I first read El delantal blanco in college. I remember it was one of my first college level Spanish courses and for some reason, years later, this drama just stuck with me. Maybe it was that an upper class woman thought that switching outfits with her maid would allow them to see the world differently? Maybe it was that I actually understood an entire play (with only a little help from Google Translate) right out of high school. Whatever the case, this drama had a lasting impact on me and now hopefully, my students, too!
When teaching Spanish 3 Honors, we had an entire unit on “Public and Personal Identity.” I immediately remembered “El delantal blanco” as my colleague and I brainstormed topics to teach during the stereotypes mini-unit.
Now, I will say that my Spanish 3 Honors that read this text were advanced. It was a group of motivated language learners. There were definitely parts of the text that they struggled with, but overall, they understood the main ideas and had thoughtful conversations about social class and identity. We also created a modified version of the text for our Spanish 3 class that was lower. We removed some parts of the text that were not completely necessary to the plot, rephrased other parts, added footnotes, and even emojis to convey tone of voice. This text would be perfect for upper level Spanish, especially AP students!
El delantal blanco summary
El delantal blanco is a play written in 1956 by Sergio Vodanovic. It is about a woman (La Señora), her maid (La Empleada), and the roles they play in society. They are sitting on the beach, watching over the woman’s son. As they ___ on the beach, they discuss their different social classes and how each one views the world and how the world views them. The Señora, dressed in a bathing suit wants to change clothes with La Empleada, who is wearing her white apron to see how life is while dressed as the other person. This game symbolizes the fact that society believes that sophisticated physical appearances and material goods equate with superiority and upper class and that the rich want to be poor and the poor want to b rich.
Pre-reading Activities
Every activity below (pre, during, and post-reading) I have done with my students. You can purchase my ENTIRE El delantal blanco lesson set with over 150 pages for just $10. Imagine the time you will save!!
Practice tone of voice
The tone of voice La Señora and La Empleada use when they speak with one another is just as important as their choice in words. Your students need to understand the sarcasm and the superiority. Prior to reading, practice understanding tone of voice by either reading excerpts of the play, common phrases like “I hope you’re happy,” or famous lines from movies. And read them in a variety of tones so students understand how the meaning can change.
Talk about social class
Since this play is so heavily based on social class, students should be able to talk about the differences in social classes, the types of work people have, and the way some people are treated. Provide them with vocabulary to do this, including words like: upper class, lower class, respect, etc.
Break it into sections
This play can be lengthy for students to read. I broke it up into four sections, so it wouldn’t be overwhelming for my students to see all at once. I didn’t even pass all four sections out on day 1. By assigning one section at a time, it feels manageable for me and them.
Vocabulary Activities
There are a ton of new words that your students have probably never seen in Spanish before. Words like “plebeyo” and “sangre azul.” Pre-teach the vocab with any normal pre-reading vocabulary activities that you normally do. You could play taboo, define the words, make vocab books, create word walls, etc. I always started with comprehensible input and TPR techniques with these new words. I show images and ask basic questions about the words, then my students discuss and define the words orally, too.
During Reading Activities
Answer comprehension question in English
To really check for student understanding, it is best to ask comprehension questions in English. This avoids students simply copying word for word answers from the text in Spanish. If they do that, you don’t know if they actually understood it or are just copying. Annotating while reading will really help students to better comprehend the text. Here are my tips for close reading and a free annotation guide!
Reflection questions in Spanish
Now, this is where students can respond in Spanish. Ask reflection questions about character traits, opinion of the plot, predictions, etc. They can use the vocabulary they have been learning to answer these questions in Spanish.
Act it out!
Whether you do this in small groups or as a class, act out the play. Of course, having a white apron for La Empleada to wear and then pass to La Señora will be a hit with your students! Here is a cheap one from Amazon. Bring in props: sunglasses, magazine, beach towel, sunscreen, etc. Assign roles so that students act as the characters in the play as they read the story. Encourage tone, costumes, props. This can even be a fun project after you’ve read the whole story.
Watch the play
I found some YouTube videos of the play that I showed my students after each section of the play. It really helped them to see the characters in action, to hear the real tone, and to just soak the plot in. I recommend playing the videos after you have read and discussed the story. This way, students aren’t trying to decipher meaning, but are gaining a better understanding of the story and characters. This was our favorite video adaptation.
Make predictions
Before reading the ending of the play, I always like to have my students make predictions for the ending. I’ve found that when students make predictions (during any reading), they become more active readers at the end. They try to find even some small part of their prediction within the ending.
For additional interpretive tasks and activities, check out my blog post here.
Post-Reading Activities
Character Analysis
The two main characters have very interesting personalities. Make sure your students delve deeper into these characters by analyzing their traits, quotes, and actions. One of my favorite ways to analyze a character is by doing a quote analysis. Find 5 quotes from the character, describe each quote with a corresponding adjective, and draw a matching symbol. So for example, with the quote “¿Cómo se ve el mundo cuando se está vestida con un delantal blanco?” by la Señora, I would describe her as “esnob” and draw a picture of a white apron.
Group Conversations
Think of a Book Club where after reading the book, members gather to discuss the theme, plot points, their opinion, favorite characters, etc. After reading El delantal blanco, your students should have small group discussions. You can lead the conversations by providing guiding questions about social class, character development, theme, etc.
Identify Quotes
In a play format, the entire text is quotes. Pull out some of the most important quotes, without identifying the speaker. Then, let students determine which character said it and explain what the quote means in context. This should be easy in a play with only two main characters.
Make Memes
This play does have elements of humor, but it may go over your students’ heads. Allow them to bring the comedy to this drama by creating memes relating to the plot or characters. My students’ memes about El delantal blanco had me laughing pretty hard! See some of their memes here.
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