Teaching Spanish: UbD in the TL Last summer we at LCHS decided to align all levels (Spanish I-IV) with the AP themes and use Project Based Learning and Understanding by Design model for our curriculum. We also ditched the textbook and went paperless. I would like to share my endeavors as I plan and revise/update my thematic units. Throughout the year I have been collaborating with my colleagues to revise and update all of the units for Spanish I and II. I like the idea of the Essential Questions driving or guiding the units. And so this summer I am focusing on Spanish III and IV. My goal is to create thematic and authentic student centered activities, rigorous, and meaningful for the students. Using current research based practices, followed by real-world performance based summative assessment. How to design your own course So where do you start when you have to design your own course from zero? STEP1: Start with the big IDEA- UbD forces me to start with that end result in mind. I always ask myself. “What do I really want my students to be able to do at the end of the unit?” I use the North Carolina World Language standards and the ACTFL "I Can" statements and progress indicators to plan my curriculum. STEP 2: Unit Themes – These themes (Spanish 1-4) are aligned vertically with the AP themes. Students also engage with a relevant, rigorous, meaningful project-based theme. All units are designed to help students advance their communication skills while working toward an authentic purpose to communicate in the target language. As we know, communication is reciprocal and requires a variety of distinct skills. So I design every theme to allow all students to explore all five skills throughout the unit:
Cultural Comparisons – In my planning I ZOOM into the culture because it is extremely important in a language class and part of the AP Exam. My students love learning about our traditions, customs and they must be able to make connections and cultural comparison starting with level one. Technology allows my students to explore, experience and how to understand others perspectives and practices as they become global citizens. Here is an example of Spanish 3 course outline: This course is organized into five instructional units. Each instructional unit focuses on an important aspect of relationships and provides learning activities that will help students develop proficiency. U1: Leccion preliminaria
Novice Low Novice Mid Novice High Intermediate Low Intermediate Mid Intermediate High Advance low These proficiency skill statements can be use to create classroom posters and /or to remind students of their personal goals so they can be responsible for their on learning. STEP 3: Organization of Resources– There are so many good resources out there that sometimes it can be overwhelming to track them. I decided to create boards on Pinterest to organize all my digital resources. I have a board for each theme, culture comparison and grammar concepts that I teach and as I gather resources I keep them there. This allows me to stay organized with easy to find resources, and this keeps my lessons relevant and up to date with current events, etc. You are welcome to follow me on Pinterest to explore and perhaps to begin creating your own boards. STEP 4: Assessment – First I develop the unit Integrated Assessments before creating a daily lesson, always keeping the end in mind. This helps me to stay on track in my lessons and to ensure that I teach what I intended to. Here is an example of a modified UbD unit I developed over the summer: PAPERLESS CLASSROOM RESOURCES My classes are paperless and I use Google Classroom and Google Drive to share documents, assign assessments, activities, give feed back and post grades. Students use Google Drive to collaborate with each other and my blog for daily lessons among other technology resources on a daily basis. I don't know about you, but my students were tired of using technology every day 24/7 in Spanish class. The good news is, at an AVID summer institute I found a great way to interact and stay organized throughout the semester. Even better for my students to take responsibility for their own learning.
The left side of the notebook is for students to process and demonstrate an understanding of the notes taken on the right side. Here are some sample activities:
TEACHER SIDE-RIGHT SIDE-INPUT the right side will be completed in class on this side students can write or tape/glue information from class lesson. Students must write down all notes clearly. Here are some example activities:
I started using Interactive Student Notebooks this year and it has been a great teaching tool for my students. 4 Reasons to Use Interactive Notebook in a World Language Class There are a lot of benefits using Interactive Student Notebooks in a world language class, at any level, and here are a few I've discovered while using/teaching in my classes. 1. Easy to keep organized: Interactive Notebooks are an easy way to get my students organized. I used to have only blinders for my Spanish 1-4, and it can become chaotic for some students to handle and keep them in order. Specially, for my male or my disorganized students, as they always misplace notes, handouts etc. Interactive Notebooks provide a space where everything we do in class is kept in one place. 2. Motivation & Ownership: Most of my students would forget their binder and notebooks on a regular basis, so I decided to keep their Interactive Notebook in the classroom. Now, students are more engaged in class and are constantly asking when they can take their Notebooks home. I include hands on activities, One Pager, Cornell notes, and cultural activities. 3. Good communication with students parents: Notebooks help students keep track of their own learning and exploration of the Spanish language. I use authentic resources when creating activities that are relevant, rigorous, and engaging. On Fridays, students are required to take their notebooks home to share with parents what they have done in class. This helps parents feel more connected with their child's learning and allows the teacher to educate or inform them of current changes in language learning. 4. Great Resource: When the semester is over, students will have a resource they have created and can take home to practice, especially in a block schedule where language classes are not taught back to back or practiced over the summer.
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Hola, yo soy Mirna Smith, profesora de español en LCHS con énfasis en UbD y nuevas tecnologías aplicadas a la enseñanza. ¡Bienvenido a mi blog! Ayuda
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