'I can spell cultura... but what is it?': Experiencing culture in the high school classroom

Research question. How will teaching cultural units enhance students' classroom engagement?;Sub-questions. How will deeply focusing on specific countries aid students understanding of their populations? How will cultural immersion affect their understanding of their own culture?;Research Activities. My study took place in a class of 29 students at Legend High School in San Jose CA. The participants in the study were from my beginning Spanish class. These students were in their majority freshman with a couple of sophomores and juniors scattered among them. The focus of this study came from an observation of student's engagement. The textbook focuses on grammar and vocabulary but does little to introduce them to Spanish speaking culture. Therefore, I created an intervention that allowed for students to experience another culture. This study focused on "cultural units." The three specific countries that were presented were Mexico, Spain and Peru. We spent a week on each country, intertwined with the regular curriculum. These cultural interventions consisted of cultural facts, music, food, dance, customs and celebrations. The data analysis consisted of pre lesson surveys, post lesson surveys, observational notes and participation tracks. Overall, this study focused on how experiencing a culture leads to interest, engagement and learning. After reviewing data and classroom observations I found that cultural presentations somewhat increased students cultural knowledge but did increase classroom engagement.