Classroom Resource

Women and Revolution: In the Time of the Butterflies

Subject Area

World Languages

Grade(s)

7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12

Overview

This unit is based on the novel In the Time of the Butterflies by Julia Alvarez. While the activities and discussion questions are in English, the novel itself and the accompanying activities connect language learners to other classroom subjects as they read about the fight for social justice through the eyes of sisters who dared to confront Trujillo and his dictatorship in the Dominican Republic. This story addresses global challenges, family and community, and personal and public identities. Novice through intermediate low language learners can use this as a cultural unit alongside their language instruction. Intermediate mid to high students can reflect upon this story in the target language as they discuss and write about the topics that are addressed, comparing them to battles for justice fought by those in their own country. An included extention activity asks students to read about others (specifically women) who have shown courage in bringing about social change.

World Languages (2017) Grade(s): 07-12 - World Languages

WL17.WL.L1.6

Connect with other disciplines while using the target language.

Unpacked Content

UP:WL17.WL.L1.6

Knowledge

Students know:
  • the importance the metric system plays in measurements throughout the world.
  • that weather patterns are dependant on geographical locations.
  • currency changes from country to country and exchange rates are variable
  • where the target language is spoken.

Skills

Students are able to:
Novice Mid Level
  • use map skills to identify countries and geographical features around the world.
  • identify resources needed to calculate exchange rates and measurments.
Novice High Level
Students are able to:
  • use map skills to identify countries and geographical features around the world.
  • identify resources needed to calculate exchange rates and measurments.
  • investigate other disciplines using the target language language.

Understanding

Students understand that:
  • proficiency in a foreign language is a vehicle to gaining knowledge that can only be acquired through that language and its culture.
  • world language learning offers opportunities to uncover big ideas in and about other disciplines.
  • strategies used to acquire a language are transferable to other areas of learning throughout life.
  • a second language facilitates the acquisition of information about the world outside our experiences.
World Languages (2017) Grade(s): 07-12 - World Languages

WL17.WL.L2.6

Connect with other disciplines while using the target language, utilizing the past time frame.

Unpacked Content

UP:WL17.WL.L2.6

Knowledge

Students know:
  • how their peers in the target language culture typically spend their freetime.
  • what a typical school day in the target language culture is like.
  • what kinds of media are popular among their peers in the target language culture.

Skills

Novice High Level
Students are able to:
  • use map skills to identify countries and geographical features around the world.
  • identify resources needed to calculate exchange rates and measurments.
  • investigate other disciplines using the target language language.
Intermediate Low Level
Students are able to:
  • interpret simple statistics on daily life activities of their peers in the target language culture, such as schooling, freetime activities, and social media usage.
  • identify and interpret basic information from authentic sources, such as news articles, event flyers, invitations, and advertisements.
  • identify a few target language news sources and stores.
  • use the target language to learn about other disciplines.
  • use information learned in the target language in other disciplines.

Understanding

Students understand that:
  • proficiency in a foreign language is a vehicle to gaining knowledge that can only be acquired through that language and its culture.
  • world language learning offers opportunities to uncover big ideas in and about other disciplines.
  • strategies used to acquire a language are transferable to other areas of learning throughout life.
  • a second language facilitates the acquisition of information about the world outside our experiences.
World Languages (2017) Grade(s): 07-12 - World Languages

WL17.WL.L3.6

Connect with other disciplines while using the target language in a variety of time frames.

Unpacked Content

UP:WL17.WL.L3.6

Knowledge

Students know:
  • a variety of the target language specific vocabulary.
  • verb conjugations in a variety of time frames.
  • to incorporate background knowledge of target language countries, influential figures and topics from other disciplines studied in earlier levels.

Skills

Intermediate Low Level
Students are able to:
  • interpret simple statistics on daily life activities of their peers in the target language culture, such as schooling, freetime activities, and social media usage.
  • identify and interpret basic information from authentic sources, such as news articles, event flyers, invitations, and advertisements.
  • identify a few target language news sources and stores.
  • use the target language to learn about other disciplines.
  • use information learned in the target language in other disciplines.
Intermediate Mid Level
Students are able to:
  • identify and interpret basic information from authentic sources, such as news articles, event flyers, invitations, and advertisements.
  • identify a few target language news sources and stores.
  • use the target language to learn about other disciplines.
  • use information learned in the target language in other disciplines.
  • use the target language to make comparisons of similarities and differences in countries where target language is spoken.
  • use the target language to converse and present on a variety of topics and other disciplines.
  • use the target language to invesitgate and describe information learned in the target language.

Understanding

Students understand that:
  • proficiency in a foreign language is a vehicle to gaining knowledge that can only be acquired through that language and its culture.
  • world language learning offers opportunities to uncover big ideas in and about other disciplines.
  • strategies used to acquire a language are transferable to other areas of learning throughout life.
  • a second language facilitates the acquisition of information about the world outside our experiences.
Link to Resource
https://edsitement.neh.gov/lesson-plans/courage-time-butterflies

CR Resource Type

Lesson/Unit Plan

Resource Provider

Edsitement
Accessibility
License

License Type

BY

Approved Date

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