Teaching Academics through Culinary Opportunities
T.A.C.O.
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T.A.C.O. (Teaching Academics through Culinary Opportunities) is program in hands-on, creative learning that spans all levels of the Spanish program at Port Townsend High School. In the original plan, students would have been planting seeds in the PTHS garden this spring, then harvesting the crops of corn, beans, tomatillos, squash and chile peppers in the fall, to prepare traditional dishes of Latin America. created asTo adapt the project to the closure, Spanish teacher "Profe" Reed Aubin has shifted the T.A.C.O. program for remote learning, with another way for students to be creative, continue practicing Spanish, and eat delicious food.
So What Is This Project?
The Taco Competition project tasked Port Townsend High School Spanish students to create something (including videos, slideshows, drawings, paintings, cartoons, reports, presentations... anything at all!) that is related to tacos.
The goal is to create a product that teaches, describes, or narrates about something related to tacos in a way that is understandable for Spanish beginners and to inspire our community to enjoy amazing tacos with greater passion and regularity.
The requirements were to create a product that is almost 100% in Spanish and can be understood by a novice speaker. Another important aspect of the project is to avoid using imagery or symbols that represent stereotypes of Mexican culture, unless the stereotype itself is questioned and examined. Some projects include discussion cultural context that goes beyond the superficial, such as a well-researched recipe from the U.S. Southwest, a clarification on the phenomenon of the "taco americano" or hard-shell taco, or a discussion of the various theories of the history and origin of tacos in Mexico.
The categories for the competition are extensive! A full list of categories can be found here.
Reed Aubin
Known to his students as Profe Aubin, Reed teaches Spanish at all levels--from beginner to advanced--at Port Townsend High School. More information can be found at his teacher website.
Website designed and produced by Spanish 3 students:
Production Supervisors - Mel Bakin and Grace Wentzel Graphic Design and Layout - Max Stewart and Myka Briggs
Photos From The Classroom
