Learning Activity

Holiday Narrative and Comparison - Phase 3

Subject Area

World Languages

Grade(s)

7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12

Overview

Students will write a narrative essay about a holiday that they celebrated. Students will then research that holiday in the target language and give a presentation to the class, comparing and contrasting traditions of the target culture(s) to those here. (This lesson includes 3 phases, uploaded as separate learning activities.)

This activity was created as a result of the World Languages COS Resource Development Summit.

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

WL17.WL.L2.3

Present information on familiar topics with a variety of words, phrases, and simple sentences in the past time frame.

Unpacked Content

UP:WL17.WL.L2.3

Knowledge

Students know:
  • how to describe their needs for school or work.
  • how to express thoughts on topics of interest or current events.
  • how to retell or present a short skit, poem, or song.
  • how to describe common activities.

Skills

Novice High Level
Students are able to:
  • recall vocabulary from themes taught.
  • correctly pronounce vowels and key phonetic sounds when presenting orally.
  • correctly write sentences using correct punctuation and diacrytical markings.
  • correctly type special characters, accent marks, or other markings necessary to the target language.
  • differentiate between questions and statements.
  • gather basic information from graphs, charts and pictures.
  • rely on background knowledge to aid in comprehension of difficult or new words.
  • recognize characters and punctuation marks that are unique to the target language.
  • sing songs in the target language.
Intermediate Low Level
Students are able to:
  • create command forms of verbs to give directions.
  • identify patterns in past tense verb formations.
  • form simple sentences using common idomatic expressions and/or vocabulary focusing on proper word order.
  • recite short songs, skits, or readings from memory.

Understanding

Students understand that:
  • effective communication requires knowing how when and why to say what to whom.
  • the purpose of language study is to communicate so one can understand others and be understood.
  • other understandings will depend on the theme being taught.
World Languages (2017) Grade(s): 07-12 - World Languages

WL17.WL.L2.4

Identify perspectives through practices of the target cultures.

Unpacked Content

UP:WL17.WL.L2.4

Knowledge

Students know:
  • how to appropriately greet and address a variety of people within the target culture.
  • how to explain why specific holidays, celebrations and events are important to the target language culture.

Skills

Novice High Level
Students are able to:
  • address others in a culturally appropriate manner.
  • identify practices associated with specific target language culture events such as celebrations and holidays.
  • identify practices associated with the student's own events, celebrations, and holidays.
  • investigate the relationship between cultural practices and perspectives.
Intermediate Low Level
Students are able to:
  • address others in a culturally appropriate manner.
  • dentify and explain practices associated with specific target language culture events, celebrations, and holidays.
  • identify and explain practices associated with the student's own events, celebrations, and holidays.
  • investigate the relationship between cultural practices and perspectives.

Understanding

Students understand that:
    an ability to communicate in another language fosters a better.
  • understanding of my own language and culture.
  • custom and tradition vary within a culture, as well as between cultures.
  • similarities and differences in the practices of another culture often stem from the perspective of that culture.
  • other understandings will vary according to theme taught.
World Languages (2017) Grade(s): 07-12 - World Languages

WL17.WL.L2.9

Compare products, practices, and perspectives of the target culture and the native culture.

Unpacked Content

UP:WL17.WL.L2.9

Knowledge

Students know:
  • how people in the target culture tend to spend their days.
  • what holidays are celebrated in the target culture and how they are celebrated.
  • a few games, fairy tales, songs, and rhymes in the target culture.

Skills

Novice High Level
Students are able to:
  • identify the products, practices, and perspectives that are unique to native culture.
  • identify the products, practices, and perspectives that are unique to the target language culture including celebrations, music, games, and rhymes.
  • compare and contrast native and target culture products, practices and perspectives.
Intermediate Low Level
Students are able to:
  • compare and contrast daily life activities in the target and native cultures, such as schooling, working, freetime activities, and daily routines.
  • compare and contrast holiday celebrations and traditions in the target and native cultures.
  • identify games, fairy tales, songs, and rhymes from the target culture and compare them with those of the native culture.

Understanding

Students understand that:
  • daily routines may differ between cultures as a result of several contributing factors.
  • different cultures may celebrate holidays in diverse ways.
  • different cultures may celebrate different holidays.
  • different cultures have original games, stories, songs, and rhymes.
  • custom and tradition vary within a culture, as well as between cultures.
  • by studying another culture, one can better understand and appreciate their own.
  • other understanding will depend on theme being taught.

Phase

After/Explain/Elaborate
Learning Objectives

Learning Objectives

*Students can present information on holiday celebrations orally with a variety of words, phrases, and simple sentences in the present and past time frames in the target language.

*Students can describe the celebration of traditional religious and national holidays orally in the target language.

*Students can compare holiday celebrations of the target culture and the native culture orally in the target language.

Activity Details

Phase 3: Comparison Presentation

*After completing Phase 2 of this lesson (https://alex.state.al.us/learningasset_view.php?asset_id=2032), students will create a Google Slides presentation about the holiday celebration in communities of the target culture including the following information in the target language: date(s), locations where it is celebrated, typical traditions (food & drink, events, games, etc.), similarities and differences to their own celebration.

*Students should have pictures and a few single words on each slide to prompt them, but should not memorize their presentations or read full phrases or sentences off of the slides or a note card.

*Students should speak in the target language using simple and compound sentences in both the present and the past tense as is appropriate.

*The class will take notes in a table about each holiday, listing information in the target language such as date(s), locations where it is celebrated, and typical traditions, and ask their classmates follow-up questions.

Assessment Strategies

Assessment Strategies

Assess whether students are able to speak freely about the holiday celebration in the target culture. Use a rubric that checks for the inclusion of all required information and determines whether the student is speaking at the Novice High, Intermediate Low, or Intermediate Mid level. The rubric should examine the complexity of sentence structure, a variety of vocabulary, grammatical accuracy as it corresponds to comprehensibility, fluency, and pronunciation.

Background and Preparation

Background / Preparation

Teachers should:

*View all 3 phases of this lesson. (https://alex.state.al.us/learningasset_view.php?asset_id=2008 & https://alex.state.al.us/learningasset_view.php?asset_id=2032)

*Compile a list of holidays celebrated here and in the target culture for students to choose from.

*Compile a list of suggested websites for students to use to research their holidays.

*create and print or post instructions for the narrative essay and a peer editing graphic organizer or checklist for students to fill out.

*create and print or post instructions and a grading rubric for the presentation.

Approved Date

Owner (Author)

buderlj
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