Unit Title: Day of the Dead Grade level: 9-12 (level dependent on language skill) Length of unit: 2 weeks Stage 1 – Desired Results Meaning Enduring Understandings/Generalizations: The veneration of the dead, including one’s ancestors, family members and friends, is the based on the distinct belief that the dead have a continued existence. Communicating in foreign languages allows individuals to obtain information about dissimilar people and places The distinct viewpoints attained from investigating the perspectives and practices of diverse cultures provide cultural insight and awareness Essential Questions: How does Day of the Dead honor the deceased in a playful, yet respectful manner? How can I use language to communicate and learn about other cultures? Why do we investigate holidays and traditions of cultures unlike our own? How is the treatment of death that is prevalent in Mexico and Central America different or similar to how I treat death? Knowledge & Skills Acquisition Learning Goals: ACTFL STANDARDS 3.2 Students acquire information and recognize the distinctive viewpoints that are only available through the foreign language and its cultures. (Aligned with CCSS ELA-LITERACY.RL.6-Analyze a particular point of view or cultural experience reflected in a work of literature from outside the United States, drawing on a wide reading
Transcript
Unit Title: Day of the DeadGrade level: 9-12 (level dependent on language skill)Length of unit: 2 weeks
Stage 1 – Desired Results
Meaning
Enduring Understandings/Generalizations:
The veneration of the dead, including one’s ancestors, family members and friends, is the based on the distinct belief that the dead have a continued existence.
Communicating in foreign languages allows individuals to obtain information about dissimilar people and places
The distinct viewpoints attained from investigating the perspectives and practices of diverse cultures provide cultural insight and awareness
Essential Questions:
How does Day of the Dead honor the deceased in a playful, yet respectful manner?
How can I use language to communicate and learn about other cultures?
Why do we investigate holidays and traditions of cultures unlike our own?
How is the treatment of death that is prevalent in Mexico and Central America different or similar to how I treat death?
Knowledge & Skills Acquisition
Learning Goals: ACTFL STANDARDS
3.2 Students acquire information and recognize the distinctive viewpoints that are only available through the foreign language and its cultures. (Aligned with CCSS ELA-LITERACY.RL.6-Analyze a particular point of view or cultural experience reflected in a work of literature from outside the United States, drawing on a wide reading of world literature)
2.1 Students demonstrate an understanding of the relationship between the practices and perspectives of the culture studied.
2.2 Students demonstrate an understanding of the relationship between the products and perspectives of the culture studied (Aligned with CCSS W 4.4: produce clear and coherent writing with purpose, appropriate to task).
1.1 Students engage in conversations, provide and obtain information, express feelings and emotions, and exchange opinions.
1.3 Present information, concepts and ideas to an audience of listeners or readers on a variety of topics. (Aligned with CCSS W4.2: Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic)
NEAE STANDARD – NEAE 4, Understanding the visual arts in relation to history and cultures.Students will know…
What facts, concepts, vocabulary, terminology, and other types of knowledge will students learn in this unit?
Traditional art related to holiday Historically significant Hispanic figures (e.g.
Frida Kahlo, Cesar Chavez, Octavio Paz), Effective use of Preterit past grammatical
tense Effective use of Imperfect past grammatical
tense Cultural treatment of death The difference between Day of the Dead and
Halloween Practices and perspectives of a dissimilar
culture Key vocabulary associated with Day of the
Dead (to be formally assessed through final altar presentations)-Atole-Calavera-Calaca/esqueleto-La catrina-Papel picado-Las flores-El altar/la ofrenda
Students will be able to…
What discrete skills/abilities will students be able to demonstrate in this unit?
Participate in discussions to share and analyze opinions, thoughts and information in Spanish
Research a subtopic Work cooperatively in a group towards a common
goal Present ideas and opinions to a varied audience on a
variety of topics in a foreign language Write a short expository essay in a foreign language Provide constructive and respectful feedback to peers Reflect on learning through writing, activities, and
conversation Explain traditional and conventional practices of a
dissimilar culture Explain how/why the practices of culture are
significant to that same culture. Differentiate between the appropriate grammatical
uses Use the preterit and imperfect tenses in conversation
and in writing Create reproductions of relevant cultural artifacts Compare/contrast two or more cultural practices and
perspectives Identify key differences and similarities between two
or more dissimilar cultures
-El incenso/el copal-La máscara-Día de los muertos-Pan de muerto-Velas-Arte folklórico-La muerte-Celebración-La tumba-Los dulces-Coloca-Recoge-Agarra
Resources/Materials:Equipment: computers, tables for altars, printers, hardware needed for hanging any altar parts, basic art supplies, sugar skull molds, supplies to make sugar skulls, tissue paper, fruit, salt, candles, printers, scissors, glue, table cloths, videos, music, incense, student generated altar supplies (dependent of their Hispanic figure)
Materials: handouts to build additional background knowledge, books for research, list of relevant and suggested websites for research, poetry, song lyrics, supplementary videos, graphic organizers, rubrics
Community Resources: Des Moines Art center, local bakeries and Hispanic tiendas, partnerships with guest speakers, Des Moines Salsa Club, fellow instructors in and outside of my building (particularly the art instructor for co-teaching), and any parents who may want to participate/share their insight
Express through art/words: Students will draw and/or write what they feel they know about Day of the Dead, and then share their drawings and words with a partner or small group. Instructor will walk around as students share and collect drawings/writings to help form understanding of student knowledge.
Formative Assessment:
Daily journal entries: Students will reflect daily on learning, record what they contributed, and answer and student generated questions
Fishbowl discussion : Students will discuss essential questions near the middle or end of unit.
Exit tickets/admit slips : used at the beginning or end of class to assess student comprehension and guide future lessons
Free writes: Students will engage in creative writing practice with preterite and imperfect past tense verbs
Think-pair-share : Students will share thought, ideas about concepts, and practice vocabulary throughout the unit
Compare/contrast activity: Students will work in groups to compare and contrast the similarities and differences between Halloween and Day of the Dead. Students will later reflect on this understanding in a journal entry.
Art products for altar : Students will study traditional folk art, and use their newly acquired knowledge to create their own art, intended for their final altar projects.
Peer presentations: Students will practice their understanding of respectful/playful representations of another by presenting a peer in class, based on a list of criteria provided by instructor.
TPR activities will serve as formative assessment for key vocabulary : Students will participate in TPR activities to learn key vocabulary and phrases, and will then physically demonstrate their comprehension of said vocabulary.
Summative Assessment:
Altar presentation: Students will create an altar dedicated to a key Hispanic figure, researched in cooperative groups. Altar will need to be culturally authentic, as defined in class, and also an authentic representation/dedication to the Hispanic figure. Students in the cooperative groups will each be responsible for talking for a minimum of 2 minutes each, and will need to discuss a list of altar elements, how they represent their figure, and how their altar depicts the playful but respectful spirit of the holiday. A 2-3 paragraph write up in Spanish, completed individual students, will accompany the altar presentation to be graded by the instructor. Individual students will be responsible for taking notes on a graphic organizer during other group altar presentations, answering the driving question for each group’s presentation: “How does this altar honor the dead while being playful and respectful?” These notes will be turned in and assessed to gauge student’s overall comprehension of content.
Express knowledge through art/words – Students draw and/or write (depending on strengths) what they know about Day of the Dead, and then share their drawings and words with a partner or small group
Students answer true/false questionnaireabout Day of the Dead
Website exploration:
In pairs, students visit Smithsonian “Day of the Dead” website (www. http://latino.si.edu/dayofthedead/), to gain basic understanding of the holiday, confirm or negate true/false questionnaire answers, and practice building their own altar with the assistance of the website’s rich and informative altar building simulation program.
Field trip to Des Moines Art Center
Guest lecture:
Students listen to Art Center speaker as they share the significance of their culturally authentic altar, and how it celebrates the dead.
Meanwhile, students record what they notice and analyze particular altar elements, as well as the speaker’s presentational presence, on a teacher-generated graphic organizer, including a few essential questions, and key vocabulary.
A recording is made of the presentation for those who cannot take strong notes quickly.
Students will have brought questions from previous day’s journal entry (reviewed by instructor before field
Vocabulary warm-up:
Teacher reviews key vocabulary by asking students to identify items on a visual of an altar, and introduces differences between imperfect/preterit tenses, and gives a brief lecture about when to use the two tenses.
Teacher presents unit assignment:
Teacher hands out assignment sheets and rubrics to clarify the “seed” planted the day before at the Art Center, thus connecting the assignment to the presentation from the Art Center speaker.
Teacher explains and models-how students will (in cooperative groups, perhaps pre-selected if needed) select a deceased Hispanic figure
Journal:
Students write in their in-class journals to answer the following questions – Who will you dedicate and altar to? What are some ideas of ways that you might celebrate that person in an altar? Sentence frames will be made available.
Save the last word:
Students choose between multiple pre-selected short articles (all in Spanish, but representing a variety of reading level) online to read about the differences between Day of the Dead and Halloween.
While reading the articles, students need to identify and categorize the uses of imperfect and preterit tenses.
Admit slip:
Students write two similarities and three differences between Halloween and Dia de los Muertos, and answer which tense (imperfect/preterit) is used under what linguistic circumstances.
Think-pair-share:
Students share “admit slip” thoughts with a partner, and offer some ideas in a brief larger class discussion about how to honor the dead playfully and respectfully.
Activity to explore differences in treatment of death/understand nature of Day of the Dead as playful and respectful:
Instructor launches class into student led/instructor guided discussion to clarify misconceptions and pose the question: do we always need to mourn our dead, or can we celebrate them?
Students journal for final minutes of class to ask any questions that they have regarding the material, and/or what they look forward to discovering more as the class further explores the topic, and/or share one significant thought or ”a ha” moment that they had during the lesson. Instructor provides sentence frames for those who need them.
trip), and can direct any that apply to the Art Center speaker.
Student reflection:
Instructor plants a seed: Students will create their own altar as an assignment. Therefore, at the end of the graphic organizer, students briefly reflect on how they might include what they learned during the visit to the Art center in their own altar presentations; including altar elements, connections between altar objects and the deceased honoree, and the presentational presence of the Art Center speaker.
-research said figure for an altar dedication.-guidelines, expectations and best practices for topic research
Teacher also provides students with a list of online and book references to help guide students.
Guided research/group work time:
Students spend 30 minutes beginning their research in computer lab, library, or classroom. Instructor will provide support, and perhaps illicit the help of librarian, or any possible parents familiar with the research process.
Reflection of topic through use of grammar:
At the end of class, cooperative teams are
Instructor must model explicitly how to digest the texts: Students should read once for grammatical comprehension, and then again to understand content.
Students (in flexible groups of three) take turns sharing 1-2 significant sentences/thoughts from the text. After a group member shares a thought or sentence, they may not comment as to why they thought it was significant, rather, the other 2-3 group members must comment first, and then the original speaker may comment at the end, and share “the last word”.
Large class discussion:
Teacher calls the class together to engage students in a brief large class discussion about differences, and review
one another in pairs, using sentence frames that feature preterit and imperfect tenses.
Students use this information present each other’s interests as translated to altar elements (based on a criteria list generated by instructor) to larger class.
Sentence frames to prompt effective use of preterit and imperfect tenses should be available for this portion of the activity. This provides students with practice in how to present and honor an individual through an altar.
Group work time:Students are offered the last 20 minutes of class to get into teams and work/organize research to be done for homework over the weekend.
responsible for turning in 3-5 sentences (one per student) appropriately using both preterit and imperfect tenses to share information and/or describe their research subject.Sentence frames will be made available for this activity.
the different uses of imperfect/preterit.
Compare/contrastactivity:
Students (in same previous groups) create a hand written poster of compare/contrast between the two holidays and the two tenses. If students need help getting started on their list, they can visit www.diffen.com.
Gallery walk:
Class partakes in a gallery walk of the posters, taking note of any differences or similarities that they did not consider previously.
Student reflection:
Students write in their journals about what was surprising or not surprising in the comparing/contrasting
of the two holidays, and in their own words, what the main differences between preterit and imperfect tenses are. Instructor provides sentence frames for those who need them.
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Graphic organizer:
Students begin class by filling out a graphic organizer about their Hispanic figure, using imperfect and preterit, and share info in groups of 3 with students who are not studying the same person.
TPR Activity
Teacher launches into TPR (Total Physical Response) activity using key vocabulary to ask students what they would place on an altar for their Hispanic figure.
Students, in groups of 3-5
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Small talk in pairs:
In pairs, students ask each other about their Hispanic figure, using dialogue box prompts, as well as preterit and imperfect tenses.
Student writing:
Individually, students write 1 paragraph about their Hispanic figure, using a graphic organizer providing “dialogue boxes”, their list of verbs, and instructor support. This “writing workshop” enables students to complete their
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Art lesson:
Art teacher co-teaches a lesson about folk art, beginning with a brief lecture, modeling styles and using realia to offer examples.
Spanish teacher co-teaches to ensure that ample models are provided of culturally relevant and authentic representations of folk art. Peer artwork can be used to provide examples of what would be acceptable, as well as a general discussion to clarify what would not be considered culturally
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Workshop day
First 30 minutes of class are used for group work and instructor feedback/help with group/student progress with presentations and final drafts of write-ups.
Fishbowl:
Students participate in a fishbowl activity for the remaining 25 minutes of class, geared toward discussing essential unit questions. If the class is large, then two “fishbowls” can be established, so long as students keep the
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Altar presentation day:
Each cooperative group presents for 6-10 minutes (depending on group size), and each group member is responsible for speaking for at least 2 minutes.
During presentations, other students need to take notes on a teacher generated graphic organizer, drawing their attention to major themes, concepts, and prompting their analysis to help them answer essential questions.
at a time, would “pick up” “place” and “remove” key vocabulary items, on and off of a larger classroom altar, as directed by instructor to identify key vocabulary. This activity also ensures comprehension/familiarity with vocabulary words.
If the class is large, or if students lose interest in watching others participate, another activity option (after initial TPR modeling) would be to ask students to direct each other in pairs while using the Smithsonian website altar builder.
Lesson assessment is built in to lesson, but would culminate with students directing other students to move key objects on and off of the altar.
*Students are reminded that the next day, they will individually write a rough draft paragraph about
individual write-ups about their Hispanic figure.
Students orally share writing:
In pairs, students orally read their writing. Whosoever is listening to a speaker in the pairs is be responsible for noting 2-3 details about what they hear.
Pairs split, and each student is responsible for sharing two significant details about their original partner’s Hispanic figure with their new partner (in complete sentences).
Instructor lecture:
Instructor provides students with general feedback, and any needed modeling/guidance to enable students in polishing and completing their paragraphs.
respectful or authentic creations.
Students use the remainder of class to create relevant folk art for their group’s altar.
Assessment is be a simple check for completion; awarded to students for their finished art piece.
*Instructor collects paragraphs written by students, and worked on as homework, to gauge student progress and provide feedback in time for following workshop class.
volume of their voices respectable.
Each student is also be responsible for turning the final draft of their 1-2 paragraph double-spaced write up.
.
*Presentations are graded based on a rubric, presented to the class when the assignment was introduced.
their group’s focus Hispanic figure. They will need to use verbs in the imperfect and preterit grammatical tenses, and are allowed to prepare a list of verbs in advance to facilitate their writing.
*Students are reminded to meet in the Art room for the following class
La Ofrenda assignment
Your group is responsible for the creation and presentation of a day of the dead altar.
Things that you should include in your altar:
Traditional and culturally authentic altar elements, as defined in class. Examples of this would be sugar skulls, marigolds, candles, incense, salt, fruit, art work created in class such as decorative paper, etc.
Artifacts that represent your researched deceased Hispanic figure. Examples of this would be photographs and anything that is related to the individual’s life, work, or preferences.
Things to include in your oral group presentation:
Each group member must speak for a minimum of two minutes, no more than 4. Be sure to use verbs in the preterit and imperfect tenses when discussing the past.
Explain your altar elements and how they represent your researched individual. While you do not need to explain every marigold, be sure to explain all significant details and why your group chose to include them.
Even though you will work with your cooperative team to research a Hispanic individual, YOU ALONE are responsible for a write up (approximately 2-3 paragraphs in length, format provided in class).
Things that you should include in your write-up:
Appropriate use of the imperfect and preterit tenses. How can you do this? Describe your individual’s background and preferences in the past tense (e.g. Frida Kahlo painted many incredible works of art – Frida Kahlo pintaba muchas obras increíbles) and in doing so, make sure to use at least 5 verbs in the preterit tense, and at least 5 verbs in the imperfect tense.
A basic background of your researched individual. When/ where were they born? Did they grown up in that same place? What experiences shaped their upbringing? What was their life like? What interested them? Why are they remembered/ significant?
A brief, but thorough, explanation of how your altar elements appropriately honor and represent you researched Hispanic figure. For example, “Our altar features paints, brushes and a canvas, because Frida loved to paint.” And/or, “we placed chocolate and oranges as an offering because Frida truly enjoyed these foods.”
Your presentation and write-up will be graded based on the attached rubrics. Your
Write-ups are due on the same day as presentations; next Friday, 11/02
Poise You carried yourself in a calm and confident manner.
You mostly carried yourself in a calm and confident manner.
You carried yourself in a somewhat calm and confident manner.
You did not carry yourself in a calm and confident manner.
Life You spoke with a lot of feeling and emotion in your voice.
You spoke with some feeling and emotion in your voice.
You spoke with little feeling and emotion in your voice.
You did not speak with any emotion or feeling in your voice.
Eye contact You consistently looked at the audience, and rarely, if ever, looked at your notecards.
You mostly looked at the audience, and sometimes looked at your notecards.
You sometimes looked at the audience, and often looked at your notecards.
You rarely looked at the audience, and consistently looked at your notecards.
Delivery of speech
Your speech was not too loud or too soft, and your words flowed along at the right pace.
Your speech was not too loud or too soft most of the time, and mostly flowed along at the right pace.
Your speech was frequently too loud or too soft at times, and was frequently too fast or too slow at times.
Your speech was always either too loud or too soft, and always too fast or too slow.
Pronunciation using the Spanish
language
Your pronunciation was clear and accurate with very few to no errors. You were easy to understand.
Your pronunciation was mostly clear and accurate with some errors. You were mostly easy to understand.
Your pronunciation was somewhat clear and accurate with many errors.You were a little difficult to understand.
Your pronunciation was not clear, with a significant number of errors.You were very difficult to understand.
Presentationlength
Length of presentation was within the prescribed time limits.
Length of presentation fit mostly within the prescribed time limits (less than 1 minute over or under).
Length of presentation fits somewhat within the prescribed time limits(less than 2 minutes over or under).
Length of presentation does not fit within the prescribed time limits at all(more than 2 minutes over or under).
*Any performances that fall between two descriptions on the rubric will be graded with a corresponding score that would fall between two categories. For example, if a student speaks at the right volume, but not at the right speed, they would receive a point score that would reflect this performance by falling between two categories, such as “2.5”. *Vague words such as, “flow”, “pace”, “significant”, etc., are understood by students, as they were defined in class.
Final score__________/24
Rubric for Altar Presentation - Content4 3 2 1
Grammar Your grammar was accurate with little to no errors.
Your grammar use was mostly accurate with some errors.
Your grammar was somewhat accurate with significant errors.
Your grammar was mostly inaccurate with many errors.
Organization Your organization was clear, purposeful, and made your presentation easy to follow.
Your organization was mostly clear, mostly purposeful, and made your presentation mostly easy to follow.
Your organization was somewhat clear, somewhat purposeful, and made your presentation somewhat easy to follow.
Your organization was not clear, nor purposeful, and did not make your presentation easy to follow.
Discussion of deceased Hispanic figure
You discussion was accurate and relevant enough to establish a clear understanding of the deceased individual.
Your discussion was somewhat accurate and relevant enough to establish a general understanding of the deceased individual.
Your discussion was somewhat irrelevant and inaccurate. Your discussion established a vague understanding of the deceased individual.
Your discussion was irrelevant and inaccurate. Your discussion did not establish any understanding of the deceased individual.
Description of altar elements
All altar elements, including those pertaining to the deceased individual, were mentioned and explained.
Most altar elements, including most pertaining to the deceased individual, were mentioned and explained.
Some altar elements, including some pertaining to the deceased individual, were mentioned and explained.
Almost all altar elements, including those pertaining to the deceased individual, were left unmentioned, and unexplained.
Visual aids/altar elements Altar elements are plentiful, culturally appropriate/authentic. The elements respectfully honor the deceased individual.
Altar elements are less plentiful, but mostly culturally authentic/appropriate. For the most part, the elements respectfully honor the deceased individual.
Altar elements are few, and only somewhat culturally appropriate/ authentic. Few elements respectfully honor the deceased individual.
Altar elements are very few, and are not culturally appropriate/ authentic. They do not respectfully honor the deceased individual.
*Vague words such as, “respectful”, “mostly”, “somewhat”, “appropriate”, etc., are understood by students, as they were defined in class.
*Any performances that fall between two descriptions will be graded with a corresponding score that would fall between two categories. For example, if a student provides ample altar elements that are culturally authentic and appropriate, but are not a respectful dedication to their researched and deceased individual, that student
would receive a point score that would reflect their performance by falling between two categories, such as “3.5”.
Final score___________20
Ana-Cara Van DyckComprehensive unit narrativeSecondary MethodsFall 2014
“Our dead are never dead until we have forgotten them.” - George Eliot
As an aspiring Spanish teacher, I naturally wanted to create a curriculum unit that embodied one of my favorite topics related
to the language: The culturally rich holiday called “Day of the Dead”. The purpose of my unit is two fold: For one, I wanted to enable
the students to authentically acquire and use new language skills. However, I also wanted this unit to represent an intentional cultural
study that would promote student’s ethnic awareness and global citizenship. I have chosen these intents deliberately to satisfy the
many aspects of establishing a truly engaging and rich learning environment, conducive to language acquisition.
Part of establishing such a productive environment lies in the National Language Learning Standards: ACTFL standards stress
the “interact(tion) with cultural competence and understanding.” (NSFLEP, 2014). The basic premise of this idea is that, through
understanding the culture associated with a language, those who aspire to competently speak the language will better understand the
true application, variety of phrases, vocabulary, and significance of what they linguistically acquire. Therefore, significant holidays
such as Day of the Dead are a natural backdrop for Spanish unit to enrich a language curriculum.
Another part of establishing a beneficial learning environment lies in learning theory and research. Based on language
acquisition theory discussed by both Stephen Krashen and James Asher, language is something far better acquired than learned
(Krashen, 1981), (Asher, 1977). What does that mean? In clear terms, a student will far more greatly gain language skills through
relevant modeling and meaningful application than a grammar study. To accomplish this, a teacher might model vocabulary in ways
that causes the student to think about themselves, and then create experiences within the classroom that cause them to use the
vocabulary in a significant way, such as a role-play. The idea is that, through this method, students are putting skills to use, vs. the
ability to learn everything about the skills they hope to acquire through rote memorization of exhaustive vocabulary lists. My unit
would support this method through lessons that plan for relevant conversation, engaging questioning, and performance presentation.
The unit additionally would satisfy desired language acquisition methods, as it would weave the major grammar components as
purposeful peer interaction and writing activities. Therefore, in order to successfully communicate with their peers and clearly express
their thoughts about the (highly interesting) content, the students would need to practice and become skilled in their use of the preterit
and imperfect past tenses, as well as learn the content enough to form an opinion about it, which would accomplish all major
objectives.
In addition to aiding my students gain new skills, I hope to awaken their sense of curiosity in regards to a foreign concept:
Why does this culture celebrate their dead? Why are we studying this, why does this matter? Do I find this holiday strange? Why? By
approaching unfamiliar holiday in an intimate way through reflection and discovery learning, students will catch a glimpse of the heart
of a culture. My lessons and activities, like journal reflections, topic investigation, and peer conversations would facilitate my
students’ curiosity. I hope to cause them to reflect on their experiences with the content as they would come to understand how they
might go about celebrating it for themselves, and thus arrive at a newfound or increased cultural awareness. I hope to share with them
that death can be beautiful, as evidence of Mexican and Central American folk art proves. I also hope to spur curiosity for culturally
significant figures, as part of speaking a language and gaining cultural awareness is to understand the individuals who drive the
culture. And, of course, I ultimately hope to enhance my students’ Spanish speaking skills.
To meet these large, underlying goals, students would engage in many smaller and specific lesson objectives. These objectives
would vary, depending on the activities presented for a class period. Generally, many objectives would guide students toward meeting
core standards, such as; “students will be able to write a short expository essay describing their Hispanic altar figure,” or “students
will be able to present concepts and ideas about their altar, in Spanish, to an audience of listeners.” These objectives would serve as a
strong base for building student skill, all while guiding them towards the guiding questions and the unit’s enduring understandings.
To appropriately assess students’ skills amassed during the unit, assessments would be multiple and varied. To gauge how
much students already know before the unit is fully initiated, the class would take a pre-assessment that would cause them to draw, or
write, what they feel they know about the holiday, and then share their thoughts and ideas with a peer. As this assessment is taking
place, I, as the instructor, would move around the room and take note of how students would be responding and what they would be
drawing. This would then shape how I approached the instruction of the unit as whole. Throughout the two weeks that Day of the
Dead was a part of my classroom, many formative assessments would also pepper the lessons. Informal conversations, journal entries,
admit and exit slips, TPR activities and fishbowl discussions would cause the students to not only present what they know, but also
cause them to reflect on the skills and understandings that they will be gaining, and prepare for the culminating assessment.
The final performance assessment is essentially the basis for the whole unit, as it is the over-arching project from which most
other classroom activities and assignments would be served. Students, working individually within a cooperative group, would put
together an authentic Day of the Dead altar that would stand as a dedication to a significant Hispanic figure (deceased) of their
choosing, and put all of the knowledge and skills they gain throughout the unit into the presentation and completion of the altar. Thus,
all formative assessments would serve as small “checkpoints” to help with the production and completion of this significant project.
The instructor would help students prepare to give an oral presentation when explaining the expectations of the assignment, through a
student reflection of a guest speaker, and during project workshop time.
In addition to the oral presentation that groups would complete as a team, each student would be responsible for completing a
2-3 paragraph long write-up in Spanish that would accurately demonstrate the use of preterit and imperfect verb tenses to explain their
Hispanic figure. The write-up would also explain how their altar elements relate to their deceased figure. During presentations,
students would be responsible for note taking on a graded graphic organizer, so as to further enhance their content mastery through
peer reflection. The final assessment is not simple, which I fully realize, however if it were presented in a well-organized manner with
sufficient modeling and support, coupled with relevant and engaging instruction, the project could prove to be incredibly beneficial for
the students who take it seriously.
A significant challenge that faces the unit lies in those students who might chose to not take the content seriously. The nature
of the topic is playful and eccentric, thus offering an opportunity for students to interact with the topic with too much playfulness or
eccentricity. The best defense that I can plan for, in combating this possibility, is to present extensive examples that demonstrate the
true nature of the holiday, remaining as culturally relevant or authentic as possible to model the appropriate levels of unusual fun to be
had. I also created many activities in the unit that would cause students to interact with the content and practice concepts personally,
therefore they would be more likely to comprehend major ideas.
Another challenge is time. This unit is fast-paced, coupling crucial grammar concepts with a rich cultural study, which is a lot
to master in two weeks. Nevertheless, I have planned every minute of every lesson to be purposeful and relevant. Students would
constantly work with and reflect upon the content. My lecture time would be minimal, while student discovery and exploration
through website use, gallery walk, TPR (Total Physical Response) activities and more would promote content mastery. By pairing
intentional instruction with meaningful activities, I feel that time would be well-spent and sufficient to meet all objectives.
To support students fully, the unit plan includes built-in differentiation to support all learners, especially those with potential
special needs like English Language Learners, students with behavioral, cognitive or learning disabilities/disorders, and the talented
and gifted. To accomplish this, numerous supports and scaffolds are present: To differentiate based on students’ learning profiles, a
variety of formative assessments would require students to demonstrate knowledge in multiple ways with a variety of cooperative
groupings, thus, students would have multiple chances for success, which would enable all students to feel competent in one way or
another and benefit from the support of their peers. The summative assessment is contingent upon group cooperation, therefore
students would need to help one another to understand material in order to ultimately be successful. To differentiate based on student
readiness, students would be offered open-ended activities to promote enhanced content comprehension and skill ability to the greatest
extend that they personally could. Technology is planned for in website activities and research options that would encourage creativity
and facilitate comprehension. Additionally, work samples would be created with the assistance of graphic organizers, workshop time,
peer reflection and instructor support, as well as many engaging activities that would ensure student capability. To differentiate
process, graphic organizers, student groupings, conversations and written assignments would have tiered supports, such as sentence
frames or more capable peers, offering more or less support for the students who would need it. To differentiate content and product,
students would be allowed to choose their Hispanic figure, their art products, and how they might choose to present their altar, which
would also differentiate for student interests.
Ultimately, I wanted to create a fun unit, plain and simple. Although some may think so, engaging students and achieving or
increasing content mastery is not rocket science. I believe that fun can be had in a classroom if the teacher makes the content as
relevant and as interesting as it can be. Students will likely be hooked into their learning AND have a better chance of understanding
what they are learning, AND better retain their learning. Previous to the creation of this unit, I had known the importance of creating
rich and meaningful instruction, but now after completing this exercise, I understand how to purposefully guide students towards
essential skills and significant understandings. Purpose and intention must define the planning process to create a fun and meaningful
unit, which is possible through backwards design.
References:
National Standards in Foreign Language Education Project (NSFLEP). (2014). World-Readiness standards for learning languages (W-RSLL). Alexandria, VA: Author. Retrieved from:
http://www.actfl.org/publications/all/world-readiness-standards-learning-languages. - See more at: http://www.actfl.org/publications/all/world-readiness-standards-learning-languages#sthash.avKTdO29.dpuf
KRASHEN, S. (1981) Second Language Acquisition and Second Language Learning. Oxford: Pergamon Press.
ASHER, J. (1977a) Learning Another Language Through Actions: The Complete Teacher's Guidebook. Los Gatos, Calif: Sky Oaks Productions.
