*UPDATE*
The link for the embedded reading was making you request permission to download the document. I think I have that fixed now. Please let me know if you have any issues. Thanks for your patience!
We are going to read Noche de Oro by Kristy Placido as our first novel this year in level 3. It takes place in Costa Rica, which we traveled to as a very large group last summer. That in itself may be a big enough hook for students, but I want to do something more. So I am putting together a “taking care of the earth” unit. I haven’t named it yet, so if you have any ideas, please share!
More than any other country, Costa Rica has made huge gains in recycling efforts. Everywhere you go, there are handicrafts made from recycled goods, recycling bins are conveniently placed, and there is an “eco friendly” spirit. Conversely, just up the road, Guatemala has a huge problem with their basureros (garbage dumps) and a huge population of poor who live in and alongside the dumps.
Last year we did Martina Bex’s lesson on Los Guajeros de Guatemala, so I decided to review and add on. First of all, let me tell you, THE STUDENTS REMEMBERED ALL THE VOCABULARY AND THE STORY LINE from last year!!!!! We spent only one week on this material, and it was a short week – right before Thanksgiving break. I am amazed at the power of TPRS / CI. When I reminded students that they hadn’t seen this info for more than a year, they were amazed, too!
I added 9 more slides to the lesson. I’m trying to add a little more cross-content this year – geography, history, governments, climates, etc. Here is what I came up with:
It is only 9 slides, but it gives factual information from the United States CIA site. Here is a link to the presentation if you want to download it for use.
I also want students to become comfortable with reading some #AuthRes, so I created an embedded reading from an article in La Prensa Libre de Guatemala. If you go to their website, you can subscribe to receive notifications on your computer. I learn a lot about Central America this way!
I came across this article and thought it would be perfect for my unit! I created this embedded reading to scaffold up for the students. There are three versions.
Version 1:
Students complete a Volleyball Translation and draw a summary picture of what they read. This is the easiest version. All students should be able to read with little to no support from me.
Version 2:
The next day, I will have students complete version 2 as a class and they will identify new information with a partner. Then we will discuss how the article changed. This version is a little more difficult, longer, and has some new language.
Version 3:
After two or three days, we will go back to version 3 and students will have to use context clues for some of the vocabulary. We will discuss specific words that cause one to feel emotions while reading. This is by far the hardest version and I expect students to need support from me in order to complete this version.
It is important to spread the readings apart from an acquisition standpoint. All the research points to the most gains if vocabulary is used over time, in a variety of contexts. We will have changed our focus somewhat by the time we get to version 3 – we will be talking about ocean pollution. So taking time to go back and refresh newly acquired vocabulary is necessary in order for it to become more concrete and accessible.
