The Important Role of Reading in Language Acquisition

Posted on by Vicky Masson

by María Martinez

Having passion for reading is something that should be instilled in our students at a very early age. Today it is not so easy. Previous generations had fewer ‘distractions.’ There were not as many channels with such a variety of programs; there was no Internet or social media and video games were more limited. Sadly, that passion for reading that previous generations had, is being lost today due to competing with all these other media. 

It is our job, as parents, teachers and educators, to do something about it. Reading must be a vital part of students’ daily lives and we must find ways to promote it, motivate our students and make reading exciting again for the new generations.

In my lessons, both with my students who study Spanish as a foreign language, and with those students who are heritage Spanish speakers, reading stories is very important. Reading opens a door to imagination and creativity. In addition, it helps students reinforce grammar and spelling patterns without needing to use boring and repetitive grammar exercises. Furthermore, reading expands their vocabulary by finding synonyms and gaining vocabulary richness without even realizing it as it models language in a subtle way.

In my channel BILINGUAL CEREBROS, you can find a section in the Playlists where there are already 27 short stories and fables with morals to reflect on. Many activities can be done with them. These are some ideas on how to use the short stories, tales and fables on my channel:

1. Summarize the story using your own words.

2. In small groups, role-play the story.

3. Explain the moral of the story. Give your point of view about what is learned from this story. What value/values ​​does it teach us?

4. Practice your verbal fluency and pronunciation by reading the story aloud.

5. Who is the main character in this story? / Who are the characters in this story?

6. Describe the characters in this story. What is their personality like?

7. Find the verbs in the past tense (Pretétito indefinido & Pretérito imperfecto) and analyze their uses.

8. Compare the English version with the Spanish version. What new words or expressions have you learned with this story/fable?

In addition, students can review these stories at home and listen to the pronunciation again since they are all published on the channel and they can access them for free.

If you need the bilingual version of these stories for your lessons, I can also send them to you for free in PDF or PowerPoint versions. You can email me at: bilingualcerebros@gmail.com to request your copy. Students can use these bilingual versions to compare vocabulary and structures in Spanish and English. 

Here are the direct links to the 27 stories that are on the channel so far, and I will continue uploading new stories. I hope they are useful.

  1. El león y la liebre: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DBm6ZPEi9dI&t=4s 
  2. La zorra y la cigüeña: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Shi497XqhuU&t=12s 
  3. El león y el ratón: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ycr5WGcye2I&t=17s 
  4. Tres historias espeluznantes de Halloween: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=skfmvKkUjUk 
  5. El monje y el escorpión: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fubufPhvn0s&t=8s 
  6. Fábula de la rana y el ánimo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KDW7Jkv2wwQ 
  7. El paquete de galletas: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RNRt2qYEN4E&list=PL5TlFjB4h2gXEG7xuagyRjMJV97TMKqRe&index=12 
  8. El elefante y la cuerda: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GUhTd8XYY2U&list=PL5TlFjB4h2gXEG7xuagyRjMJV97TMKqRe&index=13 
  9. El mejor regalo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1THweV4udkg&list=PL5TlFjB4h2gW6D5mUIR8voZ3PgvhSjhBt&index=9 
  10.  La mariposa y las dificultades: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H2I_02gNh8U&t=27s
  11.  Suelta el vaso – Reflexión: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nfieH-RU4N8&t=65s 
  12.  El anciano malhumorado: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZvB7gQ_lPc&t=20s
  13.  El obstáculo en el camino: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B0DHeFPfQq0&t=72s 
  14.  El sabio de la montaña: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KrEqLLYqtO4 
  15.  B1/B2 – EL CARACOL CARLOS – Una historia para practicar los distintos sonidos de la letra c: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QE5wRBcAbss 
  16. B1/B2 – EL GUSANO GONZALO – Una historia para practicar la g suave y la g fuerte: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k3GlOKVgcZc&t=11s 
  17.  B2/C1 – CÓMO ARREGLAR EL MUNDO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZY-XE6bGhp0&t=33s
  18.  B2/C1 – LA LUCHA INTERIOR: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nDfcyTV1KRY&t=14s
  19.  B2/C1 – LOS SEIS SABIOS CIEGOS Y EL ELEFANTE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gcl7LBso80w&t=18s 
  20.  B2/C1 – LA JOVEN CIEGA: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mLbJelavV7U&t=2s 
  21.  B2/C1 – LA ROSA Y EL SAPO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eGDGUvge1aI&t=9s
  22.  B2/C1 – LOS ERIZOS Y EL INVIERNO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=45Xruk1yETo 
  23.  B2/C1 – EL CACHORRO COJO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L6nGUbWwrxw
  24.  B1/B2 – DISCUTIR CON UN BURRO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y7x8JZXDjfY&t=5s 
  25. B1/B2 – EL CABALLO Y EL ASNO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4gE6cHM0mek 
  26. B1/B2 – EL VERDADERO VALOR DE LA NAVIDAD: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RHFovoDwL58&list=PL5TlFjB4h2gW6D5mUIR8voZ3PgvhSjhBt&index=25 
  27. B1/B2 – LA PARÁBOLA DEL COLIBRÍ: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9PL_oIqur8k 

Enjoy!

I would also like to invite your students to participate in the Poetry Competition organized by my channel. Here are the details about it:

Do not hesitate to contact me! 

♡ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@bilingualcerebros 

♡ instagram: https://www.instagram.com/languages_sra_martinez/ 

♡ tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@bilingualcerebros 

♡ facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LanguagesResourcesSraMartinez 

♡ twitter: https://twitter.com/LanguagesSra 

♡ linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maria-martinez-5bb94a1a5/

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Reading and Writing Teaching with Novellas

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Reading and Writing Teaching with Novellas

Posted on by Vicky Masson

by Marcela Velikovsky

“Novels in the Centre” is a column of Language Teaching Lab where you will read about why, how and what novellas become meaningful resources for teaching a language

If we learn to walk by walking and to talk by talking, we can also learn to read and write in another language by reading and writing in that language. 

That is why I love teaching Spanish and I love teaching with novellas! 

How is Reading and Writing Teaching with Novellas for me

I start by building the necessary background knowledge to facilitate students’ understanding of the story. Depending on the novella, I focus on the social-economic, historical or geographical aspect. For example, before reading “Patricia va a California” students research about Guatemala.

When we read it is important to check students’ comprehension often to avoid misinterpretation and help them construct meaning beyond unknown words.

When we read it is important to check students’ comprehension often to avoid misinterpretation and help them construct meaning beyond unknown words. I ask them comprehension questions sometimes in English and sometimes in Spanish. I explain new vocabulary and phrases in context and when I model reading aloud, I verbalize my thinking and ask for their opinion. “Hmmm, I wonder if Patricia…” What do you think?” Do you think she will… or…?

When I’m sure they grasp the story in a chapter, we analyze, explain, compare and contrast characters and places. For example, Patricia’s house has only one bathroom for seven family members living there. This is something common in Latin America that shocks most students who are used to bigger houses with multiple bathrooms. 

Go deeper when re-reading chapters

We annotate, represent, and talk and write about the topics and themes in the novella. For example, Patricia, the main character, is being discriminated against for being Latina. While she’s Guatemaltecan, Debbie, one of the characters, calls her “Mexican.” This leads us to talk about identity, immigration and discrimination. Students make personal connections and read current events articles and watch short videos in Spanish related to the topic and theme.

Assessment Tasks

The novella becomes the center from which I derive multiple communicative tasks related to each chapter. For example, I’ve used the following task as an assessment:

Pick ONE of the following points and write a paragraph in Spanish based on the information given in  Chapter 8:

Point  A  –  When Patricia talks with Debbie at the party, she says that while many people think being poor is a terrible thing, she has “everything” and “she does not need anything else.” What does Patricia consider the most important things in her life? 

Point B  – What do you think are the most important things in your life? Why?

Point C – Imagine you’re Patricia. Write a letter to a friend in Guatemala telling her/him all about the robbery.

This way, students empathize with the characters in the novella and see the world from different perspectives.

Novellas are Key for Language and Culture Learning

Students focus so much on the characters and the plot that don’t realize how much language they are absorbing. Novellas are great not only from the point of view of language acquisition, but also to immerse students in the culture and other people’s realities through the life experiences of the characters. I also use novellas as a springboard for class discussions of current events that relate to the topics and themes developed in the novellas.

Resources

Patricia va a California (Spanish Edition) – As an Amazon Associate LTL earns from qualifying purchases