Spanish SOL 4.1 The student will exchange information orally and in writing in Spanish on a variety of topics related to contemporary and historical events and issues. (a) Express and support opinions, and elicit those of others. (b) Exchange personal reactions to spoken and written information related to Spanish- speaking cultures. (c) Exchange information from sources such as newspapers, magazines, broadcasts, and Web sites.
Objectives
Students will understand that in order to exchange information on a historical event, various sources must be used.
Students will know facts and ideas about Hurricane Katrina in order to become familiar with the subject matter.
Students will be able to communicate and record specific details from Hurricane Katrina based on their own interpretations.
Rationale
The students in this class are learning how to present information in front of the class on specific subject matter. This teaching of this lesson will commemorate the anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, so they will learn about a historical event and employ necessary skills to present information on the hurricane to the class. Therefore, they will become familiar with presenting and communicating on a variety of historical topics. All classroom discussion and written notes will be done in Spanish. This lesson is meant to last for 90-minute class period, with the presentations to be presented on the next day.
Materials
Students will use their own notebooks for this class, as well as: newspaper articles, news broadcasts and other historical resources on Hurricane Katrina. Classroom computers are available for student use if needed.
Instructional Procedures
- Review Previously Learned Material (10 minutes)
- I will begin by asking students what they already know about Hurricane Katrina.
- State Objectives: Good communication on a historical event requires an understanding of the subject; therefore, we will use different types of news resources on the hurricane. The students will have access to the classroom computers to work on their presentations.
- Guided Practice (15 minutes)
- Students will listen to the teacher who is setting the scene just as Hurricane Katrina hits. They will listen to the prompts and hear the sounds of rain, thunder and harsh winds.
- As a class we will discuss their reactions to this material, and how it influenced what they already knew about Hurricane Katrina.
- We will also go over a few of the vocabulary words that they generally associate with weather like Hurricanes, in order to prepare them for independent practice.
- Independent Practice: (30 minutes)
- For all independent practice, there will be vocabulary sheets handed out to students with words normally associated with hurricanes/weather. We previously did a unit on weather, so they have some background knowledge. Also, all communication in groups must be in Spanish (using this vocabulary and prior knowledge in the class).
- Tier 1: Kinesthetic (Hands-On Learners)
- They will take turns acting out short skits about what going through the Hurricane might have been like using newspapers articles provided in class.
- These students will write down key facts from their skit, and together write up a 2-paragraph summary.
- Tier 1: Kinesthetic (Hands-On Learners)
- Tier 2: Visual Learners
- I will show a news video clip in-class with interviews with people from Hurricane Katrina.
- I will also present magazine articles with pictures that were taken during the hurricane.
- The students will take notes and then format them into a brief journal entry as if they are experiencing Hurricane Katrina.
- Tier 3: Auditory Learners
- Students will listen to a speech from New Orleans’ mayor just before Hurricane Katrina hit, and just after.
- They will write down key phrases and important facts about the hurricane.
- Then, students will work together to write one newspaper article as if they are reporting Hurricane Katrina.
- Assessment (40 minutes)
- Throughout the class, I will provide feedback to each student, in their small groups to find out where they are and what needs clarification. I will ask them questions about how far along they are in the assignment, as well as, other information that they need (that they might not have) in order to complete the assignment.
- Before moving to the formative assessment, using a thumbs up/down system, I will ask students how comfortable they feel with the material. After answering questions, I will group the students.
- The students will be broken into groups of 4 (with at least one student from each tier) and then create a PowerPoint based on the various sources that each person worked with. The PowerPoint will then be presented to the class. The purpose of this assessment is to see how well the students used the resources that were given, how well they were able to incorporate the Spanish vocabulary, and their spoken Spanish in front of the class.
