Introduction
This bilingual lesson is designed for students with an intermediate or advanced level of Spanish (grades 10-12). It is meant to present a holistic view about a cultural theme (mariachi music), and to provide students with the opportunity to construct meaning in a real environment.
The time frame for the completion of this lesson is one hour, but it is assumed that some post-lesson activities will require more time (with students presenting their songs to their classmates and providing/receiving feedback).
The activities outlined require both individual work and group work. The lesson begins by identifying students' previous knowledge through a questionnaire and some predictions activities, and providing students with opportunities for group discussions in two different forums. Learning is situated in a real environment, and students are exposed to authentic situations by watching and analyzing a mariachi performance in a festival. Collaboration is promoted by group work: learners create and perform a mariachi song to apply for a job at a restaurant. At the end of the lesson, students are asked to review their learning progress and complete a peer evaluation form, and a self and group evaluation form.
The design of this lesson is based on the Constructivist Instructional Model (CIM), which includes the following process:
1. Identify learners' views and ideas (previous knowledge).
2. Create opportunities for learners to explore their ideas and test their robustness in explaining phenomena, accounting for events and making predictions.
3. Provide stimuli for students to develop, modify and where necessary, change their ideas and views.
4. Support their attempts to rethink and reconstruct their ideas and views.
The time frame for the completion of this lesson is one hour, but it is assumed that some post-lesson activities will require more time (with students presenting their songs to their classmates and providing/receiving feedback).
The activities outlined require both individual work and group work. The lesson begins by identifying students' previous knowledge through a questionnaire and some predictions activities, and providing students with opportunities for group discussions in two different forums. Learning is situated in a real environment, and students are exposed to authentic situations by watching and analyzing a mariachi performance in a festival. Collaboration is promoted by group work: learners create and perform a mariachi song to apply for a job at a restaurant. At the end of the lesson, students are asked to review their learning progress and complete a peer evaluation form, and a self and group evaluation form.
The design of this lesson is based on the Constructivist Instructional Model (CIM), which includes the following process:
1. Identify learners' views and ideas (previous knowledge).
2. Create opportunities for learners to explore their ideas and test their robustness in explaining phenomena, accounting for events and making predictions.
3. Provide stimuli for students to develop, modify and where necessary, change their ideas and views.
4. Support their attempts to rethink and reconstruct their ideas and views.
Lesson organization
Se buscan mariachis/Mariachis wanted introduces the theme and the task by a questionnaire and a prediction activity that students complete in groups. It includes a forum where students can share their ideas and responses with their group and class members.
Aprendemos más/ Let's learn more includes a prediction activity, a video and song analysis, an application of students' learning, and a guide to construct their learning product. The prediction activity includes a picture analysis, and a space for students to share their predictions in the forum discussion. The video analysis includes the song's lyrics and a form for students to complete and share with their classmates. This analysis allow learners to identify the elements needed for the creation of their artifact. The application activity encourages students to create their own song based on the elements they identified in the previous activity and the ideas suggested in the following page.
Entrevista/Interview is the section that guides students in their class presentation and provides them with the evaluation forms they will use to assess their song.
Aprendemos más/ Let's learn more includes a prediction activity, a video and song analysis, an application of students' learning, and a guide to construct their learning product. The prediction activity includes a picture analysis, and a space for students to share their predictions in the forum discussion. The video analysis includes the song's lyrics and a form for students to complete and share with their classmates. This analysis allow learners to identify the elements needed for the creation of their artifact. The application activity encourages students to create their own song based on the elements they identified in the previous activity and the ideas suggested in the following page.
Entrevista/Interview is the section that guides students in their class presentation and provides them with the evaluation forms they will use to assess their song.
Lesson evaluation
The Constructivist Assessment Criteria Rubric that I created was adapted from the BCIT Assessment Rubric (Set Criteria) that we used in our course.