Spain: A Cultural Profile
A lesson plan by:
Katy Maiolatesi
GEO 485
Spring 2004
Title: Spain: A Cultural Profile
Grade: 11-12 (Spanish IV class)
Overview: This is a Geography lesson on Spain and its culture that I would
teach to a Spanish IV class. Since it is a higher-level Spanish class, most of the
teaching would be done in L2 (second language=Spanish).
Objectives:
1. Given a map of Spain, students will be able to locate the different regions
and major cities.
2. Students will be able to orally describe many cultural aspects of Spain,
including religion, beliefs, economic activity, traditions, etc., all in Spanish.
Standards Addressed:
-Michigan Framework, Strand II: Geographic Perspective:
Content Standard 1: All students will describe compare, and explain the
locations and characteristics of places, cultures, and settlements. (People,
Places, and Cultures)
Content Standard 3: All students will describe, compare, and explain the
locations and characteristics of economic activities, trade, political
activities, migration, information flow, and the interrelationships among
them. (Location, Movement, and Connections)
-National Standards:
Standard 1: The geographically informed person knows and understands
how to use maps and other geographic representations, tools, and
technologies to acquire, process, and report information from a spatial
perspective.
Standard 4: The geographically informed person knows and understands
the physical and human characteristics of places.
Standard 6: The geographically informed person knows and understands
how culture and experience influence people’s perception of places and
regions.
Materials Used:
-overhead
-map of Spain with outlines of regions (comunidades autónomas)
-internet access with enough computers for each group of two
-cultural realia pertaining to lesson
-cheap shower curtain with hand-drawn map of Spain on it
Previous Knowledge: Students should have a Spanish language background
(Spanish 1-4), and should know how to follow spoken directions in Spanish.
Vocabulary: North, South, East, West (Norte, Sur, Este, Oeste), go straight
(sigue derecho), follow…(sigue…)
Time: 3 days (55 minutes each day)
Teacher Instructions/Procedures/Activities:
Day One
1. Anticipatory Set (10 min)- When the bell rings, I would let students know
they will be traveling to Spain for this unit (each unit we travel to a different
Spanish-speaking country). The room will be decorated with Spain
memorabilia, and there will be a table in the front with several cultural
artifacts from Spain that they can look at during any free time. First, they
will draw their own stamp on their passports they have had since the
beginning of the year. Then, they will write in their journals anything they
already know about Spain. After they are done, I will ask for volunteers to
give me examples and then list them on the board.
2. Input (25 min)- I would give a short presentation on Spain, including the
capital, major cities, religions, languages (there are 3 other than Castilian
Spanish), economy (major industries, imports, and exports), and finally all
19 regions.
3. Modeling (20 min)- To wrap up the first day, I would display on the
overhead a blank map of Spain with the outlines of the 19 comunidades
autónomas drawn in. Then, to help the students remember a few of the
regions, I would show an image from the regions that corresponds to each
one. For example, in Castilla la Mancha, I would show a picture of Don
Quijote. Then, I would explain the meaning behind each picture.
Cantabria
País Vasco
Navarra
La Rioja
Comunidad Valenciana
Andalucía
Castilla La Mancha
Madrid
Islas Canarias
Castilla y León
Day Two
1. Input (5 min)- Review cultural facts from previous day. Show map of
Spain again.
2. Checking for Understanding (15 min)- Informally quiz students by showing
them the same pictures I displayed the day before and have them tell me
as a class which region the picture is representing. After checking to see
if everyone has the regions down, I would go around the room and quiz
students individually by randomly selecting the images.
3. Shower curtain map game (30 min)- Class is divided into pairs. The first
person in the pair is given a series of the images that correspond with
specific regions in Spain (the ones we would have just reviewed). The
other person in the pair starts by standing on the first region on the
already-drawn map on the shower curtain. Then, the first person gives
directions in Spanish to the person on the map (ex. Go north to the region
that produces a lot of wine). If they are wrong, the person on the map
must go back to the beginning and start over until they have reached the
destination point that I would have already decided on. Then, each pair
takes a turn with a different order of regions/images.
Day Three
1. Introduction of project (5 min)- Hand out rubric for project on vacationing in
Spain. Explain students’ task. They will work in pairs.
2. Computer room (50 min)- Students then have the opportunity to go to the
computer lab and research the region/city that they have chosen to travel
to.
Evaluation Criteria and Procedures: Students will be informally evaluated the
first two days of the lesson when I check them for understanding. I will do this by
listening to their pronunciation, grammar, and content knowledge when they
speak in class. When their project is finished that they started on the third day, I
will be formally checking for pronunciation, grammar, content, flow, creativity, and
effort. Each individual student will be receiving a grade for his/her project, and I
would let him or her know what his/her final grade is based on and how much
each aspect is worth.
Possible Extensions: Give more time for computer research and to work on the
project in class. Also, have a day where the class tries Spanish cuisine. Give
extra credit for students who volunteer to cook and bring food in.
Sources/Resources:
-nationalgeographic.com (for maps and flag)
-google.com (for images)
Un Viaje a España
Total Points: 50
Task: With a partner of your choice, research a
region or a city in Spain of your choice. The final
project can be in the form of an 8-10 minute oral
presentation or a pre-recorded video. Each person
should speak for at least 4 minutes. Each group
should also make a visual representation of the
region, such as a poster with images pertaining to
that region.
Include the following:
Presentation1. Where will you be traveling?
2. Why would you like to travel there?
3. Special characteristics this region/city has
4. Take one special feature and explain its
origin/history (ex. viticulture in La Rioja)
5. How does this region compare/contrast to the
region you live in?
Poster1. Visual representations of the region/city
(pictures, postcards, etc.)
2. Title
3. Anything else that is interesting and represents
the region!