Reflection:
When I first began the semester, I am not going to lie that I was a bit overwhelmed. I felt like there would be no way that I would be able to understand and retain all of the material. However, through weeks and weeks of practice, and memorization, I found myself slowly understanding the Spanish culture and language. This semester has been beyond informative and has taught me so many things. I feel confident in my beginner Spanish speaking abilities, and I no longer feel overwhelmed or like “I can’t do it”. I learned how to communicate to a partner in Spanish, listen in Spanish, describe things by myself in Spanish and write compositions. Below are some assignments that have made me feel confident in the language, and that helped my growth. For any further questions on my work, please contact my email for any more information on how this class was so beneficial for me!
Exploring Culture
While we explored culture in class, I learned that campus living in the US and in Spanish speaking counters are completely different. I learned that students there do not have on campus living but most likely live at home. This made me realize maybe their emphasis on family. Throughout the semester I really started to realize how much Spanish speaking cultures value family and the idea of “home” more than we do in the US.
Engaging in Communities
In my community, I engage in babysitting for my church as well as participating in Operation Christmas Child every Christmas!
Interpersonal Communication
Talking with my professor as well as doing the listening activities that are a few scrolls down helped me grow deeply in my Interpersonal Communication. It helped me think critically and fast. It helped me grow in the language. This assignment helped me grow the most in communication. A partner and I were instructed to ask questions about one another:
This assignment was so fun and gave a chance to feel like what it may actually be like with a Spanish speaker. I loved this assignment and think it was the most beneficial. I felt confident in my abilities and encouraged in my studies.
Presentational Speaking
Here is a video I made that described places on campus:
This was a challenge but it was It was so worth it. I surprised myself with how well I was able to explain my favorite places on campus. I would have never thought I could make an entire video of myself, but it was so fun!
Presentational Writing
Here is an example of a composition I did at the very beginning of the semester. It helped me grow in my abilities to describe myself and share facts:
Spanish-Composition-3This used to be overwhelming to me and I remember being nervous to even write my birthday. But I have grown so much and am so glad I have this to look back on!
Interpretive Listening
I completed many listening activities this semester. In this specific one, I screen recorded a section of a listening activity where I told someone they were admirable:
These listening activities were extremely beneficial. It allowed me to get better at communicating with other Spanish speakers. This way I could practice at home and grow at my own speed. They were such fun activities!
Book: https://hub.lingrolearning.com/#/62fbfcc82f7b02783dd3aa0d
Interpretive Reading
Here is a small example of cultural things we talked about in class. In this description, we began a discussion of people who were admired in Spanish speaking countries:
We talked about admirable people such as Frida Kahlo. We talked about what it means to admire people. We then discussed what people we admire in our own lives. I chose my fiancé and my mom and dad. This was a beneficial subject to go over.
Book: https://hub.lingrolearning.com/#/62fbfcc82f7b02783dd3aa0d
Interpretive, Interpersonal, and Presentational Modes of Communication