Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy®
Igniting and nurturing creative, ethical minds that advance the human condition
Comprehensive Course Syllabus
Course Title
Spanish V (WLG 250)
2012-2013
Course Description:
In Spanish Level V, students continue to build communication skills developed in the
first four levels of Spanish by refining the five major skills of listening, speaking,
reading, writing, and cultural competency. Spanish V course will help prepare students to
demonstrate their level of Spanish proficiency across three communicative modes
(Interpersonal [interactive communication], Interpretive [receptive communication], and
Presentational [productive communication], and the five goal areas outlined in the
Standards for Foreign Language Learning in the 21st Century¹ (Communication,
Cultures, Connections, Comparisons, and Communities). Students will acquire
information from authentic sources in Spanish intended for native speakers: films,
documentaries, recordings, podcasts, literary texts, newspapers, magazines, essays,
research papers, biographies, websites, etc. in a variety of settings, types of discourse,
styles, topics, registers, and broad regional variations. These sources include advanced
grammatical structures (i.e. indicative, subjunctive and imperative moods, indirect
discourse, and passive voice), idiomatic expressions, and topics that are literary,
sociopolitical, historical, philosophical, technical, and scientific. As the year progresses,
students’ written and oral Spanish is expected to reflect advanced grammatical structures
and an ever-expanding, sophisticated, precise, and eloquent vocabulary. Students will
demonstrate an increasing strong command of Spanish linguistic skills (including
grammatical accuracy, fluency, a more accurate pronunciation, and an authentic Spanish
intonation).
Spanish V will cover, among other learning experiences, the study of sociopolitical issues
during the late 20th Century in Latin America the first semester and the civil war era in
Spain the second semester.
INSTRUCTOR
 Name: Sra. María Atienza-Gabás
 Office number: A 134
 Telephone number: 630-907-5877
 E-mail address: mgabas@imsa.edu
 Office hours: before, after school, and Wednesdays from 1:00-3:00 pm
Meeting Days, Time and Room(s):
A/C days 9:35am-10:45am; and B/D days 9:35am- 10:20am
Room A 135
_________________
1.National Standards in Foreign Language Education Project, Standards for Foreign Language Learning in
the 21st Century (Lawrence, Kan.: Allen Press, 1999).
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Text(s) / Materials:
Level V is a film and literature-based course. The theme or big idea of each of the
learning experiences or units will be presented through a film and supported with literary
and authentic texts. Students will read several literary excerpts, short stories, and at least
a theater play. Also, the instructor will provide additional materials including teachergenerated handouts, grammar packets, different literary selections, news articles, etc. The
following resources are subject to change.
Excerpts from:
Historia de América Latina. G. Vázquez
Hispanoamérica ayer y hoy. A. Alberty, F. Ardanaz
Historia de España. F. Bajo Alvarez
Historia de España para jóvenes del siglo XXI. J. A. Vaca de Osma
Cinema for Spanish Conversation. Maria Paz Haro
De lector a escritor: el desarrollo de la comunicación escrita. M. D. Finnemann and L.
Carbón Gorell
Short Stories from:
Abriendo puertas: Antología de literatura en español Tomos I y II. W. S. Bowen and B.
Tucker Bowen
Lecturas Avanzadas: AP Spanish Reader. E. Giulianelli
Sorpresas. E. Olazagasti-Segovia
Breves cuentos hispanos. T. E. Kooreman, O. Muvdi Kooreman, and E. Sanchez de la
Calle.
Album. R. M. Valette and J. Renjilian-Burgy
Theater Plays:
La dama del alba. Alejandro Casona
La casa de Bernarda Alba. Federico García Lorca (acts)
Films for Latinamerican units – first semester: (subject to change)
La hora oficial
Desaparecidos
Maria llena de gracia
Voces inocentes
Films for Spain units –second semester
La lengua de las mariposas
El laberinto del fauno
Los girasoles ciegos
La dama del alba
Materials:
 your own Spanish-English dictionary (we recommend The University of Chicago
Spanish Dictionary),
 a 2”ring binder with loose-leaf paper for hand outs and notes taking
 a composition notebook for journaling and in class short writes
 recommended: a red /green pen for editing, and a highlighter
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Essential Experimental Aspect:
At the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy®, one of our main objectives in
teaching foreign languages is for students to engage, on a deep, intellectual, and personal
level, in new ways of seeing, thinking, interacting, and communicating. In order for this
objective to be realized, students must encounter a communicative system and cultural
perspectives different from their own. It is essential for our students' growth that they
engage in immersion-based learning experiences where they are supported in going
beyond normal comfort levels, and where they learn to function within a system that is
unfamiliar to them, thereby developing real-world proficiency in another language and in
other cultures.
As a result of language learning, our students think and act globally, are cosmopolitan in
their outlook, and international in their understanding. They will be ethical leaders who
advance the human condition. When one speaks another language, he or she thinks and
acts differently. One’s perspective is widened and horizons are expanded. Students have
a greater capacity to empathize, to make friends, to imagine "what it would be like" to be
in another person's shoes. Imagination is stretched. Students no longer see "aliens" or
"others", but rather they see real people with differences and similarities. If students stop
studying a language, they may forget the words and grammar details. However, learning
another language and its culture(s), learning how to effectively communicate with other
human beings, and learning how meaning is constructed through words other than one’s
native tongue, will remain for a lifetime.
The IMSA World Language Learning Standards, in which the five unifying concepts
(communication, cultures, communities, comparisons, and connections) are embedded,
are the guiding principles of the program. Our standards are adapted from Standards for
foreign language learning: Preparing for the 21st century, National Standards in Foreign
Language Education Project, 1996.
Students studying foreign language at IMSA will:
A. communicate in multiple modes (interpersonal, interpretive, and presentational).
B. understand the relationships among the practices, products, and perspectives of the
cultures studied.
C. reinforce and further knowledge of other disciplines through the foreign language.
D. acquire information and recognize the distinctive viewpoints that are only available
through the foreign language and its cultures.
E. understand the nature of language through comparisons of their own language and the
language studied.
F. understand the concept of culture through comparisons of their own culture and the
cultures studied.
G. use knowledge of language and culture both within and beyond the school setting for
personal enjoyment and enrichment.
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Igniting and nurturing creative, ethical minds that advance the human condition
In addition, the WL team guides students in the development of their meta-cognitive
skills, their ability to collaborate, and their ability to accurately assess learning--skills
which are applicable to all of their learning experiences.
Standards of Significant Learning Outcomes:
The following SSL’s, correlated with learning outcomes, will be targeted and assessed in
this course, according to the following pattern: FA (formally assessed), IA (informally
assessed).
IA. Students are expected to develop automaticity in skills, concepts, and processes that
support and enable complex thought by
 engaging in oral and written discourse FA, IA
 providing and obtaining information FA, IA
 expressing feelings and emotions FA, IA,
 exchanging opinions FA, IA
 applying content knowledge to create with the target language FA, IA
 decoding written and spoken language on a variety of topics FA, IA
 presenting information, concepts, and ideas to an audience of listeners or readers
on a variety of topics FA
 controlling the linguistic system (syntax, morphology, phonology, semantics,
lexis) FA
 using strategies that enhance the effectiveness of communication FA
 compensating for linguistic inadequacies and cultural differences when they
occur, and applying knowledge of cultural perspectives governing interactions
between individuals of different age, status, and background FA
 recognizing and interpreting how cultural perspectives, embedded in the artifacts
of the culture, give meaning to language FA
 directly accessing knowledge and information generated by other countries and
cultures IA
 communicating with people from other countries and cultures IA
 transferring content knowledge in alternative scenarios and new problems IA
II. A. Students are expected to identify unexamined cultural, historical, and personal
assumptions and misconceptions that impede and skew inquiry by
 recognizing the existence of other peoples' world views, their unique way of life,
and the patterns of behavior which order their world IA
 demonstrating mutual cultural understanding and respect IA
 assessing the linguistic and cultural differences that contribute to the distinctive
viewpoints that are only available through the foreign language and its cultures
FA, IA
 identifying patterns among language systems FA
 recognizing that language learning is not simply a word-for-word translation
process, but rather the acquisition of an entirely new set of concepts IA
IV.B. Students are expected to write and speak with power, economy, and elegance by
 engaging in oral and written discourse on given topics FA, IA
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




providing and obtaining information FA, IA
expressing feelings and emotions FA, IA
exchanging opinions FA, IA
decoding written and spoken language on a variety of topics FA, IA
presenting information, concepts, and ideas to an audience of listeners or readers
on a variety of topics FA
 controlling the linguistic system (syntax, morphology, phonology, semantics,
lexis) FA
 using strategies that enhance the effectiveness of communication FA, IA
 compensating for linguistic inadequacies and cultural differences when they
occur, and applying knowledge of cultural perspectives governing interactions
between individuals of different age, status, and background FA, IA
IV.D. Students are expected to develop an aesthetic awareness and capability by
 recognizing that language learning is not simply a word-for-word translation
process, but rather the acquisition of an entirely new set of concepts IA
 recognizing that people of other cultures view the world from a perspective
different from their own IA
 identifying patterns of behavior among people of other cultures IA
 applying knowledge of the perspectives, artifacts, and practices of a culture IA,FA
 experiencing more fully the artistic and cultural creations of other cultures IA
V.A. Students are expected to identify, understand, and accept the rights and
responsibilities of belonging to a diverse community by
 recognizing the existence of other peoples' world views, their unique way of life,
and the patterns of behavior which order their world IA
 applying knowledge of the perspectives, artifacts, and practices of a culture FA
 assessing the linguistic and cultural differences that contribute to the distinctive
viewpoints that are only available through the foreign language and its cultures IA
 engaging in oral and written discourse IA, FA
 providing and obtaining information IA,FA
 expressing feelings and emotions IA,FA
 exchanging opinions IA
 compensating for linguistic inadequacies and cultural differences when they
occur, and applying knowledge of cultural perspectives governing interactions
between individuals of different age, status, and background IA
 explaining the process of stereotyping and the role stereotypes play in forming
and sustaining prejudice IA
 demonstrating mutual cultural understanding and respect IA
 engaging in meaningful direct interactions with members of other cultures IA
 sharing their knowledge of language and culture IA,FA
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Igniting and nurturing creative, ethical minds that advance the human condition
Instructional Design and Approach:
World Languages teachers establish an immersion classroom where the goal is
communication in the target language with correct, uninhibited, and creative expressions.
Immersion means that you will be in class surrounded by Spanish at a level that is
appropriate for you. "Communication" includes speaking, reading, listening, and
writing within a cultural context. We denote, and help students to develop skills in, three
modes of communication: presentational, interpersonal, and interpretive. Our
instructional design provides the opportunity for students to develop core competency
learner characteristics. We empower and enable students to discover what they personally
need in order to acquire and use a foreign language; we place responsibility on the
individual student to collaborate, utilize problem-solving skills, and critical and creative
thinking. We ask students to persist through frustration, and to maintain a
tolerance for ambiguity; we demand that they look at problematic situations from
various viewpoints and perspectives, and we design instruction so that they must develop
and go beyond automaticity, actively construct meaning, seek connections and
interactions that deepen understanding, and appreciate the value of knowledge from
multiple sources and perspectives. We help students develop the cultural sensitivity that
is necessary to guard against miscommunication or misunderstanding. We assume that
students will display the motivation, maturity, and personal responsibility necessary
to participate in this sort of language acquisition environment.
Spanish V class is built around a premise of “learning together” in which students
become active participants in every aspect of learning and instruction. In practice, this
means that:
a) active participation in all learning activities is required and expected,
b) frequent and ongoing interaction with other students and the instructor are integral
components of each lesson,
c) pair activities and small group interactions for practicing the language are the
most common instructional arrangements,
d) variety and choice of instructional formats (individual, pair, small group),
assessment types (presentations, skits, discussions, debates), and media (audio,
video, pictures, music, etc.) are built into the course,
e) self-reflection is promoted by means of self-assessments for video projects, the
design of rubrics by the students themselves, the administration of a learningstyles questionnaire, and the identification of strategies to enhance individual
learning.
.
Students are always involved in assessing their own learning. A videotaped group
interview/conversation in the first few weeks of instruction will identify areas of
individual strength and weaknesses, and will set personalized goals for future
performance.
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Igniting and nurturing creative, ethical minds that advance the human condition
Student Expectations:
Active and extensive class participation is essential to your success and the success of
the course. Students are expected to speak only Spanish in class with the instructor and
classmates. Also, students are encouraged to speak Spanish informally outside class with
anyone who speaks the language. Remember, practice makes perfect!
Attendance
Students are expected to be in class daily, be punctual, be well prepared with all required
class materials and completed assignments. They are expected to be positive contributors
and collaborators who actively participate in class activities.
The WL Team follows the Academy’s attendance policy. It states that three unexcused
tardies equal one unexcused absence, and four unexcused absences will result in the
student being withdrawn from the course with a WF grade. Please, be aware that it is the
responsibility of students and parents to check the attendance record in Power School.
If you are absent, it is your responsibility to communicate with a classmate or with me to
obtain the necessary information/class work/homework, etc. and to turn the homework in
the day of your return to class. If your absence is unexcused, there will NOT be make-ups
for any form of assessments, including unit final projects or presentations.
Homework
No late homework (not available at the beginning of class) will be accepted.
There will be daily homework in different formats. H om ew ork is an essential part of
your learning experience: d o it w ith that purpose in m ind . If you need help w ith it, com e
and see m e before your next class. Homework assignments are not necessarily only
written documents, but practicing, researching, learning material, listening, reading,
working on a project, and memorizing. Since homework will be an essential component
for a class activity the following day, timely completion of homework is essential for
successful participation in class. Homework will be assigned as individual, partners,
and/or group work. All homework assignments must be handed in on time: at the
beginning of class. Homework partially completed or done in class will not receive any
credit. Late homework will not be accepted. Homework will be collected unannounced
and it will be graded.
Assignments and assessments including drafts, essays, visuals for a presentation, oral
presentations, and any other form of assessment that are not ready at the due date and
time (including students who are not ready for a presentation) will receive partial credit
for the assignment (a reduction of a 25% off the final grade), and it will need to be done
by the following class. Field trips and school sponsored activities are excused absences,
but you must have your homework done at your return.
The amount of time outside of class that a student needs to spend in order to acquire
proficiency in Spanish varies from individual to individual. A reasonable expectation is
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Igniting and nurturing creative, ethical minds that advance the human condition
45 minutes per day. Shorter daily study and practice sessions are much more conducive
to language acquisition than one or two longer periods during the week. Group work and
collaboration outside class to practice speaking is highly encouraged.
Academic Integrity
IMSA students are expected to conduct themselves in accordance with five fundamental
values: honesty, trust, fairness, respect, and responsibility. I follow the Academy's
academic honesty policy; refer to the Student Handbook/Planner. Students involved in
breaches of academic integrity (cheating, plagiarism, and inappropriate collaboration)
will receive a zero for the assignment or assessment. Cheating includes: copying
another’s person work and presenting it as yours; using any form of notes during a test;
looking over another’s person answers during an exam; using a translator devise for more
than individual words; and using an English version of a Spanish text, including news.
Assessment Practices, Procedures, and Processes:
Assessment in Spanish V involves both the teacher and the student. The teacher provides
regular feedback on student performance. The student follows through on the teacher’s
feedback, and engages in self–assessment. Emphasis is on continued efforts to improve
student’s language proficiency.
Students are assessed daily on the production of written and spoken language, and on
reading and listening comprehension. Essential elements of effective communication are
the creative use of vocabulary in context, and grammatical and syntactical accuracy. To
measure your progress in the language, a variety of assessments (interpersonal,
presentational, and interpretive) will be used throughout the year. After each assessment,
you will receive immediate and constructive feedback on your performance. Reflections
and self-assessments will be essential components of your learning.
Written assessments include journal entries, compositions, short writes, summaries, peer
responses, quizzes, and exams. Written performance assessments include orthography,
diacritical markings, legibility, punctuation, organization, syntax control, use of advanced
vocabulary, and style. Evaluation of written assessments will include: organization, flow,
content, syntax control, orthography, and advanced and level appropriate vocabulary
used, including connectors and transitions.
Oral assessments include daily informal conversations, individual and group work, and
formal and informal in-class presentations including, but not limited to, skits, debates,
film and reading discussions, impromptu and demonstration speeches, news reports, PP
presentations, teaching assignments, etc. Some of these presentations will be video
recorded for self-assessment purposes. Oral assessments will evaluate content and
information, organization, quality of syntax control, use of advanced vocabulary and
grammar, pronunciation, intonation, and fluency.
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You will receive specific rubrics for major oral and written assessments. For your
baseline video assessment, you will receive a rubric for interpersonal communication to
evaluate your level of proficiency according to IMSA SSLs (Standards of Significant
Learning -see pgs. 4 and 5) and ACTFL (American Council of Teachers of Foreign
Languages) proficiency levels.
Grading Scale:
The following are the cut-off values for quarter and semester grades as calculated by
PowerSchool:
A 92.5
A- 90.0
B+ 87.5
B 82.5
B- 80.0
C+ 77.5
C 72.5
C- 70.0
D 69.9
F 0
Oral assessments: video assessments, class oral production, presentations, skits
Written assessments: compositions, journal entries, short writes, critiques
Homework
:
Exams: grammar, vocabulary, reading comprehension, listening, unit content.
Weekly individual work: engagement in individual and group activities, attitude,
preparedness for class, and effort.
25%
25%
15%
20%
Quarter 1
Quarter 2
50%
50%
Final assessments in both semesters will be part of your semester grade.
To reference: IMSA’s World Language Learning Standards:
www.imsa.edu/learning/standards/wlang.php
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Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy®
Igniting and nurturing creative, ethical minds that advance the human condition
Spanish V Sequence of Learning Experiences for 2012-2013
Spanish V Essential Question: What can I learn about my own language and culture
from the study of others?
A unit guideline with information including essential questions, targeted SSLs and
outcomes, grammar, vocabulary, and cultural resource will be provided at the start of
each unit. Level V is a film-based and content-based class in Spanish; therefore, grammar
is not a component of its curriculum. Students at this level should have acquired an
advanced level of grammar and syntax that will allow them successful completion of this
course. Some grammar aspects will be slightly revised. Students who need more work on
that area are encouraged to work outside class to meet level and class expectations.
Unit 1. “My Generation and I”
Essential Questions: What can I learn about my own language and culture from the study
of others? Who are we? What are the concepts of “self” in Hispanic cultures and in
diverse societies? How does self-identity change according to age in our society and in
Spanish society? How US education system differ from others?
Among other learning experiences, students will explore and reflect on what makes them
who they are: what are the ideas, concepts, objects, etc. that identify who they are.
Students will read a magazine article on El país semanal, by Lucas Arraut, My life within
my backpack, about the concept of self-definition and identity of a group of 12 Spanish
teenagers who just turned 18. The article is a portrait of the restlessness of these new
young adults through the objects that best represent who they are. Students will explore,
compare and contrast different perspectives and approaches to how Spanish and
American teenagers see their world.
Students will research the education system in the Spanish-speaking world and will make
connections with their own. Students will contact students and teacher from these
countries to get first hand information about their experiences in education.
Written assessment: a magazine-like article about “what objects represent me and my
American generation.” Students will follow the same design and format that the article
they read. Students will compile, design, and print a magazine with all these articles.
Oral assessment: first baseline video: group discussion about content of the magazine
articles, students articles, the differences in the education systems from the countries
researched, and the writing process.
Unit 2. Slice of Time: The time period between 1970 and 1990 in Argentina. The
Argentinean Dictatorship. The Coup D’état. General Jorge Rafael Videla. La Junta
Militar. The Missing. Las Madres de la Plaza de Mayo. The Children of the Missing.
Amnistía Internacional.
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Essential Questions: What can I learn about my own language and culture from the study
of others? How are we transformed by our study of other cultures? Why and how do our
perspectives and understandings of others change after being exposed to their lives and
experiences? What do we find when we explore other cultures? How do people strive to
survive? Why and how are people determined to find justice?
Among other learning experiences, students will watch the Argentinean film, The Official
Story (in Spanish), read several newspaper articles: Crímenes de estado: La dictadura
empieza a pagar por Alejandro Rebossio (El Pais 26.06.11), Los niños robados de la
dictadura: los hijos adoptados por la señora Ernestina Noble, dueña del grupo Clarin,
read the biographies of Rafael Videla and Luisa Valenzuela, and read the short story by
Luisa Valenzuela, Los mejor calzados, Aquí pasan cosas raras. (Sorpresas), La historia
oficial. Ezequiel Barriga Chávez, El lector tiene la palabra. Mercedes Sánchez. (De
lector a escritor), Las Madres de La Plaza de Mayo. Poemas de las Madres de La Plaza
de Mayo.
Written Assessment: 1) A letter from the point of view of a “missing” to a family
member narrating his experience. This letter should be a legacy to his family. 2) You are
the mother of a “missing,” write a letter to Amnesty International to document the
situation of thousands like you.
Oral Assessment: a debate between the “junta militar” and the previous government to
explore and present the reasons that “justified” a coup d’état.
Unit 3. Slice of Time: The time period between 1970 and 1990 in Chile. The Chilean
Dictatorship. Salvador Allende. Augusto Pinochet and La Junta Militar. The Coup
D’état. The Missing. The Operation Condor. The role of United States: CIA and
Henry Kissinger. Charles Edmund Horman Lazar.
Essential Questions: What can I learn about my own language and culture from the study
of others? How are we transformed by our study of other cultures? Why and how do our
perspectives and understandings of others change after being exposed to their lives and
experiences? What do we find when we explore other cultures? How do people strive to
survive? Why and how are people determined to find justice?
Among other learning experiences, students will watch the American film, Missing (in
Spanish), read: biographies of: Salvador Allende, Augusto Pinochet, Charles Horman,
news articles: Herman Brady, ejecutor de los designios de Pinochet by Manuel Délano
(El País 7/02/2011), ¿Por qué Augusto Pinochet fue tan odiado? by Anthony Daniels
(Miami Herald 2/29/2000), several other articles and short stories: Narrative during the
Dictatorship: La violencia de la dictadura en La ciudad está triste de Ramón Díaz
Eterovic y comentado por Benoit Santini.
Written Assessment: 1) You are a Charles’s Horman colleague, write a report on the
whereabouts after he became missing. 2) After reading 2 news articles from opposite
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points of view, write your personal opinion based on the arguments presented in both
articles and what you have learned in this unit.
Oral Assessment: group discussion/conversation: based on the content of the unit and
answering some of the essential questions.
Unit 4. Portraits of war through the eyes of children. The drug war in Colombia:
international drug trafficking. The “guerrillas” in El Salvador: Children Soldiers.
Essential questions: What can I learn about my own language and culture from the study
of others? How does the selection and use of information lead to greater understanding
and broader perspectives on a variety of issues? How do children adapt to adversity?
How does extreme poverty and desire for a brighter future force children to endure
unimaginable danger? How can I explore other cultures (Latin America cultures) without
stereotyping?
Among other learning experiences, students will watch the Colombian film Maria Full of
Grace and the Salvadorian film Innocent Voices (both films are in Spanish), read chapters
from the novel En el tiempo de las mariposas by Julia Alvarez, read newspaper articles
about children soldiers during the 80s in El Salvador, read information on “las guerrillas”
in Centro America, Colombia, and Mexico, and read biography of Pablo Escobar and his
son, Juan Pablo Escobar: “Victims and Victimizers.” The role of the UN in these issues.
What has been done: The Creative Community Outreach Initiative of the United Nations.
(www.un.org.en.creative)
Writing Assessment: an expository essay on a topic answering one of the essential
questions. Oral Assessment: group discussion/conversation: based on the content of the
unit and answering some of the essential questions.
Second Semester:
Unit 5. Slice of Time: The generation of the XXI century in Spain and the US. How
Americans see Spaniards and how Spaniards see Americans. Differences and
Similarities: misunderstandings, assumptions, and misconceptions. The sense of a
dual identity common to many “new immigrants.”
Essential Questions:
What can I learn about my own language and culture from the study of others? How does
where I live shape who I am? How can I enhance my connections with people through
language? How can learning and using a language help me assimilate into a new culture?
What is it like to be a “foreigner”? Who is an immigrant?
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Among other learning experiences, students will watch several chapters of Spaniards in
the World: US destinations, read the essay by Antonio Muñoz Molina, España- Estados
Unidos. From this side, from the other side. How we see them, how they see us, read
testimonials of 12 US citizens living in Spain and 12 Spaniards living in the US.
Written Assessment: a literary analysis of the short story by Carmen Martín Gaite, Las
ataduras.
Oral assessment: students will interview other students living in and outside of IMSA
who are first generation of immigrants about their experiences. Then, students in groups
will discuss what they learned - through their interviews- about the process of
assimilation to a new culture.
Unit 6. Slice of Time: Spain right before the Civil War (1934-1936). The 2nd
Republic. July 18th 1936: Spain’s coup d’état in rural Spain. Portraits of the war
through the eyes of children in rural Spain.
Essential Questions:
What can I learn about my own language and culture from the study of others? How does
the selection and use of information lead to greater understanding and broader perspectives
on a variety of issues? How do people manipulate the public’s opinion to gain their trust?
What is the impact of violence on children? How do children adapt to adversity? What
would parents do to protect the lives of their children in extreme situations?
Among other learning experiences, students will watch the film Butterfly (La lengua de la
mariposa), read Las medias rojas by Emilia Pardo Bazán, read news articles about July
18th 1936 and comments from both sides, and Bernardino by Ana Maria Matute, and a
selection of Pascual Duarte by Camilo José Cela.
Written Assessments: students will write the literary analysis of Las medias rojas.
Oral Assessment: a group conversation about the causes that led to the Spanish Civil War
and the impact of the war in rural Spain.
Unit 7. Slice of Time: Spain after the Civil War (1939). Los maquis. Spain divided,
its consequences: repression and isolation from the world (1939-1975). Portraits of
the post-war era through the life of children: rural Spain. Los niños de la Guerra:
the forced emigration of republican children to Russia.
Essential Questions:
What can I learn about my own language and culture from the study of others? How does
the selection and use of information lead to greater understanding and broader perspectives
on a variety of issues? How do people manipulate the public’s opinion to gain their trust?
What is the impact of violence on children? How do children adapt to adversity?
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Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy®
Igniting and nurturing creative, ethical minds that advance the human condition
Among other learning experiences, students will watch the film El laberinto del fauno,
read sections of Historia de España para jóvenes del siglo XXI and newspaper articles to
compare and contrast how the civil war was portrayed from both sides of the conflict,
read and listen to testimonials from “niños de la Guerra;” read the short story Al colegio
by Carmen Laforet, and read selections of Un largo silencio by Angeles Caso.
Written Assessment: an expository or an argumentative essay defending one side of the
conflict. Oral Assessment: 1) a TV show/panel with panelists representing the nationalist
and republicans and discussion on how the civil war affected the lives of all Spanish
children. 2) A group conversation and reflection on how life in Spain has changed after
the Civil War. A retrospective evaluation from units 1, 5, and 7.
Unit 8.Theater: Alejandro Casona: La dama del alba (1944). The elements of drama.
The play’s premiere in exile (Buenos Aires 1944). Margarita Xirgu. Alejandro
Casona. Asturias: language and traditions.
Essential Questions:
What can I learn about my own language and culture from the study of others? What do
we find when we explore other cultures? How are customs and old traditions rooted in
people? How is a country’s unstable political situation reflected in its art? How does
collaboration help students to develop interpretations of literary texts? How does analysis of
a literary text help students to develop critical thinking skills? How does dramatic
performance help students’ understanding of literature?
Students will watch the play, read the four acts of the play, use dramatization to perform
it, write journal entries about the themes in each of the acts, discuss the elements of a
drama, read the biographies of Alejandro Casona and Margarita Xirgu, and research
about Asturias: geography, traditions, language; etc. that are present in the play.
Written Assessment: 1) students will write an essay answering a question related to one
of the themes in the play, or 2) students will answer a question related to one of the acts
that will demonstrate their understanding of Asturias traditions.
Oral Assessment: in groups, students will perform the 4 acts of the play (reader’s theater)
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