“The culture notes in Mango lessons are a huge plus. They are relevant and fresh, especially compared with our textbook which is 15 years out of date.”
—Kenny Wolleat, Spanish teacher, Duluth Edison Charter Schools, Minnesota
Articles
5 Ways Mango Helps Learners Connect with Culture for Hispanic Heritage Month
By: Mango Languages Fri Aug 30 2024
National Hispanic Heritage Month, observed from September 15 to October 15 each year, celebrates the cultures and contributions of Americans whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central and South America. Here are five ways Mango Classroom helps students and teachers recognize and honor their Hispanic classmates.
1. Mango incorporates cultural competency into its products.
All Mango courses include culture notes that teach appropriate cultural information such as:
Buenas tardes ("good afternoon") is used from 12 p.m. all the way until around 7 p.m.
In Spanish, buenas noches can be used as both a greeting and a farewell.
In most Spanish-speaking countries, when entering a home it is customary to greet everyone in the room by shaking his or her hand when you enter.
2. Mango helps districts celebrate language and culture.
Host a district-wide Hispanic Heritage Month Celebration!
Mango’s “Cultural Night” lesson gives schools a blueprint for putting this into action:
The district divides a large open space into small “rooms” and asks each school to host a different Spanish-speaking country. The schools represent their chosen country by making a presentation, doing a traditional dance, cooking food, playing music, etc. Students, staff, families, and community members come in and “visit” each country.
3. Mango recognizes the importance of Spanish dialects.
There are more than 20 Spanish-speaking countries in the world, with multiple dialects in each of those countries. Mango offers both Castilian Spanish and Latin American Spanish, plus several Specialty courses that help students learn about the nuances that make each dialect unique to its country.
Research with the MLAT has shown that test-takers with higher aptitude scores tend to learn more grammar over short periods of time, and tend to get higher grades in language courses. In other words, language aptitude seems to positively correlate with both how fast and how much you can learn.
4. Mango’s blog features valuable posts such as these:
5. Mango makes it easy for students to prepare Hispanic cuisine.
In the “Cookbook Recipe” lesson, which is part of a larger Chapter on Food and Drink Culture, students create a classroom cookbook in Spanish (or in English for English learners). Each recipe includes the name of the dish, an illustration, the ingredients and measurements, and the recipe steps. And no, students do not have to include mangoes in their dishes!
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