Reading Assistants

The goal of these Reading Assistants is to make the task of reading in a foreign language seem less like a task, and more like an exciting adventure.  Therefore, the unifying theme of the Assistants is SCUBA diving - truly an exciting adventure!  Imagine yourself out on the high seas, ready to dive in and explore the underwater world.  What skills are needed before diving in?

Now imagine yourself in the pages of an authentic Spanish text,  ready to dive in and explore the culture.  What skills are needed here before diving in?

We suggest the following steps, or "pasos":

The first helpful step is to read a bit of information about the author and the setting of the story.  Whenever you see this heading while working with the Assistant, you will know that you are "assessing your surroundings."

The next step in understanding a story--or a novel--, is to identify the characters, where the action takes place (the setting) and what happened (the plot).  Whenever you see this heading while working with the Assistant, you will know that you are still "skimming the surface."

The next step is to review essential vocabulary by providing you with some activities.  The goal of these activities is to ascertain that you have the necessary equipment (vocabulary) to continue. Whenever you see this heading while working with the Assistant, you will know that you are still "checking your equipment."

At this stage the goal is to have a deeper understanding of the characters and their motives. From this understanding will emerge the theme of the story.  Whenever you see this heading while working with the Assistant, you will know that you are still "diving deeper."

Como agua para chocolate

Naranjas

Raining Backwards

The Siempre adelante Reading Assistants were created by Faculty and Professional Staff from the Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures at the University of Delaware. All scripts for the Reading Assistant were written by Prof. Juan Ramón de Arana.