ES
We used to live in Alcorcón, Madrid (Spain), in a small apartment in a building block.
There were many places we could easily just walk to: our school, the supermarket, the park...
We live in Dover, Delaware (U.S.A.), now. We have a much larger house with our own yard.
Even if our schools are really close, as well as other places such as the supermarket and the park, we need to drive to get there.
It's a different life-style, and neighborhoods have a different shape.
We want students to be able to talk in Spanish about the places where they live, and to compare them to others. That's the goal of the Mi barrio lesson.
Barrios latinos
Mi barrio includes a warm-up, several activities, a video, and an end-of-the-lesson writing prompt.
Students will read a text about Rita Moreno's role in West Side Story, and why she liked living in Manhattan whereas her boyfriend -in the movie- preferred San Juan (Puerto Rico).
They will also listen to a description of Colombian's neighborhood Laurel (Medellin) and watch a video about El Pueblito Paisa, one of the most famous tourist attractions of Medellin:
Those examples will help your students write -and/or present- about their neighborhoods.
Are they pretty? Peaceful? Modern? Traditional? Safe?
What kind of places are near their houses? The lesson will teach them the basic vocabulary to talk about such places: centro comercial, cine, escuela, estación, iglesia, museo, parque, plaza, restaurante, tienda, etc.
By the end of the lesson, your students will be able to talk about their neighborhoods.
They'll know how to describe them.
And how to talk about what they have and don't have (using the conjunction ni).
The most important thing is that they'll learn that while having fun:
They'll watch Rita Moreno singing America in West Side Story, and they'll understand the differences between living in San Juan and living in a barrio latino in NYC.
And they'll also embark on a virtual trip to the wonderful Medellin (Colombia).
They'll love visiting Mi barrio!