Learning Activity

Latin America Identity Through Music

Subject Area

World Languages

Grade(s)

7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12

Overview

Students will analyze the various products, practices, and perspectives of the Spanish-speaking world through the lens of music.  Students will practice interpretive listening using the song “Latinoamérica” by Calle 13 to complete a cloze activity with the lyrics.  Then, students will research and analyze the specific products, practices, and perspectives of Latin American culture that are mentioned in the song.  Finally, students will engage in interpersonal discussion to compare their results and opinions of their findings. The basic format of this lesson could be adapted to fit a variety of songs on a variety of themes, from any language.

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.L4.2

Interpret, restate, and react to what is heard, read, or viewed on familiar and new topics.

Unpacked Content

UP:WL17.WL.L4.2

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:
  • understand basic information from advertisments and announcements, audio or print.
  • understand the main idea(s) of voice messages and videos
  • understand basic statements and questions in an interview.
  • understand questions in a survey or questionnaire.
  • understand information in a variety of print formats (ex: brochures, magazines, labels, etc.).
  • understand information in interpersonal communication.
  • understand main ideas, supporting details, themes, settings, characters and plot lines in literary texts.
Intermediate High Level
Students are able to:
  • understand basic information from advertisments and announcements, audio or print.
  • understand interpersonal exchanges, spoken or in print.
  • understand information in a variety of print formats (ex: brochures, magazines, labels, etc.).
  • understand main ideas, supporting details, themes, settings, characters and plot lines in literary texts.

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.L4.4

Investigate perspectives through practices of the target cultures.

Unpacked Content

UP:WL17.WL.L4.4

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 beliefs and ideas are demonstrated by how they interact with one another.
  • communicate with one another in culturally appropriate ways in a variety of familiar contexts.
  • investigate, analyze and reflect on the relationship of cultural products to perspectives.
  • investigate, analyze and reflect on the relationship of cultural practices to perspectives.
Intermediate High Level
Students are able to:
  • interact appropriately in various contexts with members of the target culture.
  • investigate, analyze and reflect on the relationship of cultural products to perspectives.
  • investigate, analyze and reflect on the relationship of cultural practices to perspectives.

Understanding

Students understand that:
  • language and culture are extricalble 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.L4.5

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.L4.7

Acquire information related to diverse perspectives in the target culture in a variety of time frames and moods.

Unpacked Content

UP:WL17.WL.L4.7

Knowledge

Students know:
  • how to communicate in a variety of tenses and moods.
  • the target language vocabulary for specific purposes.
  • how perspectives of a target culture are portrayed through media and advertising.

Skills

Intermediate Mid Level
Students are able to:
  • use the target language to find and analyze information on the diverse perspectives of the target culture and make comparisons with the diverse perspectives of their own culture.
  • use the target language to make comparison of current events and how they are reported.
  • use the target language to identify advertisements and compare them with target culture and students'own culture.
Intermediate High Level
Students are able to:
  • use the target language to investigate, compare, and contrast current events and advertisements from the target culture to a student's own culture.
  • identify and explain the diverse perspectives of the target culture through the lens of a culture's perspectives.
    • communicate in the target language in a variety of time frames and moods.
  • use the target language to make comparison of current events and how they are reported.
  • use the target language to identify advertisements and compare them with target culture and students'own culture.
  • research how a major figure from history, science, or the arts is described in the target language and use it to expand what they already know.
  • compare how products are marketed in the target culture versus the United States.
  • compare news articles on front pages of newspapers from countries where the target language is spoken.

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.

Phase

During/Explore/Explain
Learning Objectives

Learning Objectives

  1. Students will practice interpretive reading and listening by completion of the cloze activity with the song lyrics.  

  2. Students will identify and investigate the products, practices, and perspectives related to Latin American culture that appear in the song.

  3. Students will engage in interpersonal speaking to analyze and reflect upon Latin American identity.

Activity Details

Pre-Activity:

  1. Distribute a copy of the cloze activity with the lyrics to students.  Play the song, stopping after each blank to give students a chance to write the word in the blank.  At this point, you can rewind a little bit to allow students to hear the word again. Check with students to ensure they have the correct word for each blank before proceeding. After finishing the activity, play the song again and encourage students to follow along on the completed lyrics sheet as they listen.  A ready-to-go cloze activity can be found at this link:   https://docs.google.com/document/d/1qg2jioQArWWHmFQsXlD18aeml_2QR8tetHM9TSUXg8Q/edit

 

Activity:

  1. Distribute a copy of the “documento de investigación” to students.  There are several fragments from the song lyrics that represent certain people, groups, regions, etc. from Latin America.  Place students into groups of 2-4 and have them a) discuss together what the fragment represents, b) use the internet or other resources to investigate some basic information about the group or thing, and c) the symbolism related to this item.  The "documento de investigación" can be accessed at this link: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1AsEDISVuYzq8VaGCXyFTfrUw8ODXZcm7K27iqEXoiSI/edit

  2. After students have completed the research grid, have students discuss together the “preguntas de discusión y reflexión” that follow the research grid.  Students could respond to these questions orally or in writing.

 

Post-Activity:

  1. Have individual students or groups share their findings from the research grid using the target language.  

  2. Have individual students or groups share their responses to the discussion/reflection questions.  Encourage other groups to state whether or not they agree with the responses and why. At this point, groups could be mixed so that students can have an opportunity to confer with students from other groups who may have found different results or have different opinions.

Assessment Strategies

Assessment Strategies

  1. Assess students on their completion of the cloze activity with the song lyrics.  

  2. Assess students on their completion of the investigation document and discussion questions.  This could be done by circulating throughout the groups as they work, or reviewing their papers when finished.

Variation Tips

  1. Have students analyze poems, stories, or other songs that contain themes of Latin American identity.  The same process could be used as for this song, but with different fragments in the research grid.

  2. Have students find examples of songs that represent United States identity, or the identity of their own personal culture, and make comparisons and contrasts to this song.

Background and Preparation

Background / Preparation

  1. Make copies of the cloze lyrics activity and the investigation document.

  2. Find a version of the song on YouTube or elsewhere that matches the lyrics on the cloze activity.  NOTE: Some versions of the song are extended and may not match these lyrics.

  3. Pre-assign groups to students for the “activity” segment of the lesson.

Digital Tools / Resources

The song, “Latinoamérica” by Calle 13 (can be found on Youtube or Viewpure)
http://viewpure.com/DkFJE8ZdeG8?ref=search

Approved Date

Owner (Author)

senor_cole
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