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Cultura

In this class, culture was a very big part of learning, especially being a class about a different language. We discussed multiple cultures, and how different topics are perceived in different countries. We also had the opportunity to talk with people from different countries, which gave us the ability to learn more about other cultures.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1zFBCQlTllE7-_4eb5smbofWHNgu_-G-g/view?usp=share_link

We used a web service called Talk Abroad to have the chance to talk to people from different countries, and the example above is the audio from one of those meetings. This was a good activity because it gave us the ability to talk to people from other countries and interpret different accents.

Reading

We focused a lot on reading throughout this semester, and this helped to teach various vocabulary words and create discussion about different things. This an important skill to have in order to understand a new language and reading helps to improve speaking and word knowledge.

This is a poem we read in class called Oda a un millionario muerto. This poem was challenging because there was new vocabulary and it made us use interpretation skills and helped us to learn new words and how to use them.

Listening

Listening is an important skill when learning a new language because one has to be able to comprehend what is being spoken to them. Over this semester, we had to watch several different short stories and complete different comprehension exercises in order to make sure we understood the videos. This provided us with practice listening to different spanish speakers and different accents.

This is an example of a video we watched for an assignment. The name of this short story is Viaje a Marte, and it is about a young boy who thinks he went to Mars.

Speaking

Being able to speak and interpret others speaking is perhaps one of the most important skills in knowing a language. It gives people a way to communicate and understand one another. Throughout the semester we practiced speaking skills every day in order to better our speaking and vocabulary. Speaking was one of the main focuses of this course, and I feel as though my classmates and I improved our speaking throughout the semester.

This is an example of a comic we interpreted in class, and it portrays two people talking to one another. We reviewed several different activities that had people speaking to one another, and it reveals the importance of speech in every day life.

Writing

Writing is another skill we used a lot this semester. Most of our homework assignments had us creating sentences, and quizzes consisted of a writing section as well. Writing is vital because it is another very important way to communicate with others, especially those who are far away. Learning to write well is helpful because it gives us the skill to talk to others nonverbally. This could mean sending letters to loved ones or friends, or simply writing a short note.

This is an example of a writing assignment we completed in this course. This activity is called a tertulia, and we have done five of these throughout the semester. It is kind of like a debate, and we wrote our answers down and turned them in, and then we discussed them in class. This was a great way to practice our writing and interpretation skills.