By the time my students and I were about to start episode 5, there was a lot of anticipation for what was going to happen between Célia and Moha. Both episodes 5 and 6 deliver a lot of drama, and boy, were my students here for it! Below is a run down of what I did for each episode, including some simple, but free, resources.

Episode 5

• No stops needed! Watch this one all the way through!
• I warned students, as a usually do, there are some malas palabras in this episode and no, I will not be translating them or pointing them out.

What I did, briefly:

In episode five, there are LOTS of opportunities to stop, reflect and discuss some pretty hard hitting topics: discrimination, displacement, classism, assimilation all surface here. I think it’s my favorite episode. Next year, I might even break this up into 3 parts because there is so much opportunity for rich discussion.

• Prior to watching the episode, I wanted to front load the word desplazad@ to ensure their understanding of the tension between Célia, Moha and the idea of ‘fitting in’. So, students took a basic (chatGPT created) survey about different situations where they would feel, or would not feel, displaced. These questions could easily be a launching pad for an entire class-based discussion about any of the hard hitting topics mentioned earlier. You can find this simple survey here.
  • Example: You go to party and you don’t know anyone. How do you feel? (Very out of place, a little out of place or Fine, I fit in well) // You just started dating someone from a different culture and are meeting their family for the first time. You are unfamiliar with their customs. How would you feel? (Very out of place, a little out of place or Fine, I fit in well)
  • My discussion went fine… not great, not terrible. Next year, I’ll take class time the day before to lead this discussion so that I don’t feel rushed for time to get the episode in AND that I can really push students to think and reflect. Some students still gave me some unconvincing answers (I fit in everywhere I go! // There’s nothing about someone else’s culture that would make me feel out of place!), so I’m wondering next year if I have them write a journal response to one of these as homework…? A fellow teacher suggested that may be students just don’t have a lot of first hand experiences with some of the questions. That may be, however, my goal was to eventually build empathy by understanding that everyone at some point feels out of place in life. Maybe I’m wrong in that assumption?
• We watched this episode, like all the episodes, in two parts. Within the first part of the episode, around 13:00, Moha gets stopped by the bouncer. I would recommend you stop at this point if you are open to discussing racism and discrimination with your students. This is a classic example that happens in the real world and I appreciated hearing from the students in their own words in response to… “What just happened there?”
• Technically my second part included the big fight between Moha and Célia, around minute 15:38. You can find the transcription here. Before showing, I had students pair up, read it silently and underline any part they did not understand. Then, they checked with a partner for comprehension and asked questions as a class. Afterwards, they acted out this transcription of the dialogue as Célia and Moha. They loved this! They were so invested in the characters that they really enjoyed creating an image in their mind of what happened before they even watched the scene. It’s such a pivitol scene that I wanted to make sure they understood it.
• I also stopped frequently during the conversation between Célia and her mom (around 20:20) because my students needed support here to understand it all. I had them recall the very first text we read for this series, which was the transcription of the first minute or so in episode 1, where the judge is handing out Célia’s punishment. This becomes important because Célia admits that she lied to the judge (with her mom’s blessing) about her antecedentes penales. We were all extra mad at Célia at that point…!

Episode 6

• No stops needed! Watch this one all the way through!
• Again, I warned students about some foul language.

What I did, briefly:

• I just realized that I did not show this last episode in two parts… we watched it on a block day (I’m on a modified block schedule, aka the best schedule in the worrrrld!). I will probably plan it like that again next year since kids came in saying, “This is going to be the best class ever.”
• I also served hot cocoa… 🙂
• I didn’t do much prep here before this episode, except for pausing to explain in comprehensible Spanish whenever needed. This felt like a pretty easy and comprehensible episode, to be honest!
• And wow, did they hate the ending… In the best way possible! They hated it because they wanted MORE!

Once we finished, there was such an uproar from students to the point that my neighboring teacher peeked in to see what the excitement was all about! I had planned on doing a follow up reflection on the series the next day, BUT I got an even better idea to add in a question into the semester writing exam. I typically do semester writing exams as a choice board (a la Carrie Toth aka the amazing Huellas author!), so I added a prompt into the choice board! If you’re interested in doing a reflection piece (highly recommended), here are some prompts that I developed. Note, I teach at a Christian school, so mine include theological reflections… this could easily be adapted!:

Reflection 1: In this series, there are lots of opportunities for evaluation of racism and classism through the lense of “us” vs. “them”. How do you see parallels between the series and your life/broader society? How, as Christians, can we confront these divisions that separate us, if we are, after all, one body in Christ and God’s children? Use examples from the series. En la serie, hay muchas oportunidades para evaluar el racismo y el clasismo a través de la lente de “nosotros” vs. “ellos”. ¿Cómo ves paralelos entre la serie y tu vida o la sociedad en general? ¿Cómo, como cristianos, podemos confrontar estas divisiones que nos separan, si al final somos un solo cuerpo en Cristo y hijos de Dios?

Reflection 2: We saw in the series one way that Spain is reacting to immigration from lesser developed countries (in this case, Morrocco). Describe what you learned about Spain’s response to immigration with examples from the series. What do you think about Spain’s approach? What role do Christian principles have, if any, in immigration? Explain. // Vimos en la serie una manera en que España está reaccionando a la inmigración de países menos desarrollados (en este caso, Marruecos). Describe lo que aprendiste sobre la respuesta de España a la inmigración con ejemplos de la serie. ¿Qué piensas sobre el enfoque de España? ¿Qué papel tienen, si alguno, los principios cristianos en la inmigración? Explica.

Reflection 3: Empathy is defined as the ability to share and understand the feelings of others. Throughout the series, Célia develops empathy, but this development is not linear. Give concrete examples of how the series documented her growth. Have you had similar experiences? What is the importance of empathy in your life, as a Christian, seeking justice for God’s people? // La empatía se define como la capacidad de compartir y comprender los sentimientos de los demás. A lo largo de la serie, Célia desarrolla empatía, pero este desarrollo no es lineal. Da ejemplos concretos de cómo la serie documentó su crecimiento. ¿Has tenido experiencias similares? ¿Cuál es la importancia de la empatía en tu vida, como cristiano/a que busca la justicia para el reino de Dios?

Reflection 4: I had told you at the beginning of the series that I hope it challenged you and made you think critically. Tell me how it did so, if none of the other questions speak to you. // Te había dicho al comienzo de la serie que esperaba que te desafiara y te hiciera pensar de manera crítica. Dime cómo lo hizo, si ninguna de las otras preguntas te resulta relevante.

Reflection 5 (I didn’t end up providing it to students): Discuss the importance of the age dieciocho in the series. What does being 18 represent to Célia? What about for Moha? Compare and contrast their circumstances affecting the importance of turning dieciocho. Do you see similarities or differences in your life?

Reflection 6 (Also did not end up giving the option, but I love this question!): El mar is a strong symbol throughout the series. What does it mean/represent to Célia? What about Moha (as his interactions with el mar evolved)? Do you see what el mar could symbolize to us, through a Christian perspective? Explain.

And lastly, the Written Final Exam Choice prompt: Many of you felt strongly about the ending of Dieciocho because the show left you in a shroud of mystery and uncertainty! What did Moha do? Did he just go to tie his shoes, as one of your peers suggested? Imagine you have been given the role to write the EXTENDED ending. What happened to Célia and Moha in the end? Pick up the story from the last scene, with Moha supposedly getting up out of his seat (asiento) on the train and Célia was on the platform (la plataforma). Use details from the series to elaborate your ending.

…And that’s a wrap! If you haven’t been able to tell, this series worked well for my classroom. I plan to use it again next year and build out more resources. If you end up using this series in your classroom, please get in touch! I would love to know what you think and how we can keep promoting empathy and deep reflection among our high school students!

OK, one last note: please don’t think my students understood 100% of the series with 0 support from me while watching… I went slow, paused, explained in the TL very OFTEN to aid their comprehension. My students are AWESOME, but their proficiency levels are right around intermediate mid to intermediate high. They needed the support and it’s OK if your students do too!