Lesson One. History: Introduction to the Cuban Revolution
(This lesson plan is to be developed in an 82-minute class. However, it can be changed according to teachers' needs)
Goals
To introduce students to the complex political situation of Cuba; to help them to discern and make connections between causes and consequences in history; to reach the understanding of other cultures to reinforce and expand their knowledge of other disciplines (history, in this case.)
Learning Objectives
As a result of this lesson students will be able to:
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1. Develop understanding of other countries and cultures.
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2. Practice their reading comprehension skills.
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3. Build on their oral reading skills.
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4. Understand the importance of history as part of the identity of countries.
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5. Read and gather information of a text written in Spanish in order to select the main ideas.
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6. Expand their vocabulary.
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7. Identify and express relevant information orally.
Materials
Text on the main events of the Cuban Revolution in Spanish previously adapted by the teacher to the appropriate level of the students, timeline graphic organizer, maps of Cuba.
Initiation
"Pass the bull" strategy: I usually start my classes passing around a foam toya bullasking a variety of questions: grammar, vocabulary, opinion on matters we have already discussed in class, etc. It is a useful strategy because you assess students daily and it helps to start the class on a good tone, since students seem to like it. In this particular case, students will be asked what they know about the Cuban Revolution.
Procedure
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1. The teacher will ask different students to write the responses on the board (in Spanish) so students can correct answers and go on adding up to their classmates' answers.
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2. Different students will be asked to read the text on the Cuban Revolution out loud in turns.
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3. Students will have 5 minutes to reread the text and to underline the concepts or vocabulary they do not know or understand.
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4. Students will ask the new words in turns; those students who think they know the answer will raise their hand and answer upon teacher's request, so we can do the exercise in an orderly manner. (I like students to ask questions of vocabulary to their classmates since they get an opportunity to practice and interact in the target language; I either answer when no one in the class knows, or ask different students to look the words up in the dictionary.)
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5. The teacher will ask students questions about the text in order to find out if they have understood the main events and ideas.
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6. The teacher will provide a more detailed explanation on the main concepts again to make sure they are understood, using Spanish as much as possible.
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7. Students will write in the graphic organizer what they consider to be the most important concepts or ideas of the lesson.
Closure
To conclude the lesson the teacher will ask the students to brainstorm what they have learned that day.
Assessment / homework
For homework students will be asked to write a 25-30 line paragraph answering the following: Identifica y enumera los principales acontecimientos y acciones que desencadenaron la revolución Cubana e intenta explicar cómo se podría haber evitado (Identify and enumerate the crucial events and actions that led to the Cuban Revolution and how could they had been avoided)
Lesson Two. Artistic Representations of Cuba: Revolutionary Posters
(This lesson plan is to be developed in an 82-minute class. It could be modified according to teachers' needs)
Goal
To initiate my students to the process of viewing, interpreting and recognizing artistic manifestations with an aesthetic and critical perspective.
Learning Objectives
As a result of this lesson students will be able to:
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1. Practice their reading comprehension skills.
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2. Express reactions to a poster and therefore build on their oral skills.
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3. Observe and describe specific details of posters or paintings.
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4. Recognize different Cuban political or historical figures and/or events.
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5. Read and gather information of a text written in Spanish in order to pair up the description of the posters to the actual product.
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6. Expansion of vocabulary.
Materials
Numbered transparencies of a variety of revolutionary and political Cuban posters (10), description of the posters written Spanishnumbered Xerox copies that will be given to students, overhead projector and screen.
Initiation
Teacher will "pass the bull" asking students questions about the Cuban Revolution its key figures, events and physical places, already discussed in the classroom.
Procedure
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1. The teacher will give students a set of untitled, separated brief descriptions of different revolutionary posters.
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2. Different students will be asked to read the descriptions aloud.
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3. Students and teacher will closely look at the numbered posters using the overhead projector. The teacher will ask specific questions to different students (e.g.: ¿Qué ves en este poster? What do you see in the poster? etc.)
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4. The teacher will divide the classroom in pairs and will give students time to give another look to the posters in order to take notes of what they consider important.
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5. The teacher will give students 5 to 8 more minutes to discuss the poster with their peers in order to pair these visual representations with their descriptions. One "group" at a time will describe and explain a poster and will reveal the appropriate description for it.
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6. The teacher will ask individual students to come up to choose a poster in order to bring it home to describe it in detail as homework.
Closure
Students will write the name of the poster they liked the best on a piece of paper and give 3 reasons for their choice.
Assessment / homework
Students are asked to bring a copy of the poster they have chosen and write a 20-25-line essay explaining it.
As a result of this lesson, students will be assign a project by which they will create a poster, with a reasonable timeframe to complete it.
Lesson Three. Audiovisual Representations: Movies
(This lesson plan is to be developed in an 82-minute class as well.)
Goals
To expose students to (oral) authentic materials (11) in order to trigger their capacity of attention to culture and to develop their critical thinking skills.
Learning Objectives
As a result of this lesson the students will be able to:
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1. Develop their listening comprehension skills.
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2. Recognize many of the Cuban cultural aspects we have previously worked with during the unit.
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3. Connect and compare different ways of presenting information.
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4. Be able to recognize the intention different authors (directors) have with their "representations."
Materials
Movie(s) (in Spanish with English subtitleswhen possible) I am thinking of playing very short relevant fragments of documentaries such as
Balseros
,
Cuba: The 40 Years War
and
Free to Fly: The U.S.-Cuba Link
to sample opposite political ideologies in one hand, and brief fragments of Diarios
de Motocicleta, Lista de Espera
as examples of fiction; LCD projector, computer, speakers, DVD Capture (computer program to take still images from movies.)
Initiation
"Pass the bull" activity asking students to explain or describe what do they value or look at when watching a movie. There will be a brief discussion and explanation of basic film studies cues in order to help them to learn how to watch movies.
Procedure
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1. The teacher will divide the class in groups of about 4 students.
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2. Students will be asked to get into their groups before viewing the different fragments of movies.
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3. There will be a preview of the fragments with a succinct explanation from the teacher, so the students know what to expect. The teacher will also explain to the students that they might want to reflect on what they are watching because, during the second screening of the fragments, they will have to take still images.
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4. Students and teacher will watch the fragments for the second time: each group will be able to take 10 still images. Students will respectfully just tell the teacher to take an image by saying "foto" out loud.
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5. After the screening, students will get into their groups to put together their ideas and notes. They will have enough time to discuss and answer some of the questions the teacher has circulated. These questions have been designed in order to help students to reflect on the main points of the excerpts.
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6. Each group will have to approach the teacher in order to get their still images and therefore prepare to present them to the rest of the class (another day), giving all kinds of explanations on the why, how, when…
Closure
To wrap up the lesson, 7 minutes before the bell rings, students and teacher will discuss student's reactions to the films/fragments.
(A follow up lesson will be necessary.)
