Learning Activity

Definiciones de la belleza (Definitions of Beauty)

Subject Area

World Languages

Grade(s)

7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12

Overview

The purpose of this activity is to have students expand upon their own personal definitions of beauty and aesthetics that they formulated the previous class period. Students will examine beauty through the lens of nature, fashion, poetry, people, and art, using authentic resources and cultural elements from the Spanish-speaking world. Students will also reflect upon their own views of the products and perspectives of beauty and aesthetics while reflecting upon those from people in the Spanish-speaking world.

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.L4.1

Communicate and share on familiar and new topics in various time frames and moods.

Unpacked Content

UP:WL17.WL.L4.1

Knowledge

Students know:
  • the target language vocabulary for specific topics.
  • a variety of time frames and moods.

Skills

Intermediate Mid Level
Students are able to:
  • start, maintain and end a conversation on a variety of topics.
  • talk about daily activities and personal preferences.
  • use language to handle tasks related to personal needs.
  • exchange information about subjects of special interest.
    • Intermediate high level students are able to:
    • exchange information related to areas of mutual interest.
    • use language to do a task that requires multiple steps.
    • use language to handle a situation that may have a complication.

Understanding

Students understand that:
Intermediate Mid Level
  • 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.
Intermediate High:
  • 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.L4.3

Present information on familiar and new topics in various time frames and aspects using varied vocabulary and more complex sentence structure.

Unpacked Content

UP:WL17.WL.L4.3

Knowledge

Students know:
  • the target language vocabulary for specific topics.
  • how to communicate in a variety of tenses and moods.

Skills

Intermediate Mid Level
Students are able to:
  • describe past experiences and events.
  • create announcements for upcoming events.
  • present or write about academic topics.
  • describe steps needed to complete a task.
  • write emails, letters, blog posts, etc. on a variety of topics.
  • present or write about current or past events/issues.
  • present or write about entertainment topics.
Intermediate High Level
Students are able to:
  • write emails, letters, blog posts, etc. on a variety of topics.
  • describe past experiences and events.
  • summarize information from academic topics.
  • describe steps needed to complete a task.
  • explain point of view on a topic or issue.

Understanding

Students understand that:
Intermediate Mid Level
  • 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.
Intermediate High Level
  • 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.L4.5

Investigate perspectives through products of the target cultures.

Unpacked Content

UP:WL17.WL.L4.5

Knowledge

Students know:
  • how to communicate in a variety of tenses and moods.
  • the target language vocabulary for specific purposes.
  • background knowledge of the target culture.

Skills

Intermediate Mid Level
Students are able to:
  • identify how a culture's beliefes and ideas are reflected in their products by describing the target culture's art, crafts, music, dance, etc..
  • analyze and clarify the purpose of the products from a target culture.
  • investigate and explain the relationship bewtween cultural products and perspectives.
  • investigate and explain the realtion between cultural practices and perspectives.
Intermediate High Level
Students are able to:
  • investigate the products and perspetives of a target culture.
  • investigate the beliefs (perspectives) associated with the target culture's products in the contexts of arts, crafts, graphic representations, music, and short videos.
  • investigate and explain the relationship bewtween cultural products and perspectives.
  • investigate and explain the realtion between cultural practices and perspectives.

Understanding

Students understand that:
  • language and culture are inextricably linked.
  • 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.
  • other understandings will vary according to theme being taught.
World Languages (2017) Grade(s): 07-12 - World Languages

WL17.WL.L4.9

Compare products, practices, and perspectives of the target culture and the native culture in a variety of time frames and moods.

Unpacked Content

UP:WL17.WL.L4.9

Knowledge

Students know:
  • how to communicate in a variety of tenses and moods.
  • the target language vocabulary for specific purposes.
  • how to identify and distinguish between products, practices and perspectives of culture.

Skills

Intermediate Mid Level
Students are able to:
  • use the target langauge to identify and compare the products, practices and perspectives of the target culture.
  • use target langauge to compare activities and events of the target culture and native culture.
  • use target langauge to compare the practices of target and native culture.
  • identify games, fairy tales, songs, and rhymes from the target culture and compare them with those of the native culture.
Intermediate High Level
Students are able to:
  • compare and contrast the products, practices and perspectives of the target culture to their native culture in a variety of time frames and moods in the target language.
  • communicate in the target language in a variety of time frames and moods.
  • use target langauge to compare activities and events of the target culture and native culture.
  • use target langauge to compare the practices of target and native culture.
  • identify games, fairy tales, songs, and rhymes from the target culture and compare them with those of the native culture.
  • identify and use borrowed words and cognates in the language they are learning and their own, and hypothesize about their origins.
  • compare and analyze idiomatic expressions in the language they are learning and their own, and hypothesize about their origins.
    • compare language appropriate to specific social groups and situations in the language they are learning and their own. compare syntax functions (e.g., word order and inflections) to express meaning in the target language and in English).

Understanding

Students understand that:
  • the products, practices and perspectives of culture are intertwined.
  • a culture's perspectives are present in its products and practices.
  • 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

During/Explore/Explain
Learning Objectives

Learning Objectives

  1. Students will identify, compare and contrast the products, practices, and perspectives pertaining to beauty in Spanish-speaking cultures.

  2. Students will practice interpersonal speaking by completing group discussions related to the lesson.

  3. Students will practice presentational speaking by sharing their findings and analysis with their peers.

Activity Details

  1. Provide the handout with the “Definiciones de la belleza” (“Definitions of Beauty”) instructions and discussion questions. Explain activity procedures to students.

  2. Assign students to groups of three to four.  

  3. Provide each group a folder containing two different aspects of beauty from the Spanish-speaking world, within the same context. Instruct students to begin observing, discussing, and answering the discussion questions and activities for their particular items.

  4. After seven minutes have passed, instruct students to pass their folders clockwise to the next group. Complete the same procedure for all five rotations until each group receives their original folder of items.

After students have completed all five rotations of this activity, project each context of beauty on the screen, and have students volunteer to share their opinions and answers from the discussion questions. Ask other students to share their agreement or disagreement (and why) after students share their answers. Be sure to remind students to engage in polite discussion, even when disagreeing. This portion of the lesson would most likely take place the following day during a traditional 50-minute class but could take place immediately after the conclusion of the group work during a block period. Have students make connections and comparisons to products and perspectives of their own culture, and share examples.

 

Assessment Strategies

Assessment Strategies

  1. Assess completion of the discussion questions on the handout.

  2. While circulating through the room while students are completing their stations, offer comments, prompts, etc. to each group as needed.

  3. Assess student performance on the oral presentation at the conclusion of the activity.

Variation Tips

For differentiation: Students with more advanced language proficiency skills are placed with students who have lower language proficiency. This way, the stronger students will act as a guide for the activity and discussion of the lesson. Also, if more time is available, students could select their own samples of beauty to examine during this activity, to ensure more personal connections are made.

Background and Preparation

Background / Preparation

Allow students to reflect upon their own personal definitions of beauty. This could be done in a simple format by having students respond, orally or in writing, to the open-ended question, “¿Qué es la belleza?”.  Prepare printed copies of the group discussion questions document and images of cultural aspect examples.

Digital Tools / Resources

Stations Discussion Questions
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1CjsbcFk-MtDzA2jbCUduDz1b47dzexYjAHsvK1hJgxs…

Approved Date

Owner (Author)

senor_cole
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