead of having them translate the Spanish words they find
>> in stories, you might try asking them to teach the class a
>> few words which they themselves choose - basic phrases or
>> words related to something they're reading about, but not
>> directly from the story. That will allow them to choose the
>> words they're comfortable with sharing, and, if they're not
>> very literate in Spanish, they can show off their strengths
>> (oral language) without the fear of making mistakes in
>> reading or writing.
>> If they become more comfortable with this, eventually they
>> will begin to share what they know from the stories as well.
>
>
> Some of the students are shy and some of them do have only a
> limited grasp of Spanish, but I don't think that is why they
> are so quiet. I can speak Spanish so I know that some words
> would be harder for them to translate, but they won't share
> simple words like luna.
>
> I've encouraged a few of the more comfortable to start reading
> more in Spanish thinking that may encourage them to be proud
> of their home language.
>
> Thanks for your ideas.
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