Transcript "When and Why We Speak Spanish in Public"

Language Arts
Quick Write/Partner Talk
Get out a sheet of paper and write your
heading on it.
 When you are in public and hear people
around you speaking a language other
than English, what is your immediate
reaction?

 Are you intrigued? Do you feel
uncomfortable? Why?
Editorial Page Editor Myriam Marquez has worked at The
Myriam
Marquez
Miami Herald since October 2005. As an Assistant City
Editor she coordinated coverage of South Florida's Latin
American and Caribbean communities. She was tapped
Deputy Metro Editor in December 2007, served as Metro
columnist in 2008 and was selected to oversee the opinion
pages in print and online starting in June 2009. She has
overseen award-winning projects, including coverage of
torture suspects at Krome and Gitmo, higher education and
the evolving face of Miami's Cuban exile community.
Myriam knows South Florida -- she is a graduate of Miami
Senior High and Miami-Dade Community College. Born in
Havana, Myriam grew up bilingual and bilcultural. She is
married and has two sons.
During her 18 years at the Orlando Sentinel, Myriam
received numerous awards as a columnist and editorial
The Miami Herald
board member. She also served as the Sentinel's
Enterprise Editor. She's a graduate of the University of
Maryland, with bachelor's in journalism and minor in
political science.
Vocabulary Preview
albeit – even though
Balkanize – to divide a region or territory into
small, often hostile units
inception – the beginning of something
litmus test – a test that uses a single indicator
to prompt a decision
First read- silent, independent
1. What is the author’s purpose?
 2. What type of text is this?

 Persuasive?
 Expository?
 Narrative?
Paragraphs 1,2 & 3

Depict the scene Marquez describes by
drawing a picture.
Paragraphs 4, 5 & 6

Paraphrase these paragraphs
Paragraphs 7, 8, 9 & 10

Circle the most important words and
explain in the margin why each is
important
Paragraphs 11, 12, 13, & 14

Summarize the last 4 paragraphs.
Developing the Thesis Statement
Determine a question you are trying to answer
in your essay. A one or two sentence answer
to the question may be a starting point for
your thesis.
 A thesis statement is not a question.
 It is an assertion.
 It is a claim about a debatable issue that can
be supported with evidence.
 A thesis statement identifies a topic and
makes an assertion about it.
Sample Thesis Statements
One of the most important elements in body language is eye
behavior.
Americans can be divided into three groups – smokers,
nonsmokers, and that expanding pack of us who have quit.
Over the past ten to fifteen years, it has become apparent that
eating disorders have reached epidemic proportions among
adolescents.
Ironically, social media is creating teenagers who are increasingly
isolated from real relationships with their peers.
Except for a mother with cubs, brown bears tend to be solitary
creatures.
Some kinds of nonfiction writing do not require
thesis statements, although they may be
present.
These include descriptions and narratives such
as memoirs, diaries, and letters.
But any essay that seeks to explain
or prove a point has a thesis that is
set forth in a formal thesis statement.
1. What is Marquez’s thesis?
 2. How does the author organize the
text? (Look at text structures in the red
folder)

Entire Article
Go back and look at what you wrote for
the purpose of her article. Were you
correct? Would you change what you
wrote?
 How does Marquez organize the text?

 Expository notes and organizational patterns
Short Answer

Do you agree or disagree with Marquez
that our patriotism should not be gauged
(measured) by whether we speak
English in public?
 Include specific details from the essay
“Speak Up” by Janet Wong
Read the poem with a partner or small
group
 Discuss the poem

“Why and When We Speak
Spanish in Public” and “Speak
Up”

Compare/ contrast with Venn Diagram
the poem and article
 Make sure you include the immigrant
experience, definition of being an American
and point of view of both writers