Laura M. Tarpill
This unit is intended for a Spanish III lower-level class and will be taught mid year. In this unit, students will focus on how objects help define each person. They will also look at the links between their culture and Hispanic culture by comparing and contrasting objects and art found in the home. This will impress upon students the cross-cultural importance of the home and its objects while they simultaneously study the Hispanic cultures within the larger “American” culture. Students will first define the word “home” and think about what it means to them. They will then have a chance to look at realia (tools and art) from the Hispanic home. This realia might include la Negrita trinket, la Vírgen de Guadalupe paintings, tropical houseplants, Fabuloso cleaner, plátanos, Adobo, etc. Students will then be asked to make connections between their own culture and the Hispanic cultures by bringing in and cataloguing some realia from their own culture. By the end of the unit, students will have a greater appreciation for the differences and similarities between Hispanic cultures and their own cultures.
(Developed for Spanish Third Year, grades 9-12; recommended for Spanish Second and Third Year, grades 9-12)
