Unit Rationale
Overarching Question
How have stories and legends helped to shape the Spanish-speaking cultures of the world?
Focus Questions
Student Objectives
Key Grammatical Concepts
Content Expectations/Standards
World Languages, Novice High (N), Communication
1.2 Interpretive Communication
Interpreting Written Language-Reading
World Languages, Novice High (N), Comparisons
4.2 Comparing Cultures
Students demonstrate understanding of the concept of culture through comparisons of the cultures studied and their own.
World Languages, Intermediate Low & Mid (M), Communication
1.2 Interpretive Communication
Interpreting Written Language-Reading
1.3 Presentational Communication
Presentational Language-Writing (W)
World Languages, Intermediate Low & Mid (M), Connections
3.2 Point of View
Students acquire information and recognize the distinctive viewpoints that are only available through the target language and its cultures.
World Languages, Intermediate Low & Mid (M), Comparisons
4.2 Comparing Cultures
Students demonstrate understanding of the concept of culture through comparisons of the cultures studied and their own.
World Languages, Intermediate Low & Mid (M), Communities
5.2 Personal Enrichment
Students show evidence of becoming life-long learners by using the language for personal enjoyment and enrichment.
Assessment Tasks
Unit Sequence
Week 1
Week 2
Week 3
Week 4
Week 5
Week 6
How have stories and legends helped to shape the Spanish-speaking cultures of the world?
Focus Questions
- What do stories and legends from various countries or regions have in common? How do they differ?
- How are the preterit and imperfect aspects used to narrate and describe in the past?
- What are some important myths, legends and stories in Spanish-speaking culture?
- How do Hispanic legends compare with American legends?
Student Objectives
- Compare and contrast the use of imperfect and preterit in narration.
- Narrate in the past using the preterit and imperfect tenses
- Describe characters, setting, and events in a story.
- Identify and summarize important myths, legends, and stories in Spanish-speaking cultures, using the preterit and imperfect tenses.
- Compare myths and legends in Spanish-speaking countries to those of U.S. culture.
- Create original stories, legends, and/or myths.
- Use appropriate reading strategies to understand the main idea and supporting details of a written text
Key Grammatical Concepts
- Review of preterit tense
- Uses of the preterit vs. imperfect tenses
Content Expectations/Standards
World Languages, Novice High (N), Communication
1.2 Interpretive Communication
Interpreting Written Language-Reading
- 1.2.N.R.b Understand main idea of simple accessible written materials in the target language such as, textbook passages, age-appropriate magazine and newspaper articles/ads, websites/ internet, poetry or stories
World Languages, Novice High (N), Comparisons
4.2 Comparing Cultures
Students demonstrate understanding of the concept of culture through comparisons of the cultures studied and their own.
- 4.2.N.b Identify basic target culture products and compare them to one’s own
World Languages, Intermediate Low & Mid (M), Communication
1.2 Interpretive Communication
Interpreting Written Language-Reading
- 1.2.M.R.a Demonstrate understanding of written classroom language in the target language on familiar topics
- 1.2.M.R.b Understand main idea and supporting detail, and summarize accessible written materials on familiar topics in the target language such as, textbook content, magazine and newspaper articles/ads, websites/internet, poetry or stories.
1.3 Presentational Communication
Presentational Language-Writing (W)
- 1.3.M.W.a Illustrate and present materials in the target language such as an informational brochure or instructions for accomplishing a task
- 1.3.M.W.b Create original compositions or journal entries in the target language
World Languages, Intermediate Low & Mid (M), Connections
3.2 Point of View
Students acquire information and recognize the distinctive viewpoints that are only available through the target language and its cultures.
- 3.2.M.a Use audio, visual, and/or print materials available only in the target language to acquire information
World Languages, Intermediate Low & Mid (M), Comparisons
4.2 Comparing Cultures
Students demonstrate understanding of the concept of culture through comparisons of the cultures studied and their own.
- 4.2.M.b Identify the significance of the cultural products within the target culture(s) and compare them to one’s own
World Languages, Intermediate Low & Mid (M), Communities
5.2 Personal Enrichment
Students show evidence of becoming life-long learners by using the language for personal enjoyment and enrichment.
- 5.2.M.b Use authentic target language print materials and electronic media to explore topics of personal interest within their own culture and the new cultures
Assessment Tasks
- Grammar assessment(s) on the uses of the preterit and imperfect tenses
- Write an original story and illustrate it. (1.3.M.W.a)
- Record a vocal presentation/voice-over of story with pictures. (1.3.N.S.c)
- Listen to a story and number a series of pictures according to the oral sequence/description. (1.2.N.L.d)
- Reading comprehension assessment on El Cid
Unit Sequence
Week 1
- Preterit and imperfect --how to conjugate, when to use
- Begin with short, accessible narratives
Week 2
- Introduce vocabulary related to discussion of narratives.
- Assessment on when to use preterit and imperfect (recognition)
Week 3
- Begin El Cid
- Legend #1
Week 4
- Continue with El Cid
- Legend #2
- Assessment on uses of preterit vs. imperfect (production: record voice-over)
Week 5
- Continue with El Cid
- Legend #3
- Begin final performance assessment (write and illustrate an original story with a moral).
Week 6
- Final performance assessment