ESL didactic unit with activities connected with foreign languages

1. Spanglish:
To ser or not to be; That is la
cuestion

2. Reading: Don Quixote de la Mancha made
in USA
Pre-reading. Have you ever heard talking in Spanglish? Do
you know what does it exactly mean? Where can we find this
“language”?
While-reading. Underline all the words in the text that are in
Spanglish. Write down which would be the English and Spanish
words for them.
Post-reading. Have you liked the Spanglish version of Don
Quixote de la Mancha? Do you think it is easier to understand
that the original one?

3. In un placete de La Mancha of which nombre no quiero remembrearme, vivia, not
so long ago, uno de esos gentlemen who always tienen una lanza in the rack, una
buckler antigua, a skinny caballo y un grayhound para el chase. A cazuela with mas
beef than mutn, carne choppeada para la dinner, un omelet pa los Sabados, lentil pa
los Viernes, y algun pigeon como delicacy especial pa los Domingos, consumian tres
cuarers de su income. El resto lo employaba en una coat de broadcloth y en soketes
de velvetn pa los holidays, with sus slippers pa combinar, while los otros dias de la
semana el cut a figura de los mas finos clothes. Livin with el eran una housekeeper
en sus forties, una sobrina not yet twenty y un ladino del field y la marketa que le
saddleaba el caballo al gentleman y wieldeaba un hookete pa podear. El gentleman
andaba por alla por los fifty. Era de complexion robusta pero un poco fresco en los
bones y una cara leaneada y gaunteada. La gente sabia that l era un early riser y que
gustaba mucho huntear. La gente say que su apellido was Quijada or Quesada hay
diferencia de opinion entre aquellos que han escrito sobre el sujeto but acordando
with las muchas conjecturas se entiende que era really Quejada. But all this no tiene
mucha importancia pa nuestro cuento, providiendo que al cuentarlo no nos
separemos pa nada de las verd.
Don Quixote de La Mancha made in the USA

4. It is known, pues, que el aformencionado gentleman, cuando se la pasaba bien, which era casi todo
el ao, tenia el habito de leer libros de chivaldria with tanta pleasura y devocion as to leadearlo casi
por completo a forgetear su vida de hunter y la administracion de su estate. Tan great era su
curiosidad e infatuacion en este regarde que el even vendia muchos acres de tierra sembrable pa’
comprar y leer los libros que amaba y carreaba a su casa as many as él podía obtuvir. Of todos los
que devore, ninguno le plase mas que los compuestos por el famoso Feliciano de Silva, who tenía
una estylo lucido y plotes intrincados that were tan preciados para las pearlas; especialmente cuando
readeaba esos cuentos de amor y challenges amorosos that se foundean por muchos placetes, por
example un passage como this one: La rason de mi unrason que aflicta mi rason, en such a manera
weakenea mi rason que yo with rason lamento tu beauty. Y se sintioó similarmente aflicteado
cuando sus ojos cayeron en la neas como these ones: el high Heaven de tu divinidad te fortifiquea
with las estrellas y te rendea worthy de ese deserveo que tu greatness deserva.

5. Vocabulary: Spanglish words
Una senora deja su bolso de nobuk en el del
hall del club empresarial donde voy a dar un .
En el me saluda el presidente de un holding
que fabrica , y me presenta al director de
marketing, el cual afirma trabajar full y
manifiesta estar obsesionado por el exceso de stocks
, por lo que ha decidido montar un stand en la feria
sectorial.
 Think of a English word for each picture.
 Now, using some of the following words write
sentences in Spanglish as above.
Carpetero, estato , faxear , ganga, gruero, janguear, landear
migra, pana, quitear, yarda, aiscrim

6. Writing: Is Spanglish good or bad?
PROS CONS
The term Spanglish is used to refer a range of language-contact phenomena,
primarily in the speech of the Hispanic population of the United States, which is
exposed to both Spanish and English. These phenomena are a product of close
border contacts or large bilingual communities, such as along the United States-
Mexico border and throughout Southern California, northern New Mexico,
Texas, Florida, Puerto Rico, and in New York City.
Even though it is very common to hear people talking in Spanglish, this
“language has been criticized by many conservative people that want to preserve
the Spanish language in its original form. However, if Spanglish helps people to
communicate, where is the disadvantages?
Write down all the pros and cons of the use of Spanglish.

7. Transcription: To ser or not to be; That is
la cuestionAs we have said, spanglish is a variety of Spanish characterized by many
borrowings from English. Here you have a dialogue in Spanglish. Try to put it in
English and Spanish.
Anita: "Hola, good morning,
como estas?"
Mark: "Well, y tu?"
Anita: "Todo bien. Pero tuve
problemas parqueando mi carro
this morning."
Mark: "Si, I know. Siempre
hay problemas parqueando in el
area at this time".

8. Listening: Spanglish
Pre-listening. Can you think of any
situation where we can hear spanglish?
What do you think it will happen if a
Mexican goes to work to the States
and does not speak English? Will they
be able to communicate between each
other?
While-listening: Write down
situations in which communication is
difficult between Flor and the
American family and how they solve it.
Post-listening: Can you think of a
different ending? What would you
have done to communicate if you had
been Flor? Which has been your
favourite scene?

9. Grammar point: Reported Speech
You can answer the question "What did he/she say?" in two ways:
by repeating the words spoken (direct speech)
by reporting the words spoken (indirect or reported speech).
Direct Speech
Direct speech repeats, or quotes, the exact words spoken. When we use direct speech in writing, we
place the words spoken between inverted commas ("....") and there is no change in these words.
Examples:
She says "What time will you be home?"
Reported Speech
Reported speech is usually used to talk about the past, so we normally change the tense of the words
spoken. We use reporting verbs like 'say', 'tell', 'ask', and we may use the word 'that' to introduce the
reported words. Inverted commas are not used.
She said, "I saw him." She said that she had seen him.
'That' may be omitted:
She told him that she was happy.
She told him she was happy.
'Say' and 'tell':
Use 'say' when there is no indirect object:
He said that he was tired.

10. Reported Speech Exercise
Convert the phrases below into reported speech.
"It's raining," she said.
1______________________________________________
He said to her, "I love you.“
2______________________________________________
"I saw Maria in the supermarket yesterday," said Carlos.
3______________________________________________
"We've lived here for three years," he said.
4______________________________________________
"I'll bring a pasta salad," said Francesca.
5______________________________________________
"Mark's going to install solar panels," said Miranda.
6______________________________________________
"They found gold here," said the geology teacher.
7______________________________________________
"Jenny can't speak French," said Pierre.
8______________________________________________
"I first met my wife in Seville," he told us.
9______________________________________________
"I want your homework handed in by tomorrow," he said.
10______________________________________________
"My mother made these cakes," said Juan.
11______________________________________________
"I'm feeling tired now," said David.
12______________________________________________
DIRECTREPORTED
is seeing-was seeing/see-ssaw/saw-
saw/
had seen-has seen/had seen-will see
would see/is going to see-
was going to see/can see-could see
DIRECTREPORTED
Here-there/this-that/these-those/now-
then/
Today-that day/yesterday-the previous
day/
Tomorrow-the next day

11. Reported Speech: Self-Assessment
Helen: I want to tell you something about my holiday in
London.
Gareth: What does she say?
You: She says that _____________________
Helen: I went to London in July.
Gareth: What does she say?
You: She says that_____________________
Helen: My parents went with me.
Gareth: What does she say?
You: She says that ___________________
Helen: We spent three days in London.
Gareth: What does she say?
You: She says that_____________________
Helen: London is a multicultural place.
Gareth: What does she say?
You: She says that_______________________
Helen: I saw people of all colours.
Gareth: What does she say?
You: She says that_______________________
Helen: Me and my parents visited the Tower.
Gareth: What does she say?
You: She says that_______________________
Helen: One evening we went to see a
musical.
Gareth: What does she say?
You: She says that _________________
Helen: I love London.
Gareth: What does she say?
You: She says that ________________
Helen: The people are so nice there.
Gareth: What does she say?
You: She says that_______________
 Complete the following sentences of this dialogue

12. Un, dos, tres, un pasito pa'lante,
Maria
Un, dos, tres, un pasito pa'tras
Un, dos, tres,
Un, dos, tres
Es que me tiene loco
She's the one that always turns me on,
Sexy angel fallen from heaven
She's the one that always drives me
wild,
In her arms she's driving forever
Asi es Mara, blanca como el da
Pero es veneno, si te quieres
enamorar
Asi es Mara, tan caliente y fra
Que si te la bebes, de seguro te
Va a matar
Un, dos, tres, un pasito pa'delante,
Mara
Un, dos, tres, un pasito pa'atras
Aunque me muera, ahora, Mara
Un, dos, tres, un pasito pa'delante,
Mara
Un, dos, tres, un pasito pa'atras
Mara i wanna make you mine
Es que me tiene loco
Mara es
An angel in disguise
Feeds my love with her devotion
Search for a special place to hide
As she conquers all my emotion
Asi es Mara, blanca como el da
Pero es veneno, si te quieres enamorar
Asi es Mara, tan caliente y fra
Que si te la bebes, de seguro te
Va a matar
Un, dos, tres, un pasito pa'delante,
Mara
Un, dos, tres, un pasito pa'atras
Aunque me muera, ahora, Mara
Un, dos, tres, un pasito pa'delante,
Mara
Un, dos, tres, un pasito pa'atras
Mara i wanna make you mine
Un pasito pa'delante, un pasito
Pa'atras (x4)
Un, dos, tres,
Un, dos, tres
Un, dos, tres, un pasito pa'lante,
Listening: Maria (Spanglish version) Ricky Martin
Underline
all the
grammatical
tenses that
appear in the
text with one
example

13. Ready to try some 'easy' tongue twisters? Well here
they are...oh and they aren't really 'easy'!!!
After reading them try to convert them into Spanglish
using similar sounds.
Bad Black Bread
Red Bugs Blood, Bed Bugs Blood
Lovely Little Licorice Lollipops
Sixty Six Shiny Seals
Red Lollipop, Yellow Lollipop
Deadly Dinosaurs Danced Dizzly
A Big Bad Bear's Bed
Crisp Crackling Crusts
Three Free Through Trains
Pronunciation: ~ Tongue Twisters~

14. Game:Create your
own spanglish
In pairs prepare a
dialog where you say
words in spanglish. Then
tell it to the rest of the
class. The most original
one will be the winner.
Here you have some
vocabulary in Spanish,
English and Spanglish.
uanmortaimuna vez más (de nuevo)one more time (agin)
guaypetrapowipe
lodearcargarto load
el bilto tu spillorificiohole
dichesplatosdishes
trocacamióntruck
tofedurotough
nogüeyde ninguna manerano way
jugársela fríotomárselo con calmaplay it cool
jaigüeyautopistahighway
guachimánvigilantewatchman
enjoyardivertirseto enjoy
el mombueyfrenteforehead
chopearir de comprasto do shopping
las brekaslos frenosbrakes
el rufo del bíldinel techo del edificiothe roof of the building
te llamo para atráste vuelvo a llamarI call you back
vacunar la carpetaaspirar la alfombravacuum the carpet
marquetamercadomarket
trocacamionetapick-up truck
parquear el carroestacionar//aparcar un coche//carro//autoto park a car
apointmentcitaappointment
paipatubopipe
Te veoHasta luegoSee you!

15. Speaking: Foreign or not foreign?
 In groups of four, make a list of all the foreign words or
phrases that we use in our daily life. Are they now part of
our own language? Why do you think we increasingly use
these foreign words? Is it possible to communicate when you
use them? And if you dont use them?
Here you have
some examples:
hall, software,
shopping,
footing, light,
email, chatear…

16. Reading: The tower of Babel
While-reading.
How did God feel about man's rebellion?
How did man feel about following God's command to spread out?
How do you think the people felt when they realized they couldn't
understand each other?
Pre-reading. Do you know what a language is? Can you
try to give a definition of it? Do you speak any other
languages apart from your mothers tongue? Say some words
in others languages.
Now, draw a tower and write on it all the names of the
languages you know or you have heard about.

17. Our lesson begins with the time when everyone on
earth spoke the same language. But according to
the Genesis something happened to change all of
that. Today we have many different kinds of
languages. Can you name some of them? Some
cities even have television stations which speak only
Spanish. That?s because they have so many people
there who speak Spanish. When you are older,
you may want to study different languages. Let?s
find out where they all came from.
Noah lived 350 years after the flood. He was 950
years old when he died. Noah?s sons Shem, Ham
and Japheth had children of their own. Their
families were the beginning of all families in the
world today. As more and more people were born
into the families of Shem, Ham and Japheth, the
number of people on earth increased.
If you had been a father or mother in those times,
what would you have told your children about
God? Yes, you probably would have told them
about the great flood. Whenever there was a
rainbow, you would have reminded them of God?s
promise that the world would never again be
covered by water.
Reading: The tower of Babel

18. We know that many parents did hand down a knowledge of the great flood to their children. We have stories from countries in
Noah?s part of the world which show this.
This should have helped people in later years know God. They should have realized Someone who could bring such a great flood
was a God of power. They should have feared Him and have wanted to give Him honor. But something happened that shows
how easily people forget God and His way for them.
Up until that time everyone spoke the same language. They seemed to stay together in a group. The Bible tells us they came to a
plain called Shinar and decided to build a city.
They said, ?Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top is in the heavens; let us make a name for ourselves, lest we
be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth.? Since they knew how to make brick and use slime for mortar, they thought
nothing could stop them.
The Bible does not tell us a lot about this city and tower, but we know the people wanted it for the wrong reason - - they were
trying to be important in their own sight instead of trusting God for what is best. The Bible says that God did not like what was
happening. He decided to do something that would stop their building.
God said, ?Come, let Us go down and there confuse their language, that they may not understand one another?s speech.?
The Bible says that God scattered them abroad from there over the face of all the earth. The City and tower that were supposed
to reach up to heaven were never finished. After all, how could people work together when they were speaking different language?
They surely could not help each other if they couldn?t understand what they were saying. They named the city Babel, because
there was such a confusion of speech there.
Post-reading. Comprehension questions. Individually, answer
the following questions:
A. God told men to build a tower.
B. The men wanted to glorify God with their tower.
C. God gave man different languages to separate them.
D. The tower was completed.
A. Man spread across the earth.
Act out the
people when
they
suddenly
couldn't
understand
each other

19. The languages of the
World
The Indo-European Family
The non-Indo-European
Family
Speaking: The languages of the World
In groups of three, try to guess in which group do the following languages belong to
Languages isolated/ Germanic/Australia/ Tai-
Kadai/Italic/Celtic/Uto-
Aztecan/Hellenic/Athapaskan/Slavic/Baltic/Indo-
Iranian/Albanian/Armenian/Afro-
Asiatic/Uralic/Mongol/Turkic/Sino-
Tibetan/Austroasiatic/Austronesian/Japanese/

20. Listening: Babel
Pre-listening. If you read the title of this film. What do you
think about? What do you think this film will talk about? Who will
be the characters?
Now read this review:
In the remote sands of the Moroccan desert, a rifle shot rings out--
detonating a chain of events that will link an American tourist
couple’s frantic struggle to survive, two Moroccan boys involved in
an accidental crime, a nanny illegally crossing into Mexico with two
American children and a Japanese teen rebel whose father is sought
by the police in Tokyo. Separated by clashing cultures and sprawling
distances, each of these four disparate groups of people are
nevertheless hurtling towards a shared destiny of isolation and grief.
In the course of just a few days, they will each face the dizzying
sensation of becoming profoundly lost--lost in the desert, lost to the
world, lost to themselves--as they are pushed to the farthest edges of
confusion and fear as well as to the very depths of connection and
love.
While-listening. Write down all the elements you find in this
film that the characters have in common or the common situations you
may find.
Post-listening. Talk to your partner about the scene you have
liked most.

21. Only 1 language: ESPERANTO
What if everybody spoke the same language…

22. 1. WHAT IS ESPERANTO?
Esperanto is a language designed to facilitate
communication between people of different lands
and cultures. It was first published in 1887 by Dr.
L. L. Zamenhof (1859-1917) under the
pseudonym "Dr. Esperanto", meaning "one who
hopes", and this is the name that stuck as the
name of the language itself.
Esperanto is considerably easier to learn than
national languages, since its design is far simpler
and more regular. Also, unlike national
languages, Esperanto allows communication on
an equal footing between people, with neither
having the usual cultural advantage favoring a
native speaker.
Esperanto's purpose is not to replace any other
language, but to supplement them: Esperanto
would be used as a neutral language when
speaking with someone who doesn't know one's
own language. The use of Esperanto would also
protect minority languages, which would have a
better chance of survival than in a world
dominated by a few powerful languages.
Reading: Esperanto
While-Reading. Read
the text quickly and
answer these questions:
1)Who invented
Esperanto?
2)What´s the meaning
of the Word
“Esperanto”?
3)What is the purpose of
Esperanto?

23. 2.-WHERE DOES ESPERANTO'S
VOCABULARY COME FROM?
About 75 % of Esperanto's vocabulary comes
from Latin and Romance languages
(especially French), about 20 % comes from
Germanic languages (German and English),
and the rest comes mainly from Slavic
languages (Russian and Polish) and Greek
(mostly scientific terms).
The words derived from Romance languages
were chosen to be as recognizable as possible
throughout the world. For example, the word
"radio", although technically Romance, is now
used internationally. Someone knowing only
Russian and looking at a text in Esperanto
would immediately recognize perhaps 40 %
of the words, without even having studied the
language.
Esperanto is phonetic: every word is
pronounced exactly as it is spelled. There are
no "silent" letters or exceptions.
While-Reading. Read
the text quickly and
answer these questions:
1)Where does the
vocabulary come from?
2)What is the main
feature of Esperanto in
terms of speaking?

24. 3. WHAT ABOUT ESPERANTO'S GRAMMAR
AND WORD-ORDER?
Even more than its vocabulary, it is Esperanto's
grammar and rules which makes it exceptionally
easy. Unnecessary complications have been
eliminated: there is no grammatical gender, the
word order is relatively free, etc. The rules have
also been simplified as much as possible: there
is only one verb conjugation, all plurals are
formed the same way, a prefix can be added to
any word to change it to its opposite (good/bad,
rich/poor, right/wrong), and so on. Thus, after
perhaps 30 minutes' study, one can conjugate
any verb in any tense. This is a tremendous
simplification compared to national languages.
Esperanto's flexible word-order allows speakers
from different language families to use the
structures with which they are most familiar and
still speak perfectly intelligible and
grammatically correct Esperanto. This also
makes Esperanto an excellent translator of such
different languages as Chinese, Japanese, Latin,
English and French.
While-Reading. Read
the text quickly and
answer these
questions:
1)Is word order fixed in
Esperanto?

25. Role-play
Each of you are a person from a Spanish-spoken language. You come to the States
to work. As your english language skills are not very good, you start communicating in
your own”Spanglish. With a video camara record the dialogues you have with
american people, you will have fun watching it.
To ser or
not to ser;
that is la
cuestion

26. Listening: Cuba Libre by Gloria Stefan
The place that I come from I barely remember
The place that I come from I barely remember
The soul of my people will be with me forever
The soul of my people will be with me forever
You're hard to forget though we're apart
You live in my heart
Swept by an ocean of beautiful memories
Swept by an ocean of beautiful memories
Of people and places that I carry within me
Of people and places that I carry within me
The place that I come from I barely remember
The place that I come from I barely remember
The soul of my people will be with me forever
The soul of my people will be with me forever
You're hard to forget though we're apart
You live in my heart
Quiero mi Cuba libre (I want my my Cuba free)
Pa que la gente pueda (So that the people can)
Pa que mi gente pueda bailar (So that my people
can dance)
Quiero mi Cuba libre
Pa que la gente pueda
Pa que mi gente pueda bailar
I pray that the rain will bathe you in freedom
Only music and laughter be heard on the breeze
And forever after our dance will continue
And I will at last Get to see you again
You're hard to forget though we're apart
You live in my heart
Quiero mi Cuba libre (I want my my Cuba free)
Pa que la gente pueda (So that the people can)
Pa que mi gente pueda bailar (So that my people
can dance)
Quiero mi Cuba libre
Pa que la gente pueda
Pa que mi gente pueda bailar

27. Listen to the song and complete with the following words:
barely, bathe, carry forget, heart, last, laughter, ocean, place, rain, soul,.
The ............. that I come from I ..............remember
The ............. that I come from I ..............remember
The ............. of my people will be with me ..............
The .............of my people will be with me ..............
You're hard to .............though we're apart
You live in my .............
Swept by an .............of beautiful memories
Swept by an .............of beautiful memories
Of people and places that I ..........within me
Of people and places that I ...........within me
The ............. that I come from I ............. remember
The ............. that I come from I ............. remember
The ............. of my people will be with me ..............
The ............. of my people will be with me ..............
You're hard to .............though we're apart
You live in my ................
Quiero mi Cuba libre (I want my my Cuba free)
Pa que la gente pueda (So that the people can)
Pa que mi gente pueda bailar (So that my people can dance)
Quiero mi Cuba libre
Pa que la gente pueda
Pa que mi gente pueda bailar
I pray that the ............. will ..............you in freedom
Only music and ...................be heard on the breeze
And ..............after our dance will continue
And I will at ..............Get to see you again
You're hard to ..............though we're apart
You live in my ..............
Write the following words next to the phonetic
symbols.,
bathe, forget, heart, last, laughter, ocean, place,
rain, soul, forever
/a:/
/u/
/ei/
Translate the following
into your language:
b) You're hard to forget
b) though we're apart You live
in my heart
c) I pray that the rain will
bathe you in freedom
d) Only music and laughter be
heard on the breeze

28. Attention to Diversity: Fast-learners
The Indo-European family
In pairs,
decide which
language belongs
to each colour

29. Non-Indo-European Family
 Then, try
to find words
in the most
relevant or
common
languages

30. Attention to Diversity: Slow-learners
Transcription of the following sentences either into
English, into Spanish or into Spanglish.
I would like to ir shopping mañana evening
My brother likes playing la guitarra and dancear en el
living room
Tengo que toquetear todo para poder señearte what i
want
The other día fui con mis mates a un concert.
¿te quieres marrimar conmigo?
Quiero ser the man of your dreams
I am sure that you are fed up

31. Speaking. GAME: TRIVIAL PURSUIT
Post-reading. Divide the class into six groups. Ask
whether they have ever played Trivial Pursuit. Let the
students explain the rules of the game. Now tell them that you
are going to play a special variant of the game based on
cultural traditions and languages. Each group is going to
represent one of the following countries . The other groups
need to get the piece of cake of the rest of the countries by
answering questions about the weather, food, traditions,
cinema or geography about the country.
COUNTRIES PLAYING:
SPAIN-
IRELAND
BRITAIN
CANADA
AUSTRALIA
THE USA

32. How many colors are
there in a rainbow?
What are the three
colors on the German
flag?
What day of the week
did the Romans call dies
solis?
What Dickens character
said: "Please, sir, I
want some more"?
What's the most
commonly-spoken
language in Belgium?
What U.S. city
was once know as
Federal City?
What former U.S.
president's son began
hosting his own nightly
talk show in 1991?
Which are the names of
the main 5 charaters of
The Simpsons?
Who wrote Don
Quixote de la
Mancha?
What nationality
was Chopin?
What's the best known
artificial international
language?
Who cut Van
Gogh's ear?
Who sang "My
Way"?
Who as the main
actor in "Cocktail"?
Who were the two
main actors in
"Pretty Woman"?
What temperature
does water boil at?
Who discovered
penicillin?
Which is the only
mammal that can't
jump?
What's the smallest
type of tree in the
world?
What's the smallest
country in the
world?
Which is the
smallest ocean?
Which German city is
famous for the
perfume it produces?
How many wives
did Henry the
Eighth have?
Where did the first
atomic bomb explode for
the first time in Japan?
Who gave his name to
the month of July?
How long is a
round in boxing?
What are the Sun,
the Independent and
the Guardian?
Which is the most
spoken language?
How many events are
there in the decathlon?
Who starts first
in chess?

34. Write down the word “hello” in as many languages as you can think of.

35. Have a look at the pie chart. Which obstacles have you faced when learning English?

36. Warm-up: Have a look at the following jokes connected with
learning languages. Where is the punchline?

37. 1) Who´s got pets?
2) How do you communicate with your pets? And how
do your pets communicate with you?
3)Do animals speak the same language?

38. Have a look at these words? What is the sound that they imitate? Can you guess?