Oral Narratives in the Language Classroom: A Bridge between Non-Native, Heritage, and Native-Speaking Learners

Abstract

The ever-growing number of heritage and native speakers in university language programs constitutes an important linguistic resource, and their integration with non-native learners in upper-level language and content courses can contribute to a stimulating learning environment. However, simultaneously addressing the varied needs of these diverse groups of learners constitutes a daunting challenge for even the most experienced instructors. The present study analyzes an activity that attempts to address the needs of non-native, heritage, and native-speaking learners in the specific context of a Spanish grammar course. This activity uses oral narratives as the basis for grammatical analysis and exposure to sociolinguistic issues.