Unit Topic: Daily Routines of a Culture

Concept(s): Conventions, Identity, and Delivery

Designed By: Jessica Liddle
Subject Area(s): Spanish II Grade Level(s): 8th grade

Overview of Unit

This is a Spanish II class comprised of 20 students at varying levels of Spanish proficiency. Motivation
is high for some learners, as they are eager to impress me with their group contributions, while
others seem to disengage during group/class work. The 5 or so extroverted students that regularly
contribute to the discussion and tend to practice using the language can dominate the
conversation/discussion if I do not actively engage the other students. Some students require more
scaffolding and support during written assignments whereas others struggle more with oral
conversations. This is a mixed class of varying motivation levels and language proficiency.
Additionally, there is one student who lived in many Spanish-speaking countries over the years due
to changes in parents’ jobs – she hopes to finally master the language. She provides a perspective
that many of the students have never considered. This middle school is in a semi-rural county and
many of the students’ parents/grandparents have even attended the same schools in this county.
The traveled student’s perspective is very eye opening for the students.

Unit content will focus on the idea of identity and conventions across cultures. The unit falls in the
middle of the school year. Students have already learned the past and future tense, among various
other grammatical structures, and touched on the concept of identity. This is an expansion of
previous units that discussed identity on an individual basis, broadening it to include cultural
influences in the creation of one’s identity. Since many cultures have stereotypical representations –
typically due to the media’s portrayal of them – we will need to address these misconceptions. In
order for this unit to be a success the students must know that Spain is more than simply Flamenco,
bull fighting, soccer, and guitar playing.

Students will be able to create plans in the future, discuss their day in the past tense, describe
aspects of their culture that influence their identity, discuss differences of routines in Spain, and
deliver these statements orally and in writing. These skills are the building blocks in order to master
the more complex skills in the future; additionally, they are necessary to understand specific
elements of Spanish-speaking cultures.

This unit is relevant to the students, as it encourages them to discuss their lives and communicate
how their lives compare across cultures. 7th and 8th grade adolescents are exploring the concept of
identity in their everyday lives. Incorporating this concept into the unit gives them the opportunity to
consider their own identities. In addition, comparing identities across cultures while examining
costumes and conventions is the ideal way to address stereotypical representations and consider the
following questions: Who are we? How are people thousands of miles away similar to me? Are
cultures more similar than different? Does the human experience cross cultures?

EDIS 5020 – Fall 2017

J. Pease
 S T A G E 1: U N I T G O A L S & O V E R V I E W
(I D E NT I F Y D E S I R E D R E S U L T S )

Established Goals

VSOL STANDARDS:
SII.1: The student will exchange spoken and written information and ideas in Spanish.
1. Ask and answer questions about oneself, others, and the immediate environment, such as
exchanges concerning people, things, plans, events, feelings, emotions, and geographic
direction and location.
SII.3: The student will understand basic spoken and written Spanish presented through a variety of
media in familiar contexts.
1. Identify some details and key words when listening to, and reading in Spanish.
SII.7: The student will demonstrate understanding of the perspectives, practices, and products of
Spanish-speaking cultures and the ways these cultural aspects are interrelated.
2. Identify and discuss patterns of behavior typically associated with Spanish-speaking
cultures, such as those relating to business practices, customs, and family dynamics.

Unit Learning Goals (UKDs) & Essential Questions

Meaning
Students will Understand THAT…
….cultural conventions impact our daily routines
and visa versa. (U1)
….learning about cultural differences and
similarities makes us more aware of our own
identities and culture. (U2)
….delivery of messages, including different
mediums of communication and language, can
drastically influence audience interpretation.
(U3)
Students will explore these ESSENTIAL
QUESTIONS…
What elements of our culture, customs, and
family dynamic influence our daily routines?
(EQ1)
What is a cultural identity and what are the
components of one’s identity? (EQ2)
To what extent does the delivery of a message –
orally or in writing - impact interpretation? (EQ3)

Acquisition
Students will Know…
…..how to answer and ask about one’s plans for
activities and events in the future, using the
future tense. (K1)
…how to correctly use the past and future tense
to describe and ask about daily routines. (K2)
….how to correctly describe, ask about, and
identify elements of daily routines in Spanish
using reflexive verbs including, but not limited
Students will be skilled at (Doing)…
….answering and asking about one’s plans for
the future, both orally and in writing. (D1,
Applying)
… identifying elements of daily routines in
Spanish, both orally and in writing. (D2,
Remembering)
 Using various reflexive verbs to describe
and ask about daily routines. (D2a,
EDIS 5020 – Fall 2017
J. Pease
to, the following: cepillarse, dormirse,
levantarse, bañarse. (K3)
….how aspects of Spanish culture (specific to
Spain) impacts daily routines. (K4)
- …how a siesta in Spain impacts the work
and school schedules. (K4a)
- …how the typical eating schedule in
Spain impacts work and school schedules
(merdienda/bocadillo). (K4b)
…how to define the following terms: (K5)
- siesta
- merdienda
- bocadillo
- tomar café
- cacahuetes
- descanso
- aceituna
…how the immediate family’s relationship with
extended family, specifically grandparents,
impacts daily routines in Spain. (K6)
- Grandparents play a very important role
in their grandchildren’s lives. Usually,
they live close and pick up the kids from
school. To many children, grandparents
are like a second set of parents. They are,
essentially, part of the nuclear family, as
they regularly eat with the family,
discipline the children, and raise the
children when the parents aren’t in the
children’s lives in that moment. Many, in
fact, allow their children/grandchildren to
live with them, due to the suffering
Spanish economy.
…how to incorporate personal experiences and
examples that pertain to one’s culture to discuss
one’s identity. (K7)
…how to converse, both orally and in writing,
while ensuring that the delivery does not
negatively impact the intended message. (K8)
Applying)
 Using the past tense to describe and ask
about daily routines. (D2b,
Understanding)
 Using the future tense to describe and
ask about daily routines. (D2c,
Understanding)
…comparing and contrasting daily routines
across cultures, specifically the Spanish culture
to their own culture. (D3, Analyzing)
… identifying vocabulary in Spanish associated
with daily routines in Spain. (D4, Remember)
…explaining how and why the immediate
family’s relationship with extended family,
specifically grandparents, impacts daily routines
in Spain (D5, Understanding)
...examining their individual identities and
evaluating it through a cultural lens. (D6,
Analyzing & Evaluating)
… create a coherent written conversational
exchange in Spanish by incorporating new
vocabulary and concepts associated with daily
routines in Spain, demonstrating correct usage
of reflexive verbs (in the past/present/future
tenses), and tying in the theme of one’s cultural
identity, and demonstrating understanding of a
situationally appropriate delivery of a message.
(D7, Create)
EDIS 5020 – Fall 2017
J. Pease