Chris: Local Press in Spanish Contributes to Community Service Learning


When I have some free time at the Refugee Center, I read the paper. There are two papers that report about the Hispanic community in Champaign-Urbana and both of them are free. I can accomplish the goals of this course in many ways by reading “El Informador” and “La Prensa”. For example, these papers use the vocabulary of native speakers, rather than the vocabulary of text books. By learning the more commonly used vocabulary, I am better able to communicate with Spanish speakers. Moreover, the newspapers give me more insight into the local Hispanic culture. There are always articles about upcoming events within the community and individuals who have helped the community. Finally, I am able to make connections by reading the newspapers because I learn about new things. For example, last week’s paper had an article about nutrition and it taught me many facts about proteins and carbohydrates. All in all, I would suggest that other Spanish students read these papers. They contain national news, news about Champaign-Urbana, editorials, horoscopes, and other types of information.

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