Mastering Spanish Through Teamwork and Culture

Spanish 2 students improve their Spanish skills with group activities, cultural lessons,
and real-world practice.

By Neo Duarte

Learning Spanish is just one of the foreign language courses that students at TC can take.
There are four different courses in Spanish, each course getting more difficult. Spanish 1 is
created for people that are not familiar with but want to learn Spanish, serving as an introduction
course where students can get familiar with important vocabulary and sentence structure. The
course gives students a foundation in learning Spanish, helping them understand how the
language is used in conversation. Once students move on to Spanish 2, they begin to build on
the skills they learned in the previous course, expanding their ability to communicate better.
Spanish 3 and Spanish 4, are the more advanced courses that challenge students with more
difficult grammar, communication, and culture, helping to develop fluency and a better
understanding of Spanish.

In Spanish 2, the students develop their ability to communicate through interactions with their
classmates. This talking based learning environment lets them practice together, learning the
language in a supportive way. Partnering with others can not only improve communication skills
but it also builds confidence as students learn from each other. Classwork is made in a way that
encourages collaboration, like asking students to practice identifying what objects are. This
interactive way of teaching helps students move from basic vocabulary to speaking more
advanced and confident Spanish. Rather than relying only on memorization,students gain a
deeper understanding of the language. For example, students recently worked together on a
partner assignment to make a slideshow presentation about the pilgrimage routes in Spain. This
assignment allowed them to learn about Spanish language and Spanish culture at the same
time. Activities like these provide students with a fun learning experience, which is way better
than giving them a packet and calling it a day. ”It’s easier to learn Spanish with assignments that
let students talk to each other,” said 9th grader Santiago Contreras.

Spanish 2 also offers special opportunities like an educational field trip. The field trips give
students a chance to visit Spain. In a native Spanish-speaking country, students can practice
real conversations, improve their language skills on a daily basis, and observe native speakers.
Interacting with locals helps students verify what they learned in the classroom and apply it in
real world scenarios. These trips make learning Spanish faster by placing students in situations
where they are surrounded by the language. While traveling through Spain, students learn the
language but also learn about important history and figures in the Spanish world. This helps
students understand not only language but culture. This month, students in Spanish 2 have
conducted research on famous Hispanics, pouring all of their research into slideshows only in
Spanish. By learning about the lives of famous Hispanic people, students can gain appreciation
about the impact of Hispanic culture on the world.

A big part of Spanish 2 also involves learning about food within the Spanish-speaking world.
Food is a universal language, everybody eats food, and through it, students gain insight into the
traditions and customs of many different Hispanic countries. In one assignment, students are asked to write recipes and create step-by-step instructions on how to make traditional Hispanic dishes, like tortilla de patatas. They also practiced writing recipes for simpler foods like ramen, rice, and oatmeal, breaking down the cooking steps in Spanish. Recently, students even wrote recipes for popular Super Bowl dishes, like nachos, dips, and sliders, all in Spanish. Assignments like these get students familiar with the vocabulary they need to ace their quizzes and tests.

Students also learn to act out real-world conversations, like ordering a meal at a restaurant and
describing a dish’s ingredients. These activities prepare students for conversations they may
have while traveling in Spanish-speaking countries. The Spanish-speaking skills gained from
these food-related assignments help students connect with the culture and communicate
confidently. “My mom speaks Spanish, but I don’t, and learning Spanish helps me understand
what she’s saying,” said 9th grader Leonel Gomez. By engaging in these different learning
experiences, students in Spanish 2 improve their Spanish speaking skills and also improve their
understanding of the rich culture of the Hispanic world.