Using the Literary Text to Engage Language Learners in a Multilingual Community

This article discusses the use of Esmeralda Santiago's autobiography "When I Was Puerto Rican" (1994b) as the foundation for an experiential learning project that brought two language communities: suburban college students studying intermediate Spanish and urban Puerto Rican students in an English-as-a-second-language (ESL) class. The researchers relate how the respective classes analyzed the text and its cultural framework in preparation for a cross-cultural encounter when both groups of students discussed their reaction to Santiago's story. This case study is offered as an example of how to use a literary text to achieve the objectives outlined in the "Standards for Foreign Language Learning," standard 5: communities.