The Pennsylvania Alliance for Design of Open Textbooks (PA-ADOPT) is pleased to announce the immediate availability of our 17th free and open eTextbook: Mi Voz. Mi Historia. Español para Estudiantes de Herencia by Dr. Carolina Moctezuma, Assistant Professor of Modern Languages at Kutztown University.
“This book consists of both original material and a compilation of other OER activities designed to provide tools and opportunities for heritage students to explore and learn about their roots and spoken language. Together, these materials and activities target the specific language learning needs of students who grew up in a Spanish-speaking household with either their parents, grandparents, or other family. In addition to targeting oral and written language learning objectives that reflect their dialectal backgrounds, this book emphasizes cultural aspects not featured in most English or Spanish courses. Knowledge and skills in language and culture foster a positive ethnic identity for heritage students, which studies have shown lead to academic success.
The text features four units. Unit I starts by asking questions to help students develop self-awareness and comfort with their personal Spanish speaking abilities, experience in formal classroom settings, and their goals with the language. Unit II focuses on the benefits of being bilingual and appreciating one’s bilingual identity. Unit III explores the use of Spanglish, language and personal identity, and code switching. Unit IV explores the evolution of the Spanish language and the cultural and linguistic influences that have shaped this diverse and rich language.
Each unit also includes grammar topics that heritage speakers commonly struggle with in their writing, as well as sections emphasizing culture as it relates to history and identities.”
Please help us spread the word about our books and web site to further our work to reduce costs for students, bring equity to higher education classrooms, and give faculty the flexibility to design their own learning experiences. All of our books are available to download in both ePub and PDF formats from our Bookshelf.
Mi Voz.
Mi Historia.
Español para Estudiantes de Herencia
by Carolina Moctezuma, Ph.D.
Keywords: Heritage Learners, Experiential Learning, Ethnic Identity, Cross -Cultural Spanish, Raciolinguistics
About the Book
This book consists of both original material and a compilation of other OER activities designed to provide tools and opportunities for heritage students to explore and learn about their roots and spoken language. Together, these materials and activities target the specific language learning needs of students who grew up in a Spanish-speaking household with either their parents, grandparents, or other family. In addition to targeting oral and written language learning objectives that reflect their dialectal backgrounds, this book emphasizes cultural aspects not featured in most English or Spanish courses. Knowledge and skills in language and culture foster a positive ethnic identity for heritage students, which studies have shown lead to academic success.
The text features four units. Unit I starts by asking questions to help students develop self-awareness and comfort with their personal Spanish speaking abilities, experience in formal classroom settings, and their goals with the language. Unit II focuses on the benefits of being bilingual and appreciating one’s bilingual identity. Unit III explores the use of Spanglish, language and personal identity, and code switching. Unit IV explores the evolution of the Spanish language and the cultural and linguistic influences that have shaped this diverse and rich language.
Each unit also includes grammar topics that heritage speakers commonly struggle with in their writing, as well as sections emphasizing culture as it relates to history and identities.
Chapters
- Unidad I: El español que me representa
- Unidad II: De aquí y de allá: navegando la lengua, la familia y la identidad
- Unidad III: Identidades entre lenguas y culturas: exploraciones desde lo personal hasta lo colectivo
- Unidad IV:Palabras con historia: entre raíces, regiones y refranes
- Apéndice: Transcripciones de videos y Audio
- Recursos
Usage
Readers
The eTextbooks created as a part of this program are provided in two formats: ePub and PDF. Please refer to our Reader Support section for guidance on which format may be best for you and the device(s) you use.
Instructors
If you are an instructor seeking to use this eTextbook in your own course(s) please feel free to download the ePub and/or PDF file(s) for your use, but make sure to complete our eTextbook Usage Survey (this information is used for program evaluation purposes).
If you are interested in making revisions and edits to this eTextbook please note that this is possible since the book is under a Creative Commons License, which allows you to remix, reuse, revise, and redistribute the eTextbook. Please refer to the Faculty Support Page, specifically looking at Remixing. You can download Mi Voz. Mi Historia. Español Para Estudiantes de Herencia Pages File in order to use the original document to revise and remix the eTextbook for your purposes.
Citations
MLA: Moctezuma, Carolina. Mi Voz. Mi Historia. Español Para Estudiantes de Herencia. First, The Pennsylvania Alliance for Design of Open Textbooks (PA-ADOPT), 2025.
APA: Moctezuma, C. (2025). Mi voz. Mi historia. Español para estudiantes de herencia (1st ed.). The Pennsylvania Alliance for Design of Open Textbooks (PA-ADOPT).
Chicago: Moctezuma, Carolina. Mi Voz. Mi Historia. Español Para Estudiantes de Herencia. 1st ed. The Pennsylvania Alliance for Design of Open Textbooks (PA-ADOPT), 2025.
Peer Review
This eTextbook went through an Open Peer Review process. The peer review process used the Open SUNY Textbook Peer Review Guidelines, allowing peer reviewers to read the text carefully and evaluate the following:
- Educational Significance of Content including accuracy, appropriate and useful materials, valid and significant concepts, models, and skills, and key elements;
- Effectiveness as a Teaching Resource including a clear explanation of the concepts, alignment of materials to the learning process of the target audience, and alignment of the learning objectives with course goals; and
- Readability and Ease of Use including clarity and comprehensiveness, consistent writing style, readability and ease of use (logic, sequence, and flow), appropriateness for target readership level, and quality of Interactivity and multimedia learning objects.
As a part of the open peer review process, the public review conducted by Dr. Ruben Rodriguez is made available: Peer Review Document (PDF).
