ILEANA IMHOFF SPANISH TEACHER UPPER SCHOOL THE PARK SCHOOL OF BALTIMORE Using Essential Questions to Design Spanish Elective Classes

Founded in 1912, Park School is a non-sectarian, independent, coeducational day school with 780 students in pre-kindergarten through grade twelve. Daniel J. Paradis was appointed the tenth head of school in July The school’s core values, rooted in the progressive educational philosophy of John Dewey, sustain an unshakable belief in children’s capacity to enjoy learning, to act rationally, and to grow when inspired by highly qualified, caring teachers. A fundamental commitment to inclusiveness and equity guides all programs and activities. Park School at a Glance

K-12 Modern Language Goals Gain oral proficiency in the language they are studying – develop all four skills (speaking, listening, reading and writing) Gain appreciation and awareness of the culture they are studying Enjoy the process of language learning to insure enthusiasm and motivation to continue studying their language or other languages

Elective Program Proficiency Level SPEAKING Able to sustain a conversation on a variety of familiar topics in different time frames (inaccuracies may occur) Able to express and defend opinions on topics related to class Able to give formal presentations on topics pertinent to class WRITING Able to write formal compositions in various modes: persuasive, analytical, reflective, factual Able to write a research-based report on topics related to class content Able to write a short story using some elements of Spanish literature (1 st draft can be understood by a native reader)

"A GOOD ESSENTIAL QUESTION” 1. IS OPEN-ENDED; THAT IS, IT TYPICALLY WILL NOT HAVE A SINGLE, FINAL, OR CORRECT ANSWER. 2. IS THOUGHT-PROVOKING AND INTELLECTUALLY ENGAGING, OFTEN SPARKING DISCUSSION AND DEBATE. 3. CALLS FOR HIGHER-ORDER THINKING, SUCH AS ANALYSIS, INFERENCE, EVALUATION, PREDICTION. IT CANNOT BE EFFECTIVELY ANSWERED BY RECALL ALONE. 4. POINTS TOWARD IMPORTANT, TRANSFERABLE IDEAS WITHIN (AND SOMETIMES ACROSS) DISCIPLINES. 5. RAISES ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS AND SPARKS FURTHER INQUIRY. 6. REQUIRES SUPPORT AND JUSTIFICATION, NOT JUST AN ANSWER. 7. RECURS OVER TIME; THAT IS, THE QUESTION CAN AND SHOULD BE REVISITED AGAIN AND AGAIN. Essential Questions: Opening Doors to Student Understanding By Jay McTibhe and Grant Wiggins (2013)

Two Spanish Electives Latinos en los Estados Unidos: What should students know about undocumented immigration to be able to have educated and informed opinions? What impact do undocumented immigrants have in the US economy, politics, and culture? In what ways have historical events impacted undocumented immigration to the US? Centro America: Why are there so many Central American Children at the US-Mexican border? How have the historical events of the XX century shaped the lives of the people currently living in Central America? (Model)

Continue to work on gaining oral proficiency in Spanish – developing all four skills (speaking, listening, reading and writing) Learn about the current situation in central American countries through the study of history, politics and economics during the 20 th century. Study and gain awareness about the strong historical, political and economic ties that have existed between the us and central America since the beginning of the 20 th century. Study and compare cultural practices and products in central America (arts, literature, food, music, etc.) with those in the us. Centro América: su historia, su política y su cultura (11 th and 12 th grade)

The students

Current Situation Population Facts (education, health, socio-economic structure…) Different Ethnic Groups Local Economy vs. CAFTA Current Challenges  children at the border  poverty  drug traffic  gang activity Tourism (cities and other places of interest, and safety)

The 20 th Century Guatemala El Salvador Honduras Nicaragua Costa Rica Panama

Literature Gioconda Belli Rigoberta Menchu Ruben Dario Oscar Arias Miguel Angel Asturias

Popular culture Holidays Traditions Music Dance Art Food

Barriletes gigantes

Representaciones artisticas

Questions?