Practicing Preterite and Imperfect: Writing an Obituary for César Chávez
Subject: Spanish Language
Topic of Study: César Chávez
Grade/Level: High School
Time Allotment: 3 days as well as some out of class work
Objective: At the conclusion of this plan of study, the student will write an obituary in Spanishfor activist César Chávez using the preterite and imperfect past tenses.
Summary: This plan of study involves a cultural element of the study of foreign language which also affords the students the opportunity to practice the difficult concept of the preterite versus theimperfect past tenses in Spanish. The students will learn about the Mexican American activist César Chávez and the lesson will culminate in the creation of an obituary in the target language. It is the job of the world language educator to see that students develop an understanding of and respect for diversity as well as leading the students towards a measure of fluency in a language other than their native one.
Materials and Resources: Internet access, word processing software, PBS film The Fight in theFields, projection device, vocabulary list, vocabulary quiz, KWL chart, assessment rubric, obituary sections of newspapers
Prerequisite Knowledge: A working understanding of the preterite and imperfect past tenses in Spanish.
Standards: National Standards for Foreign Language Education
COMMUNICATION
Communicate in Languages Other Than English
•Standard 1.3: Students present information, concepts, and ideas to an audience of listeners or readers on a variety of topics.
CULTURES
Gain Knowledge and Understanding of Other Cultures
•Standard 2.1: Students demonstrate an understanding of the relationship between the
practices and perspectives of the culture studied
•Standard 2.2: Students demonstrate an understanding of the relationship between the
products and perspectives of the culture studied
CONNECTIONS
Connect with Other Disciplines and Acquire Information
•Standard 3.1: Students reinforce and further their knowledge of other disciplines through the foreign language
COMPARISONS
Develop Insight into the Nature of Language and Culture
•Standard 4.1: Students demonstrate understanding of the nature of language through
comparisons of the language studied and their own
•Standard 4.2: Students demonstrate understanding of the concept of culture through
comparisons of the cultures studied and their own.
IMPLEMENTATION:
DAY ONE:
Introduction:
The goal of the lesson is shared with the students followed by a discussion of civil rights activism to activate schema and informally assess prior knowledge. The name "César Chávez" isintroduced followed by a discussion to informally assess the students' prior knowledge of this particular activist. Teachers may want to use the following KWL chart:
K-W-L Chart: César Chávez
What I Know / What I Wonder(or want to know) / What I have Learned
The students are then introduced to the following image of a park sign:
The students are asked to share their reactions to the image and the students then watch the following YouTube to see a brief overview of the life of César Chávez, replete with images of time period and the struggle, including the aforementioned sign. The strong images will ideally elicitinterest. Teachers should always foster a sense of tolerance and respect during this and any discussion.
The students will go to the computer lab or use their tablets and continue their research and note taking individually or in pairs at:
The above link is text-based. Students will then listen to the following podcast, which is audio only (students should be told that the podcast is geared towards people becoming American citizens):
The different types of media linked above should appeal to differing learning styles.
With any remaining time, the students may do their own research of César Chávez. Much of this day's lesson involves student responsibility for learning. Students needing more challenging tasks may be given additional links to explore.
For homework, the students should fill out the definitions of the following vocabulary list using anonline translator for the unknown words:
Vocabulary List:
lahuelga
lasuvas
lalechuga
elcárcel
losderechos
laspesticidas
lainjusticia
lapobreza
elracismo
lasgranjas
lostrabajadores
sindicarse
lacausa
boicotear
ayunar
nacer
morir
marchar
If time permits, the teacher and students can go over the vocabulary list together before class ends to identify all of the words that are Spanish/English cognates and words that were previously learned.
DAY TWO:
The students and teacher go over the vocabulary list definitions and pronunciation. There should be a whole group discussion of where these vocabulary words fit into what was learned on the previous day about César Chávez. Bloom's Taxonomy: remembering
The teacher should then instruct the students to work in pairs or groups to write 10 sentences about the life of César Chávez using at least 10 different vocabulary words from the list. This activity naturally lends itself to the use of the preterite and the imperfect tenses. The teacher should circulate around offering scaffolding where needed. At the end of the allotted time, the teacher and students share the sentences on the board and discuss where and why the preterite or the imperfect were used.
If students need more work with the difference between the preterite and the imperfect past tenses, the following links provide supplementary practice:
For homework, the students should make flashcards and memorize the vocabulary list for a quiz.
DAY THREE:
The students take the following quiz:
Nombre: ______Fecha: ______Clase: ______
Fill in the blank with the correct word from the vocabulary list:
1. Unasfrutasque son verdes o moradosson ______.
2. El opuesto de justiciaes ______.
3. Cuando la gente no compraunproductoparaprotestar: ______
4. Cuando la gentecaminanjuntosparaprotestar: ______
5. Cuandouna persona no come nada paraprotestar: ______
6. Donde se cultivaalimentos y se criaanimales: ______
7. Cuando la gente no tienesuficientedinero: ______
8. Donde se pone a una persona quecometióundelito/crimen: ______
9. Otrapalabraparainsecticidas: ______
10. Las personas quetrabajanson ______.
For students in need of accommodations, a word bank may be provided for the above vocabulary quiz.Bloom's Taxonomy: understanding
Upon completion of their vocabulary quizzes, students should be given the obituary sections of newspapers to read with the instruction that they should be familiarizing themselves with the format of and information contained within an obituary. They may also start sketching out a rough draft of their obituary for César Chávez using their notes.
When all of the students have completed the quizzes, the students work in pairs or groups to continue their rough drafts of their obituaries. Students should have access to the Internet for fact checking. The teacher should circulate around the room scaffolding when needed and asking comprehension check questions frequently of the preterite versus the imperfect past tenses, the life of César Chávez, and the general format of obituaries. Bloom's Taxonomy: creating
Students may use the following link to keep on track with the purpose of an obituary:
Upon the completion of class, students should have a rough draft ready to turn into a final product, depending on the length of class. The assessment can be differentiated to meet students' needs and interests. The obituary can be done on a poster board, can have a drawing of César Chávez instead of a photograph, the obituary can be a video tribute, a PowerPoint, a a can be a word processed piece with a photograph, as long as the expectations on the rubric are met. It would also be beneficial for students to see examples of products from previous classes, if available. The students should be given a few days to finish the final product while class time moves on in the curriculum.
Assessment/Rubric:
The following is an assessment rubric that may be used or adapted as needed:
Making A Product: Obituary César Chávez
Teacher Name:Student Name: ______
CATEGORY / 4 / 3 / 2 / 1
Content - Accuracy / At least 10 accurate facts are displayed. / 7-9 accurate facts are displayed. / 4-6 accurate facts are displayed. / Less than 3 accurate facts are displayed.
Grammar / There are no grammatical mistakes. / There are 1 or 2 grammatical mistakes. / There are 3 or 4 grammatical mistakes. / There are more than 4 grammatical mistakes.
Graphics - Relevance / All graphics are related to the topic and make it easier to understand. All borrowed graphics have a source citation. / All graphics are related to the topic and most make it easier to understand. All borrowed graphics have a source citation. / All graphics relate to the topic. Most borrowed graphics have a source citation. / Graphics do not relate to the topic OR several borrowed graphics do not have a source citation.
Mechanics / Capitalization and punctuation are correct throughout. / There is 1 error in capitalization or punctuation. / There are 2 errors in capitalization or punctuation. / There are more than 2 errors in capitalization or punctuation.
Attractiveness / The product is exceptionally attractive in terms of design, layout, and neatness. / The product is attractive in terms of design, layout and neatness. / The product is acceptably attractive though it may be a bit messy. / The product is distractingly messy or very poorly designed. It is not attractive.
Required Elements / The product includes all required elements as well as additional information. / All required elements are included in the product. / All but 1 of the required elements are included in the product. / Several required elements were missing.
Knowledge Gained / Student can accurately answer all questions related to facts in the poster and processes used to create the product. / Student can accurately answer most questions related to facts in the poster and processes used to create the product. / Student can accurately answer about 75% of questions related to facts in the poster and processes used to create the product. / Student appears to have insufficient knowledge about the facts or processes used in the pruduct.
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As a final activity, if time permits, teachers may want to show the following PBS movie, which profiles in detail the life of César Chávez.
As with any lesson, be sure to keep a teacher journal and reflect often.