This week, 8th grade began work on their telenovela projects, the major Spanish project of the year. For this projects, students will work in groups of 3-5 to write and perform a telenovela.They may perform it as a skit in class or film it and present it as a movie. They must follow a specific genre of telenovela and use certain language concepts that we have learned in the most recent chapter.
A telenovela is a Latin American soap opera, literally, “television novel.” These shows are an integral part of the culture in these countries. Unlike American soap operas, telenovelas are hugely popular, and are shown during prime time. In fact, one president once rescheduled an event so he wouldn’t miss an important episode of his favorite show! Additionally, telenovelas have specific genres such as teen drama, historical, and working class drama.
This can be a very fun project for students. Every year, I’m very impressed with the skill and creativity students display in their presentations. However, if things are left until the last minute, or directions are not followed, it can prove to be a bit of a headache. Students will have time to work on writing in class with their groups, but they will need to invest some time outside of class, as well (either working together, working independently and/or filming together). I encourage parents to make note of the due dates and resources below to get an idea of what the expectations are.
Rough drafts of the script are due on Wednesday, February 18th.
Final drafts and presentations are due on Monday, March 9th.
The guidelines for the project are available here.
The rubric used for grading is available here.
Some background information on telenovela genres is available here.
If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask!
