Instructional Techniques
Modern Language
Five Day Lesson Plan
Grade Level: grades 6, 7
Frances Coast
Day 1
ìPor favor, cautrocientos colones...î
Objective: The student will be able to exchange dollars for colones.
Standards: 1.1,1.3,2.1,2.2,3.1,4.2,5.1,5.2
Materials: Picture worksheet on Costa Rican money. Six items with a
price tag of different dollar prices. Overhead projector and
transparencies of photos of toys from Costa Rican store with price tags
on them.
Prior Knowledge: Numbers to 10,000 or more.
Warm up: Counting to 5,000 by 100's in Spanish
Set Induction: For the next week or so, we are going to be visiting
the Central American country of Costa Rica. Why would it be so important
to understand the number system in that country? What are the ways in
which you will use the Spanish numbers?
Procedure:
1. On the chalkboard, write all the ways the students suggest a person
would use the knowledge of numbers in Costa Rica..( Hopefully they will
give answers like the use of money, telling time, counting objects....)
2. Discuss the use of money. Can you use American money in Costa Rica or
should you use the money of Costa Rica? What does a person normally do
about money when traveling to a foreign country? Has anyone in the class
traveled before and how did you handle the money situation?
3.Continuing the discussion asking further, ì What if some places in
Costa Rica do not accept the American dollar?î ìWhat is the monetary
unit of Costa Rica?î ìWhat is the meaning of ìrate of exchange?î ìIf
the exchange rate is 3.29 what does that mean?î ìHow many colones are in
a dollar?î
4. Using overhead, show pictures of toys from Costa Rican store, have
students figure out the price of each item shown.
5.. Activity: Hold up six items in front of the class. Model the
question, ìCuanto cuesta?î Answer yourself as you read the price tag.
ìCuesta un mil...î Have students figure out how much each item would
cost in American money. Next, pick up two items at a time and ask the
class, ìCuantos cuestan?î Role model answer, ìOh, cuestan.....tres
mil.î Role model in front of the class how you could figure out the
price.
Ask students why you used the question ì cuanto cuesta?î one time and
ì cuanto cuestan?î another. Use more examples if necessary.
6. Activity: Have students get in groups of two. Using objects from
their desk have each student put a price tag in colones on two or more
objects. One partner goes first asking how much is the item using the
question ìCuanto cuesta or cuestan?îand then figures out the price in
American. Then the other partner does the same.
7. Pass out the photo worksheet with the change of Costa Rica and also
the other photo copy of the bills.With everyone looking at the picture
worksheet on the money of Costa Rica, have the students describe the
colon. Have the students describe the paper money of Costa Rica. How
does it compare to the American dollar? What do they think the symbols
represent in both moneys?
Extension: Have the student draw the colon. Second, if they had a chance
to make a coin for the United States what would it look like? What
symbols would they choose to represent their country and why? Have them
draw their own coin.
Day 2
Que queremos empacar?
Objective: the students will be able to buy the necessary clothing for
the best price as they prepare for their vacation
Standards:1.1,2.2,4.1,4.2,5.1,5.2
Materials: Small suitcase with articles of clothing with price tag on
them. Cut out big umbrellas-black for the boys and different colors for
the girls, Story page from Spain. Facts sheet on the four seasons in
Costa Rica.
Prior knowledge: to be able to exchange American money into colones
Warm-up: Have a small suitcase with some articles of clothing inside.
Have a price tag on each piece. Have the students ask you how much
ìCuanto cuesta?î when you show the price tags. Answer in colones and
have the students figure out how much each item costs.
Set Induction: We are ready to pack for our vacation. We leave tomorrow.
What things should we pack for this trip? How many of you have traveled
outside of the country before? How did you decide what things to pack?
What clothing do you need to buy for the trip?
Procedure:
1. Read an opening story about 2 children in a family packing for a trip
to Spain. Ask the students how the children in the story figured out
what to pack.
2.Discuss the seasons in Costa Rica. Look at the information fact sheet
on the climate of Costa Rica. After reading, ask the students, ì Que
queremos empacar? î Have the students make a quick list of things on a
sheet of paper at their desk that they would pack.
3.Ask a few of the students to name some of the things on their list.
Ask each student in Spanish, ì Que quieres empacar?î Then put clothing
on the board in Spanish. Repeat, ìJohn quiere empacar un sueter...Susan
prefiere empacar un traje de bano.î
4.Bring the students attention to the verbs youíve been using, preferir
and querer. Discuss how these verbs change from e to ie in the stem when
they are conjugated. Can they name other verbs that change from e to ie
in the stem? ( Ex. empezar, comensar, tener, venir....)
5. Activity: In groups of three, have the students use their lists of
things they would pack and ask each other what they preferred to pack or
wanted to pack. Have each group make
a general list to share the next day in class.
6. Since we are going to Costa Rica in the rainy season, we definitely
need to pack an umbrella. Discuss the different words for umbrella in
Costa Rica. As a culture point explain that the men carry ìlos paraguasî
and the ladies carry ìlas sombrillas.î Also the men only use black
umbrellas and the ladies are allowed to use all colors. Ask the students
if there is there anything in our society or culture that is similar to
this? (Ex. Men wearing pink shirts?î)
7.Pass out to boys the dark paper umbrellas and to the girls the
different colors of umbrellas. Have the students use both sides and
write down and conjugate as many e to ie stem changing verbs they can
find on one side and the name of the clothing they would take to Costa
Rica on the other side.
Extension: Have students read a Spanish story and underline as many e to
ie stem changing verbs that they know or can find in the dictionary.
Day 3
Que Lastima! Donde estan mis maletas?
Objective: The students will be able to describe the clothing they
purchased in Costa Rica. The student will be able to compare and
contrast the clothing styles in the USA to those in Costa Rica.
Standards: 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 2.1, 2.2, 3.1, 3.2, 4.2, 5.1, 5.2
Materials: Video clip from Costa Rica on clothing: uniforms and dance
clothing and regular everyday clothing. Drawing paper and pencil.
Prior Knowledge: Numbers to 10,000, to exchange American dollars into
colones, clothing vocabulary
Warm-up: Have one person from each group from yesterdayís activities
share with the class what their group preferred or wanted to pack. Make
sure the spokesperson uses the i to ie stem changing verbs and the
correct clothing vocabulary.
Set Induction: ìWe have arrived at the airport in Costa Rica, but your
clothing suitcase has not! The airlines said it might take a couple of
days. What are we going to do? What should we do first? Has anyone ever
been in this situation before? or, maybe your luggage was stolen? What
did you do?
Procedure:
1. Discuss what you would do first if your clothing suitcase was
missing. What places are we visiting? What activities will we be doing?
Whatís the weather like?
2. Use one vacation activity as example. Okay, for the first couple of
days, we wanted to explore the capital of San Jose and visit some
museums. Itís the rainy season, yet, the temperature is warm. What
should we buy to wear around town? What type of clothing material would
be best in the rainy season? Use vocabulary examples of cotton shirt,
wool sweater, jean jacket, silk blouse, etc. Can the girls wear the same
clothing as the boys? ( Ex. shorts) Discuss cultural difference with
girls wearing shorts vs. jeans. Itís not commonly accepted for girls to
wear shorts in most places.
3. Show video of the different types of clothing worn in Costa Rica.
4. Break the class into groups of four, giving them different places
that they are going to visit. They have to decide what type clothing
they are going to buy, and for what price. Appoint one group to visit a
cloud forest, one group to go to the beach for the day, one group to the
theater in San Jose, one group to go shopping in the mall in Alajuela
and to a movie, and one group is going to attend a native folk dance
performance at a nearby school.
5. Each group is to take a piece of drawing paper and design their
outfit for their activity. One spokesperson will draw the outfit, one
will say what activity they are doing in Costa Rica, another will
describe the clothing and one person will say how much each piece cost
in colones.
6. Have groups share with class, some may have to share the next class
period.
Extension: Most schools in Costa Rica have uniforms. Have the students
design an appropriate school uniform.
Day 4
Objective: The student will be able to identify clothing in a suitcase
and their cost in colones.
Standards: 1.3,2.1, 3.1, 3.2, 4.1,5.1,5.2
Materials: large piece of vanilla construction paper, crayons, markers,
scissors, magazines with lots of clothing pictures that the students
can cut out. Paper suitcase with pictures of clothing inside.
Prior Knowledge: numbers to 10,000, clothing vocabulary, knowledge of
money exchange from American to Costa Rican colones.
Warm-up: Show class the paper suitcase and take out magazine pictures of
clothing and describe clothing and how much each article costs in
colones. Yo prefiero empacar....
Yo quiero llevar jeans. Cuestan 40.00 dolares. Cuestan catorce mil
colones.
Set Induction: They found your suitcase! The airlines sent your clothing
suitcase to San Jose, California instead of San Jose, Costa Rica! Now
you are going to share your suitcase and all the articles inside with
the rest of the class.
Procedure:
1.Have any groups share their activity and drawing that have not had a
chance to share.
2.The students are to begin to prepare for their final assesment in the
next class. They will be presenting a suitcase and articles of clothing
inside the suitcase. They will have to use some verbs like querer,
tener, preferir, etc. Fold a piece of long construction in half to the
shape of a suitcase. Staple the sides. Place a handle on the suitcase.
On the front of the suitcase have the students draw Costa Rican money or
a folk dance costume or some type of clothing worn in Costa Rica.Then
the students are to cut out pictures of clothing that they packed in
their suitcase. On the back of the clothing they are to put the price in
english and then in colones.
3. Pass out the requirements for the grade on the unit.
Day 5
Assessment
Objective: The student will apply the knowledge of clothing vocabulary
and exchange of American money into Costa Rican colones.
Standard: 1.1, 1.3,2.1, 3.1,3.2, 4.2,5.1
Procedure:
1. The students will share with the class their suitcase cover and 4
articles of clothing.
2. On the back of the suitcase, the student must answer the essay
question, ìWhat are some of the differences you have learned between the
USA and Costa Rica in regards to money and clothing?î
Name______Class______
Rubric for the 5 day lesson plan on Costa Rica
1. Did the student color and design a suitcase with clothing or money of
Costa Rica?
20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5
4 3 2 1 0
2. Did the student cut out or color pictures of clothing inside the
suitcase?
20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5
4 3 2 1 0
3. Did the student place a price on the clothing in dollars and colones?
20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
0
4. When presenting the clothing in the suitcase, did the student know
the clothing vocabulary?
20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0
5. During the presentation did the student use the i to ie stem changing
verbs?
20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5
4 3 2 1 0