LA MUJER y EL PERRO PEQUEÑO The Woman and the Little Dog Adaptation, Assessments and Illustrations by Bryce Hedstrom A Spanish I scaffolded story based on the urban legend The Mexican Pet Copyright © 2014 by Bryce Hedstrom Permission is granted to the purchaser to use this material in your classroom. LA MUJER y EL PERRO PEQUEÑO The Woman and the Little Dog Adaptation, Assessments and Illustrations by Bryce Hedstrom Based on the urban legend The Mexican Pet This story is based on the popular urban legend commonly known as The Mexican Pet. It can be taught to a level I class in 2-3 weeks. Urban legends are humorous or horrific stories that are passed around as if they were true. They are often told as if they have been picked up by someone that is vaguely related to the teller—usually a “friend of a friend”. Urban legends have staying power because they are interesting stories and because they say something that resonates with the hearers. Like most urban legends, there are warnings and cultural values that are shared in this tale—not all of them savory. Students will get the chance to discuss any negative stereotypes they pick up in the story at the end of the final extended version when the whole truth of the tale is revealed. The subtext in this urban legend is amazing. In almost all versions the lady lives in the southwest U.S.—close enough to Mexico that she should know at least something about it. In many on-line and print versions, the lady actually lives in Fort Collins, Colorado, a prosperous town with well-educated citizens at the edge of the southwest and home of a notable veterinary school— which may imply that she should know better. This urban legend is presented as a series of stories was written almost entirely with high frequency Spanish words. As students go through the versions they pick up the story and new words are scaffolded on to that knowledge. Each new version has about twice the total words as the previous version and provides a richer description of the thinking and actions of the characters. A few new words are added to each version and the result is a clearer and more detailed picture of the entire story. Because students know the core words, the newer words fit in logically with the story they already know and are acquired naturally as they progress through each version of the story. Version A: Version B: Version C: Extended Version: 6 new focus words, 6 new focus words, 7 new focus words, 8 new focus words, 82 total words in the story 181 total words in the story 363 total words in the story 852 total words in the story Even though each version has additional words, not every word will be new to each student. Most students will see words that they recognize in the lists for each new version. This will hopefully be encouraging to the students. Underlying ideas to look for as you read the versions: • What fears and stereotypes are implied in the story? • Who seems more content in this story? • Who seems to sleep better? • Does wealth always equal contentment? • Are wealthier people always smarter? Are they always clueless? Are they always evil? • How do our perceptions influence how we experience the world? • This urban legend has been passed around for years. Why does it have such staying power? The words in bold print and underlined on the pre-reading vocabulary lists are the focus vocabulary, the ones that are the most important for each particular version and can be pre-taught with gestures. They are divided into the focus words for each version of the story. Copyright © 2014 by Bryce Hedstrom Permission is granted to the purchaser to use this material in your classroom. LA MUJER y EL PERRO PEQUEÑO The Woman and the Little Dog Adaptation and Illustrations by Bryce Hedstrom Based on the urban legend The Mexican Pet Asterisks * indicate high frequency Spanish words (within the top 400). FOCUS VOCABULARY : * mujer rico * pobre * no sé * le dice * la calle * piensa que * quiere ir * ahora * voy * pone maleta * llega woman rich poor I don't know says to her/him the street thinks that wants to go now I am going puts suitcase arrives * pongo I put * calle street duerme sleeps * busca looks for * encuentra finds * vuelve returns * casi almost * parece que seems like ropa clothing está aburrido is bored quiere andar wants to walk * sale de goes out of * otra vez again está sorprendida surprised está enfermo is sick VERBS IN THE "YO" FORM: * soy I am (characteristic) * estoy I am (condition, location) * vivo I live duermo I sleep * (no) tengo I (don't) have * (no) entiendo I (don't) understand * (no) sé I (don't) know * voy a I am going to, I go to * lo siento I’m sorry * pongo I put * quiero I want OTHER VOCABULARY in the various story versions and in the questions: adónde agarra anda * así que avión * ayuda cama * bien * blanco bonito * bueno * casa * ciudad * come comida conmigo contento * cuando * le da * después de * día * dinero dólares durmiendo elegante enfrente de * ella * es * está * encontrar enfrente de * entonces finalmente where to grabs walks so airplane help bed fine, well white pretty good house city eats food with me happy, content when gives him after day money dollars sleeping elegant, stylish in front of she is is to find in front of so, then finally fresco * grande gris grita * habla * hace * hace sol * hay * ir * se levanta * llama * le * lee * mal * la mañana * más millones * mira * nada naturalmente * necesita normalmente * nuevo *o * ojos pantalones * para mí * para ti le pega * pequeño * pero perro * un poco fresh big gray yells talks, speaks does it is sunny there is to go gets up, stands up calls to/at/for him/her reads badly the morning more millions looks at nothing naturally needs normally new or eyes pants for me for you hits it small but dog a little bit * por qué why probablemente probably * quien who * quiere wants * que that * qué what una rata a rat realmente really se ríe de él laughs at him * ¿Sabe que ...? Do you know that...? * se siente feels * lo siento I am sorry señora, Sra. Mrs., mam, madam * siempre always sonríe smiles suavemente softly teléfono telephone * tiene / no tiene has / doesn't have tiene hambre is hungry tiene frío is cold * toca touches * todavía still * todo everything * tomar to take * usted / Ud. you (formal) * va a goes to, is going to ir de vacaciones to go on vacation * vayas to go, you might go * ve sees veterinario veterinarian * vive lives * yo I Copyright © 2014 by Bryce Hedstrom Permission is granted to the purchaser to use this material in your classroom. La mujer y el perro pequeño VERSIÓN A BEFORE THE STORY tiene Previous Vocabulary: Write the words you recall. _________________ mira _________________ es _________________ ve _________________ está contenta _________________ está bien _________________ va _________________ pero _________________ grita _________________ perro _________________ soy _________________ nada _________________ tengo _________________ Ud. / usted _________________ agarra _________________ por qué _________________ Other Vocabulary in This Version: Write the words that you recognize or can figure out. mujer _________________ no sé _________________ rico _________________ le dice _________________ pobre _________________ piensa que _________________ enfrente de _________________ casa _________________ no entiendo _________________ habla _________________ VERSIÓN A La mujer y el perro pequeño (82 words) Before Reading: Highlight every word that you understand in this first short and basic version of the story below. Hay una mujer rica. Va a México. Va a un hotel. Ve un animal enfrente del hotel y le grita. El animal mira a la mujer. La mujer piensa que el animal le habla, y le dice: —Soy un animal pobre. No tengo nada. ¡No entiendo por qué Ud. me grita! La mujer le dice: —No sé. La mujer piensa que el animal es un Chihuahua. Lo agarra y va a su casa con el perro. Pero el Chihuahua no está bien… (to be continued) INSTRUCCIONES: Dibuja el cuento con dibujos simples y cuéntalo a un amigo en español. Draw the story with simple drawings and tell it to a friend in Spanish. Copyright © 2014 by Bryce Hedstrom Permission is granted to the purchaser to use this material in your classroom. La mujer y el perro pequeño VERSIÓN A ***ANSWERS***ANSWERS*** BEFORE THE STORY ***ANSWERS***ANSWERS*** Previous Vocabulary: Write the words you recall. mira looks at tiene has es is ve sees está contenta is happy está bien is fine, is well, is OK va goes, is going pero but grita yells perro dog soy I am nada nothing tengo I have Ud. / usted you (formal) agarra grabs por qué why Other Vocabulary in This Version: Write the words that you recognize or can figure out. mujer woman no sé I don’t know rico rich le dice says to him/her pobre poor piensa que thinks that enfrente de in front of casa house no entiendo I do not understand habla speaks, talks VERSIÓN A La mujer y el perro pequeño (82 words) Before Reading: Highlight every word that you understand in this first short and basic version of the story below. Hay una mujer rica. Va a México. There is a rich woman. She goes to Mexico. Va a un hotel. Ve un animal enfrente del hotel y le grita. She goes to a hotel. She sees an animal in front of the hotel and yells at it. El animal mira a la mujer. La mujer piensa que el animal le habla, y le dice: The animal looks at the woman. The woman thinks that the animal talks to her, and it says to her: —Soy un animal pobre. No tengo nada. ¡No entiendo por qué Ud. me grita! “I am a poor animal. I don’t have anything. I don’t understand why you are yelling at me!” La mujer le dice: —No sé. The woman says to him, “I don’t know.” La mujer piensa que el animal es un Chihuahua. Lo agarra y va a su casa con el perro. The woman thinks that the animal is a Chihuahua. She grabs it and goes to her house with the dog. Pero el Chihuahua no está bien… (to be continued) But the dog is not well… INSTRUCCIONES: Dibuja el cuento con dibujos simples y cuéntalo a un amigo en español. Draw the story with simple drawings and tell it to a friend in Spanish. Copyright © 2014 by Bryce Hedstrom Permission is granted to the purchaser to use this material in your classroom. La mujer y el perro pequeño VERSIÓN A: ORAL QUESTIONS The instructor will ask questions like these about the story. If you were not in class or need review, read the questions and write the answers in Spanish to keep up with the input. 1. ¿Hay un hombre o hay una mujer? ___________________________________________ 2. ¿Es una chica o es una mujer? ___________________________________________ 3. ¿Es la mujer rica o pobre? ___________________________________________ 4. ¿Tiene mucho dinero o un poco de dinero? ___________________________________________ 5. ¿Adónde va la mujer? ___________________________________________ 6. ¿La mujer vive en México? ___________________________________________ 7. ¿Ella tiene una casa en México? ___________________________________________ 8. Cuando la mujer está en México, ¿adónde va? ___________________________________________ 9. ¿Qué ve la mujer? ___________________________________________ 10. ¿Dónde está el animal? ___________________________________________ 11. ¿Qué hace la mujer cuando ve el animal? ___________________________________________ 12. ¿Por qué la mujer le grita al animal? ___________________________________________ 13. ¿Quién mira a la mujer? ___________________________________________ 14. ¿Por qué? ___________________________________________ 15. ¿Qué piensa la mujer? ___________________________________________ 16. ¿El animal realmente le habla? ___________________________________________ 17. ¿Qué le dice el animal a la mujer? (3 things) ___________________________________________ ______________________________________ ___________________________________________ 18. ¿Qué es el animal? (according to the animal) ___________________________________________ 19. ¿Qué tiene el animal? ___________________________________________ 20. ¿Qué no entiende el animal? ___________________________________________ 21. ¿Qué le dice la mujer al animal? ___________________________________________ 22. La mujer piensa que el animal es un… ___________________________________________ 23. ¿Por qué? ___________________________________________ 24. ¿La mujer le pega al animal? ___________________________________________ 25. ¿Le toca al animal suavemente? ___________________________________________ 26. ¿Qué agarra la mujer? ___________________________________________ 27. ¿Por qué lo agarra? ___________________________________________ 28. ¿Adónde va la mujer? ___________________________________________ 29. ¿Qué tiene la mujer con ella? ___________________________________________ 30. ¿Qué problema tiene el animal? ___________________________________________ Copyright © 2014 by Bryce Hedstrom Permission is granted to the purchaser to use this material in your classroom. La mujer y el perro pequeño VERSIÓN A: ORAL QUESTIONS ***ANSWERS***ANSWERS***ANSWERS***ANSWERS***ANSWERS***ANSWERS*** The instructor will ask questions like these about the story. If you were not in class or need review, read the questions and write the answers in Spanish to keep up with the input. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25. 26. 27. 28. 29. 30. ¿Hay un hombre o hay una mujer? Is there a man or is there a woman? Hay una mujer. ¿Es una chica o es una mujer? Is it a girl or is it a woman? Es una mujer. ¿Es la mujer rica o pobre? Is the woman rich or poor? Es rica. ¿Tiene mucho dinero o un poco de dinero? Tiene mucho dinero. Does she have a lot of money or a little bit of money? ¿Adónde va la mujer? To where does the woman go? Va a un hotel. ¿La mujer vive en México? Does the woman live in Mexico? No, no vive en México. ¿Ella tiene una casa en México? Does she have a house in Mexico? No, no tiene casa en México. Cuando la mujer está en México, ¿adónde va? Va a un hotel. When the woman is in Mexico, where does she go? ¿Qué ve la mujer? What does the woman see? Ve un animal. ¿Dónde está el animal? Where is the animal? Está enfrente del hotel. ¿Qué hace la mujer cuando ve el animal? What does the woman do when she sees the animal? Le grita al animal. ¿Por qué la mujer le grita al animal? Why does the woman yell at the animal? (Many posible answers) No le gustan los animales. Tiene miedo. No está contenta. ¿Quién mira a la mujer? Who looks at the woman? El animal mira a la mujer. ¿Por qué? Why? La mujer le grita. ¿Qué piensa la mujer? What does the woman think? Piensa que el animal le habla. ¿El animal realmente le habla? Does the animal really talk to her? No sé. No sabemos. ¿Qué le dice el animal a la mujer? What does the animal say to the woman? (Three necessary answers) Soy un animal pobre. No tengo nada. ¡No entiendo por qué Ud. me grita! ¿Qué es el animal? What is the animal? Es un animal pobre. ¿Qué tiene el animal? What does the animal have? No tiene nada. ¿Qué no entiende el animal? What does the animal not understand? No entiende por qué la mujer le grita. ¿Qué le dice la mujer al animal? What does the woman say to the animal? (Any answer that makes sense is OK.) Possibilities: ¡Hay un animal aquí! ¿Por qué estás aquí? ¡Corre, animal feo! La mujer piensa que el animal es un… The woman thinks that the animal is a… perro ¿Por qué? Why? (Any answer that makes sense is OK.) ¿La mujer le pega al animal? Does the woman hit the animal? No, no le pega. / No, lo agarra. ¿Le toca al animal suavemente? Does she touch the animal softly? No, no le toca. / No, lo agarra. ¿Qué agarra la mujer? What does the woman grab? Agarra el animal. ¿Por qué lo agarra? Why does she grab it? (Any answer that makes sense is OK.) Possibilities: Se siente mal. El animal es pobre. Ve que el animal es pobre. ¿Adónde va la mujer? Where does the woman go? Va a su casa. ¿Qué tiene la mujer con ella? What does the woman have with her? Tiene el animal con ella. ¿Qué problema tiene el animal? What problem does the animal have? No está bien. Copyright © 2014 by Bryce Hedstrom Permission is granted to the purchaser to use this material in your classroom. La mujer y el perro pequeño VERSIÓN A INSTRUCCIONES: Draw the major events in the story with a series of simple line drawings. Be prepared to explain those events to a partner and/or your teacher. These drawings are to help you remember the order of the story and the details in this version and in subsequent versions. They are not for a grade—the artistic quality of the drawing is not important, but the details are—you need to be able to use your drawing to remember the details. Copyright © 2014 by Bryce Hedstrom Permission is granted to the purchaser to use this material in your classroom.