Introduction
 
 

This lesson was developed as part of the Yorkville District #115's WebQuest workshop. It was developed with two purposes in mind:  To teach students to see problems from a variety of perspectives and to challenge them to use Spanish in an unfamiliar setting.

Content Area and Grade Level

This lesson was designed with my high school Spanish II class in mind.  It could also be used with Spanish III and IV, and can be adapted for use with a Middle School Spanish class.  It also touches on aspects of Social Studies and English classes and can be used in these classes or as an interdisciplinary unit between Spanish, English, and/or Social Studies classes.

Curriculum Standards

This lesson addresses the following Illinois State Learning Standards:

Foreign Language standards -- 28.B.3a, 28.D.3a, 28.D.3b, 29.E.3

Language Arts standards -- 3.B.4a, 3.B.4b, 3.B.4c, 3.C.4a, 3.C.4b, 4.B.4a, 5.B.4

Social Sciences -- 14.A.4, 14.D.4

Other skills encouraged include: Critical thinking, creative production, creative problem-solving, a variety of writing styles, creative writing, and using technology in the classroom.

Implementation Overview

This unit was designed to cover 4 weeks of class time.  It is meant to supplement regualr classroom instruction, with  research time given as the teacher sees fit.  I have organized the unit with three deadlines.  Assignment #1 is due at the end of the first week, assignment #2 is due at the end of the second week, and assignment #3 is due at the end of the fourth week.  Time spent can vary depending on how in-depth you want the students to be.

Resources Needed

What you need to implement this lesson:
 

• Internet access
• Spanish Dictionaries
• Appropriate research materials in school library.

Evaluation

Grading Rubric
Assignment #1
Assignment #2
Assignment #3
 

Conclusion

This lesson is a work in progress, but I believe it utilizes several skills.  First and foremost, it challenges the student to use the target language effectively regarding a topic many of them have had no experience with.  It also reinforces skills such as expository, persuasive, and narrative writing, researching, public speaking, among others.  This lesson is also great for challenging students to look at a certain problem from several points of view, and therefore create a more educated opinion.

Please send me any comments or suggestions