The purpose of this unit is to educate students about one of the most pressing current global pandemics. Today, about 40 million people in the world live with HIV and AIDS. The number of people affected, including the family members and friends of those living with these diseases, is even larger. The global HIV/AIDS pandemic is growing, and the effects of HIV and AIDS on those people living in higher needs communities and impoverished countries are even larger than on those that have access to treatment in wealthier communities. This topic is pertinent to my students, considering the demographic makeup of my school. My students fall into two main groups, Black and Hispanic. Research from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that these two groups share a large percentage of the new recent diagnoses of HIV and AIDS in the U.S. In this unit, students will learn about the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the Spanish-speaking population of New Haven, and also of the United States, especially Puerto Rico, and a variety of Spanish-speaking countries around the world.
(Developed for Spanish 1, grade 9, Spanish 2, grade 10, and Native Speaker, grades 9-10; recommended for Spanish, High School grades)
