Beneficial Resources in Teaching Authentic Spanish Culture in Spanish Classes
Cultures of people differ with a change in their language. This can be easily noted when you are in a restaurant, where you notice that what is referred to as authentic meal changes with the language and location. The authentic radio stations, movies, music, televisions, literature among other products are the best representation of the culture of a certain country. Although there are times when coming up with authentic resources, the following guide will give you a way forward on incorporating culture in Spanish lessons.
The first resource is advertisements that come in the Spanish language. These advertisements include those in video form, billboards, images, and magazines. Advertisements form a great part of the modern culture of any region. In the case of videos, you can use subtitles. Whenever a student comes across an unfamiliar word, they can highlight it and understand its application. In sites like commercial Mexicana, students will get a chance to check out the items on sale and relate them to their origin. With this, you can have them, not the vocabulary that relates to sales. In the current capitalist world, sales make a huge part of the culture of a place. Students who wish to use their Spanish language in a business setting will hugely benefit.
Second, you can use educational videos that educate on the Spanish speaking nations. This includes educational movies or documentaries that are meant to inform people about the culture of Spain. The show you select for your students should be based on their level of Spanish that they are currently at. These videos can be found on online film stores or can be streamed online from youtube.
Next, you need to provide more movies that use the Spanish language to the students. These entertainment films will reflect the daily life of the people in Spain, which is what we are referring to as their authentic cultures. To ensure that the class is not only focused on the entertainment part, but you can also prepare a worksheet, which they should fill in the information about the cultural differences they note in the movie compared to their local culture. Animated films may be the most suitable for young learners.
Next, you can use online cultural materials uploaded from the Spanish speaking nations. People in that culture have originally written the materials. These materials lack the errors and misconceptions that come about during translation. They also have a more natural use of language. For the students to well understand this, ensure that they compare these materials with the ones used locally. You can also use maps of cities to identify the difference of their arrangement with the local cities. Have the students notice the order of buildings and location of specific businesses as compared to the situation in the local cities.
Lastly, you can use authentic Spanish reading materials. These materials will give you insights into what is considered more important there. Other than the content of these materials, the organization, such as how newspapers have been printed is part of the culture. Students should focus on materials about the industry they are in on their line of study.