Independent Study Activities for Derek Petrey's classes

· What are the independent study activities?

When you took your Learning Styles Assessment, You were also told to choose a learning activity:

1) reading short cultural articles in English or in Spanish

2) writing out vocabulary in sentence format

3) writing mini-compositions

4) using the Lab Manual

5) going to conversation tables

6) watching the movie "Spanish for Gringos" (found in the language lab)

7) a service learning option may be available, depending on requests received by the instructor, contact him for

more details.

Choose any one of these and do a LEARNING REACTION PAPER on it by the 4th week of class.

You were also told to choose a cultural activity:

1) watching a movie

2) listening to 2 different Hispanic music CDs

3) interviewing a native speaker

4) going to a cultural event

5) a service learning option may be available, (such as volunteering at a site to help Hispanics)

depending on requests received by the instructor, contact him for more details.

Choose any one of these and do a CULTURAL REACTION PAPER by the end of the quarter.

· How much of the learning activity do I have to do?

Class	Spanish 100	Spanish 161 / 297	Spanish 101	Spanish 102	Spanish 103
READING	2 articles in English from the list and a learning reaction paper	2 articles in English from the list and a learning reaction paper	1 page, based on 3 articles in English from the list or 2 articles from the textbook (pp. 51, 87, 119, 149, or 183) and a learning reaction paper	1 page, based on 3 articles in English from the list or 2 articles from the textbook (pp. 215, 249, 277, 305, 337, or 367) and a learning reaction paper	2 articles in Spanish from the textbook and a learning reaction paper
WRITING VOCABULARY IN SENTENCES	Write at least 10 sentences using 15 words and a learning reaction paper	15 sentences using 30 words and a learning reaction paper	20 sentences using 40 words and a learning reaction paper	20 sentences using 40 words and a learning reaction paper	20 sentences using 40 words and a learning reaction paper
WRITING MINI-COMPOSITIONS	N/A	N/A	Do 2 Escritura activities from any of the following textbook pages: 57, 93, 125, 155, or 189 and a learning reaction paper	Do 2 Mi Diario activities from any of the following pages in the workbook: 96, 124, 138, 152, 168) and a learning reaction paper	Do 2 Escritura activities from any of the following textbook pages and a learning reaction paper
DOING EXERCISES W/ LAB MANUAL	Do all activities in any 2 chapters of your own choice and a learning reaction paper	N/A	Do all activities in any 2 chapters of your own choice from 1 to 5 and a learning reaction paper	Do all activities in any 2 chapters of your own choice from 6 to 11 and a learning reaction paper	Do all activities in any 2 chapters of your own choice from 12 to 16 and a learning reaction paper

· How long does the learning reaction paper have to be and in what language?

It usually runs between 200 and 400 words. You should answer the questions below in specific and sufficient detail,

avoiding unnecessarily florid or irrelevant language (Instead of saying "Writing sentences helped me learn to write better,

which is ever so important in this rapdily changing and increasingly complex information-based global postmodern society bla bla bla...",

just say "Writing sentences allowed me to put new words together into meaningful sentences.")

· What should the learning reaction paper include?

1. Was this learning activity helpful? Why or why not?

2. Would you recommend this activity to other people who are trying to learn Spanish? Why or why not?

3. What other activities of this nature would help you learn Spanish in the future? Will you continue to use this one?

· What should the cultural reaction paper include?

1. What was your initial reaction to what you were going to experience, and how did it change

once you had experienced it? Did it change further after you thought about it?
2. Did the experience relate to what you are learning about the Spanish-speaking world?

How did it? (or why do you think it did not?) What surprised you about the experience?
3. How does the experience relate to other cultural phenomena you have experienced (in any language?)

Can you draw any meaning from what you experienced that would apply to your own life?

Don't spend more than 50 WORDS describing the actual event. Assume that I am familiar with what you saw / heard / experienced.

What I want to hear about are your reactions. It's okay to reference a particular incident if it helps you to make a particular point.

· How long does the cultural reaction paper have to be and in what language?

Class	Spanish 100	Spanish 297	Spanish 101	Spanish 102	Spanish 103
MOVIE	1-2 pages, English	1-2 pages, English	1-2 pages, English	1-2 pages, English PLUS 5 questions (Spanish)	1 page in Spanish
MUSIC CD	1 page, English	1 page, English	1-2 pages, English	1-2 pages, English PLUS 5 questions (Spanish)	1 page in Spanish
NATIVE SPEAKER	1-2 pages, English	1-2 pages, English	1-2 pages, English	1-2 pages, English PLUS 5 questions (Spanish)	1 page in Spanish
CULTURAL EVENT	1 page, English	1 page, English	1-2 pages, English	1 page, English PLUS 5 questions (Spanish)	1 page in Spanish
SERVICE LEARNING	1 page, English,	1 page, English	1-2 pages, English	1 page, English PLUS 5 questions (Spanish)	1 page in Spanish

· What are possible topics for the cultural independent study?

· Attend a cultural event

o Look for cultural events at:

o www.daytonartinstitute.org/

o www.midwestlatino.com/tickets

o www.escapelatino.com

· Listen to one of the following Spanish-language CDs:

o Americanos (anthology) *

o Andadas by Inti-Illimani, Chile

o Basta by Quilapayún, Chile

o Buena Vista Social Club (anthology), Cuba

o Canto Libre by Victor Jara, Chile

o ¿Dónde están los ladrones? by Shakira, Colombia

o Gozo Poderoso by Aterciopelados, Argentina

o Grandes éxitos by Juan Luis Guerra, República Dominicana

o Marinero en Tierra - Un Tributo a Neruda (anthology), Chile*

o Peru and Bolivia (anthology)*

o Putumayo Latinas (anthology)*

o Re by Café Tacuba, México

o Un día normal by Juanes, Colombia.

o Uno by La Ley, Chile

You should listen to them while following along with the lyrics,

which you can find in the language lab. (Except for the ones with a *)

· Watch one of the following movies:

§ All of these can be rented at local video stores or from local libraries.

§ Our language lab has a lot of these, just ask to check out the DVD. The DVDs are for use in lab only.

§ You must get a Spanish version with subtitles in English (not a dubbed version).

§ Rating (S = sexual situations and/ or nudity, V=violence, L=obscene language)

Spanish Title	English title	Country / Rating	Genre
Amantes del círculo polar	Lovers of the Arctic Circle	España (S)	Romantic melodrama
Amores perros	Love's a b****	México (S/V/L)	Action / Melodrama	In our language lab!
Buena Vista Social Club	Buena Vista Social Club	Cuba	Concert / documentary	In our language lab!
Como agua para chocolate	Like Water for Chocolate	México (S)	Romantic melodrama
Danzón		México (S, mild)	Romantic adventure
Diarios de Motocicleta	Motorcycle Diaries	Various L. Amer. (L)	Historical drama	In our language lab!
El espinazo del diablo	Devil's Backbone	España (V/L)	Terror
El mariachi	Mariachi	México (V)	Action / adventure
Hable con ella	Talk to Her	España (S)	Romantic drama	In our language lab!
La historia oficial	Official Story	Argentina	Historical drama	In our language lab!
Mujeres al borde de un ataque de nervios	Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown	España (S/L)	Dark romantic comedy / adventure	In our language lab!
Nueva Yol		República Dominicana	Lighthearted adventure	In our language lab!
Nueve reinas	Nine Queens	Argentina (L)	Suspense	In our language lab!

· Interview a native speaker of Spanish at length, obtaining some biographical

information about them and their perspective on life in the US as a Spanish speaker.

o Here are some basic guidelines on interviewing people:

§ Don't expect the person to speak on behalf of everyone in their country of origin. Remember

that you are dealing with an individual and that individuals vary.

§ Ask open-ended questions instead of yes/no questions. For example, instead of saying:

"Do you like living the United States?" you could ask "What do you like about living in the US?"

or "Why do you like..." This allows them to elaborate.

§ Use as much Spanish with the person as you can. This is as much an exercise of your language

abilities as your interviewing skills.

§ Don't create a list of questions and then feel that you have to stick to the list. This is a

conversation, not an interrogation. You might want to create a list of possible topics

to cover, and then go on from there.

§ Above all, listen. Listen to what the person is saying, the tone with which they say it, and

their body language. If the interviewee says something that really "catches your ear", make

sure you write it down. You don't need to get a verbatim record of everything the person

says, but pay attention to details.

§ Be as polite as possible. Thank the person for the time and the opportunity to get to

understand them better.

· What are the 5 questions?

If you are in Spanish 102 you must also (on a separate page) answer five questions

in Spanish using complete sentences. Here they are, divided by general topic:

Música	Película	Entrevista	Evento Cultural
¿De qué país es el cantante?	¿De qué país es la película?	¿De qué país es la persona?	¿De qué país (o países) viene?
¿Qué tipos de canciones son?	¿De qué género es la película (cómo la caracterizas)?	¿Cuál es su profesión?	¿Qué pasó?
¿Cómo te sientes al escuchar las canciones?	¿Cómo te sentiste al ver la película?	¿Cómo conociste a esta persona?	¿Cómo reaccionaste?
¿Hay una canción que te interesa más? ¿Por qué?	¿Había una escena que te interesó más? ¿Por qué?	¿Qué aprendiste de él o ella?	¿Viste algo que te sorprendió?
¿Por qué piensas que estas canciones son (o no son) importantes?	¿Por qué piensas que esta película es (o no es) importante?	¿Te sorprendió algo que dijo?	¿Qué aprendiste?