Dressed to Thrill (Spanish I and II Fashion Unit)

This unit will cover names of clothing, parts of the human body on which the clothing is worn, types of materials of which the clothing is made. We will also discuss the concept of cognates and how they can be useful in translating from Spanish to English. Other vocabulary that is necessary to teach the unit will also be introduced, to include words describing how clothing is worn, whether or not the students like the clothing, etc. The element of varied clothing worn by varied cultures will also be included. They will also be able to use context clues to describe the articles of clothing.





ACOS Standards:

1. Recognize target language words and phrases spoken in context.
Examples: basic commands, classroom objects, cognates

Using the target language in oral and written form in the present time frame, including salutations, farewells, expressions of courtesy, likes, dislikes, feelings, emotions, agreement, disagreement, requests, descriptions, sequenced information, and cultural references where appropriate to interact in a variety of situations

2. Interpret basic oral and written information in the target language on a variety of topics in the present time frame.
Identifying main ideas with some details
Guessing words and phrases based on context
Responding to basic instructions and questions

8. Identify similarities and differences between words in the target language and in English, including pronunciation, intonation, stress patterns, and simple written conventions of language.


Teaching Context for Unit

This unit will be taught in a large public school with a diverse student body with varying degrees of parental/student participation and desire to succeed. It will be racially diverse, with minority students comprising most of the class. The genders are virtually balanced. The students' English reading level is irrelevant because I do not plan to use English in teaching. Due to the nature of the class, I anticipate zero to few special needs students. This unit can be taught to any level of L2 proficiency with only minor tweaking. The more advanced classes could be asked more specific and varied questions during drill. They could also be taught additional tenses of the verbs that are taught.

Unit Concept

Students in high school are generally fairly concerned with fashion and style, especially students whose role models are rappers and pop music singers. They will be interested in looking 'fly' or 'suave (in Spanish...a cognate)', so they will know what fashions they would like to wear. I intend for this to be more of a unit on fashion than just the droll naming of the articles of clothing. The cultural aspect of the clothing will also be discussed. They will learn about the various traditional attire of the Spanish-speaking culture.

Unit and Lesson Plans

Connect (Quadrant 1R)

For this section, we will watch the "One Semester of Spanish Spanish Love Song " to pique students' interest. This video is great because although the singer's accent is not perfect spanish, he sings slowly and clearly, which should help students be able to understand him better. His mispronunciations might exaggerate some of the mistakes they are making and help correct their errors. While no content is taught in this video, it is humorous and will get the students excited. I will highlight the singer's use of the word "remembro" to emphasize the concepts of false cognages later. The adjectives used to describe things in the video will also help students brush up before we use them in the unit. I will also point out that the singer's shirt is unbuttoned quite low, which is a style often worn by men in Spanish-speaking countries.

Attend (Quadrant 1L)

We will discuss the parts of the video they liked best and the parts they disliked.

Imagine (Quadrant 2R)

Using PowerPoint slides, students will be introduced to the names of the articles of clothing, materials they are made of, and the body parts. Later, they will be shown pictures of current pop stars, and we will discuss the names of the articles of clothing, materials of which they are comprised, and the body parts on which they are worn. The students will have already learned the names of the colors, so they will be able to use those words to augment their descriptions.

Inform and Practice (Quadrants 2L and 3L)

Each day in this table is listed with the 2 Left activity and the 3 Left activity. At times, 2 Left activities are geared toward the 2 Right as well. When they are, they are indicated as such in parentheses. When teaching second language, it is important that direct translation be avoided as much as possible, so I will mostly teach with pictures and realia.

Extend (Quadrant 3R)

Students will be given options for their unit project. They will be allowed to choose from the following options:

1) Create a pamphlet or video for an exchange student from a Spanish-speaking country to help them adapt to the fashions we wear in the United States. To do this, they will choose the student's home country and then through internet research or web quests the kind of fashions that are popular in that student's country.

2) Make a video commentary of the fashions we discussed, including the fashions of Spanish-speaking countries, mentioning how these fashions developed according to the culture or geography of the area from which they came.

3) Choose a country and conduct a web quest to determine how terrain and geography affect the clothing of its culture. Write a script in Spanish that could be used by a docent in a museum to describe the geography and clothing of the culture. This script should be presented in bullet points on index cards.

4) Create your own project after receiving approval from the instructor.

In Q3R, they will be allowed to collaborate or work individually. Each student will choose how he wants to work and they will submit a work plan individually or in groups for their projects. If they know a person from another country who might be considered an expert on these topics, students can interview that person to get information for their project, but that person's credibility must be verified.

Refine (Quadrant 4L)

Students will spend two days working in class on their projects. They will do inquiry-based learning according to the topic they choose using web-based searches, interviews with credible sources, or other kinds of research to compare and contrast the culture and attire of Spanish speaking countries with that of the United States or discover how geography and terrain affect a culture's attire.

Perform (Quadrant 4R)

Students will perform the research that best suits their learning style (according to their choice) and complete the project they have chosen. The method of submission will coordinate with the option the students choose. Options 1 and 3 should be turned in while option 2 will be posted online. Students will later reflect on the projects their classmates submit online. Option 4's presentation will be proposed as part of the students' plan and will be approved by the teacher.