I chose my second audio sample for my eportfolio because I think it is a better representation of my speaking progress this year. This sample is the audio version of my first writing sample. Our class wrote our writing samples on Vistas chapter 13, La Naturaleza. I chose to write about my favorite place in nature, which is the area surrounding my cabin in northern Minnesota. I also talked about how my family is interested in motorsports, and the effects that they can have on the environment. After submitting my final writing sample, I received more feedback on it from my coordinator and language partner before changing it to a script for my audio sample. I think that this audio sample is better than the first because it is more personal and I have more emotion when I’m talking. Before recording I read my script multiple times, marking words that I had difficulty pronouncing or words that needed emphasis on different letters or syllables. I also worked hard to achieve a natural speed of speaking as well as intonation. In the past I have struggled with rolling my ‘r’s’, so I spent a lot of time practicing and marking all words that had ‘r’s’ in them. I recorded the sample multiple times before I felt that one reflected my best work. Listening to this audio sample at the end of the semester, I think I could produce a better one, which makes me feel like I am definitely progressing. I think my audio sample coincides with the presentational speaking goal, because I am describing my personal experiences and events and I hope to continue to expand my vocabulary and confidence to push this goal further. In the future, I know I still need to work on my pronunciation and the rolling of my ‘r’s’ as well as the formation of sentences with correct verb tenses. Over all, I enjoyed that this audio sample demonstrated all of my own work, from my writing to my speaking. I think speaking Spanish is unique because it gives a person more social influence in a variety of situations. Many people in United States speak Spanish as well as English, and I think this gives them an over all advantage linguistically. To be bilingual in today’s society is becoming more important with the influence from other countries on our own, and I feel proud to be more culturally aware and on my way to achieving my goals of being bilingual.
