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Using the Literary Text to Engage Language Learners in a Multilingual Community
Author(s) -
Stewart Julia Aguilar,
Santiago Karen A.
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
foreign language annals
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.258
H-Index - 49
eISSN - 1944-9720
pISSN - 0015-718X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1944-9720.2006.tb02283.x
Subject(s) - puerto rican , experiential learning , class (philosophy) , psychology , linguistics , foreign language , pedagogy , sociology , ethnology , computer science , artificial intelligence , philosophy
This article discusses the use of Esmeralda Santiagok autobiography When I Was Puerto Rican (1994b) as the foundation for an experiential learning project that brought together two language communities: suburban college students studying intermediate Spanish and urban Puerto Rican students in an English‐as‐a‐sec‐ond‐language (ESL) class. The researchers relate how the respective classes analyzed the text and its cultural framework in preparation for a cross‐cultural encounter when both groups of students discussed their reaction to Santiago's stovy. This case study is offered as an example of how to use a literary text to achieve the objectives outlined in the Standards for Foreign Language Learning, standard 5: communities.