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Spending in Spanish!

Gastando en Español

by Alicia Dallman

Research* indicates that individuals learn vocabulary and complex concepts best when they are presented “in context” and build toward a final, feasible goal. Although experience in a foreign country is often considered to be the most effective “context” in which one can acquire a second language, it is also possible to establish a meaningful context for language learning in the classroom. For Spanish I, III, and IV students at Palmyra High School, this “context” involved a Spanish market simulation in which Spanish I students were required to purchase a minimum of five items from five stores created and managed by Spanish III students.

In the weeks leading up to this market extravaganza, Spanish I students generated a list of currencies used by Spanish-speaking countries around the globe and incorporated their math skills by converting these currencies to the United States dollar. As students practiced currency conversions, they also learned how to write checks and use vocabulary to express classroom objects, prepositions, and courteous shopping phrases one would commonly hear in a Spanish marketplace. They practiced all of these terms and concepts via bartering exercises and a live auction that brought many smiles and treasures. Before they could enter the market and take a step into Spain, they demonstrated the passports and student identification cards they constructed to pass through the strict Palmyra security. After completing these prerequisites, Spanish I students were ready for the fun to begin!
Spanish III students prepared for the simulation by writing an inventory of the many items in their tiendas (shops), which sold sundry stock from books and folders to dolls, music, and t-shirts. They put the vocabulary they gained from their recent clothing unit into practice through their extensive sale signs and store fronts as well as rich interactions they with Spanish I students. At the end of the day, they were responsible for ensuring that they kept records of their sales and made a profit.

Spanish IV students were also on hand as the market police and dutifully recorded any violators of the “Spanish only” laws. To ensure that students had an authentic experience, all pupils were also required to count their money and determine if the bank run by the Spanish III class had shortchanged them. Many students discovered that it is not always wise to show shop owners how much money you have when working on lowering the price of an item while others realized that they should pursue a business career as they returned with all of the items on their shopping list and loads of cash. These lessons combined with the contextualized practice of speaking Spanish for an hour and employing all of the lexical, grammatical, and cultural concepts they had learned proved to be a very worthwhile task that provided students with optimal language practice and proficiency. Watch out Spain—these students are ready to make a deal!
*Swender, E. (1999). The ACTFL oral proficiency interview tester training manual.
Yonkers, NY: ACTFL.