Mi Propio Auto

 

Mi Propio Auto is a Spanish reader designed for second-year students.  The story includes the themes of service learning, exploring new cultures, and personal growth.  The story is centered around Ben Sullivan, a seventeen-year old who wants a car for his birthday.  Instead he gets a plane ticket to El Salvador.  His parents make a deal with him that if he spends the summer in El Salvador building houses in an area affected by an earthquake and mudslide, they will buy him a car at the end of the summer.  We follow Ben through the summer and see him develop from a self-centered teen who only cares about popularity and image to a caring young man who understands the value of family and community.

Mi Propio Auto is a great way to introduce students to a small, sometimes overlooked country.  I lived in El Salvador for a year and I was excited to have the opportunity to share my experiences with students.  When he recieves the airline ticket, Ben Sullivan knows nothing about El Salvador.  He does some internet research about the country.  There is a chapter which follows Ben from the airport to San Vicente.  He rides a chicken bus and buys plaintains with U.S. currency.  Once he arrives in Santa Lucía, he is introduced to pupusas and licuados.  Throughout the first few chapters there is information about the earthquake in 2002 and the mudslide that destroyed homes and killed many.  Ben gives students a first hand look at the conditions in rural areas of Central America.  Ben's final experience in El Salvador is to celebrate August 6, a day set aside to honor El Salvador's patron saint.

This small book is a useful addition to Spanish II curriculum because it helps students build reading skills and provides a use for their vocabulary.  There are many activities that can accompany the book.  Much like Ben Sullivan, the first place we turned to for information about El Salvador was the internet.  Students completed an internet scavanger hunt.  In my class we learned how to make pupusas.  A few of the students chose to make pupusas for their final cooking project.  While reading the book students completed a reading comprehension guide.  We read all of the chapters aloud in class in various formats.  Upon completing the book students were able to write an essay about the culture and geography of El Salvador.