Spanglish Assignment

This assignment is due Monday, April 4th.

Write a persuasive essay in Spanish supporting or condemning the use or teaching of Spanglish.
or
Write a personal, persuasive letter in Spanish to Joey Vento supporting or condemning his “English Only” policy.


Essay or letter should be between 2-3 pages, double spaced in 12 point font. Use evidence and examples from class, including the history of the Spanish language in the United States and Anzaldua's text.

Link to Joey Vento news article here.

	4	3	2	1	Score
Position Statement	The position statement provides a clear, strong statement of the author's position on the topic.	The position statement provides a clear statement of the author's position on the topic.	A position statement is present, but does not make the author's position clear.	There is no position statement.
Support for Position	Includes 3 or more pieces of evidence (facts, statistics, examples, real-life experiences) that support the position statement. The writer anticipates the reader's concerns, biases or arguments and has provided at least 1 counter-argument.	Includes 3 or more pieces of evidence (facts, statistics, examples, real-life experiences) that support the position statement.	Includes 2 pieces of evidence (facts, statistics, examples, real-life experiences) that support the position statement.	Includes 1 or fewer pieces of evidence (facts, statistics, examples, real-life experiences).
Sentence Structure	All sentences are well-constructed with varied structure.	Most sentences are well-constructed and there is some varied sentence structure in the essay.	Most sentences are well constructed, but there is no variation is structure.	Most sentences are not well-constructed or varied.
Grammar & Spelling	Author makes no errors in grammar or spelling that distract the reader from the content.	Author makes 1-2 errors in grammar or spelling that distract the reader from the content.	Author makes 3-4 errors in grammar or spelling that distract the reader from the content.	Author makes more than 4 errors in grammar or spelling that distract the reader from the content.

West Side Story Assignment

Watch the following three clips from the film “West Side Story” and answer the accompanying questions. Your answers should be 3 to 4 sentences in length, in grammatically correct Spanish. Remember to use details from the film. Do not limit yourself to the lyrics of the song—pay attention to the costumes and settings and include them in your answer, too.

Each question is constructed so you will think about the values and viewpoints of the people who are depicted in the film. If your answer does not include how the film reflects the values and viewpoints of the people in the film, please review it!

Please feel free to attach photos and links to other YouTube videos we have watched in class as examples in your answer.

1. In the dance number where Tony and Maria meet for the first time, there is a combination of modern dance and mambo. The mambo is used not only because it was popular in the United States during the 50’s. Why would this scene be dedicated to mambo, and what does it tell us about the Puerto Rican relationship with the Caucasians?
2. Focus on the costumes in this scene. What do they reveal about the characters, especially Maria and the other women in the scene? Where do these images come from?
   (hint)

1. What is the relationship between the women in the song “America” and the United States? How is it different then the relationship the men have with the United States?.

1. What kind of social commentary or criticism does “Officer Krupke” offer? Even though it is sung by the Jets, how does it apply to the Sharks?