TEACH CONTENT IN THE TARGET LANGUAGE TO ENGAGE STUDENTS
All of the lessons below teach and support content in other subject areas. Most students want to learn, and even seemingly reluctant learners will be more likely to engage with readings that have real content. Some students do not see the practicality of World Languages–they tend to see subjects like math and science as more valuable. This will help you bridge that gap.
HELP WITH PROFESSIONAL EVALUATIONS
Readings and activities like these can also be used as evidence for “designing coherent instruction” because they provide scaffolding for later learning. They access students’ prior knowledge about geography, math, science and other subjects. Cross-curricular and varied instruction like this can go a long way to “engaging students in learning”.
The free samples below come from Bryce’s book Conexiones: Making Connections with the Spanish-Speaking World.
Novice Level
The popularity of eating guinea pigs is growing. It is sustainable, affordable, and oh so tasty. A short article for your students written in Novice Mid-Novice High level Spanish can be found here.
Novice Level
The Wonders of Latin America MARAVILLAS DE LATINOAMERICA PowerPoint of the most amazing places in Latin America. All were finalists for the New Seven Wonders of the World competition. Map/Notes/Quiz/Project: MARAVILLAS DE LATINOAMERICA MAP
Novice Level
Los EXTREMOS de CHILE MAP Map, word list and activity about the little country with the amazing extremes. Teach students comparison language and content at the same time. They’ll want to go there.
Intermediate Level
Introduction to LA CORZA BLANCA. Use this simple, illustrated summary of La corza blanca by Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer as a pre-reading for the novel. Bécquer is best known for his book of poetry, Rimas, a collection of romantic poetry, but he also wrote an equally noteworthy book, Leyendas, where he gives artful renditions of traditional Spanish legends. After reading language-controlled versions of the Becquer stories La corza blanca and La cruz del diablo (Santillana Press), and class discussions, give intermediate students this assessment to challenge their thinking: HIGHER LEVEL THINKING–CruzdD & LaCorza Blanca
Novice Level
PAÍSES MEGADIVERSOS
The “Mega Diverse” countries are those which have been designated as valuable due to their vast and different flora and fauna. An unusually large portion of these countries are in Latin America. Here is a reading in novice level Spanish about these biological treasures.
Novice Level
EL JAGUAR
Despite environmental pressures and declining overall numbers, the jaguar, the most adaptable of the big cats, is expanding its range and can now be found all the way from Arizona to Argentina. Read about it in novice level Spanish.
Novice Level
¿ESPAÑOL O CASTELLANO?
The word castellano perplexes many when they arrive in South America. Everyone seems to claim not to speak español, but rather something called castellano. Castellano sure sounds like Spanish… What’s going on? This level I reading explains which word speakers use to refer to their language in the Spanish-speaking world.
Novice Level and Intermediate Level
The day of the Virgin of Guadalupe is December 12. Spanish students deserve to know about this holiday and it’s deep religious and cultural symbolism. Students need to know that this image sparked one of he greatest sociological and cultural shifts in history and changed the mental landscape of Latin America forever. Here is the story of La Virgen de Guadalupe in two versions. Your Spanish 1 and 2 students will be able to read them and your upper level students will benefit greatly from the deeper historical and cultural understanding.
(Novice) LA VIRGEN DE GUADALUPE SIMPLIFIED
(Intermediate) LA VIRGEN DE GUADALUPE w GLOSSARY & QUIZ
(English version) LA VIRGEN DE GUADALUPE–ENGLISH
The longer article is from Bryce’s book Conexiones
Novice Level
Cómo mirar un eclipse del sol
It is always gratifying to teach students concepts and skills that they may have missed in other subject areas—and to do it in a second language! We have actually done this eclipse watching activity several times with novice Spanish students. The instructions were given, discussed, checked and re-checked for understanding and then we went out to experiment with the low-cost, low-tech eclipse watching equipment. No eye damage yet!
Novice Level
Teach Content from other subjects in the target language
Introduction to Guatemala
Use this PowerPoint to begin talking about Guatemala to Novice Spanish students. This lesson coordinates with the 5 themes of geography that students learn in their geography classes.