A Cultural Guide to Spain
Learning Module
- Creator(s):
This learning module is designed for high school students in Spanish classes and those who are going to study abroad, work, or vacation in Spain. The course assumes participants have a minimum level of intermediate Spanish knowldege, and, therefore, will not be provided with any basic Spanish lesson. This is a cultural lesson on Spanish geography, food, language, and custom.
Objectives:
To begin this learning module, we will learn about the diverse geography of Spain.
This is a map of the different regions of Spain. The region of Madrid is home to the city of Madrid, the country's capital. Another popular destination, Barcelona, is located in the Catalonia region. Each region has its own customs, festivals, and food.
Here are some fast facts about Spain:
Comment: What did you learn from looking at this map of Spain? What did you know before? Where might you like to visit and why?
Update: Research one region and provide information on important aspects of the region. This could include food, dress, language, geographic qualities, or festivals. Read and comment on at least 3 other students' updates on regions that are different from yours.
“Home.” Spain - Language, Culture, Customs and Etiquette, www.commisceo-global.com/country-guides/spain-guide.
The goal of this section is for the student to gain a better understanding of Spain's geography and to begin to explore the diversity of the country.
Objectives:
Following this section, students should have their interests peaked and be ready to go into more detail about Spain.
Before continuing the course, have the students take the survey below to see what previous knowledge they have about Spain.
El Camino de Santiago is one of the most popular pilgrimages in the world bringing many tourists to Spain.
The Camino de Santiago is a 780km hiking trail. Hikers usually begin in the south of France and walk all the way to Santiago de Compostela, the northwest of Spain. Along the way, hikers stay at cheap hostels called albergues. The Camino is a religious pilgrimage honoring Saint James. Nowadays, many tourists hike the Camino for personal growth and a unique way to see Spain.
Comment: Would you want to do the Camino de Santiago? Why or why not? What are some of the challenges you would face?
Update: Write a blogpost on how you would prepare for the Camino. Include parts of the trip you're looking forward to, what you will pack, and how you will prepare.
Objectives:
In-class activity: Discuss the video from this week and ask students what they think about the popularity of the Camino and how it has changed over the years.
Gestures are an important part of Spanish culture, without knowledge of them you will be lost in conversation even if your Spanish is perfect.
Watch this video on Spanish hand gestures:
Read this article and look at the images of Spanish gestures: https://worldstrides.com/blog/2012/02/insiders-guide-understanding-spanish-hand-gestures/
Comment: How are Spanish hand gestures similar or different from the gestures in your home country?
Update: Pick three Spanish gestures you think you could use often during your time in Spain. Describe when you would use them and why. OR tell a story using three of the gestures from Spain.
Objectives:
In-class activity: Students can split into teams and act out scenes using only Spanish gestures. The other team has to guess what the story is about.
Though you have learned Spanish in classrooms before or perhaps practiced speaking Spanish in another country, you should learn some of the key words and phrases unique to Spain.
Watch this video on the differences between Spanish spoken in Latin America versus Spain:
Here are some phrases to help you blend in with the locals:
Ser un chaval: to be a kid, a boy
Ser la leche: to be really amazing or awful depending on the context
Ser mono: to be cute, in South America mono is only used to mean monkey
Ir a tapear: to go get tapas
Qué fuerte: Wow! Oh my gosh!
Don't forget: other languages are spoken in Spain, too, including Basque, Catalan, and Galician.
Comment: What differences do you notice between the Spanish accent and accents from other Spanish speaking countries? Are you comfortable using Spanish from Spain including "vosotros" and the Spanish accent?
Update: Write a dialogue in Spanish using some of these Spanish phrases (or find your own). OR research and write about one of the other common languages in Spain (Basque, Catalan, and Galician).
Objectives:
In-class activity: Have students pair up and practice their dialogues. Encourage them to think of ways to incorporate some of the Spanish gestures from the last section into their dialogue. Students will share their dialogues with the class. Students who chose to research another language can pair with those who wrote a dialogue for this activity.
Watch this video on some of the most popular foods in Spain. Remember, popular dishes vary by region.
Comment: Which dish looks appetizing to you? Have you tried any before?
Update: Research a dish. Find out where it is eaten in Spain and why (are there any festivals or particiular holidays associated with the dish?).
Objectives:
In-class activity: Print out Spanish menus including dishes from Spain. Have some students play the role of the waiter and others practice ordering. Print out pictures of the dishes so the waiters and customers must identify if they ordered and recieved the correct dish.
Traditional festivals are a huge part of Spanish culture and vary depending on where you are.
Comment: How are these celebrations different from or similar to the holidays you have in your home country?
Update: Write a blogpost as if you are going to visit one of these Spanish festivals (or one you find on your own) including the location, traditional food, dress, relgious significance and anything else you find meaningful to the holiday.
Objectives:
In-class activity: Have each student bring photos of their chosen festival and have them present the information to the class.
An important part of studying another culture is knowing how their education system works.
Watch this video on the Spanish education system:
Comment: What are some of the advantages or disadvantages of the Spanish system?
Update: Compare the Spanish school system to the school system of the country where you went to school.
Objectives:
In-class activity: Have students describe the Spanish education system and share their opinions on different educational systems.
Comment: What have you seen in the news about Spain?
Update: Find a recent article on Spain or choose an aspect of its history and elaborate on its local/global significance.
Objectives:
In-class activity: Have students present their updates to the class for them to gain a deeper knowledge of more specific topics.
Final Project: For the final project students can pick any section from the course that peaked their interest. They will write a 3000 word paper which will be peer reviewed using the rubric attached to the project below.
