Lesson Plan
Rev 10/1/09
Name: Brieana Tobey Thatcher
Subject Area(s): Spanish 1
Lesson Title: Culturally Important Spanish Food
Dr. Thieman
Age/Grade Level: 14-15/Freshmen
Unit Title: Cultural Values and Food
Estimated Time: One hour and a half
Purpose/Rationale for lesson: The purpose of this lesson is for students to not only learn
some important (food) vocabulary in Spanish, but also to understand why/how the
information learned is integral to Spanish culture.
Curriculum Framing Questions:
Essential Question: How does environment affect culture and language?
Unit Question that applies to this lesson: How are cultural values and food
related?
Lesson or Content Question(s): What are some culturally important Spanish foods
and what do we know about them?
Goal: Gain insight into how food and culture are inextricably linked and use that insight
when examining other countries/cultures/communities, as well as to examine one’s own
culture.
Learning Objective(s): Discuss some important Spanish foods/dishes and understand
why those foods/dishes are culturally anchored (by learning about how they came to be).
Relate this notion to students’ own communities through group work and (in the
following class) report to class about groups’ findings.
Curriculum Standard(s):
3.2 – Students acquire information and recognize the distinctive viewpoints that are only
available through the second language and its cultures.
4.2 – Students demonstrate understanding of the concept of culture through comparisons
of the cultures studied and their own.
Materials Needed: blackboard, different color chalks, CD/tape player, original handouts,
soft (nerf-like ball), large colored flashcards with food vocabulary pictures, projector,
recording: The history of Tapas
Background knowledge or skills students need prior to lesson: Students will have
basic exposure to present simple (Spanish) and have basic food vocabulary (Spanish).
They will also have a basic knowledge of Spain’s geography and how that affects
available food products (this knowledge will have been gained through previous lessons
in the unit).
Hook or Introduction: Class brainstorming session: Favorite foods/dishes? Why?
Features, Learning
Strategies, Language
Procedures
Estimated
Time
Skills
10 minutes
 Introduction to unit (English/Spanish) Teacher writes favorite
food
on
the
board
and
says
“A
mí
me
gusta
 Brainstorming
_____.” Teacher prompts students to call
out their favorites also using the Spanish
construction “A mí me gusta _____”, and
explain why (in English). Students come
and write their food/dish on the board.
Teacher writes the name in Spanish next to
it (if student doesn’t already know/write in
Spanish). Teacher circles all Spanish foods
that come up (adding more if necessary),
and prompts students to uncover what the
circled words have in common (Spanish,
culturally important).
In pairs (and in Spanish when possible),
5 minutes
 Pair work/Small
students discuss which Spanish foods
groups
they’re familiar with, their goal being to list
 Class discussion
as many as they know and also to discuss
characteristics of these foods and/or things
they have in common. As a class, we
compile a list of small groups’ ideas on the
board. Students can peer teach
new/unknown food vocabulary.
 Listening, reading, (English/Spanish) Teacher sticks large food 20 minutes
photo flashcards to the board (see handout
writing
#1), writing the vocabulary/name of the
 Pair work/class
food right above the flashcard. Teacher then
discussion
 Handout #1 (Food puts handout #2 on the projector (which
draws from the brainstorm list on board) and
flashcards)
 Handout #2 (meant hands out a copy of handout #2 to each
student. Teacher prompts students to offer
for overhead
any information they may already know and
projector and a
also to use the flashcards in order to say
copy for each
what they observe about the different food
student)
vocabulary. Teacher aids in giving basic
unknown information about the culturally
important Spanish foods and encourages
students to fill in the handout with the info
being discussed in class, along with the
teacher (working at the projector). Discuss
answers and questions/doubts quickly as
class (allow students to peer teach).
(Spanish) In pairs, students quickly discuss
which of the Spanish foods/dishes they
like/don’t like, using the learned phrase: “A







Pair work/class
discussion
Handout #3 (meant
for projector)
Reading/ Writing/
Listening
Pair work/class
discussion
Comprehension
questions
worksheet
Brainstorming/
Class discussion
Group work
mí me gusta…”/ “A mí no me gusta…”
(English) Teacher draws class’ attention to a 10 minutes
projected image of several typical Spanish
“tapas”. Students are prompted to discuss
characteristics of and/or what is unique
about the food in these pictures. In small
groups/pairs, students hypothesize answers
to the following questions: What is the
history of Spanish tapas? Why do they exist
and why are they served the way they are
served? Small groups then share their
ideas/hypotheses in a class discussion.
Teacher makes brainstorming list on the
board of student predictions.
(English/Spanish) Teacher distributes
20 minutes
comprehension questions worksheet to
students. As a class, questions are briefly
reviewed and checked for comprehension.
Students listen to half of the “History of
Tapas” (this tape is in English). In
pairs/small groups, students work to answer
comprehension questions from worksheet
(already reviewed) and ALSO discuss
predictions for how the story will end.
Before resuming the activity, students share
some predictions with class (quickly).
Teacher distributes a written copy of the
“History of Tapas” (English). Class takes
turns reading aloud to finish the story. Class
discussion to check comprehension
questions and to discover if any groups’
predictions were correct.
(English) Teacher explains that just as Spain 20 minutes
has several “culturally important foods”
(like “tapas”), so does every student in the
classroom! Can anybody think of one or two
ideas to share with the class (teacher
encourages students to think back to our
brainstorming at the beginning of class favorite food/dishes and why)? This acts as
a transition into a group produce activity.
(English) Teacher explains that students, in
small groups, will be responsible for
deciding on one food/dish that is culturally
significant and representative of “our”
community (meaning, the community in
which the high school is located). Groups
may either choose an existing food/dish and
argue WHY it is culturally representative,
OR students may invent their own dish (if
they find that no existing foods/dishes are
representative for them as a group. Teacher
reiterates that this project will be quickly
discussed/presented by all groups in the next
lesson (5 groups, more or less). Students are
broken into small groups (teacher assigned
groups so as to provide both ethnic and class
diversity) and brainstorm initial ideas and/or
arguments.
Differentiation/Accommodation: This lesson plan has a “bilingual” nature to begin
with. Information that can be presented in Spanish will be (such as food vocabulary and
basic comprehension questions), while information requiring a level of Spanish out of the
students ZPD will be worked through in English (presumably the mother tongue of the
majority of the class). However, if necessary, the teacher may present either more or less
information in Spanish depending on the immediate needs of the students. By using
partner and small group work, in addition to class discussions, visual aids, and listening
sources, the teacher aims to touch on a variety of learning methods in order to reach each
student in the classroom. Lastly, it is important to note that at least some of the
vocabulary (both in Spanish and English) will have been presented to and used by the
students during previous lessons in this same unit.
Attention to Literacy: Development of Spanish vocabulary, listening activity followed
by read script of said tape, making predictions and answering listening an reading
comprehension questions…
Closure: Students will play a fast and simple game (tossing a ball – not unlike “hot
potato”) to review learned vocabulary in Spanish. After the last step in “procedures”
outlined above, students’ attention is brought back to the whole group when teacher
“checks in” about doubts/questions having to do with group project. (English/Spanish)
Teacher picks up game ball (small/soft), reviews one Spanish food/dish word (earned
earlier in the class) by saying it aloud, and tosses the ball to a random student. The
student is then prompted (if necessary) to mimic the teachers’ action. He/She recalls one
new vocabulary word learned, says it aloud, and tosses it to another student, and so on.
Assessment and Evaluation of Student Learning: Teacher distributes “exit slip” to
students, which asks the students to name two different Spanish foods, why these foods
are culturally important, and if the student has/would like to try either one.