As their editing warm-up assignment, students at the Alternative Education Center, Odessa, TX edited social problem essays from students at Instituto de Educación Secundaria IES Prado Mayor in Totana, Murcia, Spain under the mentorship of Mrs. Trini Serrano Diaz. Spanish students described their social problems and made predictions using “will,” “if,” “unless,” etc. Two most common social problems Spanish students described were pollution and obesity, which are also among the social issues America is facing. El Pais reported that pollution has killed 93,000 people in Spain in the last decade. In Odessa and West Texas, in general, The Texas Tribune reported that the unprecedented oil drilling boom in the region is polluting the air. Additionally, the obesity problem is getting bigger in Spain according to Euro Weekly and is common, serious, and costly for Americans according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. This writing activity helps students understand these aspects of the social issues faced by these two countries.
