Create Books for Children in Guatemala - SPAN 1311 Fall 2026

SPAN 1311 Service-Learning Project

Fall 2026

What is Service-Learning?

Service-learning is an educational approach that combines academic learning with community service.  It is designed to help students apply classroom knowledge to real-world situations, while also improving the community.  Some characteristics of service-learning include academically relevant, community needs, reflection, critical thinking, and civic engagement.  Service-learning is a high impact educational practice that is related to the UIW Mission and core values.

Little Angels of Mary Community:

To learn about the Pequeños Ángeles de María (Little Angels of Mary) non-profit agency, please visit:
https://littleangelsofmary.org/site/.

To learn about the children and their community, please watch the following short videos:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=olpWkyWBriE                  (A Little Bit About Little Angels of Mary)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bz5nJ60n-3Q                    (Meet Carolina!  Our Preschool Teacher…)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=babtit6xwwE&t=103s       (The Beginning of Little Seeds Preschool)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CbWdeTztXK0                 (A Day in the Life of a Preschooler)

(If you would like to see more videos, you can check out the Little Angels of Mary YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0NgYDySF0tCSeYbNIG9wTw.)

Assignment:

For this service-learning project, you will create a booklet that can be given to a kindergarten or first-grade student in Guatemala when members of the UIW community travel there in Summer 2027.  The children may not have books in their homes or any books of their own.  Create them with love! 

The learning objectives:

- Children learn letters of the alphabet and learn words associated with those letters.

- Children take pride in the indigenous language spoken there. It is valuable to know one's roots and to know more than one language.

- Kaqchikel is the language of the area, but the educational system and books have been in Spanish.  Children drop out of school with all the challenges. The booklets you create will all have Kaqchikel and Spanish side by side. 

To create your booklet:  Use 4 pages of plain paper that is 8x11.  Keep in mind that 4 pages folded in half makes a 16-page booklet.  Fold in half and hold the spine together with a pin or punch to make two holes. Use thread or small ribbon to tie together, or sew with a needle and thread, or tape the pages.

Browse through the Kaqchikel and Spanish dictionary and resources suggested below.  Find words that would be good for a small child.  You will need to get a picture to go with the word.  Maybe animals, vegetables, birds, fruits, objects around a home, family members,  plants, shapes, colors, numbers . . .

Dictionary:  https://glosbe.com/es/cak   and  https://www.native-languages.org/kaqchikel.htm

Carefully get the spelling of the Kaqchikel word and the Spanish translation word. 

Please have at least one picture per page.  You can tear those out of old magazines or newspapers or draw or paint or use a combination with collage.  Maybe search for images with something like Google Images, print and cut out.

It can be a book focused on one letter and giving many words that start with that, for example, 4 pages and each page has a different word that starts with A in Kaqchikel and then the Spanish translation and the picture of that thing.  The next 4 pages words starting with B. . .

Or many random words with translation and pictures.

Or a theme like HAPPY:  happy grandparents, happy dogs, happy girls, happy chickens. . .

Why not put a message at the end, like  “Made for you by (your name)” or “I hope you enjoy this and grow to learn to read and write, (your name).”

Reflection Paper:

In a 2-3-page reflection paper (approximately 500-750 words), use the questions below to write about – and reflect on – your service experience.  Be sure you answer each question below.

My Report:  What did I do/see/hear?

You watched 4 videos since you could not go to Guatemala right now.
   1) Write 2-3 sentences for each video about what you learned in each of the four videos.
   2) What people did you meet in the films?  (names and brief descriptions of the people)
   3) Why did they interest you?
   4) How are some of the people who you mentioned above benefiting from the Little Angels of Mary?

My Reaction:  So what?

   5) What did you learn about the non-profit Little Angels of Mary?
   6) What were some of your thoughts and feelings as you saw the films and worked on this project?

My Reflection:  Now What?

   7) Would you like to continue helping the Little Angels of Mary?  Why (or why not)?
   8) Would you like to make more books like this?  Why (or why not)?
       (If yes, visit:  https://uiw.givepulse.com/event/438840.)
  9) Would you like to join students selling the fair-trade Mayan handicrafts made by the mothers to help
       their families?  (If yes, visit:  https://uiw.givepulse.com/event/408764-Little-Angels-of-Mary-Fair-Trade-Volunteers.)
10) Would you like to work on projects to raise money for travel and go to Guatemala the last two weeks
       of  May 2027?  (If yes, visit:  https://uiw.givepulse.com/event/386479-Guatemala-Solidarity-2027.)
11) This nonprofit was founded by two UIW students, Edwin, an exchange student from Guatemala, and
      Darlene, from New Braunfels, who graduated in 2016 and then went to serve there.  How do they
      demonstrate the UIW value of Service?
12) Have you grown personally and/or professionally through this project?  If yes, how so?

My Reflection Continued:  UIW Mission and Course Objectives

13) How does UIW’s core value of Service fit with your personal life values?
14) How does this service-learning experience relate to the learning objectives of your Spanish class?
15) Complete this sentence:  Because of this service-learning project, I am…

Due Date:  Tuesday, November 17th   (You will be turning in your booklet and your reflection paper.)

Note:  Students will receive 4 hours of community service for completing this service-learning project.

Instructions for receiving your community service hours:

Please register for your service hours credit here:  https://uiw.givepulse.com/event/944226. 

Once you are registered, click IMPACT near the upper right.  Then answer the questions.

For number of service hours, put 4.

You will see that it has a place to upload ATTACHMENTS.  Please upload your reflection paper there.