Books for reading about mathematics and physics

Today I'd like to introduce two books which can be helpful to build up the linguistic competence of students taking mathematics in Spanish.

It is not easy to find novels which are related to specific subject areas in a school, introduce scientific topics in a realistic way and/or use problem solving as the leading engine in the development of the story. I've been reading different books and my choice so far is the following: El asesinato del profesor de matemáticas (Anaya) de Jordi Sierra i Fabra y La puerta de los tres cerrojos (La Galera) de Sonia Fernández-Vidal.

Jordi Sierra is probably the most prolific Spanish writer for children and young adults, he has published hundreds of titles and has numerous awards, among them the National Award for children´s literature in 2007 and some of the most prestigious awards in children´s literature (Edebé, Barco de Vapor, Gran Angular...). The story is simple: 3 students, the only ones in the class who have failed mathematics, are challenged by their teacher to find who is responsible for his own death. To solve the mystery they must resolve different math problems until they find who is guilty. At the end, we discover everything was a bet between the math teacher and the principal so the 3 main characters could pass their exam. From this moment the students embarked in a frantic trip to solve the problems and find their teacher's murderer.

 

La Puerta de los tres Cerrojos was published in 2011 by Sofía Fernández-Vidal, a doctor physicist who has worked for different technological companies all over the world. Her aim is to show young people the depths of the quantic physics. The main character in the book, fourteen-year-old Niko, opens the door with the three lockers and will encounter a parallel world inhabited by scientist elves and fairies who will explain to him the origins and the development of the universe.

 

 

 



Both books are easy to read and are related to the subjects areas taught in Spanish. Both have been best sellers and have been translated to various languages. They can be one more tool to make  Maths, in Spanish, a bit more accessible. 



¡Vuelta al trabajo!

 

Después de muchos días sin aparecer por aquí tras un otoño muy particular me gustaría recomendar hoy la página web de Isabel Pérez. Isabel es una de las personas con las que he trabajado que conoce con más profundidad la enseñanza de una segunda lengua. En su página web nos ofrece una cantidad ingente y muy útil de recursos, ideas, experiencias siempre relacionados con la enseñanza de una segunda lengua, inglés en particular, desde una perspectiva innovadora y con la presencia constante de tres ideas principales: la enseñanza de lenguas a través del concepto CLIL, el trabajo por proyectos y el uso de las nuevas tecnologías como herramienta esencial en el proceso de aprendizaje. Ni que decir tiene que merece la pena pasar unas horas visitando las distintas secciones que la profesora pone a nuestra disposición, muchas de ellas nos van a ser útiles tanto si trabajamos en un proyecto bilingüe, como si nos dedicamos a enseñar español, o cualquier otro idioma, como segunda lengua. Mi sugerencia es usar la página para profundizar en el concepto de enseñanza CLIL, ver los numerosos ejemplos de "best practices" disponibles y también conocer novedades tecnológicas que nos pueden servir. Eso para empezar. Por último, me gustaría señalar la generosidad de la autora por poner tanta información a nuestro alcance y por las facilidades para ponerse en contacto con ella y recabar ayuda o más información.

 

Página de Isabel Pérez: Aquí



Página inicial



Una sugerencia de lectura, El Complot de Las Flores

Ya he comentado que crear un plan de lectura es esencial para construir un programa bilingüe con perspectivas de futuro. También he comentado en entradas anteriores la importante producción en español de literatura infantil y juvenil que puede ser una de las mejores herramientas de trabajo para fomentar la lectura entre los estudiantes.

Hoy me gustaría recomendar un libro que aparece en la colección Barco de Vapor, de la editoral SM. De hecho, esta novelita ganó el premio de la colección en 2003. La autora argentina Andrea Ferrari muestra de una manera muy divertida la repercusión que la llegada de una familia de Buenos Aires produce en una pequeña comunidad de la Patagonia  desde el punto de vista de dos personas, la hija adolescente de la familia recién llegada, Mara Herrera, y una vecina que lucha por salvar el pueblo desde el Grupo de Rescate, Ángeles Espinoza.

Las Flores necesita que sus habitantes no abandonen el pueblo. El grupo de rescate, tras mucha deliberación, prepara su plan de rescate. Tratarán de convencer al anciano Alfonso Vera para que asfalte la carretera y así los turistas puedan retornar como antaño. Para ello inventan la historia de que su nieto, Santiago, sale con Mara Herrera, la chica recién llegada y por tanto no abandonará el pueblo como su abuelo teme va a suceder. A partir de ahí se suceden los equívocos, las situaciones cómicas y el desenlace no es probablemente el esperado.

El libro transmite también importantes valores como la cooperación, la lucha por preservar las tradiciones etc. Es de fácil lectura y, como no podía ser de otra forma, presenta localismos del habla argentina que habría que mencionar antes de empezar la lectura.

Blog de la autora



Scaffolding the language

During the last ISA seminar celebrated in Calgary in 2011 several important issues about bilingual education came out. During her presentation, Dr. Myriam Mett mentioned her experience with bilingual schools in the USA. Students were very strong in the lower grades of their education and were able to engage in conversations but the same students in junior high school seemed to have forgotten all their Spanish. She mentioned at this point the importance of reading for building up the students linguistic capacity. I must say that I agree a 100% with this statement and in this blog I have been suggesting different novels and short stories that can be very useful in a Spanish bilingual program.

In the same seminar, another keynote speaker, María Jesús Frigols, introduced two important concepts which are related to the problem I am talking about: Scaffolding and Cognitive input versus Language input. Professor Frigols stated the importance of scaffolding the language input students acquire in the subjects areas taught in Spanish. For this reason, it is essential the collaboration between the subject areas in Spanish and Spanish language arts, so students get the necessary input to face in the target language the more and more demanding cognitive input.

Extracted from this link

In my opinion, one of the reasons why a significant number of students drop from the program in junior high school has to be with what we are talking about: without building up the linguistic capacity, students cannot face the more cognitively demanding subject areas. Schools need, in my opinion, a reading plan from the lowest grades up to high school and introduce the concepts of scaffolding the linguistic input, which implies the collaboration and coordination between teachers. I know that we are too often overwhelmed by work but this is a key factor to a successful Spanish bilingual program.

Laura Gallego, a young writer

I have already spoken about the young Spanish writer Laura Gallego. She is 34 and she has already published over 20 books for children and young people. Most of her books have been best sellers in Spain and other Spanish speaking countries but also in many other places: her books have been translated into 15 different languages, among them English and French.

Her biggest success, the trilogy Memorias de Idhún (The Idhúns Memories) is set in a fantastic medieval world called Idhún, a land with three suns and three moons. The plot centers around an old prophecy which predicts than only a dragon and a unicorn could save that world from Ashran, the Necromancer's evil plans. The plot is very entertaining, with many characters that endure numerous adventures. It can be hard for readers with not enough command of Spanish.

     

Fortunately, there is also a comic version of the the trilogy and this can be easier to use.

     

The seventh comic has just come out. The Idhúns Memories has been a best seller in Spain with almost a million copies sold . A more important reason to read the books is the fact that young people highly recommend them. They can be a very good tool to engage students into reading in Spanish.

More information about the author in her website: