That decision was left to a jury, comprised of five Panamanian exchange students (who were visiting Shipley as part of a three week home-stay), and three teachers, all of whom could speak and understand Spanish. Half the class played the parts of the defense and the other half the prosecution. In each group it was decided which roles each student would “play”: lawyer, witness, or the defendant. After many group discussions and a practice run-through of the entire trial, all were ready to present the case in front of the audience of teachers and cameras.
 
Even though the trial ran smoothly, anyone can tell you, it is much harder than it looks to sit in front of the class and testify in Spanish. The trial was a great experience, allowing the students to practice their language knowledge in a “real- life” situation. It also required them to speak more fluently and clearly. The value of this exercise is to push students to rely on their existing knowledge of the language. Franco remarks, “The students have the opportunity to be creative, to use their Spanish in both the intense listening they need so they can participate, and in the prepared and unrehearsed speeches. Meanwhile, the jury has to decide on whether the defendant’s guilt or innocent. Interestingly, in the Spanish 4 class the defendant was found guilty while in the Spanish 5 class he was found to be innocent. I believe the exercise was successful in both classes because the students had fun using their Spanish in creative ways.” The class consensus was that the trial was definitely a fun and worth-while experience!

Perrie Hartz '05

November 2003