Lesson Plan for Henrico 21 Awards
Teacher Name: Lisa Hand
Collaborators:
Lesson Title: Cultural Universals: The Rescue of the Chilean Miners
Target Grade/Subject: AP Spanish
Length: One 90 minute block
Summary:
The students will use authentic resources to connect the rescue of the 33 Chilean miners to universal themes such as, the value of family, the power of working collectively, the need for patience, perseverance and faith, and the wonders of modern technology. In addition, they will work collaboratively to solve real-world problems. Finally, they will deliver a presentation from the perspective of trapped miners and create a video intended for family members.
Essential questions or objectives:
1. Why did the rescue of the 33 miners in Chile captivate the world?
2. Why was the rescue of the Chilean miners so successful?
3. What connections can be made to other events that have riveted the world?
4. What characteristics make human beings alike regardless of the country in which they live?
Resources:
Technology Used:
Television with access to CNN
Student laptops with access to the internet
School Space Discussion Forum
Virtual Share
Promethean Board with speakers
Digital video camera (USB memory card/rechargeable batteries)
Windows Movie Maker
Web-based resources:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/mundo/noticias/2010/10/101013_video_mineros_chile_primeros_rescatados_pea.shtml
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jONBAr7sXhs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bq2-5I6QjyU&feature=related
http://www.youtube .com/watch?v=P2iu4cRtR-0
http://ww w.bbc.co.uk/mundo/america_latina/2010/09/100907_chile_mineros_perfiles.shtml
http://www.bbc.co.uk/mundo/america_latina/2010/09/100906_video_chile_mineros_videoconfe rencia_il.shtml
Other Required Resources:
Teacher-produced Guided questions (Microsoft Word document)
Lesson Development:
Process/Tasks:
1. Prior to coming to class, the students watched CNN to see the live rescue of the Chilean miners. They recorded their reactions electronically in a discussion forum in School Space.
2. Working in groups of two, the students engaged in conversation using the target language to express their feelings and emotions and to exchange opinions about the rescue. They explored the issue from their own perspective, the perspective of the miners and the perspective of the miners’ families.
3. The students watched a video clip of the reaction of the crowd as one of the miners emerged from the capsule. In the video, the miner led the group gathered in a chant - "chi! chi! chi! le! le! le! los mineros de chile!" As a group, the class discussed how a song or chant could unite a group of people. To compare the practices of a variety of cultures, the students watched three brief clips of crowds chanting – first at a Chilean soccer match, next at a London soccer match and lastly at a VA Tech football game.
4. In order to access information efficiently, the students were given a specific website address to research and sort through information in the target language in order to gain an understating of the culture and lives of the miners and to find out how the miners organized themselves and formed a community during their time underground.
5. Next, the students were divided into three groups. They were instructed to hypothesize that they were the group of miners trapped underground. Their task was to organize themselves (as the miners did) in order to survive. The students worked collaboratively to make their decisions according to the principle characteristics of their personalities along with the results of a self-analysis completed previously in class. The students were told to decide who would be the overall leader of their group (and why), who would be in charge of the spiritual well-being of the group (and why), who would be in charge of recording what took place (and why), and who was responsible for guarding the physical health of the members of the group (and why). Lastly, they had to prepare a list of the order of rescue from first to last, that they would leave the mine and then tell why they selected that particular order. This activity culminated with the each group delivering a presentation outlining how they formed a community in order to survive.
6. After the presentations, the students came back together as a group and discussed the unprecedented global coordination that made the rescue a success. This included international assistance in terms of money, medical specialists, drilling experts, technology and an outpour of international messages of support.
7. To highlight one aspect of the technology used during the entrapment of the miners, the students watched a video clip of some of the miners communicating with family members through videoconference. The students returned to their groups and were given digital video cameras. They went into the hallway and created a two-minute video in which they portrayed themselves as trapped miners sending messages to their families from underground.
8. The students downloaded the video from the camera onto their computer and placed it in the teacher’s Virtual Share folder. The class concluded with the viewing of the three student-created videoconferences.
Evaluation Procedure:
Assessment of objectives:
The students were assessed informally according to their level of engagement in conversation, their ability to understand and interpret written and spoken language, their ability to express agreement and disagreement, to give supporting reasons, to hypothesize and to make comparisons of the culture studied and their own. Specifically, at the start of class, each student has five index cards with his/her name on the cards. As the student contributes to class discussions, he/she places a card in a bucket on his/her desk. The cards are tallied each day and a grade is assigned every three weeks.
TIPC Assessment:
Research and Information Fluency:
Approaching: Although students were asked to research and apply information found on the internet, the teacher provided a specific link in order to access the information efficiently. Students used the information to analyze cultural practices in order to determine their global significance.
Communication and Collaboration:
Target: The students articulated thoughts and ideas in the target language electronically and face-to-face. They worked effectively in a team to accomplish a common goal. They made compromises when organizing themselves and establishing the order of rescue. They divided tasks and delivered an oral presentation. Lastly, they collectively designed and created an original video within a limited timeframe.
Critical Thinking and Problem Solving:
Target: The students discussed and evaluated the impact of the event on their own culture. They examined the event from the perspective of the miners and the perspective of the families of the miners. They hypothesized what it would be like if they were the ones trapped. They compared this event to other events that riveted the world and they used higher order thinking skills to solve real world problems.
Creativity and Innovation:
Approaching: The students applied critical thinking when determining the order of rescue and the reasons behind their selection. The students worked collaboratively to produce a video intended for the families of the trapped miners.