Using the language for enjoyment, enrichment and advancement

One of my favorite of the ACTFL World-Readiness Standards is in the Lifelong Learning standard in the Communities strand, it reads:
Learners set goals and reflect on their progress in using languages for enjoyment, enrichment, and advancement.

I love this standard because it is so important for students to see the language as meaningful and pleasurable outside of the classroom. If they enjoy the language, then true learning can really begin! Creating activities for and assessing this standard can be a challenge! 

But, I have a pretty good way to do it! In my current classes this semester, Spanish 3 Honors and Cultura y Civilización, students have to do a Tarea Semanal assignment each week. I have been doing this for more than 4 years now, but I have just recently changed it a bit to make it more stream lined (I used to have a really long list). This is what students have to do now:

For your Tarea Semanal (Weekly Homework), you can either watch a television show or movie in Spanish for 30 minutes or you can read in Spanish for 30 minutes. After you watch, you need to write the following (in Spanish) and give it to me on Friday at the beginning of class:

1. the name of the show that you watched or the article, book, etc. that you read
2. a description of what you watched or read about
3. at least 5 new vocabulary words and/or expressions that you learned
4. something interesting about what you watched or read - this could be something cultural or something linguistic
5. something you had difficulty with
6. if you would recommend this show and/or read and why

I list some options here for students. My students are doing an exceptional job on their weekly write ups. Several students are watching Gran Hotel and loving it. A couple others are watching El Internado (they have gone ahead of the class). Two students are reading TPRS novels (La Llorona de Mazatlán and Vida y Muerte en la Marasalvatrucha).  A few have been listening to and watch YouTube playlists.

It is so fun to read their descriptions and questions, and to see the amazing variety of words that they take note of. Many of them (of course, not all) are truly "enjoying" Spanish outside of the classroom. It is also fun to write comments and questions back to them. 

This week, some students asked if they could do some Sr. Wooly nuggets for their Tarea Semanal, so that is a new option that I am going to add for students to do. They definitely enjoy those nuggets!