Unit: Las Riquezas de Colombia (updated)

I've taught this unit for a few years, so it's a pretty solid unit at this point.  This year I did some tweaks that felt like the icing on the cake!

Per the UBD (Understanding by Design) framework, I shared the long-term goal of the unit.  I reminded on a daily basis the long-term objective and how the day's goal was connected.

We would be studying about different aspects of "lesser developed country" and the need to help a community and specific focus on children.

Unit Reflections

I'm reading The Keys to Planning for Learning right now in order to participate in #langbook chat. In finishing up chapter 3 #langbook chat about Lesson Design,@MmeCarbonneau posed the prompt about reflection.

I like my unit reflection.  It’s feedback for me about the students overall take-aways and their opinion of the unit.  It’s also a way for me to keep identifying the cultural Ps.  Sometimes my students tell me this is stressful, though they say it lightheartedly.  I don’t know why…it’s in English and there’s no grade!

I collect them, read all of them, make some comments so they know I’m not wasting their time and write down any ah-ha’s in my unit plan. 

So here’s access to many of my docs.  Some are level 4 and some are level 5.  They vary because the summative goal changes (mode and task type) and the content changes.

Feel free to use and modify.  I got the proficiency level reflection from @WLClassroom.

Unit: Poder de Solidaridad

I made some modifications from my unit last year, including the name, but there's a lot of the same.  A huge modification was changing my final assessment...it was lacking

something before.  My own children were working on their (5th grade) book report at home and that's when it hit me.  I have a lot of icons and symbolism in this unit, so I'd conclude with a Mystery Bag interview.  (I created a back up for students who "forgot")

Pinterest board
Youtube playlist
Youtube videos
Choice HW

Unit: Comunidades

I LOVE teaching this unit.  It started out from the textbook as En La Ciudad and as I worked to implement IPAs I focused on transportation and it was ok...not compelling though.  Then at ACTFL 2016 I got the inspiration I needed.  Megan and Kara from The Creative Language Class presented about making a meaningful curriculum and they shared this image and I was in!  If I was hooked, I new I'd get my students wanting to talk about this.

Goal Setting & Reflecting

I want my students to 

• know that I set daily targets each day so that our lessons have a purpose.
• reflect on their own learning towards that goal.
• set their own goals for the class and share those goals with me.
• evaluate their own efforts in class.
• create a plan or action steps to meet that goal and I want to hold them accountable to reflect on that.
• let me know what works and doesn't work in my class so I can plan accordingly.  

Therefore, I created a daily "participation" form. 

Unit: Tradiciones Familiares

Our level 5 is tied to a textbook, but we have the power to add/subtract/modify to meet our needs.  I'm very thankful for that.  I really don't like using a textbook, but can appreciate the need to find a common way to tie multiple schools together.  I also believe that textbooks were designed for teachers and schools to use the parts that fit their needs, NOT to do every activity in their.  They are speaking to a national audience and populations vary immensely across the nation.
To take advantage of Day of the Dead, I changed the order and decided to squeeze in more culture with unit 4. I shifted the focus to family traditions.

Unit: Sentir y Vivir / Soy Yo

This is a unit for level 5 students who are returning from summer break and I anticipate the majority to have a baseline of developing Intermediate-Mid.  So as we get back on track to get them to a continuous proficient level of Intermediate-Mid this year, we're starting off with a unit to let them talk about themselves and to finish with creating a Frida-inspired self-portrait that they can describe to an audience.

Let me also tell you that Kara Jacobs has a great unit that could be used for this simliar theme connecting to the AP theme Belleza y Estetica.  She's got free stuff to use...I wanted to use her ideas but have other themes to touch upon so time doesn't allow.