Unit

Plan Overview

Unit: Writing a Descriptive Paragraph in Spanish (5th grade)

Stage 1- Desired Results
Connections to Context:

Transfer
Students will be able to independently use their learning to
The Spanish class of 5th grade students in
Write a descriptive paragraph about themselves
Orchard View Elementary School incorporates
Write a paragraph describing someone that he or she knows
TPRS instruction method. Since it is story-based,
Write an introductory paragraph about oneself and video-record it
each unit has certain characters, and each lesson
Identify and use definite articles and indefinite articles according to the gender and the number of the noun
has the episodic stories of those characters.
Identify the nouns, verbs, and adjectives in Spanish
These stories are used as tools for teaching
grammar and vocabulary to the students. Since
Define the verbs ser, tener, hay, and gustar use them according to the content
the school year is starting now, the students are
Count and write numbers in Spanish from 0 to 20
learning new characters, and the lessons provide
Know the definition of the words and phrases from the vocabulary list and use them in their writing
descriptions of each character.
Know the phonetic system of Spanish and read their writing in Spanish

Memorize the question / interrogative words
While TPRS method offers some benefits such as
Identify Spanish-speaking countries and describe their culture
memorizing the words within a passage and
understanding their uses, many of the stories of
Compare and identify the cultural as well as linguistic difference between English and Spanish (i.e., gustar)
fictional and very different from the real life.

This may result in lack of connection to the
actual use of Spanish in the everyday life.

Therefore, this unit plan will apply the learning
to a more personal level by leading the students
to now write an introductory paragraph about
oneself or a descriptive paragraph about a
person that he or she knows.

Meaning
UNDERSTANDINGS
ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS
Students will understand that
Students will keep considering
Spanish words have different phonetic system and
How are Spanish and English different?
spelling
How can I write a sentence in Spanish?
Spanish and English sentences have a different word
How do I read in Spanish?
order both in statements and questions (especially

What do the pronouns t and usted mean, and when
with adjectives).
Established Goals
do I use them?

In order to introduce someone, it is important to have What do the verbs ser, tener, hay, and gustar
Grade 5
the basic information about that person
mean?

Gender and numbers determine the conjugation form How do I conjugate the verbs in Spanish?
Communication
in Spanish verbs as well as in adjectives
How can I use the words from the vocabulary list?
1.1: Students engage in conversations,
Pronouns t and usted can both translated as the
How can I phrase a question in Spanish using
provide and obtain information, express
English be verb but are used with different contents
interrogative words?
feelings and emotions, and exchange
Spanish numerical system and questions use different What should I share about myself with the native Spanish-
options.
punctuation marks
speaker?
1.2. Students understand and interpret
The word order with nouns and adjectives are
How can I write sentences and a paragraph using the
written and spoken language on a variety of
different in English and in Spanish
information given about an individual?
topics.


1.3. Students present information, concepts,

and ideas to an audience of listeners or
(What specically do you want students to understand?
readers on a variety of topics.
What inferences should they make?)
Based on Wiggins and McTighe (2011) The Understanding by Design Guide to Creating High-Quality Units and Van Brummelen (2002) Steppingstones to Curriculum



Cultures
2.1 Students demonstrate an understanding
of the relationship between the practices
and perspectives of the culture studied.
2.2 Students demonstrate an understanding
of the relationship between the products
and perspectives of the culture studied.

Connections
3.1 Students reinforce and further their
knowledge of other disciplines through the
foreign language.
3.2 Students acquire information and
recognize the distinctive viewpoints that
are only available through the foreign
language and its cultures.

Comparisons
4.1 Students demonstrate understanding of
the nature of language through comparison
of the language studied and their own
4.2 Students demonstrate understanding of
the concept of culture through comparisons
of the cultures studied and their own.

Communities
5.1 Students use the language both within
and beyond the school setting


Cited from Standards for Foreign Language
Learning, ACTFL (American Council on the
Teaching of Foreign Language)


Evaluative Criteria

1. Students will need to participate in the
classrooms.
2. Students say, write, listen to, and
understand in Spanish.

Acquisition of Knowledge, Skill and Values/Commitments/Dispositions

Students will know
Students will be skilled at
Students will exhibit
Students will read Spanish words
Write a simple sentence in
Acquire collaboration skills by
and sentences according to its
Spanish
working together with different
phonetic system
groups of their classmates for each
Ask questions in Spanish using
activity
Students will know the concept of
interrogative words
gender in nouns in Spanish
Perceive Spanish as another
Identify the information that can
language used in different
Memorize the conjugation system
be included in a descriptive
countries around the world by
and incorporate in their use of
paragraph and introduce one
learning not only the language but
verbs in writing sentences
another in Spanish
also the culture and its speakers
Students will distinguish between
Read clearly in Spanish and be
Know more about one another
the use of t and usted
able to comprehend the content
and others in their lives through
through listening to others
Count numbers from 0 to 20 and
research and analysis in order to
speaking in Spanish
write them in words
write a descriptive paragraph

Identify the difference between


English and Spanish punctuation


marks and rules
(What discrete skills and processes should
Know the word order in
students be able to use?)
(What values and commitments and
statements and questions, and be
attitudes should students acquire or
able to produce their own
wrestle with?)
sentences according to the order



(What facts and basic concepts should
students know and be
able to recall?)

Stage 2- Evidence
Students will show their learning by
PERFORMANCE TASK(S):
Write a paragraph introducing oneself.
Video record themselves introducing themselves.
Connect with a Spanish-speaking student and introduce each other.
All the materials collected in the binder.

Based on Wiggins and McTighe (2011) The Understanding by Design Guide to Creating High-Quality Units and Van Brummelen (2002) Steppingstones to Curriculum


3.
4.

Students can introduce oneself in

Spanish.
Students can introduce each other in
Spanish.

(How will students demonstrate their understanding- meaning-making and transfer- through complex performance?)

(What criteria will be used in each assessment to
evaluate attainment of the desired results?)
(Regardless of the format of the assessment,
OTHER EVIDENCE:
what qualities are most important?)
Quiz, test, and other classroom activities

(What other evidence will you collect to determine whether Stage 1 goals were achieved?

Based on Wiggins and McTighe (2011) The Understanding by Design Guide to Creating High-Quality Units and Van Brummelen (2002) Steppingstones to Curriculum


Stage 3- Learning Plan

Pre-assessment- due ________

(What pre-assessments will you use to check students prior knowledge, skill levels, and potential misconceptions?)
(Toward which goal does each
Learning Events
learning event build?)


Student success at transfer, meaning, and acquisition depends upon their participation in
Acquisition
these learning events


Meaning



Transfer

Progress Monitoring

(How will you monitor students progress
toward acquisition, meaning, and transfer
during lesson events?)

(How will students monitor their

own progress toward acquisition,
meaning, and transfer?)

(What are potential rough spots and
student misunderstandings?)

Star the multiple means of representation; underline the multiple means of action and
expression; circle the multiple means of engagement
(Are all three types of goals (acquisition, meaning, and transfer) addressed in the learning
plan?)
(Does the learning plan reflect principles of learning and best practices?)
(Is there tight alignment with Stages 1 and 2?)

(How will students get the feedback they
need?)

Based on Wiggins and McTighe (2011) The Understanding by Design Guide to Creating High-Quality Units and Van Brummelen (2002) Steppingstones to Curriculum