Vamos al Restaurante
Let's go to the Restaurant
No matter what we study, the material has to be relevant in Spanish class. I want students to leave my room, saying they learned valuable lessons and language, but also I want them to have communication skills. These communication skills will provide that extra push in their lives post high school for more job opportunities, even more pay due to their extra special talents in a second language. In addition, these language skills will allow them to stand out from others in the work force and be noticed. Being that Spanish is the second most common language spoken here in Nebraska as well as in the United States, (actually, the United States currently has the second largest population of Spanish speakers in the world next to Mexico), being able to communicate with another individual in another language, allows for a general appreciation with the difficulties on might have linguistically adapting to a second language, but also demonstrate more empathy for others of differing cultural backgrounds. So how does language relate to visiting a restaurant?
Well, how often do we generally go out to eat? Lots (in a non- pandemic year)! Plus isn't it fun to just eat out. I always encourage students to try and eat different Latin foods, but also I encourage communicating as well when they visit a new place serving Latin American or Mexican foods. I also know that many students may one day work in the food industry (part-time or full-time), so why not have those soft skills in two languages.
Throughout the chapter, students watched a video of a visit to a restaurant for a special occasion, read a graphic novel short of a visit to a restaurant as well. They read and provided vocabulary for dialogue and also listened to a wrap about a similar visit. They were ready to conquer the final task. At the conclusion of this chapter, students were asked to develop a skit in a restaurant with a unique situation. They wrote their lines/dialogue, taped this themselves in front of a green screen, and edited their short. Below is an example of two such products. Enjoy!
