Grade: Senior
Subject: Language

#901. Spanish Idols

Language, level: Senior
Posted Thu Dec 10 18:00:55 PST 2009 by Carina Browmell (Carina Browmell).
spanish idols
Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, USA
Materials Required: computer, internet access, dictionary, poster board, material from year that students completed
Activity Time: 3 weeks in class plus at home time necessary
Concepts Taught: project reviewing all year material-verbs, reading, writing, speaking, listening

LESSON PLAN FORMAT
Template

Student Teacher's Name: Carina Brownell Date: December 9th, 2009
Grade Level 9-12th Topic/Unit: Famous Spanish-Speakers (Project to conclude the unit covering beginning literature and cultural diversity) School: Our Lady of Mount Carmel District: Wyandotte School District (Catholic Private School)

Content
This is a great final project. The students will have to be able to do the following at least at an intermediate level in order to fully create this project. Main topics that they will be focusing on include, but are not limited to the following;
English- research on a historical or famous Spanish-speaking figure
writing a bibliography page
Technology- creating a web using Inspiration that clearly outlines main research ideas, importing graphic and/or audio files, using spell check in Spanish
Spanish- creating an essay in Spanish, the proper use of the preterit, imperfect, present, and future tenses in Spanish, being able to read Spanish articles on the web and in books, oral communication of presentation, visual aid in Spanish, using appropriate register, understanding written material in Spanish, acquisition of new content vocabulary, and exploring personal topics of interest.

Benchmarks
The METS standards that are covered are:
9-12 1. Basic Operations & Concepts b. 6-7
6. "Students demonstrate how to import/export text, graphic, or audio files."
7. "Students proofread and edit a document using an application's spelling and grammar checking functions."
The Michigan Standards and Benchmarks are numerous and as follows in no specific order
1.1.A.SL.d- Share detailed description and analysis of physical appearance, character and personality traits of historical figures and characters in literature, TV, film, and the arts in the target culture.
1.1.A.RW.b-Recognize and use appropriate register/honorifics in routine written social and professional correspondence.
1.1.A.RW.d-Share in writing a detailed description and analysis of physical appearance, character, and personality traits of historical figures and characters in literature, TV, film, and the arts in the target culture.
1.1.A.RW.e-Share in writing a detailed description and analysis of feelings, emotions and health of historical figures and characters in literature, TV, film, and the arts.
1.2.M.L.a-Demonstrate understanding of oral classroom language in the target language on familiar topics.
1.2.A.R.b-Understand and analyze written materials in the target language on unfamiliar topics such as, literary works, print media, websites/internet, directions.
1.3.A.S.C.- Present oral reports on familiar and unfamiliar topics in target language.
1.3.N.W.a-Illustrate and present materials in the target language such as an advertisement, poster, or menu.
2.2.A.C.a-Analyze the enduring contributions of current cultural icons to the world (arts, music, architecture, literature, film, media, TV, newspapers, important people).
3.1.A.a- Acquire new content knowledge about unfamiliar topics through the target language.
5.2.A.b-Use authentic target language print materials and electronic media to explore topics of personal interest from the points of view of the new culture.


Learning Resources and Materials
Inspiration software, Spanish Idols planning sheet*, Spanish Idols Template*, American Idols Sample Activity*, Computers, Poster boards, markers, dictionaries, students' binders that include all of the material they have covered throughout the school year as references, dictionaries, list of famous Spanish idols, internet access.

Development of Lesson
Introduction-
The students will have been preparing themselves all school year for this project and we will review the material in their binders before beginning the project. I will introduce the assignment with a grading rubric that will be divided into the three categories of English, Technology, and Spanish. It will have a check list for the students to use as they are completing the project. In order to get them interested in the assignment, I will begin by asking the students about some famous Americans to get them talking, followed by asking them if they know any famous Spanish Idols. After the discussion, there will be an explanation of each of the points on the checklist and we will go over where they can find the past material they have gone over in the class that is relevant to the checklist. Any questions related to the overall content can be asked at this time.
The students will then have time to research their Idol, develop their Inspiration web, write their essays, and while the students begin their poster boards, I will be proofreading and editing their essays. Finally, the students will have some time in class to practice their speeches and make all final touches to any area of their project and ask final questions.
Once the projects are complete, the students will have assigned days to present their projects to the class. While one student is presenting, the other students will have to write the student's name, their Idol, and any details that were given. This will be a direct assessment of their listening skills.
Finally, since this is the first time I will implement this project, I will have the students complete a questionnaire asking them about various parts of the project including what they liked and disliked, what they have learned, and perhaps what they would change about the project to make it more educational and/or personally interesting to them.

Methods/Procedures
I like the idea that the students can ask questions and help each other answer them before I interject. They tend to listen better to one another than adults. I prefer a checklist as well so that it can be as objective as possible and so the kids have a clear understanding of what is expected of them. The students can pick one partner since it is such an extensive project. However, they will have to submit a form explaining who did what in order for me to see that the work was completed equally. The sequence of the activities is listed above in the "Development of the Lesson" section of this lesson plan template. I will take a varied approach. In order to explain the work, I will use direct instruction. When there are questions or concerns, and possibly ideas for changing something, I will use cooperative discussions. When a student has a specific question, I will use individualized instruction. I will get the students attention by asking them of whom they personally admire that is or was famous for any reason. When a student has a question that is related directly to the Spanish content, I will ask them to find the area in their binder where we covered that topic, have them look it over for a moment, and then ask if they still are confused. When they are confused about a technological issue, I will have them go to a search engine website and look there first before I guide them along the right way. The questionnaire at the end will be very important. I will ask specific questions about what was the most confusing to the most interesting aspects of the project in hopes of adapting and improving the project for the next year. Once the student has presented his/her material, I will ask specific questions in the target language related to their Idol in order for me to assess if they actually understood the material and can comprehend the target language.

Accommodations/Adaptations

Accommodations will be made with accordance to that individual's IEP. An example would be if a student has difficulty with reading comprehension, I would help the student do the research on their idol.
Another example would be if a student has a speech impediment, they could record their presentation and play it to the class in lieu of doing it in person.

Assessment/Evaluation
Assessment- As previously mentioned, the students will receive a grading rubric that will double as a checklist for them. As each section is complete, -research --web --essay --poster board --presentation, I will go through the checklist for that area with each student individually. It will be a direct assessment of their research because I can research that idol as well to make sure that their facts are indeed true. I will also do a direct assessment of their essay after I have proofread it and the students have made their corrections. I will check for length, use of vocabulary, sentence structure, clear outline of main points, verb conjugation, etc. When a student does the presentation, I will have another checklist, that will include topics that I will give subjective points for including depth of information, use of extensive vocabulary, pronunciation, creativity, etc. When the student completes his/her presentation, I will directly assess them finally by asking them specific questions related to their idol in the target language in order to see if the student not only can understand what I am asking, but also form ideas on the spot and convey the desired information accurately back to me in the target language. The questionnaire at the end of the presentations will be another indirect assessment that will help me improve my teaching methods. Indirect assessments will be made throughout the presentation by interpreting the types of questions that they are asking me. For example, if three different students all need help conjugating a verb in the past tense, we may need to take some time reviewing that material.
Feedback- During each section of the project, I will either tell the student individually or write comments on their work telling them what is good and what areas need improvement.
Determination of benchmarks- When I give the students the grading rubric at the beginning of the project, I will have the benchmarks listed on my checklist in order for me to clearly see what areas they excelled in and what topics need improvement.
By the end of the project, the students will have a wide array of materials including:
Research notes
A bibliography page
An Inspiration web
A rough draft essay
A final draft essay
A poster board
An oral presentation with note cards if the student so chooses- All of these items can be directly assessed.

Closure
As previously stated, I will have a questionnaire for the students to give me feedback on what liked and disliked about the assignment, suggestions for improvement, and a list of items that they should have learned, with room for comments next to each. In this comment area, the students can state whether they already knew the material before the project, if it helped them with previous questions concerning each topic, or if the project left them more confused than when they started it. This questionnaire will help me make changes to the project and even give me some new ideas that I may not have thought of before.