Spanish Language Studies<\/a> at Winona State University, accomplishes several goals at once: first, it develops WSU students\u2019 Spanish proficiency by using previously learned grammar and by going through several rounds of editing; second, it allows WSU students to express themselves creatively in Spanish; and third, WSU students produce a work that can be shared with the community, in this case the Spanish-speaking students of Madison Elementary\u2019s Spanish Immersion program and Arcadia Elementary. WSU students get out of the classroom for a hands-on experience with other Spanish speakers and they share their knowledge of a topic (such as hygiene, bee-keeping, or famous artists) with children. This engagement with the community also raises awareness of bilingual education programs and the literacy needs of Spanish speakers, issues that everyone in the US should consider as critical to our nation\u2019s future.\"<\/p>\u00a0<\/p>
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In Their Own Words...<\/h2>Learn more about the WSU student experienced with this project.<\/h4>\u00a0<\/h3>Yanel Ortiz<\/h3>[caption id=\"attachment_288\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"300\"]![\"YanelOrtiz](\"https:\/\/blogs.winona.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/28\/2018\/12\/YanelOrtiz-300x225.png\")
Yanel Ortiz[\/caption]
For my Spanish class I had to write a book for little kids who speak Spanish. I wrote mine about a high school math teacher who didn\u2019t like math grown up. Not only did she not like it, so wasn\u2019t very good at it. But she was determined to master it because deep down she liked the material. She worked hard on it every day to become better at it. This book will show the children about why working, hard for something you really want, is a good thing. The process of this book was a little frustrating because we had to make two copies of the book and we made three revised copies. It just took out a lot of time from my other class I was trying to work on. I drew stick figure people because I can\u2019t draw anything else and also because I didn\u2019t want to print things out. The first draft of the book was not the best but the second one I did was much better. It was better because of the things I added and because I cleaned it up a little bit. All in all, I think the final produced is great because of the time put into it!<\/p>
Abigail Ruelas<\/h2>[caption id=\"attachment_289\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"300\"]![\"Abigail](\"https:\/\/blogs.winona.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/28\/2018\/12\/Abigail.RuelasIMG_7749-300x252.jpg\")
Abigail Ruelas[\/caption]
The final project that we did in the SPAN201 Intermediate Spanish I class was to make a Spanish children\u2019s book to donate to the Spanish-speaking students in some of the local elementary schools. Making this book for the kindergarteners was probably one of my favorite projects that I have ever done. It gave me the creative liberty to show how I wanted my story told. I loved looking for the right pictures to put into the book, as well. The topic that I chose to write about was Mount Denali, in Alaska. I chose this topic because when I was in middle school, I did a project on this mountain. Doing this project caused my love for mountains to grow, so I hoped that this will do the same for the kids that will see this book.<\/p>
\u00a0<\/h2>\u00a0<\/h2>DeAngelo DeAntoni<\/h2>
This project was about writing a children\u2019s book for Spanish emersion students at Arcadia elementary, I chose to write for fifth graders. My story is about a boy and his dog. The story follows the boy and his dog from when they first met to the present day. I hoped in writing this book that I could reach kids who may be in a situation where the only constant good is an animal in their life. The whole idea of the book came from my life experiences thus far. Being able to write my story in Spanish was fun to do, and being able to go look back at old photos and drawing them was great.<\/p>
![\"Children](\"https:\/\/blogs.winona.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/28\/2018\/12\/Listening.jpg\")
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Hailey Buelow<\/h2>[caption id=\"attachment_292\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"291\"]![\"Hailey](\"https:\/\/blogs.winona.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/28\/2018\/12\/HaileyBuelow-291x300.png\")
Hailey Buelow[\/caption]
In my SPAN 201 Intermediate Spanish class we recently wrote children's books for Spanish speaking students at the local elementary schools of Jefferson Elementary in Winona and Arcadia Elementary in Arcadia, WI.<\/p>
Due to the fact that I care a lot about the environment, I chose to write my book about protecting the environment, to teach the kids about its importance. I hope that the kids, although at a young age, will begin to think about their role in keeping the environment healthy, and how important the environment is. Currently, there is a lot at risk with the health of the environment and my hope is that the future generations will care enough to make a change.<\/p>
Writing the book has been a rollercoaster. Trying to create a product that would be shared with children was a lot of pressure, and juggling making a good final project with other school work was stressful. The illustrations were especially intimidating because I am horrible at drawing. Yet, holding the finalized, binded copy was a really satisfying feeling. I ended up really impressed with my drawings and story. All the time spent on creating the book turned out to be extremely worth it, and it's a good feeling knowing it's going to mean something to kids, and they can use it to learn Spanish at a young age, which is an amazing opportunity for them.<\/p>
\u00a0<\/h2>Aubrey Karl Jaschke<\/h2>
I created a children\u2019s book in Spanish for SPAN201 intermediate Spanish I Class. I participated in this project to donate to donate to Spanish-speaking students Jefferson Elementary in Winona, MN and Arcadia Elementary in Arcadia, WI. My book is about an African American kid who can\u2019t decide of he wants to have carrots or french fries for lunch. He can only have one or the other because the school gives students a choice, but they won\u2019t allow the students to have them both. I hope the students will realize that they can have french fries, but that they should try to have carrots more often than french fries.<\/p>
It was very difficult for me to come up with a good idea about what to write about because I\u2019m not good at brainstorming. It was very difficult for me to do the illustrations for my book because I am not good at drawing and it was hard to find pictures on the internet to match my words. The easiest part was the writing in Spanish because it took less time to think about how to say my story in Spanish than to brainstorm or to figure out how to make my illustrations. If I were to do this project again I would want someone else to do the illustrations because it was very difficult to find pictures on the internet to match my story and I would definitely not draw my illustrations because I\u2019m not good at drawing.<\/p>
![\"Children](\"https:\/\/blogs.winona.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/28\/2018\/12\/laughing-.jpg\")
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Kylie Smokey<\/h2>[caption id=\"attachment_294\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"300\"]![\"Kylie](\"https:\/\/blogs.winona.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/28\/2018\/12\/kyliesmokey-300x168.png\")
Kylie Smokey[\/caption]
I was excited when I learned that we would have to write a children\u2019s book entirely in Spanish for class. When thinking of possible ideas, I knew that I wanted my book to have a good lesson to be followed. My book is about a boy named Samuel who learns that the world is going to pass him by if all he does is sit inside playing video games. Samuel meets new friends, enjoys the new neighborhood he is living in, and more. I found writing a children\u2019s book in Spanish to be a very fun assignment. This assignment challenged my Spanish ability, but I found it an enjoyable challenge that even improved my skills.<\/p>
\u00a0<\/h2>Briana Ackerman<\/h2>[caption id=\"attachment_325\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"300\"]![\"Briana](\"https:\/\/blogs.winona.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/28\/2018\/12\/IMG_5390-e1544720534583-300x225.jpg\")
Briana Ackerman[\/caption]
For Spanish 201, our final project is writing a book in Spanish and reading it to elementary students. I have written a book about migrant workers who have come to the United States to work. They came to work here so that they can send money back to their families in Mexico. They work very hard for the whole summer to support their families, and help their boss, Pete. I hope the kids will get the message that you have to work hard in life, and that migrant workers are spending time away from their family, so they can support them. I really enjoyed writing this book because it has allowed me to use my Spanish skills. I think this final project has more benefits than a final exam, because you are actually using your Spanish rather than being tested on grammar. I have learned a lot from going back and editing my book to get it right. I enjoyed writing this book and am really looking forward to reading it to the 4th<\/sup>graders at Jefferson Elementary school.<\/p>\u00a0<\/h2>Kristin Cole<\/h2>[caption id=\"attachment_327\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"225\"]![\"Kristin](\"https:\/\/blogs.winona.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/28\/2018\/12\/IMG_3373-e1544723961698-225x300.jpg\")
Kristin Cole[\/caption]
This project was a children\u2019s book written in Spanish by students in the Intermediate Spanish I class. We are donating our books to Spanish-speaking students at Jefferson Elementary in Winona and Arcadia Elementary in Arcadia, WI. My book is about a girl named Josie who begins her first day at her new school. She doesn\u2019t know anyone and is very nervous. A boy, named Manuel, notices that the other kids aren\u2019t very welcoming to Josie so he makes the effort to talk to her and make her feel welcome. By the end of the day Josie feels much better about her new school and is excited to go each day. Coming up with a topic wasn\u2019t very hard. It was something that I kind of thought about right away because I have been in Josie\u2019s situation before. Writing the story out took some time but illustrating the book took the most time. What I hope the kids get out of my story is empathy for others and kindness. When they notice that someone is having a hard time they will help one another and be a friend.<\/p>
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\u00a0<\/h2>Cameron Sengstock<\/h2>[caption id=\"attachment_328\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"225\"]![\"Cameron](\"https:\/\/blogs.winona.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/28\/2018\/12\/bookpic-e1544724073718-225x300.jpg\")
Cameron Sengstock[\/caption]
My book, \u201cThe Plastic Meal\u201d, was about a boy named Carlos that traveled from Minnesota to Puerto Viejo to scuba dive since he was bored with Minnesota\u2019s nature and activities. Once he arrived, he bought scuba diving goggles and once he pocketed the wrapper from them, the wind carried the wrapper towards the ocean. He attempted to grab it but it was going too fast for him and he just let it blow away. Once he went scuba diving, he saw a turtle; but it was plastic in his mouth. He then realized it was his own plastic wrapper in his mouth. He called for help and lured the turtle towards the shore to help it out. He then realized the importance of not littering and how it effects sea life. I chose to write about this topic of littering because hundreds of thousands of people around the world litter and don\u2019t think anything of it. I want to bring young children aware of the importance of properly disposing of their garbage and not allowing for anything to fall into the wrong hands... and mouths. I hope children can understand the effects of littering and allowing it to escape their hands because it can possibly kill an email that thinks the garbage is food. The process of writing and creating this book was extremely long and stressful, but it was also a good learning opportunity and I got to be creative with my drawings, and what I wanted to make known to the children. I developed as a Spanish writer and speaker with this book which is overall helpful.<\/p>
\u00a0<\/h2>Abigail Schooley<\/h2>[caption id=\"attachment_329\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"225\"]![\"Abigail](\"https:\/\/blogs.winona.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/28\/2018\/12\/IMG_0229-225x300.jpg\")
Abigail Schooley[\/caption]
Writing a book for kindergarteners was a little bit challenging. I wanted it to be an interesting story line but I also didn\u2019t want it to be too complex for my young audience. My story was based off a personal experience with cops that changed my view on them. My biggest trouble with this project was drawing out all my pictures because it took me a lot of time and patience. I feel like this project helped me with learning Spanish grammar and it also was able to portray a very important message.<\/p>
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\u00a0<\/h2>\u00a0<\/h2>\u00a0<\/h2>\u00a0<\/h2>\u00a0<\/h2>\u00a0<\/h2>Brianna Maylone<\/h2>[caption id=\"attachment_331\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"300\"]![\"Brianna](\"https:\/\/blogs.winona.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/28\/2018\/12\/47453925_206276136929501_7714718805099806720_n-300x225.jpg\")
Brianna Maylone[\/caption]
Instead of a comprehensive final for my Spanish 201 class, our professor gave us a final project. We were given the task to write a children\u2019s book in Spanish. The books that we wrote are going to be donated to local Spanish-speaking students in Kindergarten through Fifth Grade. For my libro infantil<\/em>, I wrote about the experiences that a brother and sister had in a culture other than their own. The story starts out with children in their geography class in a small town in Costa Rica. The teacher begins to talk about Spanish culture and suddenly the two children are transported to Spain. They begin to appreciate a culture that is not their own while they explore the wonders of Spain: bull running in Pamplona and Flamenco dancing and tapas in Southern Spain. After a while of exploring the streets, the children wish to go home. The siblings are transported back to their classroom where nothing has happened in the eyes of the teacher and their teacher. There were multiple steps in the process of making the book, which included writing a proposal, writing three drafts, seeing a Spanish tutor, illustrating, and formatting the book. It was an extensive process; however, I believe that it was the most beneficial assignment of the semester because my knowledge of Spanish improved immensely. I liked being challenged by the process, it helped me grow in creativity and pushed me to really try hard. I hope that my book gives the students that receive it a deeper understanding of how to appreciate other cultures.<\/p>Olivia Sylvander<\/h2>[caption id=\"attachment_333\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"300\"]![\"Olivia](\"https:\/\/blogs.winona.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/28\/2018\/12\/libro-300x225.jpg\")
Olivia Sylvander[\/caption]
This semester at WSU, I took my first foreign language course, Spanish 201. One of our projects in the class was to write and illustrate a children\u2019s book that we would read and donate to Spanish-speaking students in local elementary schools. I chose to write my book about the importance of keeping the Earth healthy and what kids their age can do to contribute good to the planet. I was hoping that this might give them some ideas on why it matters for them to know about how the planet is changing and what those changes effect. I also wanted to give them realistic way they could almost immediately become active in helping out!<\/p>
The process of this book was very long, but also quite rewarding. We spent a lot of time brainstorming, which in my opinion is always the hardest part. We then created our first, second, and third drafts. After many revisions and time with tutors, I got what would become the final product.\u00a0 With our final draft, we were able to choose or draw our own images for the book. This really helped it come to life, and in my case, allowed me to show visual examples that would hopefully make my writing clearer.<\/p>
This was a big project, as when it comes to giving impressionable young people new information, you want it to all be correct. The added challenge was making sure that they would be able to clearly understand exactly what I was trying to say. In the end, the book came out just as I had expected!<\/p>
Stephen Shaw<\/h2>
We all want to bring change to the world yet feel inadequate to do so. We tell ourselves that only a small few can bring real change, that a small few own the world. We lose reality\u2019s clarity in the worries of our lives and the constant barrage of a perhaps too connected world that portrays power in the hands of few. Yet even Elon Musk has a dedicated work force behind the scenes of his revolutionary car company, and every president is more of a figure head to a large bureaucracy bringing change through small decisions and actions. In hopes of bringing change, we must shed this predisposition and work on the things that are accessible to us in our everyday lives. With small tasks deeply rooted in wholehearted virtues, we can and will improve the world surrounding us. This is why I see value in authoring a Spanish children\u2019s book, an activity I and my fellow peers undertook this last semester in Intermediate Spanish 201 for donating to Jefferson Elementary school in Winona and Arcadia Elementary in Arcadia, Wisconsin.<\/p>
Personally, I chose to write about a subject I thought was interesting, had things to learn from, and could come partly from my own knowledge, the ancient Mayan civilization of central and North America. There are many things to learn from the ancient Mayan\u2019s, such as their ability to adapt to their environment and the known workings of their society in culture in general. But an even greater opportunity I saw was to attempt to add value in the idea of looking back at older cultures and learn from them. I hope that the audience, primarily the kids of these schools, will be able to see how unique the Mayan\u2019s were and find value in the artifacts and culture that still exists in that very same region of the world.<\/p>
I found the process to be somewhat challenging, though ultimately rewarding as well. Through brainstorming the topic and flow of the book, I considered different topics and how they would appeal to my audience, specifically being fifth graders. I then had to write the book completely in Spanish with as few as possible grammatical errors, a task I found complex in completing yet far more manageable when done in small parts at a time. Last came finding a way to illustrate the subject matter. I used photos from the internet curated to my specifications in blending with the content of the book.<\/p>
Although this activity yields a miniscule impact in the grand scheme of things, it has the capabilities not only to make a small impact on the community around us, yet most notable, it has impacted me. Going through this process allowed myself to better understand and intertwine with others in the world on multiple levels. It challenged me and further illustrated the possibility for change in small action. I hope to take the things learned from this experience and do far more complex and greater things farther down my path, with time improving our world for the better.<\/p>
Jacqueline Anderson<\/h2>[caption id=\"attachment_334\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"300\"]![\"Jacqueline](\"https:\/\/blogs.winona.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/28\/2018\/12\/IMG_7094-300x225.jpg\")
Jacqueline Anderson[\/caption]
I wrote a children\u2019s book in Spanish for SPAN201 Intermediate Spanish I class. One of them I have yet to read to third graders at Jefferson Elementary, and one is being donated to Spanish-speaking students at Arcadia Elementary. My book is about a girl and her friends that have a snow day. They go out and have lots of fun in the snow. On the same day, the main character Elena has to overcome her fear of the big snow hill. Thankfully, she had the help of her friends. I wrote this book because I want the kids to know the importance of teamwork. You never have to go through anything alone! The book process was a bit rocky in terms of the grammar, but by the end I was able to learn a lot about tenses.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\u00a0<\/h2>Brittany Fassbender<\/h2>[caption id=\"attachment_330\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"300\"]![\"Brittany](\"https:\/\/blogs.winona.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/28\/2018\/12\/Blog_Post-300x169.jpg\")
Brittany Fassbender[\/caption]
I wrote my Spanish children\u2019s book about diversity in the hospital. I have worked in hospitals for almost three years, and have utilized translators\/interpreters to communicate with patients that do not speak English fluently. As a hospital technician, I want my patients to fully understand what the process will be for procedures, and having hospital staff that can explain to them helps ensure they do understand. It has also been shown that for patients having diverse staff that they can more readily relate to helps them feel more comfortable and can even speed the recovery process. Many of the patients I have worked with have been young children, so this topic was near and dear to me in helping them to feel more comfortable with having to visit the hospital, and identify with diverse staff to help realize their own potential.<\/p>
Olivia Carlson<\/h2>[caption id=\"attachment_335\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"225\"]![\"Olivia](\"https:\/\/blogs.winona.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/28\/2018\/12\/IMG_7898_2-e1544731287189-225x300.jpg\")
Olivia Carlson[\/caption]
The project I worked on was a Spanish book for SPAN201 to donate to Spanish-speaking students in local schools like Jefferson Elementary and Acardia Elementary. My book is about two best friends named Layla and L\u2019Shawn, who are very different people but are still best friends. Layla struggles with her body image because she looks different from everyone else. However, L\u2019Shawn helps her keep her confidence. My book teaches that all bodies are different and unique and everyone does different things with their bodies. I wrote this book because when I was younger I had a tough time learning to love myself, so I wanted to share with children that its okay to feel insecure but learning how to love themselves is essential and it is essential to surround yourself with good supportive friends. I illustrated it by using google images and tracing them on printing paper.<\/p>
Oscar Wendt<\/h2>[caption id=\"attachment_296\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"300\"]![\"Oscar](\"https:\/\/blogs.winona.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/28\/2018\/12\/Oscar-Wendt-IMG_0394-1-300x225.jpg\")
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![\"Children](\"https:\/\/blogs.winona.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/28\/2018\/12\/ChildrenBook.jpg\")
<\/h2>\n![\"Mary](\"https:\/\/blogs.winona.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/28\/2018\/12\/Mary--199x300.jpg\")