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##  Selecting Materials To Teach Spanish to Spanish Speakers. ERIC                  Digest.                                                                      

Rapid demographic changes and an increasing recognition of the                  critical need for professionals who are proficient in languages                 other than English (Brecht & Rivers, 2000; Carreira & Armengol,                 2001) have led to an interest in developing language programs and               classes for "heritage language learners"--students who are raised in            a home where a non-English language is spoken and who speak or at               least understand that language (Valdes, 2001). The fastest growing              heritage language population in the United States is Hispanic                   Americans (U.S. Bureau of the Census, 2001), and the number of                  Spanish speakers studying Spanish is on the rise. As a result,                  language educators are developing programs, classes, and                        instructional strategies to address the needs of these students,                which are different from those of native-English-speaking students              studying Spanish as a foreign language. Appropriate instructional               materials are essential for these classes, which are often referred             to as Spanish for Spanish speakers (SNS) classes. Although the                  development of SNS materials has a 30-year history, and many new SNS            textbooks and materials continue to appear, developing a                        well-articulated sequence for SNS instruction continues to be a                 challenge (Peyton, Lewelling, & Winke, 2001). 
The purpose of this             digest is twofold--to raise awareness of the range of SNS materials             available to teachers and school districts, and to emphasize the                importance of articulated SNS programs with well-sequenced                      materials. It describes published resources that list and review                available SNS materials and gives an overview of the types of                   materials available. It also provides guidelines for selecting                  textbooks and other materials for SNS classes or for classes with               both English-speaking and Spanish-speaking students. RESOURCES FOR            SELECTING SNS INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALSReports of textbooks and               materials for SNS instruction have existed since the 1970s (see,                e.g., Valdes-Fallis & Teschner, 1977). More recently, the American              Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese (2000) has                    published a handbook for K-16 teachers that includes a list of 29               secondary- and college-level SNS textbooks. 
The National Foreign              Language Center, in collaboration with the Center for Applied                   Linguistics (CAL), has developed an extensive bibliography of                   textbooks and materials used for SNS instruction in K-12 and                    university classes, derived from a survey of Spanish programs across            the country (Center for Applied Linguistics, 2001). Materials in the            bibliography are annotated and coded by search criteria that include            level of instruction, content focus and skills developed, cost,                 publisher, and date of publication. This bibliography will be                   available on the National Foreign Language Center's Project REACH               Web site, a Web-based resource for the teaching of Spanish and                  Hispanic and Latino cultures to heritage Spanish speakers, under                development by the NFLC and AATSP. 
CAL has produced an online                 resource guide (Roca, Marcos, & Winke, 2001) that lists curricula               and teaching materials for SNS instruction and links to the                     publishers. The guide also includes information about the LangNet               Web site; SNS Web sites; and SNS journal articles, books,                       conferences, and summer institutes for teachers. 
Many publishers              of SNS materials have Web pages or catalog sections devoted to SNS              materials, including the following: 
Houghton Mifflin College                  Division 
http://college.hmco.com/languages/spanish/instructors/               
Holt, Rinehart and                                                            Winston 
http://www.hrw.com/world/spanish/ 
McGraw Hill Higher                Education 
http://www.mhhe.com/catalogs/hss/spanish/ 
Prentice                Hall 
http://vig.prenhall.com/catalog/academic/modernlanguages                 
Prentice Hall School Group                                                    http://www.phschool.com/catalog/ 
Information provided by                      publishing companies should be used with caution, however.                      Publishers may claim that their materials can be used for SNS                   instruction when in reality they were not created to address the                needs of Spanish-speaking students in Spanish classes. TYPES OF               SNS MATERIALS AVAILABLEThe range of SNS textbooks and materials             now available represents the expanding diversification within the               growing SNS field. Many SNS textbooks are part of well-developed                instructional series that have supplementary workbooks, readers,                multimedia supplements, and Web sites with online activities,                   including "Espanol Escrito: Curso Para Hispanohablantes                         Bilingues" (4th ed.) (Valdes & Teschner, 1999); "Nuevos                         Mundos" (Roca, 1999); "Selecciones Literarias" (Kiraithe-Cordova,               2000); and the revised "Nuestro Mundo: Curso Para                               Hispanohablantes" (Samaniego, Alarcon, Rojas, & Gorman,                         2002). 
States such as Arizona, California, New Mexico, and Texas              have large, well-established SNS programs where the instruction of              Spanish-speaking students is carried out in classes separate from               English-speaking students (Valdes, 1997). However, not all school               programs have enough Spanish-speaking students to consistently                  support separate classroom instruction for them. One public school              teacher responding to a 2001 survey about her use of SNS materials              wrote that at her school "there are several native speakers who                 elect to take Spanish each year thinking it an 'easy grade.'" She               added that district staff wonder if they should purchase alternative            texts for these students, who are now in traditional Spanish                    classes, or form special sections just for them. Unfortunately,                 small numbers of such students have so far made separate classes                impossible in this district. 
No matter how small the population of            Spanish-speaking students, they need not go without specialized                 instruction and materials that will build on their existing language            competencies while addressing their particular language needs,                  developing their literacy skills, and fostering their bilingualism.             Some newer textbook series, such as Juntos by Prentice Hall School              Group and Ven Conmigo! by Holt, Rinehart and Winston, provide course            textbooks that are written for use by both Spanish and English                  speakers in mixed classes, while separate sets of workbooks and                 ancillary materials are offered for the different groups. The series            Mundo 21 (Samaniego, Rojas, Ohara, & Alarcon, 2001) has "heritage               language components," which include a textbook edition for SNS--the             Edicion Alternativa--and ancillary materials such as an SNS                     workbook, Cuaderno de Actividades Para                                          Hispanohablantes. GUIDELINES FOR SELECTING SNS                                MATERIALSWestbury (1990) states, "The textbooks teachers have               are the most significant resource for their teaching and often the              most significant limiting force they face as they seek to accomplish            their purposes"(p. 1). We propose the following guidelines for                  selecting materials. 
1. Know your student population. 
Teachers              selecting materials must know the grade level and Spanish                       proficiency levels of their students and the type of class in which             the materials will be used. Students in a given class may include               Spanish speakers only, English speakers only, or both Spanish                   speakers and English speakers. If the class includes both, one                  should consider whether it is possible to work effectively with both            groups in the same class or whether they should be separated. 
2.              Know the language proficiency levels of your students. 
Students               who speak Spanish can have various levels of proficiency in both                English and Spanish. Their skills in reading, writing, listening,               and speaking for each language must be assessed before instructional            materials can be selected. Teachers may use locally or individually             developed assessments or commercially available proficiency tests to            determine students' proficiency levels. Otheguy and Toro (2000)                 describe published tests for SNS students at the elementary and high            school levels. A challenge for SNS programs is the dearth of                    assessment materials and the lack of a national proficiency scale               for benchmarking language competencies of SNS students. Therefore               all materials, even those designed specifically for SNS students,               must be reviewed to see if they match the student population to be              taught. 
3. Know about the technology available in your school and             classrooms. 
Many SNS instructional materials have multimedia                  packages in addition to textbooks. Consider whether technology-based            materials, such as computer activities delivered via CD-ROM or the              Web, DVD supplemental materials, cassette tapes, CDs, or video                  components are appropriate for your situation. Knowing what                     technical capabilities your school has will help to expand or limit             your search. 
4. Have clear goals and objectives in                            mind. 
Teachers must consider the skills that students need to                 develop in light of the goals of the students and other stakeholders            such as parents and district and state supervisors. Textbooks and               materials for Spanish-speaking students may concentrate on oral                 language or on literacy skills. Some focus on grammar review, while             others focus on critical thinking, phonetics, acquisition of                    standard Spanish varieties, or Spanish fluency. 
5. Read published             reviews of the materials. 
Several journals have published reviews             of SNS materials. "The Modern Language Journal" has printed reviews             of "EntreMundos: An Integrated Approach for the Native                          Speaker" (Gynan, 1998) and "La Lengua que Heredamos, Spanish for                Bilinguals" (Faingold, 1998). "Hispania" has published reviews                  of "Nuevos Destinos: Espanol Para Hispanohablantes" (Jelinski,                  2001), (4th ed.) (Lepeley, 1999), "Tu Mundo: Primer Curso Para                  Hispanohablantes" and "Nuestro Mundo: Segundo Curso Para                        Hispanohablantes" (Pardinas-Barnes, 1998). CONCLUSIONThe                  expansion of the SNS field has seen simultaneous growth in the                  number of textbooks and materials designed for SNS instruction.                 Textbook demand has created a market for materials that can be used             in separate classes or in mixed classes when separate instruction is            not possible. Selection of textbooks for SNS classes or classes with            mixed groups is a complicated process. Teachers and district                    supervisors must carefully and critically evaluate SNS materials                before adopting them to ensure that they fit the proficiency levels             and needs of their students and the goals of instruction. Finally,              teachers who use SNS materials should consider submitting reviews of            them to professional journals to aid other teachers in their own SNS            textbook selection process. REFERENCESAmerican Association of             Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese. (2000). "Professional                       development series handbook for teachers K-16: Vol. 1. Spanish for              native speakers." Fort Worth, TX: Harcourt College. Available from              Thomson Learning, 5191 Natorp Blvd., Mason, OH 45040,                           1-800-355-9983 (phone), 1-800-451-3661 (fax). 
Brecht, R.D., &                 Rivers, W.P. (2000). "Language and national security in the 21st                century: The role of Title VI/Fulbright-Hays in supporting national             language capacity." Dubuque, IA: Kendall/Hunt. 
Carreira, M.C., &              Armengol, R. (2001). Professional opportunities for heritage                    language speakers. In J. K. Peyton, D. A. Ranard, & S.                          McGinnis (Eds.). "Heritage languages in America: Preserving a                   national resource" (pp. 109-142). McHenry, IL, and Washington, DC:              Delta Systems and Center for Applied Linguistics. 
Center for                  Applied Linguistics (2001). "Spanish textbooks and materials for                Spanish native speakers" (LangNet annotated bibliography project).              Retrieved May 14, 2002, from                                                    http://epsilon3.georgetown.edu/~pmw2/sns_materials.html 
Faingold,             E. D. (1998). [Review of the book La lengua que heredamos. Spanish              for bilinguals]. "Modern Language Journal, 82," 141-142. 
Gynan, S.            H. (1998). [Review of the book Entre mundos: An integrated approach             for the native speaker]. "Modern Language Journal, 82,"                         139-140. 
Jelinski, J. B. (2001). [Review of the book Nuevos                   destinos: Espanol para hispanohablantes]. "Hispania, 84,"                       248-249. 
Lepeley, C. (1999). [Review of the book Avanzando:                   Gramatica espanol y lectura]. "Hispania, 82," 94-95. Otheguy, R., &             Toro, J. (2000). Tests for Spanish-for-native-speaker classes. In               American Association of Teachers of Spanish and                                 Portuguese, "Professional development series handbook for teachers              K-16: Vol. 1. Spanish for native speakers" (pp. 91-98). Fort Worth,             TX: Harcourt College. Available from Thomson                                    Publishing. 
Pardinas-Barnes, P. (1998). [Review of the books "Tu              mundo: Primer curso para hispanohablantes" and "Nuestro mundo:                  Segundo curso para hispanohablantes" and of the test "Prueba de                 ubicacion para hispanohablantes"]. "Hispania, 81,"                              116-118. 
Peyton, J. K., Lewelling, V. W., & Winke,                            P. (2001). "Spanish for native speakers: Developing dual language               proficiency." ERIC digest. Washington, DC: ERIC Clearinghouse on                Languages and Linguistics. Retrieved May 14, 2002, from                         http://www.cal.org/ericcll/digest/spanish_native.html 
Roca, A.,               Marcos, K., & Winke, P. (2001). "Teaching Spanish to Spanish                    speakers" (Resource Guide Online). Washington, DC: ERIC                         Clearinghouse on Languages and Linguistics. Retrieved May 14, 2002,             from http://www.cal.org/ericcll/faqs/rgos/sns.html 
U.S. Bureau of             the Census. (2001, May). Race data. Washington, DC: Author.                     Retrieved May 14, 2002, from                                                    http://www.census.gov/population/www/cen2000/phc-t1.html 
Valdes,              G. (1997). The teaching of Spanish to bilingual Spanish-speaking                students: Outstanding issues and unanswered questions. In M. C.                 Colombi & F. X. Alarcon (Eds.), "La ensenanza del espanol a                     hispanohablantes. Praxis y teoria" (pp. 8-44). Boston: Houghton                 Mifflin. 
Valdes, G. (2001). Heritage language students: Profiles              and possibilities. In J. K. Peyton, D. A. Ranard, & S.                          McGinnis (Eds.), "Heritage languages in America: Preserving a                   national resource" (pp. 37-77). McHenry, IL, and Washington, DC:                Delta Systems and Center for Applied Linguistics. 
Valdes-Fallis,              G., & Teschner, R. V. (1977). "Spanish for the Spanish-speaking: A              descriptive bibliography of materials." Austin, TX: National                    Educational Laboratory. 
Westbury, I. (1990). Textbooks, textbook              publishers, and the quality of schooling. In D. L. Elliot & A.                  Woodward (Eds.), "Textbooks and schooling in the United States" (pp.            1-22). Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press. 
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We are               grateful to Carmen Tesser and Lynn Sandstedt for their helpful                  comments on an earlier version of this digest. 
This digest was                prepared with funding from the U.S. Dept. of Education, Office of               Educational Research and Improvement, National Library of Education,            under contract no. ED-99-CO-0008.  The opinions expressed do not                necessarily reflect the positions or policies of ED, OERI, or NLE.           **Title:** Selecting Materials To Teach Spanish to Spanish Speakers. ERIC                  Digest.                                                                      **Document Type:** Information Analyses---ERIC Information Analysis Products (IAPs) (071); Information Analyses---ERIC Digests (Selected) in Full Text (073); **Available From:** ERIC Clearinghouse on Languages and Linguistics, 4646 40th Street               NW, Washington, DC 20016-1859. Tel: 800-276-9834 (Toll Free). For               full text: http://www.cal.org/ericcll/DIGEST.                                **Descriptors:** Elementary Secondary Education,  Heritage Education, Higher                     Education,  Hispanic Americans, Immigrants,  Instructional                      Materials,  Media Selection, Native Language Instruction,  Native               Speakers, Second Language Instruction, Second Language Learning,                Spanish,  Spanish Speaking                                                   **Identifiers:** ERIC Digests                                                                 
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