Tuesday, March 31, 2020

El Escape Cubano - Chapters 3 & 4

Our story continues where it left off last time. Miguel went home with his father after meeting with his friend Fabio. However, he was never able to talk with Fabio about his father´s planned escape. This is where we pick up with chapter 3.
The plot continues straight into chapter 4 where Miguel will face a future that he had no desire for and without someone he loves very dearly.

Now that you have read/listened to these 2 chapters, please answer the Google Classroom Question with a short 3-5 sentence summary of the chapters as well as with your personal reaction to the situation that Miguel faces and how this is emblematic of the conflict/problem faced by those who chose to flee Cuba.

Tuesday, March 24, 2020

Situación: Las Similitudes y Diferencias entre Tú y Luisa de Marsella, Colombia

Antes de empezar el video en FlipGrid, tú necesitas conocer a su amiga nueva, Luisa.
- Luisa es de Marsella, Colombia y, en este video, ella habla sobre su vida. 
- Necesitas mirar el video (es corto...más o menos 4 minutos) y aprender sobre ella. 
- Debes usar los subtítulos en español porque es más fácil para entender la conversación con subtítulos españoles (en "Settings - Subtitles - Spanish (Latin America)".
- Mientras miras el video, debes escribir algunas notas en la vida de Luisa porque va a hacer el próximo parte de la tarea más fácil.
Ahora, necesitas hacer un video corto via FlipGrid.

REQUISITOS DE TU VIDEO:
  • 45-90 segundos en total
  • Necesitas imaginar que estás hablando con Marsella. 
  • Debes imaginar que la cámara es Luisa y debes decirle a ella las similitudes y diferences entre tú y ella.
    • Psst...(and I'll cheat and tell you this in English)...if you want some extra-credit, feel free to coerce a family member into being Luisa to ask you questions. They can read things you've prepared for them. Not required. If you don't have someone to pretend to be Luisa, just tell the camera all the things you would tell Luisa about the similarities and differences between your life and hers.
  • NO necesitas responder a los videos de tus amigos. No es un requisito este vez.
  • Tienes que divertirte. ¡Es una orden! 🙂
YOU CAN ACCESS THE FLIPGRID ASSIGNMENT BELOW OR THROUGH THE LINK/CODE AVAILABLE ON THE GOOGLE CLASSROOM ASSIGNMENT.

Monday, March 23, 2020

El Escape Cubano - Chapters 1 & 2

Chapter 1 - Conmigo
Please watch the video below while following along with the text in the video and the audio. The glossary for the book is available on the Google Classroom assignment if you'd like to pause and reference it. In this chapter, we will meet our main character, Miguel, and also be introduced to a problem that he will face.
Chapter 2 - Amigo
After watching the video for chapter 1, continue to the video for chapter 2. In this video, Miguel will go to his friend Fabio's house because he has an idea.

Thursday, March 12, 2020

El Escape Cubano: Pre-Reading

Part 1: Background of the Conflict
The story we are going to read, El Escape Cubano, introduces us to an area of tension in the Spanish-speaking world and with the United States. Cuba and and the US have had a tumultuous relationship. Watch the video below for a good overview of the conflict.
Part 2: Changes Under President Obama 
Watch the following videos for some information on groundbreaking changes made during the Obama Administration in regards to the official stance towards Cuba and the policy towards those fleeing Cuba, established under President Clinton.
Normalizing Relations
Ending “Wet-Foot, Dry-Foot”
Part 3: A New Direction...A Better Deal

Watch the following video for news on the latest developments in US-Cuba relations after President Trump took office.

PTM #4 - “El Amor de Dios” and Farewell

Ending our year on a proper note is important. Throughout our studies of Spanish, we have attempted to place our study in perspective. We st...