Masters Project 2016 corrections and edits

RUNNING HEADER: CULTURAL PERSPECTIVES IN THE SPANISH CLASSROOM 1
Teaching Culture in the Spanish as a Second Language Classroom: How Learning About the
Political Process in Argentina Can Help Students Gain Cultural Perspectives
Andrew Fileta
The City College of New York

Teaching Culture in the Spanish as a Second Language Classroom: How Learning About the
Political Process in Argentina can Help Students Gain Cultural Perspective
Literature Review
Cultural topics pertaining to Spanish speakers have always been present in the Spanish as
a second language classroom. Throughout the school year, familiar products and practices related
to culture in Spain and Latin America are sprinkled into the curriculum, including bull fighting,
Cinco de Mayo, piñatas, tacos, paella, el Día de los Muertos, and Mariachis. It is important to
expose students to certain products and practices because when students interact with the culture
of the speakers of the languages they are studying it benefits their linguistic skills (Kormos. J,
Csizer K, 2007, p. 241). That being said, if they are only learning about products and practices
and not the perspectives behind them they will be limited in their language acquisition potential
because without enabling students to understand the culture of the speakers of the language they
are speaking those speakers will always be foreign and strange and this will inevitably create a
barrier linguistically. The Spanish as a second language classroom creates a wonderful
opportunity to teach students about the perspectives behind the products and practices of the
Spanish speaker but due to various challenges a lot of time teachers are unable to implement this
effectively into their practice. This is not only detrimental to the students in terms of cultural
competency but will also limit their acquisition of the Spanish language because if they are
unable to fully understand the perspectives behind the culture of the foreign language they will
never really fully understand the language as intimately. For this reason, teaching the
perspectives behind various cultural products and practices of native Spanish speakers needs to
be the foundation of the Spanish as a second language classroom. The purpose of this paper is to

discuss the importance of teaching cultural perspectives in the Spanish as a second language
classroom and give examples of how it can be executed in practice.
In today’s globalized context, cultural competency is a skill that is more sought out now
than in previous times. Educators have been urged to enable their students to “see the world
through others’ eyes” and that even in introductory level language classes the ability to evaluate
what someone from another culture understands of a given situation in a different culture and
how he therefore reacts to it”(Byrnes & Edwards, 2004 p. 268). As a result, culture needs to
always be present in foreign language curriculum from even the most elementary levels. Cultural
diversity is an inevitable aspect of humanity and cultural competency is necessary in order for us
to avoid making stereotypes and generalizations of certain groups, which is harmful to all groups
that are viewed in this way. The foreign language classroom is a foreground for helping us
understand how all humans can be different but once perspective is gained we learn how we are
all similar as well. With these new insights, the role of teaching culture in the second language
classroom has become more scrutinized in instruction. Moving forward, it is clear that culture
must be taught; however, the effectiveness of how it has been taught has varied and still needs to
be developed.
While there are a lot of challenges involved around teaching culture it is imperative to
language instruction because it can help motivate the learner to want to learn the language.
Culture, when strategically implemented, can create extrinsic motivation to learn the language.
After students learn about Lionel Messi, see tango or flamenco dancers, experience the art of
Pablo Picasso or Frida Kahlo they are going to be further inspired to learn the language spoken
by the generators of this culture and they are motivated by more than just receiving a good grade
in the class. (Engin, Alis Osman.2009 p. 1036)

In order to profoundly gain linguistic competency culture cannot be separated from
language because ‘language both shapes and is shaped by culture’ and access to one is essential
for access to the other’ (Savignon & Sysoyev, 2002 p. 511) whereas neglecting one of the two
aspects will be detriment of the other’ (Dlaska, 2013 p. 264). In a similar way, language and
culture interact with each other in a way that culture connects to all levels of language use and
structures, and thus there is no level of language that is independent of culture (Liddicoat, p. 2,
2013). In this vain, it is implied that, ‘culture learning’ should be integrated into the language
classroom. Through this ‘effort to gain insight into how culture strangers live’, ‘the successful
culture learner commits to a journey from a monocultural beginning point to a larger world in
which he or she develops new perspectives, learns new mental, emotional and behavior‘
(Lavrenteva, 2015 p. 657).
The teaching of the culture of Spanish speakers while integral hasn’t always been a
priority in the Spanish as a second language classroom. Teachers tend to concentrate on teaching
the language and culture is a lot of times an afterthought. The way that textbooks are designed
also helps to perpetuate this. A typical chapter in a high school Spanish textbook will have a
vocabulary set that is connected to a grammar rule and then at the end of the chapter they might
include a cultural note. For example, in the Paso a Paso Level One textbook, chapter 7 is about
going on vacation. They have a section on vocabulary that deals with vacations (beach,
mountains, hotel, scuba diving, museum, country, etc.) then they introduce the preterit tense in
Spanish with the goal of being able to say where you went on vacation and what you did while
you were there. At the end of the chapter there is a write-up on how teens in Chile spend their
vacation. It deals with the different climate patterns on the southern hemisphere and then goes
into a reading on summer vacation destinations on the coast and about ski mountains in the south

of the country. They recommend that the unit last two weeks with the students dedicating one
day on culture. When the unit is set up this way culture takes a back seat to grammar and
vocabulary and the students are only introduced to the culture at a surface level. One of the
activities that is suggested by the curriculum guide as an assignment for teachers to use is the
following:
You are on summer vacation in Chile during the month of July. You've discovered that it
is winter in Chile, so you go to a ski resort where you stay in a luxury hotel and spend the
day skiing. Write a letter in Spanish to a friend telling where you are, where you are
staying, and what you're doing. Be sure to describe the resort, the skiing, the hotel, and
the weather. (Wesley 2000)
The assignment will give students the opportunity to write a paragraph and use the
vocabulary learned from the unit in a functional way but it is technically an assignment for the
culture section of this unit and this activity does not go beyond the surface level in order for the
student to learn about vacationing in Chile. First of all, while you can ski in Chile winter sports
are not a large part of the culture in that country. Chile whose population is almost 18 million
had only 6 athletes at the 2014 winter Olympics (www.olympic.org/chile). On the other hand,
Sweden, a country with a population 10 million had 65 athletes compete in skiing events and a
total of 106 athletes on their winter Olympic team (www.olympic.org/sweden). Skiing is a sport
that is only reserved for the country’s elite and is not a large part of the mainstream culture of the
republic of Chile. Going skiing in Chile and staying at a luxury hotel is not a particularly
authentic cultural experience that gives us insight on the norms of Chilean society yet the book
chose to highlight the fact that you can ski in South America and stay in a luxury hotel. In the
end they only dedicate one day of a two-week unit to culture and it is not an example of

authentic Chilean culture. When provided with these resources it is no wonder that teachers have
been discouraged by the resources provided to them in terms of curriculum and training.
Furthermore, a lot of teachers think that culture is a difficult abstract topic that incorporates the
way you behave and the decisions you make and quite simply is not language so why is it the
responsibility of a language teacher to teach culture. Lastly, it can bring up very uncomfortable
situations for both the students and the teachers and as a result a lot of teachers tend to omit
teaching profound cultural topics and textbook publishers will instead focus on something that is
not very uncomfortable. That fact that Paso a Paso decided to dedicate the cultural section of
one of their chapters in their level one textbook to skiing in Chile is evidence of a topic that is
not uncomfortable. Unfortunately, students are not gaining any insight into any cultural
perspectives.
The American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) has recognized
culture as one of its 5 anchors in language acquisition. Commonly referred to as the 5 C’s,
Communication, Comparisons, Communities, Connections, and Culture are the standards they
have developed in order to effectively teach a second language. While teaching culture they
recognize the fact that you must go deeper than just introducing products and practices (for
example simply stating you can go skiing in Chile). The paradigm that has been developed in
order to effectively transmit culture has been to bridge the perspectives to the products and
practices involved in a cultural aspect of the speakers of the foreign language class. While they
have been effective in developing this paradigm and creating standards to guide educators it is
almost entirely up to the teachers to develop curriculum that effectively teach cultural
perspectives to their teachers. There is so much culture and there are so many products, practices,
perspectives involved in the Spanish speaking world that it can be overwhelming for an educator

teach culture in an effective cohesive manner that ensure that students are able to learn the
perspectives needed to gain cultural competency which then leads to proficient second language
acquisition. One way to effectively teach culture is to teach a unit on one individual country
where the final assignment is to hold an election in the class where students try to become the
president of that country.
Methodology
A good place to start for teachers is to focus on the country that they know the most
about. I lived in Buenos Aires Argentina for two years working as an English teacher for adults
working mostly for American corporations and eventually I started a courier company where I
had clients that were in several industries. I lived in a house with 3 other Argentines, which was
a very rich cultural experience. One highlight of living in the house was a political discussion
that we had at our home every other Wednesday. I was mostly an observer for these meet ups but
the exposure enabled me to gain incredible perspectives on political issues of the day in
Argentina. What I took away from these conversations was that their issues were no different
than political issues in the United States and that people had the same concerns in both countries
in terms of being able raise their families in a safe, enriching, society that will provide them with
opportunities to allow their families to flourish. I came back from Argentina in 2007 and when I
went back to working as a High School Spanish teacher I found it difficult to implement the
cultural perspectives I gained into my classroom due to constraints given to me by the
curriculum that I was being mandated to teach. In 2015 I began working in a private school and
was given more intellectual freedom in terms of the curriculum. As long as I touched on certain
grammar points depending on the grade level I was given free range in terms of the units that I
planned. What resulted was a unit that lasted six weeks long that touched on all aspects of the

physical geography, history (since 1976), industry, political issues, products, practices,
perspectives that have to do with Argentina. At the end of the unit the students competed in an
election where they would show who had gained the most authentic knowledge about Argentina
thus leading to them being elected president of the Republic.
Day 1. Basic introductory information about the Republic of Argentina
Students researched the basic information about Argentina. I Presented a PowerPoint
presentation with some images of Argentina including: Highway 9 de Julio, the obelisk, shots of
Buenos Aires, La Boca Neighborhood, Tango, Mate, Gauchos, The Pampas, The Patagonia
Region, soccer, and images of foods including Media Lunas, Empanadas, and various cuts of
beef.
From there students labeled a map with the big cities and the geographic regions and did a
matching activity identifying important landmarks in the country including, La Casa Rosada,
Iguazu Falls, Talampaya Canyon, and the National Congress of Argentina.
Información Básica de Argentina:
1. Argentina queda en _____________________ (continente)
2. Es el ____________ (numero) país más grande del mundo
3. Argentina tiene frontera con _______________al oeste ________________ al
norte_________________ y el oceano ____________________ al este
4. La moneda de Argentina es ____________________ Cambio con el dolar
hoy____________
Cambio con el dólar en 2006 (cuando Sr. Fileta vivia ahi)____________________________
5. La capital de Buenos Aires es __________________________
6. ____________________________ Fue el primer presidente después de la dictadura militar

7. Año de la independencia _________________________
8. Escriban 4 recursos naturales de Argentina:
Day 2 Products and practices of Argentinian culture
Students were then placed into groups of three to present various cultural products and practices.
Students will be asked to explain the products and the practices of the following Cultural aspects
of Argentina: La Yerba Mate, El Fútbol, El Tango, El Asado, El Gaucho, and Mercedes Sosa
(musica folklorica del oeste del país y su influencia hoy). They were graded with by the rubric
located in Appendix A
While the students were presenting I developed a true false quiz based on their presentations.
The following test was developed during one of my classes.
Prueba de la cultura Argentina
1. El tango originalmente era un baile de hombres __________
2. Los mejores jugadores de Fútbol vienen de los barrios más ricos____________
3. Mercedes Sosa representa la gente con mucho dinero____________
4. La yerba Mate es históricamente muy popular en Europa_____________
5. Los niños jóvenes bailan el Tango en Argentina___________
6. El Tango viene generalmente de los Barrios pobres___________
7. La comunidad Británica en Argentina introdujo el pais al futból_____________
8. Argentina nunca ha ganado la copa mundial ____________
9. Yerba Mate es la bebida Nacional de Colombia___________________
10. Argentina tuvo la primera liga profesional de futbol fuera del reino unido___________
11. La yerba Mate originalmente es de Paraguay________________
12. Hay más vacas que personas en la Argentina________________
13. Mercedes Sosa era una famosa cantante de Tango_____________
14. El Tango tiene sus raices (roots) en la comunidad de esclavos en
Argentina_____________
15. El chorizo es muy picante en el asado Argentina______________
There were 18 students that took this test with the average score being a 13 out of 15 thus
demonstrating proficiency in the products and practices they examined. For homework after

taking this quiz students were asked to examine the perspectives behind some of these products
and practices:
¿La Yerba Mate y el Asado son productos que representan una gran parte de la cultura
Argentina. Cual es la perspectiva de ellos acerca de estos productos y porque son tan
populares?
I will be looking for students to talk about the importance of social gatherings in the home
and with friends and family. Family is very important and on Sundays Argentines get
together with multiple generations of family members to spend the afternoon together
preparing and eating the barbecue. Meeting up with friends is a priority for most
argentines and while there is a café culture the most popular way for friends to get together
is to drink mate. They meet up either at home or in a public space mainly a plaza or a park
and commence the mate ritual.
¿Porque la Yerba Mate es tan popular en Argentina pero no en otros países fuera de
sudamérica?
I will be looking for students to talk about how Americans don’t like the idea of sharing the
Bombilla and the bitter taste. In Argentina it is part of the identity. Argentines get used to
the taste at a young age.
¿Que representaba Mercedes Sosa y la nueva canción para la identidad Argentina y la identidad
hispanohablante?
During the late 1970s and early 1980’s there were a series of right wing dictatorships that
took over Latin America. There was a lot of resistance amongst the working classes and the
music that came to represent that was the Nueva Cancion. It was a resurgence of Folk

Music that is derived of a mix of Andean indigenous music, music developed by African
slaves, and different types of music from Spain. The common themes in this music are
based on poverty, imperialism, empowerment, human rights, and Latin American Identity.
Day 3: Perspectives and Politics
We began the class by discussing the questions that were assigned to them for homework. They
were able to come up with good answers admitting to me that they had to do the research in
English to be able to really examine the perspectives involved here. It is usually my policy for
everything to be done in Spanish but if they are using English as a topic to better understand
cultural perspectives I believe this is fine because in the long term a better comprehension of the
culture is attained which will lead to better language proficiency.
We then watched several you tube videos about Villas de Miseria which are Shanty Towns in
Argentina. After that students read the Wikipedia page about Villas de Miseria in Spanish and
answered completed the following worksheet.
Las Villas de Miseria
Palabras para entender:
Asentamientos -
Precari@ -
Desarrollo -
Adquirir -
Vivienda -
Preguntas de discusion:

1. ¿Porque las personas quieren ir a las zonas urbanas para vivir en esas condiciones?
2. ¿Porque existe turismo en las villas?
3. ¿Cuales son las consecuencias para la sociedad en general?
4. ¿De dónde son las personas que viven en las villas de miseria de Buenos Aires?
To close the class I introduced the students to Cumbia Villera and they were assigned to go home
and listen to the song el reloj cucu by the group Yerba Brava. I created a question on Google
Classroom where they had to write some things about the music. They noted that it is fast, much
different than the folk music they were introduced to, one student noticed a lot of keyboards,
another student took the time to look up that Cumbia is originally from Colombia, another
student said it looked fun to dance to.
Day 4: Perspectives and Politics
When we met as a group I explained to them that the due to the fact that so many people who
live in the Villas de Miseria come from countries that surround Argentina. They brought their
music with them and while there are many elements of the music that are very Argentine (most
prominently the lyrics) the rhythm that is prevalent in all of the songs comes from outside
influences. Lastly, the song talks about a father who left his family, which is a problem in so
many underprivileged communities. After this, I only asked them to think to themselves what are
some songs in that are similar in English and the perspectives behind them. Afterwards, students
began to examine political issues in Argentina. I began by dividing the class into groups of 4 and
each group worked on a different political issue. I included poverty, inflation, corruption, crime,
and unemployment. Students were given one day to do the research on the topic they had been

assigned. The next day they came into class and shared their information with the other groups
through a Jigsaw activity.
Day 5: Politics and Perspectives
When students came in I had a picture of Donald Trump and a picture of Bernie Sanders on the
board. I asked them to create a Venn diagram showing the differences and similarities between
the two candidates. I explained to them that Donald Trump’s philosophy represents the Right and
Bernie Sanders represents the left. After that they took the information from the previous days
jigsaw activity and write some possible ways that someone from the right would try to solve
these problems and ways that someone from the left would try to solve these problems. Students
turned in their answers for a classwork grade. Students were then introduced to Argentina’s dirty
war. I explained to them that a right wing military dictatorship that took over the country in 1976
and ruled the country until 1983 and that during that time the dictatorships would punish their
enemies by kidnapping them and not allowing them any due process and a lot of the time their
families never heard from them. We used several Internet resources to look at different accounts
of several victims of the dirty war and the students will be introduced to the Madres de la Plaza
de Mayo. This brought us to the end of the week.
Week 2: La Historia Oficial
We then spent the next three days watching the movie La Historia Oficial. The accompanied
questions are attached. After watching the movie students needed to predict the future of Alicia’s
family.
Week 3:
Day 1 and 2: Grammar

I presented the past tense of the subjunctive and introduced If clauses to the class. After a day
long review students were asked to translate the following questions and then Answer them for
homework:
La presidencia de Argentina
1. If you were president what would you do for the “madres de la plaza de mayo”
2. If you were president how would you fix the unemployment problem in Argentina
3. If you were president how would you help the people living in the Villas de Miseria?
4. If you won the election how would you celebrate the legacy of Mercedes Sosa?
5. If you became president How would you promote the National Soccer team?
6. If you became president what would you do for the farmers?
7. If you became president how would you solve the crime problem?
8. If you became president how would you bring tourism to Argentina?
Day 3: Preparation of their Speech to become the president of Argentina
Students were now assigned to present a speech to the class to become president of Argentina.
They were given the following guidelines:
Candidato Para la presidencia de Argentina
La presentacion dura 2 minutos……………………………………….(5)____________
Introduccion………………………………………………………………(5)___________
Una explicacion de su plataforma……………………………………..(10)____________

Es autentico en terminos de Argentina………...………………………(5)____________
3 clausulas de si con el condicional y el subjuntivo………………….(15)____________
Conclusion………………………………………………………………..(5)___________
Gramatica………………………………………………………………….(5)__________
Presencia y fluidez……………………………………………………….(5)____________
Total 55 points___________
Day 4: Work Day
Students were given the day to work on their speeches
Day 5: Speeches
We began our speeches. I have two classes one with 16 students and one with 12 students and we
were able to complete the speeches on the same day and nominate two candidates from each
class. During the weekend, students needed to select a Vice president and a media team. Below
are some sample student speeches:
Hola amigos! Estoy aquí hoy para postularme a la Presidencia de Argentina.
El New York Times publicó un artículo en 1996, afirmando que "rentabilidades, sobornos
y corrupción del gobierno se consideran parte de la vida cotidiana" en Argentina.
Desafortunadamente, los días de los desaparecidos no están detrás de nosotros.
Si fuera su líder, terminaría la corrupción en el gobierno de Argentina.
Mis conciudadanos, me animo a decir que no a esta "norma". Estoy aquí hoy para alterar
este patrón de comportamiento social.
Es hora de rechazar los políticos como Carlos Menem y Mauricio Macri que únicamente
buscan hegemonía y la dominación completa sobre los ciudadanos que simplemente
desean cumplir sus sueños en el lugar de trabajo y más allá.
Si tuviera que ser elegido Presidente, yo haría mi misión para poner fin a la corrupción
política destructiva en el país maravilloso pero calamitoso de la Argentina.

Si fuera el Presidente de Argentina, representaría el gente, incluido los pobres en todos
los partes de el país, como qué Les Villas de Miseria.
Espero que me consideren para su líder.
¡Hola la gente de Argentina! Me llamo Liam Julian XXXX y quiero que sea sus
presidente de Argentina. Yo sé porque ustedes y yo estamos aquí: Es porque nuestro país tiene
muchos problemas porque los anteriores líderes políticos hacían los problemas. Mi meta es
arreglar y mejorar las problemas mientras voy a hacer la meta con sus intereses y beneficios
para Argentina.
Si querrían cambiar la economía, arreglaré. Voy a hacer impuestos incentivos mejores
que los otros paises en Sudamerica. Este llamará la atención de las empresas grandes y
importantes del mundo. Argentina será la más importante país de Sud America, especialmente
para negocio.
Voy a mejorar la infraestructura de Argentina porque voy a crear las ciudades
importantes en la misma forma de Dubai; y Argentina va a trabajar con Egypt, quien hace
este proyecto ahora, y Unido Arab Emirates quien hacía este. Nosotros obtener la información
y materiales importance para el éxito de este proyecto. Por ejemplo, hacemos ciudades de
petróleo, y vamos a producemos, usar, y intercambiar el petróleo en cantidades pequeño tan
Argentina es autosuficiente y gana el máximo dinero; mientras voy a reubicar y desarrollar la
tierra granja, porque no quiero perder este industria important a Argentina cuando haré este
proyecto quiero conservar toda la algatura industria. Después de espaldarazo inicial de la
sistema para el dinero del petróleo, voy a ver si este sistema es bueno para la agricultura.

Si querrían mejor vida común, haré este para todos. Voy a usar la sistema similar a
Londres porque este sistema asegura todas las personas tiene una casa, un trabajo, y una vida
saludable.
Sí querrían las islas de Falkland de la Inglaterra, las islas estarán con Argentina una
vez más y para siempre. Las personas están en las islas son Argentinos. ¡Necesitamos
ayudarlos para sus libres!
Finalmente, voy a condenar las personas quienes tienen la culpa de la Guerra Sucia, y
doy justicia a las familias quiénes merecen este.
Supportame para el presidente de Argentina si te gusta mis planas y policías.
Two candidates were then chosen from each class after each class held an election. The
candidates then chose a vice presidential candidate and three members of their media team. The
remaining members of the class were facilitators for the upcoming debate.
Week 4: The debate and political convention
Students were given two days of class time and were instructed to work at home. The
presidential candidates were working with the facilitators and media teams to prepare for the
debate and to create a commercial and the vice presidential candidates were working on their
introductions for the president. We then went on to have a convention. I brought both classes
together for this event and we had a long class period. We started with the introductions then the
facilitators had the debate. The students then played their advertisements and we finished with an
election. In order for the vote to count the students had to have a good explanation for why they
decided to vote for the person they were voting for. In the end with this particular group there
were 26 votes casted with one student getting 12 of the votes one student getting 8 and one

student getting 6 votes. Students mostly voted for their friends but I didn’t have to throw out any
votes showing that students had enough of an understanding of the issues to make an educated
vote. The day after the election I had students perform an assessment where they needed to tell
me the perspectives behind the following products and practices:
La Cumbia Villera, Mercedes, Sosa, Yerba, Mate, El Asado, Argentino, Las Madres de la plaza
de Mayo, el Tango, el fútbol.
This was not a graded assignment and designated every students answer as either: Demonstrates
full understanding, Acceptable, Unacceptable
I then held a focus group with my students to reflect on the whole unit.
Results
I gave the students a worksheet where we reviewed the products and practices behind
several aspects of Argentinian culture and their assignment was to tell me the perspectives
behind them. For every answer they gave that demonstrated full understanding I gave them 2
points, one point for an acceptable answer and zero points for an unacceptable answer. For
Cumbia Villera I needed them to express how the rhythm was developed by immigrants and the
lyrics dealt with the trials and tribulations of living in an underserved community. For Mercedes
Sosa they needed to talk about how she also represented the underserved and but also the
indigenous influences also present in her music that represented the Latino Identity and the
resistance to the right wing dictatorships of the time. When talking about Yerba Mate they
needed to identify how it was a common way for friends to meet and with Asado they needed to
talk about the importance of the family Sunday gathering. In order to demonstrate understanding
of the Madres de La plaza de Mayo they needed to write about how they were looking for

answers to the whereabouts of their children who disappeared during the dirty war but have since
become a symbol for all injustices in Argentina and abroad. They needed to talk about Tango’s
origin in poor urban areas at the turn of the century and its origins from slave dances and while
it’s popularity has gone up and down over the years it is still a part of the Argentinian identity
and while young people don’t all dance Tango they know the lyrics to a lot of Tango songs.
Finally they needed to talk about how soccer is far and away the most popular sport in Argentina
and is a way out of poverty for many of the sport’s greatest players. I was able to conduct this
exercise with 26 students with their results below.
La Cumbia Sosa
La Yerba
Mate El Asado Madres
El
Tango
El
Futb
ol Total
Student 1 2 1 1 2 0 0 0 6
Student 2 2 0 1 0 1 0 0 4
Student 3 1 0 1 1 1 0 0 4
Student 4 2 2 1 1 1 1 1 9
Student 5 1 2 2 2 1 1 1 10
Student 6 2 2 2 2 2 1 2 13
Student 7 1 1 2 1 1 1 1 8
Student 8 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 6
Student 9 1 0 1 1 2 0 2 7
Student 10 2 2 2 1 1 1 2 11
Student 11 2 2 1 1 1 1 1 9
Student 12 2 2 2 2 1 1 1 11
Student 13 1 1 2 1 1 1 1 8
Student 14 1 1 2 1 1 1 1 8
Student 15 2 2 2 2 2 1 1 12
Student 16 1 1 2 1 1 1 1 8
Student 17 1 2 2 0 1 0 0 6
Student 18 0 1 2 2 1 0 1 7
Student 19 2 2 2 1 2 2 1 12
Student 20 1 1 1 1 2 2 2 10
Student 21 1 1 2 1 1 1 2 9
Student 22 2 2 2 1 1 1 2 11
Student 23 1 1 1 1 0 1 2 7

Student 24 2 2 2 1 1 0 1 9
Student 25 2 2 1 1 1 2 2 11
Student 26 1 2 2 0 2 1 2 10
Student 27 0 2 1 2 1 1 2 9
1.37 1.4 1.59 1.11 1.14 0.85 1.22 8.70
Overall students were best able to demonstrate understanding of the Cumbia Villera and
Yerba Mate. I would most attribute this to the fact that I was able show them the connection
between the Cumbia Villera and its similarities to Hip Hop music in the 90’s and I was able to
bring in several Mates and have students re enact the ritual of drinking Mate. The results most
showed me that if they were able to make a connection to their own culture with the products and
practices presented to them it was much easier for them to understand the perspectives behind
these products and practices. As their teacher it was most difficult for me to present the
perspectives behind the Tango to them because it was hard for me to make a connection to
something in their lives. The approach I had in mind would be to compare it to an old fashioned
dance style and music that they might associate with their parents and I wasn’t able to do that.
This made it more difficult for the students to grasp the perspectives behind the Tango in
Argentinian culture. Furthermore, the lyrics in Tango songs are full of slang and are very
difficult to understand thus furthering students from perspectives behind them. On the other hand
Mercedes Sosa sings softly and slowly and all of the songs pretty consistently carry a theme of
Latin Identity, solidarity against the right wing dictatorships, and indigenous rights against
imperialist powers. Moreover, her lyrics carry a tone of rebellion, which is something that the
students can always relate to. As a result it was not a surprise that the students were able to
demonstrate more proficiency in understanding the perspectives behind her music than
understanding the Tango. The overall score was an 8.7 out of 14, which shows that students on

the whole were aware of cultural perspectives but unable to demonstrate mastery of them. I want
to acknowledge that the motivation behind this investigation was to improve the way I teach
culture in my classroom. I was definitely able to show the students the importance of learning
cultural perspectives but not as successful in enabling my students to gain mastery of the cultural
perspectives behind various products and practices. That being said 8 of the 26 students were
able to register a score of 11 out of 14 or higher with one student getting a 13 out of 14. Because
this was the first time I had ever done a unit of this nature there were a lot of things that I would
have changed on an operational level and I would assert that in subsequent years students will be
able to demonstrate more proficiency of the perspectives behind the products and practices in
Argentinian culture.
Focus Group
I held a conversation with one of my classes where I asked the following questions:
What is the role of learning culture in Spanish class?
Why is it important to learn the perspectives behind the products and practices
Do you think that you have gained some perspectives on Argentinian Culture?
What are some of the perspectives you have gained?
What are some of the things we have done to help you gain these perspectives?
Do you think that holding an election was a good way to demonstrate your
knowledge of cultural perspectives in Argentina?
What do you think about the unit as a whole?
Some main points that were brought up were that culture creates context and which can help
motivate you to learn a language. They talked about how learning perspectives enables you to

“go behind” products and practices. One great comment came from a student saying that her
biggest thing takeaway from the unit is that poor people come together and are united in so many
ways and so many of the products and practices revolve around spending time together and being
united under being Argentinian. This was a perspective that I had never thought of and really
appreciated. Another student mentioned about how it was valuable to hear about the events that
happen in another country not in relationship to the United States. The dirty war and the movie
“La Historia Oficial” was the first they had learned about the dictatorship in Argentina and the
impact it had on the country. I also appreciated their feedback about the election basically saying
that the events that lead up to the convention were more valuable than the actual convention and
had the event been more organized and there were more time allotted they would have gotten
more out of that aspect of the unit.
Conclusion
In the end, the students were able to be to identify the perspectives behind the products
and practices of Argentinian culture and Staging an election is a way to help teach cultural
perspectives on a variety of topics while also enabling yourself to implement linguistic
objectives for your students in your Spanish as a second language class. I must add that there
were several limitations. First of all, there is an irregular schedule and classes met either 3 or 4
times a week always at different times. This made it difficult to get a rhythm going with the unit
and it took almost 6 weeks when it could have been completed in a month if we were meeting
every day. A lot of momentum was lost due to the unit stretching out over time and going almost
until Exam week then forcing us to hurry. This was the first time I ever attempted this unit and it
will inevitably go much smoother in the future. That being said, it is much better than teaching a
unit about skiing in Chile.

References
Gardner, R. (2006). Motivation and Attitudes in Second Language Learning. Encyclopedia of
Language & Linguistics E Reader Version, 348-355. doi:10.1016/b0-08-044854-2/00625-8.
Schweiter, J. (2013). Studies and Global Perspectives of Second Language Teaching and
Learning, Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing.
Kormos. J, Csizer k. (2007). An interview study of inter-cultural contact and its role in language
learning in a foreign language environment. System. Jun2007, Vol. 35 Issue 2, p241-258. 18p.
System E Reader Version. Retrieved from doi:10.1016/j.system.2006.10.010.
Byrnes, H. Edwards, D. Scollon R. Allen, R., Wesche, M. Allen, W. Pratt, M. (2004).
Perspectives. Modern Language Journal E Reader Version. Vol. 88 Issue 2, p266-291. 26p, DOI:
10.1111/1540-4781.00165
Engin, Alis Osman. (2009). Second Language Success and Learning Motivation. Social
Behavior & Personality: an international journal. 2009, Vol. 37 Issue 8, p1035-1041. 7p.
Savignon, Sandra J, Sysoyev, Pavel. (2002). Sociocultural Strategies for a Dialogue of Cultures.
Modern Language Journal, 86, 508 -524.
Dlaska, Andrea. (2013). The role of foreign language programmes in internationalising learning
and teaching in higher education. Teaching in Higher Education, 2013 Vol. 18, No. 3, 260-271,
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13562517.2012.696538
Liddicoat A.J, Scarino, Angela. (2013) Intercultural Language Teaching and Learning. Wiley
Blackwell Publishing
Lavrenteva, E & Orland, Barak, L. (2015) The Treatment of Culture in the Foreign Language
Curriculum: An Analysis of National Curriculum Documents. Journal of Curriculum Studies, 47
p. 653 – 684. DOI: 10108000220272l.2015.1056233
Wesley, Addison. (2000) Paso a Paso 1. Pearson Prentice Hall
Apendix A
Presentación cultural
_____/40
Content/
Ideas
Word Choice/
Vocabulary Conventions/
Message
Ayudas
visuales
Organiza
tion
Spoken
Fluency
Voice
Pronun
ciation

5 Rich and
Interesting;
Provides in-
depth
understandin
g of the topic
andits
cultural
implications
Varied,
engaging
vocabulary and
vocabulary
from theunit is
used
throughout; no
English used
during the
presentation
No predictable
or avoidable
errors
(appropriate to
the level);
accurate
information
presented
Used
attractive
visuals that
strongly
supportedthe
presentation;
All could see
anduse the
visuals from
any point in
the
classroom;
There are
no words on
the visuals
other than
titles (in
Spanish).
Excellent
organizati
on;
Logical
andclear
introducti
on,
transitions
and
conclusio
n
Speaks
clearly with
appropriate
pauses and
inflection;
very well-
rehearsed;
little to no
reliance on
note cards;
excellent eye
contact with
the audience
Strong
personality;
highly
original;
evokes
emotional
response
from the
audience
with tone of
voice and
expression;
engages the
audience;
easy for all
to hear
Applies
pronunci
ation
rules
consiste
ntly
4 Very good;
some detail
of the topic
andcultural
implications
Appropriate but
predictable; no
English used
during the
presentation
Few errors Used
attractive
visuals but
they could
not be seen
well
throughout
the
classroom or
they were
less directly
relatedto the
topic
Very good Speaks with
minor
hesitation;
comprehensi
ble to native
speaker; may
have read
from notes
from timeto
time but
maintained
goodeye
contact w/
audience
Personality
and
originality
apparent;
audience is
interestedin
the
presentation;
no problems
hearingthe
presentation
Applies
pronunci
ation
rules
often
3 Adequate,
good;
“tourist” level
of
understandin
g
Basic
vocabulary –
little varietyfor
level; some
misuse of
words; a single
word or phrase
of English used
once
Occasional
errors, but
comprehensibl
e
Visuals did
not show
great pride in
workmanship
or they were
not directly
relatedto the
presentation
Adequate,
good
Speaks with
little
hesitation;
comprehensi
ble to
teacher;
frequently
readfrom
notes with
little eye
contact
Personality
and
originality
emerging;
audience is
less engaged
in the
presentation;
difficulty
hearingfrom
time to time
Applies
most
pronunci
ation
rules
2 Weak;
missing
requirements;
vague
Weak;
repetitive;
misuse of
dictionary;
poor word
choices;
English used
more thanonce
Seldom clear;
interference
from patterns
of errors
Very sloppy
visuals or
visuals were
not relevant
to the topic
Weak Speaks with
some
hesitation;
difficult to
understand
and/or
mainly read
from paper
Little
evidence of
originality;
indifferent;
did not
engage
audience;
difficult to
hear
Applies
some
basic
pronunci
ation
rules
1 Misleading;
No effort to
meet
requirements
Inappropriate;
may slip into
English from
time to time
Poor, not
comprehensibl
e - So many
errors, it’s
difficult to
comprehend
No visuals Misleadin
g,
Missing
key
elements
Speaks with
great
hesitation;
barely
comprehensi
ble and/or
readdirectly
Little/ no
originality;
Lack of
enthusiasm;
Disengaged
and
disinterested
audience
Does not
apply
basic
pronunci
ation
rules

from paper;
monotone
0 Little/none Little/none Missing, very
little
None None None Grunts
Rubric score = ______/4

Masters Project 2016 corrections and edits

Recommended

Recommended

More Related Content

What's hot

What's hot (19)

Similar to Masters Project 2016 corrections and edits

Similar to Masters Project 2016 corrections and edits (20)

Masters Project 2016 corrections and edits