A Methodological Route for Teaching Vocabulary in Spanish as a Foreign Language Using Oral Tradition Stories: The Witches of La Jagua and Colombia’s Linguistic and Cultural Diversity

Abstract

Oral tradition stories hold a vital place in language education, offering rich repositories of linguistic, cultural, and historical knowledge. In the Spanish as a Foreign Language (SFL) context, their inclusion provides dynamic opportunities to explore diversity, foster critical and creative thinking, and challenge dominant epistemologies. Despite their pedagogical potential, these narratives remain largely absent from formal curricula, with most SFL textbooks still privileging canonical works, particularly those from the Latin American Boom or European literary texts. This article aims to provide practical guidance for SFL instructors on designing effective, culturally responsive materials for the teaching of vocabulary. Drawing on a methodological framework for material design and a cognitive approach to vocabulary learning, I present original pedagogical material based on a Colombian oral tradition story about the witches of La Jagua (Huila, Colombia) to inspire educators to integrate oral tradition stories into their classrooms. As argued throughout, oral narratives not only support vocabulary acquisition and intercultural competence but also offer students meaningful engagement with the values, worldviews, and linguistic diversity that shape Colombian culture. This approach redefines language teaching through a more descriptive, contextualized, and culturally grounded lens, equipping learners with pragmatic, communicative, and intercultural skills essential for the 21st century. My goal with this article is to advocate for teacher agency in material creation, emphasizing that educators are uniquely positioned to design pedagogical resources that reflect their own cultural realities and local knowledge and to adapt them meaningfully to their students’ needs.

1. Introduction

1.1. Oral Tradition Stories and Literary Texts in SFL Classrooms

Literature holds a fundamental role in society by reflecting the historical and cultural development of civilizations and their worldviews. Literary texts, whether written or oral, have recorded and shared political, cultural, and linguistic events throughout history. Serving as a means for cultures to preserve their stories and traditions and as a tool for linguistic resistance (Mercado-López, 2018; Seidel, 2024). This resistance is particularly significant in contexts of under-representation, linguistic coexistence, language planning, and linguistic policy. In this way, literary texts carry a collective value, representing the thoughts and traditions of their communities.

Literary texts are increasingly recognized in pedagogy as tools for stimulating critical thinking, creativity, and imagination, offering students the opportunity to engage with diverse perspectives and develop essential cognitive and intercultural skills (Baudi et al., 2023; Hauy, 2014). However, within the foreign language teaching–learning process, the role of literary texts has been inconsistent. Methodological approaches to language teaching have evolved in response to shifting social, political, and economic contexts, resulting in diverse perspectives on the role of literary texts.

The grammar–translation method, developed in the 19th century, placed literary texts at the core of instruction, viewing them as exemplary models of “elevated language”. However, its focus on translation and grammatical analysis has drawn criticism for neglecting communicative competence (Richards & Rodgers, 2014). In contrast, methods such as the direct and audio-lingual approaches prioritize spoken language skills and generally exclude literature from the curriculum (Hall, 2017). More contemporary approaches like the communicative method, the lexical approach, and the Task-Based Approach (TBA) do not center on literary texts but recognize their value as authentic language input (Ellis et al., 2019; Hall, 2017; Richards & Rodgers, 2014). These methodologies often incorporate literature as realia, supplementary materials that enhance engagement with the target language through real pieces that are not intended to be used in an L2 classroom (besides literary texts, realia could be newspapers, podcasts, websites, etc.). Thus, the pedagogical use of literary texts remains shaped by varying methodological priorities and educational objectives.

1.2. Foreign Language Policy and Teaching Materials in Colombian SFL Classrooms

In Colombia, foreign language teaching has long been regarded as important, though in practice, this has primarily meant the teaching of English due either to its symbolic value (Guarín & Arias-Cortés, 2025; Velez-Rendon, 2003; Weyers, 2016) or the enduring influence of colonial legacies (Correa & Guerrero, 2024).

Since 1994, the General Education Law has highlighted the significance of acquiring foreign language skills. As noted in the Basic Standards of Competencies in Foreign Languages by the Ministry of National Education [MEN], the then Minister of Education emphasized that “[t]he National Government has the fundamental commitment to create the conditions for Colombians to develop communicative competencies in another language” (Ministerio de Educación Nacional, 2006, p. 3). At the same time, Colombia has become a hub for linguistic exchange and a popular destination for Spanish language learners. As a result, foreign language education and teacher training in the country now extend beyond English.

Globally, the demand for SFL instruction has grown, with the number of students steadily increasing. According to the Cervantes Institute report by Fernández Vítores (2023), nearly 24 million students worldwide are studying Spanish as a foreign language. This surge is partly attributed to “the increase in trade exchanges between Spanish-speaking countries and the rest of the world, which have helped to strengthen the instrumental character of this language in the international arena” (p. 55). The report further mentions that the demand for Spanish instructors has now surpassed that of French, with growth particularly evident in English-speaking countries.

As a result, Colombia has seen a rise in university-level SFL programs over the past few years, which has contributed to an improvement in the quality of teaching (Barrera Torres et al., 2022; Zuluaga Molina & Gómez Medina, 2024). In these programs, Spanish is considered a foreign rather than a second language because they primarily serve international students, such as study abroad participants, volunteers, or short-term visitors who come to Colombia temporarily to learn Spanish but do not intend to settle permanently.

Regarding the materials used in SFL classes in Colombia, Bernal León et al. (2020) note that most textbooks in Medellín and Bogotá are designed by international publishing groups such as the Spanish Editorial Difusión, which has been a pioneer in this field since 1988. Although these textbooks feature a wealth of activities, pedagogic resources, and vocabulary related to Spanish culture, they rarely incorporate content specific to Colombian culture. Similarly, Guarín (2022) observes that the representation of Colombian literature in SFL textbooks is minimal, typically limited to the works of Gabriel García Márquez, the Latin American boom, and magical realism. Given this gap, there is a pressing need to create new materials that explore and didacticize Colombian literature for use in SFL classrooms.

Considering this, and in alignment with scholars who advocate for a decolonial approach to language teaching (Fuertes Gutiérrez et al., 2023; Licata et al., 2023; Risager & Fernández, 2024; Tecedor, 2024), I argue that oral tradition stories offer an excellent alternative. Oral tradition stories serve as authentic materials that reflect cultural elements and highlight Colombia’s rich linguistic diversity. These stories are usually brief and form part of a community’s cultural and collective heritage, and when used in an L2 class, they help to improve vocabulary acquisition, language complexity, communicative competence, comprehension, and early literacy (Hibbin, 2016). These stories hold significant pedagogical value as they can help students improve their linguistic comprehension and production skills while providing a genuine glimpse into the beliefs and worldviews of Colombia’s diverse cultures.

Integrating oral tradition into SFL teaching can serve as an effective method for conveying historical facts and preserving the memories of our ancestors while addressing relevant social issues. Indigenous literature and oral narratives play a crucial role in preserving and transmitting the culture and history of diverse communities (Cariou, 2020). Furthermore, I would argue that in a context like Colombia, this applies not only to Indigenous stories but also to Afro-Colombian narratives and relatos campesinos, particularly those of the caficultores, the coffee-growing communities of the mountainous regions.1

Thus, incorporating oral tradition stories into new teaching materials for foreign language classes could foster an awareness of social diversity, enhance the understanding of community origins, history, culture, and folklore, and contribute to inclusive education. By recognizing and valuing plurality and cultural differences (Veliz et al., 2024), these materials could also help develop various communicative and intercultural competencies (Pasuy Guerrero et al., 2022).

The objective of the study presented here is to develop supplementary material for a B1-level SFL class, based on Colombian oral tradition stories. The following section outlines the methodological process followed for the material’s design, along with the theoretical framework that guided its structure, particularly concerning vocabulary teaching and learning. Section 3 presents the results of the study through the didactic adaptation of the story Una bruja en el tejado. The final two sections discuss the material, the role of oral tradition stories in SFL teaching, and the study’s conclusions, which advocate for a decolonial and intercultural approach to language education. It is hoped that this work will serve as a foundation for future material design efforts and inspire SFL instructors to incorporate oral narratives into their own teaching practices.

2. Method

2.1. Conceptual Framework for Didactic Materials

This study adopts a comprehensive understanding of didactic materials, grounded in the field of applied linguistics, which encompass any object that contributes to the teaching and learning process of a language, including textbooks, flashcards, videos, and websites (Tomlinson, 2012), as long as it is assigned an educational purpose (Mishan & Timmis, 2015). Therefore, this project distinguishes between resources and materials based on intent: materials are resources that have been selected or adapted for specific pedagogic purposes.

The effectiveness of such materials depends on multiple factors. According to Richards (2005), this includes the teacher’s linguistic competence, teaching experience, and cultural background. Similarly, Lozano and Ruíz Campillo (2009), as well as Rubio et al. (2024), argue that language teachers themselves are the primary agents in material design. Baralo (2003) adds that the thoughtful selection and organization of materials can have both cognitive and emotional impacts on students. As such, this project approaches material development from a student-centered perspective, with careful attention to the anticipated learning effects. Additionally, in line with Fuertes Gutiérrez et al.’s (2023) perspective, the teaching of Spanish within this framework is guided by principles of accessibility, equity, and cultural representation, aligning with broader commitments to social justice in language education.

2.2. Material Type and Design

Following the classification proposed by Tomlinson and Masuhara (2018) and De Pablos-Ortega (2018), the material developed for this study is categorized as supplementary material. These materials are designed to support specific linguistic objectives rather than serve as the central instructional medium; furthermore, they are intended to address specific linguistic content for a target audience, following a didactic sequence and a series of activities presented sequentially over a defined period to facilitate gradual learning (De Pablos-Ortega, 2018; Díaz Barriga, 2013; González Barajas et al., 2010).

The objective was to target specific vocabulary and cultural elements relevant to SFL learners, using an authentic oral tradition story, Una bruja en el tejado2 [A Witch on the Roof], based on the witches of La Jagua, Huila. This story serves not only as a linguistic resource but also as a gateway into the rich cultural repertoire of Colombia’s rural traditions. In Colombian folklore, especially among campesinos, the figure of la bruja (the witch) holds a powerful symbolic place. Far from being a mere fantasy, the witch embodies a mix of fear, mystery, and ancestral wisdom and reflects a deeper cultural schema through which campesinos interpret and give meaning to their world (Munévar Salazar et al., 2022). However, this concept has gone through a semantic shift since its meaning is different now than in colonial times.

According to Baquero Montoya and De la Hoz Siegler (2010, pp. 67–68), the concept of La bruja was also shaped by a colonial legacy that associated female autonomy and spiritual knowledge with deviance. The narrative of the witch became a form of social restriction rooted in patriarchal and colonial structures, where behaviors that challenged the imposed Christian moral order, especially those linked to women, were labeled as sinful or dangerous, reflecting how machismo and colonial power used such representations to legitimize control over women and Indigenous knowledge systems. However, as is common with many terms in any language, the concept of la bruja has undergone a process of semantic shift, in which it is now associated with feminine wisdom, empowerment, and resistance, reclaiming the image of the witch as a symbol of cleverness, healing, and ancestral knowledge.

Regarding the material design, this project followed the framework proposed by Jolly and Bolitho (as cited in Tomlinson, 2011), which outlines six key stages: identifying the need, exploring the need, contextual realization, pedagogical realization, physical production, and use/evaluation. The need was identified and explored by acknowledging the lack of Colombian literary texts in SFL textbooks (Bernal León et al., 2020; Guarín, 2022). A pedagogical sequence was then developed specifically for B1 learners, focusing on vocabulary acquisition.

2.3. Vocabulary Learning Methodology

The design of the vocabulary instruction drew from Gómez Molina’s (2004, 2005) cognitive model for lexicon acquisition. This approach integrates cognitive learning principles with practical classroom methodologies, highlighting the following processes:

• The identification of the lexical form;
• The comprehension/interpretation of meaning;
• The use of the word in meaningful contexts;
• Retention in short-term memory;
• Fixation in long-term memory;
• Reuse through cognitively demanding and communicative tasks.

Vocabulary learning does not occur by memorizing individual words in isolation but rather by storing phrases or lexical units in the mental lexicon, a network of phonetic, graphic, and semantic associations in the brain (Barcroft, 2015; Battaner, 2017; Guarín, 2018; Pulido Rodríguez, 2021). The tasks were designed to stimulate these stages sequentially, breaking the vocabulary acquisition process into manageable steps. The material, then, aims to support learning through repeated exposure and meaningful use, considering individual learning styles and avoiding cognitive overload.

This progressive vocabulary learning strategy does not assume a universal approach, acknowledging that lexical development is ongoing and context-dependent. Instead, it prioritizes comprehension, use, and memory consolidation, fostering engagement and cultural awareness alongside linguistic proficiency.

3. Results

The objective of this study was to develop supplementary material for a B1-level SFL class, based on Colombian oral tradition stories. The framework to the teaching of vocabulary followed Gómez Molina’s (2005) cognitive model for vocabulary acquisition. The story chosen was Una bruja en el tejado, designed and distributed by ProColombia through www.colombia.co.

Vocabulary learning is a continuous process that cannot be exhaustively taught as there is no universal method suitable for all teaching–learning situations (Gómez Molina, 2004, 2005). Instead, a progressive strategy is proposed, enabling students to acquire vocabulary through meanings and relationships. This section presents the result of the material designed. Figure 1 and Figure 2 display the presentation of the story, showcasing the selected colors and visual elements that characterize the witches and the setting where the story unfolds. Figure 2 presents the story textually and welcomes the student to begin the sequence activities. A brief introduction to witches in Colombian culture is provided, inviting students to contextualize themselves with the story.

In line with the theoretical framework, this material was structured around the five essential cognitive processes for lexicon acquisition mentioned in the previous section. Based on these principles, a didactic sequence was designed with five clearly differentiated sections (see Figure 3): ¡Échale ojo! [check it out], ¡Párale bolas! [pay attention], ¡Mastícalo! [chew on it], ¡Lánzate! [go for it], and Reflexiona [reflect on it]. While the first four sections correspond to the previously mentioned cognitive structures, the last one focuses on a reflective and self-evaluative process.

Table 1. Mapping of cognitive processes to didactic sequence components.

Cognitive Process	Didactic Section	Description/Translation
(a) Identification	¡Échale ojo!	“Check it out”—Initial recognition of lexical items
(b) Comprehension/ Interpretation	¡Párale bolas!	“Pay attention”—Understanding and interpreting lexical meaning
(c) Utilization	¡Mastícalo!	“Chew on it”—Guided practice and manipulation in context
(d) Retention	¡Lánzate!	“Go for it”—Active use to consolidate memory
(e) Fixation
	Reflexiona	“Reflect on it”—Metacognitive reflection and self-evaluation (not part of original cognitive model)

presents the correspondence between the cognitive processes involved in lexical acquisition and the respective sections of the didactic sequence designed to operationalize them.

The first section, ¡Échale ojo!, aims to familiarize students with both the story narrated in the literary text and the lexicon it contains. Through reading and listening activities centered on the selected oral tradition story, this section addresses the process of identifying lexical units in context. This phase includes four individual activities: two designed for familiarization and two for the precise identification of the lexicon to be addressed, as illustrated in Figure 4.

The second section, ¡Párale bolas! (Figure 5), was designed for the contextualized comprehension and interpretation of the lexicon. After identifying lexical units in the previous phase, this section seeks to deepen students’ understanding of their meanings and uses in the specific context of the story. Four activities are proposed: two dedicated to comprehension and two to the interpretation of the lexicon. These activities align with the second cognitive process required for lexicon acquisition: the comprehension and interpretation of new words in a narrative context.

In the third section—¡Mastícalo!—a series of activities are provided to help students actively use the lexical units previously identified and understood, promoting the storage of these lexical units into their mental lexicon. This phase integrates exercises designed for the active utilization of words, as well as their short-term and long-term retention. Five activities were designed: two focused on utilization, two on retention, and one on the fixation of new words, following lexicon learning processes.

The fourth section, “¡Lánzate!”, encourages students to apply the acquired lexical units in real communicative situations. Instead of limiting activities to memory-based tasks, this section promotes production exercises that place students in authentic communicative contexts, requiring them to use the new lexical units spontaneously and creatively. This section includes eight activities and concludes with links of interest presented via QR codes, allowing students to go deeper into cultural aspects related to the story, such as La Jagua festivals or specific elements addressed throughout the sequence.

Finally, the Reflexiona section incorporates a brief self-evaluation that invites students to reflect on the process of learning lexical units, the story explored, and their own progress throughout the didactic sequence. While this section does not strictly align with the lexicon learning processes established in the theoretical framework, its inclusion addresses the need for critical reflection and self-evaluation, which are considered essential for deeper and more autonomous learning (Alonso, 1994).

4. Discussion

As a language educator and life-long learner, I believe that the learning process becomes more effective when we understand the cognitive complexities involved in acquiring new knowledge, particularly new words or lexical units. Despite vocabulary being perceived as a collection of isolated items, the mind processes lexicon through semantic associations and lexical chunks that are stored in what has been referred to as the mental lexicon.

Gómez Molina (2004, 2005) offers a cognitive-based approach to teaching vocabulary that emphasizes key mental processes involved in learning lexical units. These include (a) the identification of the lexical form, (b) the comprehension or interpretation of meaning, (c) the use of the word or expression in meaningful contexts, (d) retention in short-term memory, (e) fixation in long-term memory, and (f) reuse through varied activities requiring both cognitive and communicative engagement. In Table 1, I illustrate how these stages informed the design of the instructional materials and the pedagogic adaptation of the story Una bruja en el tejado, a Colombian folk oral story about the witches of La Jagua, Huila.

One of the greatest advantages of using oral tradition stories in foreign language teaching lies in the nature of the texts (Abenójar Sanjuán, 2012; Araújo, 2022). Every culture has its own stories and legends, many of which share similarities across different traditions; these parallelisms and possible familiarities would allow SFL students to draw cultural connections between their own culture and the culture of the language they are learning.

The recognition and inclusion of oral tradition stories in educational spaces could significantly contribute to the development of critical and creative thinking while serving as a solid basis for the transmission of moral, cultural, and ethical values. However, as highlighted by Hibbin (2016, p. 218), despite being a fundamental human activity, oral tradition stories have limited visibility and status within school curriculums. This idea, plus the lack of authentic Colombian material used in SFL classes in Colombia (Bernal León et al., 2020; Guarín, 2022), highlight the need to develop new pedagogical resources.

According to Zapata Morales (2010), oral tradition has played a crucial role in the survival and cultural continuity of rural and agrarian communities in Colombian Antioquia, though I would argue that this extends beyond Antioquia to similar cases across Colombia. Oral tradition, following the author, facilitates communication in the absence of formal schooling, helps rural migrants preserve their identity and adapt to urban lifestyles, and continues to serve as a vital tool for cohesion and resilience in the face of ongoing social exclusion and violence.

With this in mind, one can argue that incorporating these traditions into SFL teaching programs would offer students a more complete and authentic vision of Colombian cultural identity. From a decolonial approach, one can also argue that, by embracing our own version of the stories and our own legends and myths and using them to teach language, we can challenge the hegemony of Western epistemologies and make room for forms of knowledge and stories that have been historically marginalized (Risager & Fernández, 2024; Walsh, 2018), such as the campesinos worldviews. Moreover, we can think of this as an opportunity to provide students with a more descriptive, less prescriptive vision of language use (Licata et al., 2023; Tecedor, 2024; Veliz et al., 2024). Including this knowledge in the learning process not only enriches students’ vocabulary and intercultural competence (Pasuy Guerrero et al., 2022) but also promotes a deeper understanding of the values and ways of life that constitute Colombian diversity.

The objective of this study was to develop supplementary vocabulary materials for a B1-level SFL course, grounded in stories from Colombian oral tradition. As shown in Figure 3, each section of the material was titled with a regionalism characteristic of Colombian Spanish. Given that Spanish is a pluricentric language, its variation extends beyond syntax and phonology to include pragmatic and semantic differences, even within the same country (see Ruiz Vásquez, 2020 for Colombia’s dialectal variation). Therefore, exposing learners to Colombian varieties of Spanish would provide a deeper understanding of how language operates within specific cultural contexts.

In this sense, the material aimed not only to present new vocabulary but also to emphasize regional variation and culturally embedded language use. In advocating for a regional and descriptive approach to language, common Colombian colloquial expressions such as “párale bolas”, “échale ojo”, “lánzate”, and “de que las hay, las hay” were integrated as central components. The goal was to develop not only lexical and grammatical competence but also pragmatic and discursive awareness, encouraging a sociolinguistic view of language as a situated, culturally informed practice.

The didactic material starts with a very common phrase in the Spanish-speaking world: “Brujas, de que las hay, las hay”. The history of this phrase is difficult to trace, as this is part of oral tradition and folklore, but its usage is prominent in areas of Colombia, Mexico, and other Latin American regions where oral narratives and supernatural beliefs play a central cultural role. While one can attempt to translate this phrase into English, the pragmatic ambiguity embedded in the original Spanish expression makes it a difficult task. When expressing “de que las hay, las hay”, the speaker neither confirms nor denies the existence of witches or any other subject they prefer to avoid taking a clear stance on. It basically keeps the answer in the air; it does not deny the possibility of their existence, but it does not affirm it either.

By introducing SFL learners to these types of expressions, which are unlikely to appear in standard textbooks, we are offering a window into how folklore and oral traditions, such as beliefs about witches, influence the current and more informal use of language and its interplay with culture; this means we are giving students a view on how people make sense of the world through speech. Furthermore, this approach gives students the opportunity to engage with real communicative practices, targeting aspects related to pragmatics and intercultural competence through the teaching of lexical units.

The use of expressions like “párale bolas”, which can be translated as “check it out”, is a pragmatic marker that combines attention, emphasis, and urgency. There are two intentions with this labeling: first, to create an association between the identification process and the lexical units that will be explored along the material, and second, to showcase real communicative strategies employed by Colombian speakers in informal settings, which would be fundamental for achieving pragmatic competence (Schauer, 2024).

This first section presents new words and lexical units to help students recognize and understand them. Here, we provide students with the lexical expressions that will appear throughout the story. Keeping in mind that vocabulary is stored in our mental lexicon through semantic associations rather than isolated words (Estaire, 2007; Jiménez Calderón & Sánchez Rufat, 2017; Pulido Rodríguez, 2021), we introduce students to lexical units such as “latir de miedo” (“to beat out of fear”), “corazón acelerado” (“racing heart”) “temblar como un perro asustado” (“to tremble like a frightened dog”), and “un escalofrío envolvente” (“an all-encompassing shiver”). Once students are familiar with these expressions, they move on to reading the story and then proceed to the second part of the material: “Párale bolas.”

In Colombian Spanish, the expression “parar bolas”—literally “to stop balls”—is a colloquialism used to demand focused attention or careful listening. This makes it an appropriate label for the comprehension and interpretation stage of the vocabulary learning sequence (Table 1). In this phase, learners are encouraged to deepen their understanding of newly encountered lexical items by analyzing their contextual use within the story.

To facilitate this, I designed a series of scaffolded activities aimed at guiding students toward meaningful comprehension. First, students are provided with a set of images and asked to match them with key phrases introduced earlier in the material in Section 1. This task reinforces form-meaning connections through visual association. In the second activity, learners are asked to organize narrative segments from the story that include the target lexical items in chronological order. This sequencing activity not only promotes textual cohesion and narrative understanding but also helps students track the use and function of the expressions across time.

A third activity prompts students to interpret the emotional and psychological states of the protagonist, Mariano. They are asked to explain why “his heart beats out of fear” or why he “trembles like a frightened dog”, expressions that were introduced in the first part of the material and are found along the story. This task encourages inferencing, emotional engagement, and interpretive thinking, core elements of the comprehension process in vocabulary acquisition (Gómez Molina, 2005). Together, these activities align with Nation’s (2001) emphasis on the importance of multiple, contextualized encounters with new lexical items to promote deeper processing and retention.

The first two stages of the cognitive process in vocabulary learning—identification and comprehension—serve as the learner’s initial contact with new lexical units. In the third phase, utilization, students begin to actively use these new expressions through semi-guided activities. Drawing on the principle that repetition across varied contexts enhances learning (Gómez Molina, 2005), Section 3, ¡Mastícalo! (Figure 6), offers students guided opportunities to manipulate and apply newly introduced vocabulary in meaningful ways.

The section begins with a writing task in which students retell the story from the witches’ perspective. Originally narrated in the third person with an omniscient voice, the students must now adapt the language to the first-person perspective, requiring them to conjugate verbs and use expressions in different tenses and grammatical persons. This task encourages them to reuse the target vocabulary in a new context.

Following this, students write a response from Mariano’s point of view, reacting to what the witches said. While structurally similar to the previous activity, this task allows for greater autonomy, as students select which expressions to reuse and how to integrate them meaningfully.

Later in the section, a new activity introduces a character not present in the original story but situated within the same regional setting of La Jagua. This character is searching for her lost rooster, and students are asked to write a descriptive flyer to help her find it. This scenario offers further practice with vocabulary while expanding the narrative world.

The final activity in this section offers students one more chance to consolidate new lexical items and create semantic associations. As shown in Figure 7, students are provided with prompts such as “el corazón se encoge” (“the heart shrinks”) or “la frente está sudorosa” (“the forehead is sweaty”) and are asked to complete the phrases with expressions like “de decepción” (“out of disappointment”) or “de nervios” (“out of nerves”). This activity encourages the integration of meaning through contextual clues and collocational patterns. Upon completion, students transition to the final section of the material: ¡Lánzate! (Figure 8).

This last section was designed to help students retain and internalize the new lexical items. After engaging in guided practice in Section 3, students now encounter a variety of activities aimed at reinforcing vocabulary through tasks that engage both short- and long-term memory. The title ¡Lánzate!, a colloquial Colombian expression used to encourage someone to “go for it”, was intentionally chosen to provide students with exposure to informal, culturally rooted language while continuing to build their vocabulary knowledge.

This is the longest section of the material, containing eight different activities that integrate writing, listening, and speaking skills. It also includes cultural extension resources that introduce students to La Jagua and its local festivities, a lesser-known but culturally rich region of Colombia. Unlike internationally recognized tourist destinations such as Cartagena or Medellín, La Jagua offers learners a glimpse into a more localized and authentic aspect of Colombian life.

The activities in this section are designed to prompt the active use of the lexical expressions and chunks acquired throughout the sequence. In one task, students are given hypothetical situations and asked to write their emotional or verbal reactions using the target expressions. In another, they are provided with a description of how Mariano, the story’s main character, is feeling, and they must create a backstory that explains his emotional state. In yet another activity, students are asked to describe situations in which they themselves would react by “temblar como un perrito asustado” (“tremble like a scared puppy”), when their “corazón latía de emoción” (“heart was beating with excitement”), or when they had a “frente sudorosa” (“sweaty forehead”), all collocations previously practiced in earlier sections.

The final task in this section is a reflective writing exercise in which students share how the figure of the witch is perceived in their own culture. This task aims to foster an intercultural dialogue by connecting the Colombian folklore explored in the story with similar mythological or symbolic figures from the students’ own cultural backgrounds. Even if witches are not prominent in their native traditions, they are encouraged to draw parallels between the symbolism of Colombian witches, introduced in the story, and comparable figures or themes from their own cultures.

In recent years, technological advances and new communication methods have changed our way of communicating, seeing, and understanding the world (Eriksen, 2016); and in part, because of this, the oral literature as a discursive resource has been disappearing, impacting oral tradition and ancestral cultures, causing many young people to forget this information due to the impact of the Internet and social networks. Consequently, the teaching of oral tradition is often ignored and not given the necessary importance (Calderón Álvarez, 2022).

In alignment with Ponce-Naranjo and Villanueva Roa (2023), I believe that education must be reimagined through an ethical lens, one that is committed to social justice and community engagement. Oral tradition offers a valuable resource for foreign language instruction, as it transmits historical narratives that, though often undocumented, have been passed down through generations. These stories play a crucial role in preserving collective memory and addressing socially relevant themes. If we accept oral tradition as a vehicle of collective memory (Jelin, 2012), then incorporating it into language education is not only pedagogically effective, but culturally and ethically significant. Identity and memory do not exist in isolation; they are embedded in broader social, political, and historical contexts.

While I do not reject the use of textbooks—I recognize their practical value for planning and structuring language classes—it is important to acknowledge that most textbooks rely heavily on standardized, and often Eurocentric, representations of language (Risager & Fernández, 2024). These materials frequently overlook regional varieties and cultural diversity. The goal of this article is to advocate for the creation and integration of more regionally grounded, authentic resources in the SFL classroom. I call on scholars, material developers, and language instructors to embrace our own cultures and linguistic richness as the starting point for material development. Doing so will not only offer students a more authentic and culturally responsive experience of language learning but will also affirm our identities as educators and cultural ambassadors.

Spanish, like any language, is dynamic, multifaceted, and contextually embedded. As Mishan and Kiss (2024, p. 14) argue, “simplifying cultural identity as a homogeneous and static concept based on nation-state, ethnicity, geography, gender, language, etc., distorts what really constitutes identity in today’s world.” In this sense, oral narratives in foreign language education should be seen as powerful tools for fostering both communicative and intercultural competence. With this material, I hope to begin holding such practices accountable within our language classrooms and to contribute to a more inclusive, locally grounded approach to language teaching.

5. Conclusions: Toward an Intercultural Approach to SFL Teaching

This research responds to the urgent need to incorporate more Colombian literary texts, particularly oral traditions, into SFL classrooms and textbooks. These texts are not only effective tools for developing linguistic and cultural competence but also serve as a means of fostering more critical, intercultural approaches to language education. From a decolonial perspective, the use of the oral literature directly challenges the coloniality of knowledge that has historically marginalized native cultures and languages while privileging Eurocentric epistemologies (Lane & Makihara, 2017; Walsh, 2018). In this context, working with Colombian oral tradition stories enriches language learning while reclaiming and validating communal knowledge systems that are often absent, or inaccurately represented, in conventional textbooks. These stories offer language students a way to engage with ancestral memory and lived experience that transcend hegemonic views of language.

While there is no universal method for designing vocabulary instruction, this study shows that combining cognitive and pedagogical approaches with a decolonial and intercultural vision allows for a more meaningful and context-sensitive learning process. The structured sequence proposed here gains new relevance when aligned with the broader goal of cultivating critical intercultural competence. Under this framework, educators are positioned as mediators between the knowledge placed in the oral literature and the realities of their students, adapting materials to meet the linguistic and cultural needs of each learning context.

Despite the current lack of teaching proposals that employ Colombian literary texts in SFL education, this research offers a concrete model for how such materials can enrich vocabulary learning and contribute to a more inclusive understanding of Colombian identity. These texts open up windows into the multiple cultural, regional, and linguistic worlds that coexist within the nation, inviting students to learn not just the Spanish language but also its rich dialectal variation and social context.

I propose that future SFL curriculum designers more explicitly integrate the Colombian oral literature, recognizing not only its pedagogical value but also its capacity to support a more just and equitable form of education. By doing so, students will acquire new vocabulary in contextualized, meaningful ways, while participating in a learning process that honors the diverse knowledge systems and identities that shape the essence of Colombia.