In my current Spanish 3 course, our second unit focuses on the environment. When we first planned out this unit, we realized just how much there was that you could talk about in an environment unit. The unit is divided into four parts to talk about local problems, global problems and then solutions and how they can have an impact on the planet. Here is the curriculum template that I use for this unit and the student workbook is a work in progress.
My unit can do statement was I can describe how I can impact the environment. Part 1: I can categorize local environmental issues by their impact on the planet. In this first part of the unit we focus a lot on learning about the environmental issues that they know about and ones they don't. We look at local problems in communities that have brown water and we also look at what other communities are doing to help reduce waste by eliminating bottled water. The resources include newspaper headlines, videos from Telemundo from local communities and an article on eliminating bottled water in a local town. Our targeted structures include the subjunctive and I give them as sentence starters with an emphasis more on wishing and wanting to express their opinions about the problems and what they hope people do to solve them. The assessment for this part of the unit is interpretive reading. Students read a short article about a problem a local town is facing and answer interpretive questions. Part 2: I can express my opinion about environmental challenges that face the environment today and in the future. The unit continues to focus on a more global aspect what environmental problems exist in the world. We briefly look at several different problems facing the planet and always associate a problem with a potential solution. We also begin to really debate in this unit especially when we begin to talk about plastic straws and plastic bags which can bring out a lot of great opinions and interpersonal conversations. The resources in this unit include a video of environmental problems throughout the years, an article of the top 10 problems facing the planet, an article on plastic straws and a video on the use of plastic bags. We continue with our targeted structure being the subjunctive and we look at expressing our emotions and making recommendations on how to change the environment. The assessment for this part of the unit is an interpersonal speaking task. Students debate a few new laws that Wellesley is thinking of implementing to help protect the environment and they must discuss the pros and cons of each law and convince the others of which law will have the biggest impact. Part 3: I can describe the potential impact of solutions to help save the environment. The next part of the unit is more positive as we discuss solutions that people have created to help save the planet. We look at what the Spanish speaking world has done and also look at options people are taking at home to reduce their ecological footprint (solar energy, composting, public transportation). We end this part of the unit by talking about Tiny Houses which really provokes a lot of great conversations. Our targeted structures, you guessed it, the subjunctive and we work with doubt to counteract some negative opinions about the environment that people may have. The assessment for this part of the unit is a presentational writing task. Students write to a friend who wants to reduce their ecological footprint and is debating a few ideas. Students choose one idea and explain why it's a good idea and things they should keep in mind. Part 4: I can create awareness to the changes in our environment. The last part of the unit is quick and leads us to our end of unit assessment. We discuss activism and how people can make an impact. We look at articles talking about local and global protests to help save the environment which leads us into our final project of making a PSA. Students choose any environmental topic they want to protest and create and record a presentation of themselves explaining the problem, discussing their opinion and convincing the public to get involved. Other Information: •I have students create their own vocabulary list as we go through the unit •I do not give vocabulary or grammar quizzes. I may do a "can do check" where I ask students to prove they can do a specific unit can do and I'll collect and assess one or two categories from the rubric which may include vocabulary or grammar. •To help with the subjunctive I do a lot of structured input activities to help them focus on meaning and forms •This unit takes me through all of second term and is in total about a 9 week unit. •Weekly we go to the language lab and complete a listening assessment that is an average score for the entire term
2 Comments
Gabrielle
4/14/2021 08:48:14 am
Your environment unit is excellent. May I ask what the different infographics and videos you used in the 3rd lessons (target #5 where students are filling out a graphic organizer to summarize ideas about solar panels, composting, public transit and water usage)?
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Mike
4/15/2021 11:52:09 am
Hi,
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