scampbell@eee.orgCuentos de Ensalada: A Soap Opera for Spanish 1 & 2
Reviews
I MUST share with you the absolute GREATEST thing I have done for my Spanish I students in the l4 years I've been teaching them. I used the Cuentos de Ensalada (Soap Opera for Spanish I & II) book for the first time, and the results were spectacular. My students LOVED the stories. They learned vocabulary they might never encounter in a textbook, (oh yeah, and WANTED to learn it) . After watching me make a complete fool of myself acting out the stories for them (what a KICK that was, too!), they couldn't wait to become actors themselves. Even my most reticent students were in front of the class speaking in natural Spanish sentences, and making us laugh! I can't use enough exclamation points to get the point across that this book is GREAT!
I just received my copy of Stephanie Cambell's Cuentos de Ensalada. It is one of the best written, creative, usable, and useful things I have seen in a long time. She has put a great deal of time into her soap opera for Spanish I and II, and I am glad I ordered a copy. I can't wait to begin using it as I know I will have lots of fun teaching with it, and I know my students will love it.
If you are looking for a creative dynamic way to teach many Spanish concepts, consider Cuentos de Ensalada. You will not be disappointed.
My kids are loving it. We are doing it as a group project and everyone is taking turns being the actors. We are using the weirdest props that I ever imagined but the outcome is great. Gracias, gracias, gracias...
Aside from its readability and clear organization, I enjoyed reading the extensive instruction on how to teach the play, even though I already teach this way (TPR, using the element of surprise to introduce vocab/grammar, LOTS of aural input before the students are required to speak or read, etc.)
I honestly had not realized that this was such a thoroughly prepared series of lesson plans, tests, etc. I mean, for thirty bucks, this is the best bargain I have ever purchased! I just like buying things that sound new and interesting, but I was blown away when I realized how much work you had put into this. I congratulate you for doing such a remarkable job! It is very well written. I would have loved something like this when I was a beginning teacher, no doubt.
I wanted to pass along the enthusiastic response my new Spanish teachers expressed to Ensalada. They raved about your presentation. One of them is particularly enthusiastic. She loves it and is dying to use it.
One teacher has Spanish II all day, and the kids came in with very different types of preparation in Spanish 1 (some from a teacher who didn't speak enough Spanish in class, and the others had a teacher who spoke Spanish all the time.) The Span II teacher is very frustrated by this situation, trying to bring both groups of kids together. I think starting all the kids together with Ensalada gives them a more equal chance and a common starting point. This way our Span II teacher will have material to work with that is not blatant review, but will still cover material both groups need to have.
Plus, it's so much fun!
You may have saved a teaching career, here. At the very least, our sanity in the FL Department.
Looking at vegetables in a whole new way since attending your workshop. It was the greatest, a real spark plug! The tomatillo twins were born Thursday, in front of my principal, who had come in to see what Ensalada was about. WOW!
Thank you for Cuentos! You are a genius. My students are loving it and it has rejuvenated my enthusiasm. My former students are stopping by and wondering why we didn't have 'the tomatoes' last year.
Page created November 1996 by Nerissa