Context
This concept development lesson will take place in an ethnically and socioeconomically diverse Advanced Spanish IV or above classroom of about 30 students. These students in the classroom will equally resemble each of the three student profiles provided earlier. The lesson will up the major part of a 90 minute class period, and both the students and the instructor are expected to speak only Spanish during that time. The curriculum is based on cultural and linguistic comparisons.
Spanish IV (and above) Revised Concept Development Lesson Plan
| Lesson Components | Rationale |
| Context This concept development lesson will take place in an ethnically and socioeconomically diverse Advanced Spanish IV or above classroom of about 30 students. These students in the classroom will equally resemble each of the three student profiles provided earlier. The lesson will up the major part of a 90 minute class period, and both the students and the instructor are expected to speak only Spanish during that time. The curriculum is based on cultural and linguistic comparisons. |
SIV.8 The student will discuss in level-appropriate Spanish the effects of cultural similarities and differences on social, economic, and political relationships in the global community.1. Discuss the role of culture in the development of relationships between the United States and Spanish-speaking countries.
2. Analyze how members of Spanish-speaking cultures perceive the United States.
This standard allows for differentiation of instruction for students with varying levels of interest in the Spanish. It also allows students with different learning profiles and at different levels of readiness to apply their own background and acquired knowledge to the content.Objectives:
Students will understand that cultural similarities and differences have a direct effect on social relationships.
Students will know:
- their own biases in regard to their view of things and peoples that are “American”
- all peoples of the Americas [North America (including Central America and the Caribbean Islands) and South America] are considered to be an American
- to be “American” (ser “americano”) has a different meaning in the English-speaking and Spanish-speaking worlds
Students will be able to
- make generalizations about what it means to be an “American”
- make a connection in between the perceptions of people in the United States and those of people in the Spanish-speaking world
The Understand Objective allows for a real world perspective on the Spanish language and connects it to the modern-day relationship between countries and peoples.
By focusing on the social relationships between cultures (and eliminating economic and political aspects), the instructor will be able to foster the socio-emotional learning skills of social awareness, self-management, and relationship management amongst the students who require more social and metacognitive engagement in the classroom.
The Know Objectives outline target information that should be uncovered by this lesson, and if some are not explicitly stated by the students then it will be the instructor’s responsibility to lead the students to them.
These objectives can help students from different ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds metacognitively understand their own predispositions towards nationality and culture in listening to and learning about the views of others. For example, a student born in the U.S. may share a very different concept of “Americanism” than as student born in Argentina, and by knowing their differences they can both contribute to the collective knowledge of the classroom.
The Able-to-do Objectives align with the Know Objectives to give students some of the necessary skills they need to make the cultural connections in reading, writing, speaking and learning about the Spanish culture in relation to the English language that they already know.
Also these objectives are broad enough to allow the use of a variety of modalities, which can be used to teach to the diverse array of learning styles (i.e. group work, individual work) and intelligence preferences in the classroom.MaterialsBoard, writing utensils, note cards, ready projector Instructional Procedures:
- The students will be placed into 6 groups of 5 students each and the instructor will ask each group to list items (on separate note cards) related to the topic of “Who/What is American?” (with one group member acting as the scribe). Also, the conversation will be lead and managed by a group facilitator. The group presenter will prepare and present the group’s collective information to the class and teacher when necessary. (Other roles may be created by the teacher as needed.) The instructor will ask that they be specific and descriptive, and he/she can offer some examples to start the conversation (e.g. protestante, mezclado, and americano).
- The instructor will then ask each group to cluster similar items. The instructor will then share the groupings both verbally and written on the board with the class. After that, the instructor will have the presenter from each group explain their reasoning for the grouping.
- Then the teacher will ask the students as a class to label the groups written on the board. The labels will be underlined on the board and communicated to the students.
- Students will then be asked if some of these items belong in more than one group and if they can provide different labels for some of these groups. The new labels will be created, consolidating other groups, underlined on the board, and communicated to the students.
- Following that, the instructor will ask each student to individually summarize (in one sentence) something about all of the groups, and during that time he/she will provide a number of examples to provoke different generalizations.
In this concept development lesson, the instructor will build on the students’ prior knowledge and experiences in order to help “refine, develop, and extend concept formation” so they will be able to begin to comprehend complex and abstract thinking and ideas in and outside of the content.The concept development model is very flexible when differentiating for students’ interests and needs. In this instruction, students are able to take on different roles (i.e. scribe, presenter) while still maintaining the opportunity to participate in the more traditional pedagogical methods of participation (i.e. hand raising, open discussion).
By the instructor choosing the groups, he/she can assure that each of the student types is integrated into each of the groups to promote student relationship management and social awareness (SEL skills). In order to make sure that each student has an equal opportunity to participate and contribute to the discussion, the instructor will select the leadership roles within the groups.
Moreover, in Steps 1-2, the instructor will be able to encourage student participation in the group by placing them in a role that suits that best suits their intelligence preference. Oppositely, the instructor may choose to give the students roles that are different from their intelligence preference in order to maintain balance within the group.
In Steps 3-4, students will be able to showcase their individual thoughts on the concept of Americanism. Thereby, they will be consolidating the thoughts of their class, while adding their personal opinions as to what compromises a category.
Step 5 focuses on interest-based generalization based on the concept at hand. In other words, students will be able to take from the concepts and groups what they want, and they will use that selective information to form their own generalizations. Also, by providing examples to the students, the instructor will be able to guide and support the generalization process for those students who may need it. Examples may include “Americans live in the Americans” or “There is some diversity in the cultures of different Americans.”
Assessments:
Diagnostic Assessment
As a Do-Now activity, to be started after all of the students enter the classroom, the instructor will project the United States Flag and the Mexican Flag side-by-side on the board. Next, instructor will ask each of students to write three facts about the significance of the colors and symbols on each individual flag based on their prior knowledge. The instructor will then have about 5 students or less share what they have written (chosen by raise of hands and variety of answer). Once the discussion comes to an end, the instructor will tell the students what the colors and symbols on each of the two flags stand for:
- U.S. Flag – The fifty stars on the flag represent the 50 states, and the 13 stripes represent the original thirteen colonies. While there is no legally defined symbolism to the colors (other than the colors of the British flag) and shapes on the flag.
- Mexican Flag – The color green on the flag represents the Mexican Independence Movement (1821), white represents the “purity” of the Catholic faith, and red represents the Spaniards that joined in the efforts for independence from Spain and/or the “blood” of national heroes. The emblem-shield represents the Aztec heritage. “According to a beautiful legend, the gods had advised the Aztecs that the place where they should establish their city was to be identified when they saw an eagle, perched on a prickly pear tree, devouring a serpent. They saw this mythical eagle on a marshy lake that is now the zócalo or main plaza in Mexico City.” http://www.inside-mexico.com/flag.htm
Formative Assessment
After each of the last sets of labels is made, the instructor will ask those who do not understand and/or disagree with the grouping on the board to explain why and guide them to formulating an alternative or making a generalization about that label. The instructor will collect some of students’ labels, analyze their understanding of the concept, and (if necessary) give them more examples to create their labels. Also, if needed, the instructor will then ask other students (of his/her choice) to explain their rationale for the labeling, and the students will vote on the most appropriate name for the category.
Summative Assessment
Students may be given the extra-credit option to turn in a completion-based 1 pg paper, oral presentation or poster about what being an “American” is or means to them.
This diagnostic assessmentmeasures some of how much students know about Spanish culture and U.S. culture by taking a piece of what is considered a national symbol (the flag) in both countries and seeing what students know about the historical background or symbolism of those representatives.
Here, there is a unique opportunity for student input and participation to commence the conversation on the impending concept. In that, students may learn from each other, share information that another student may not know (some students may know more information on one flag than the other), and the teacher will be able to build on misconception (e.g. that the colors in the U.S. flag have a symbolic meaning).
This assessment also provides a variety in format for expressing the key content, and it serves as a means to present visual stimulation to students to help grasp and solidify their attention to the forthcoming concept.
This formative assessment serves as quick and simple way to gauge students’ understanding of the format of the lesson and to help the instructor clarify points and make suggestions (if need be) so that they can come to generalizations.
This assessment will give each student the opportunity to independently voice their thoughts and opinions. At the same time, the teacher will be able to gauge student participation and tailor instruction to students who may need more scaffolding.
There is no formal summative assessment here, since the students have already been asked to think about their biases. The final generalizations made by each student may serve as a summative assessment of the lesson, because it should reflect each student’s grasp of the concept.
An optional extra-credit summative assignment gives students an incentive (extrinsic motivation) for exploration of their own interests while being able to use their own intelligence preferences. The teacher may also assign or suggest certain assignment to certain students with flexibility (e.g. a paper or oral presentation to improve grammar or a student with limited home resources could complete/present her assignment before/in/after class).
Order of the Lesson:
- Review Objectives
- Diagnostic Assessment
- Concept Development– Generalizing “What it is to be an American?”
- Formative Assessment
- Optional Extra Credit Assignment
