Las noticias, or "the news" in Spanish, is a way for you to earn extra credit points while learning about the Spanish speaking world. Every Friday you will be given the opportunity to earn some extra credit points. During the week you should look through newspapers, magazines, and the Internet to find a story about the Spanish-speaking world or about Hispanics living in the U.S. On Friday you will need to bring in a summary of the story written in your own words on the summary sheet which can be found in the box labeled "Las Noticias" on the table at the front of class, or you can print the online version from my homepage.

You will be required to give an oral summary of the story to the class (don’t read your summary word for word) and hand in your written summary for up to five extra credit points.

Requirements for Extra Credit Articles

• The story can't be more than one week old (Friday to Friday)
• You must turn in a written summary. The summary must be in your own words. If you plagiarize (copy word for word), you will not receive any points.
• The story can't be from the sports pages, unless it’s about a major sports event (such as a world championship)
• The story must be about a Spanish-speaking country or Hispanics living in the U.S. (either famous ones, if it talks about their Hispanic heritage, or Hispanics in general)
• The story must be appropriate for the school environment.
• The summary needs to be at least five sentences long. Regardless of length, however, be sure to completely summarize the entire story.

There is a limit of four summaries per quarter. If you missed five points on a test, but you bring in an accurate and complete summary of a story, it will be like not getting any points off.

The following countries are commonly mistaken for Spanish-speaking countries: Brazil, Belize, Haiti, Trinidad and Tobago, Surinam, Guyana, Portugal. Do not bring in articles about these countries. If you do, you will not receive any extra credit points.

News (Great for extra credit noticias)