Resumen de The web portfolio: a project to teach spanish reading and Hispanic cultures

Lynn Pearson

• This article describes the Web Portfolio, a project designed to facilitate reading and learning about target cultures in Spanish as a second language instruction. The project is a simple web page on a cultural topic created by language learners who read Internet texts in the target language and provide annotations and links. The goal of the Web portfolio is to foster autonomous and extensive reading in Spanish and research on Hispanic cultures. The project is also the basis for interactions and presentations in class. The various components of the Web Portfolio project can be modified to accommodate different types of courses and learners (e.g., at secondary or university levels). An overview of research on portfolios, extensive reading, teaching culture, and using Internet resources in foreign language teaching is presented. Also, the article provides examples of instructions for a Web Portfolio assignment, Internet resources, a sample portfolio, and grading criteria.