Stories around the World in Film

Sample Lesson Plans

Lesson One: La Lengua de las Mariposas

(This lesson plan is to be developed in a 70-minute class. However, it can be changed according to teachers needs)

Goal

Understand and analyze the connections between film and literature and how both represent and explore human experience.

Learning Objectives

As a result of this lesson the students will be able to:

1. Search for information in a text.
2. Develop their reading and listening comprehension skills.
3. Identify and analyze cultural aspects of Spanish society
4. Make inferences about ideas implicit in a written text in order to compare them to its adaptation on screen.
5. Understand how writers or film directors manipulate stories in order to achieve a desired effect.

Materials

• Movie La Lengua de las Mariposas (José Luis Cuerda, 1999)
• DVD player, TV.
• Handout with specific questions on the final scene of the movie to help students to understand and analyze it.

Special Needs

The teacher has already introduced students to the prewar (Second Republic) period. Students were asked to answer the questions on the handout for homework.

Students and teacher have previously read the story "La Lengua de las Mariposas," included in Rivas´ book ¿Qué me quieres Amor? (11.)

Initiation

"Pass the bull" strategy: I usually start all of my classes passing around a foam bull toy asking questions- could be grammar, or anything. It is a great strategy because you assess students daily and it helps to start the class on a good tone, since they love it!

The teacher will toss the bull to correct the homework.

Procedure

1. Different students will read aloud the end of "La Lengua de las Mariposas" (pages 35-39.)
2. Students will be asked to pair up to discuss this fragment of the story. (Some questions will be prompted so students know what to look for.)
3. Different groups will share their point of view with the rest of the class.
4. Students will watch the corresponding final segment of the movie. During the film, the teacher will stop it at critical moments to get reactions from students.
5. Students will be given the handout. The teacher will lead a discussion on the final scene.

Closure

Debate: The class will be carefully divided in two groups. One group will have to defend Moncho's position at the end of the movie, the other group will have to criticize it. Students will have to argue giving reasons. This will serve as a practice for the big debate at the end of the unit.

Assessment / homework

Students will be asked to write a brief 25-30 lines essay (using the pluperfect subjunctive) answering to the question: ¿Qué hubieras hecho si hubieras estado en la situación de Moncho? ¿Por qué? (If you were Moncho, what would you have done? Why?).

Lesson Two: Corresponsales en la Guerra de España: Las Brigadas Internacionales.

(This lesson plan is to be developed in a 70-minute class. However, it can be changed according to teachers needs)

Note: This lesson plan, due to its length, will not start with the "Viewing Cue(s)" strategy.

Goal

To introduce students to Las Brigadas Internacionales

Learning Objectives

As a result of this lesson students will be able to:

1. Practice their reading and listening comprehension skills.
2. Understand the importance of history as part of the identity of countries.
3. Read and gather information of a text written in Spanish in order to select the main ideas.
4. Make connections with other areas of study (history) and acquire information of a given topic.
5. Express relevant information in their own words.
6. Watch movies with a critical eye.
7. Understand and analyze a poem in the target language.

Materials

• Chapter 3 of the documentary La Guerra Civil Española (Spain, David Hart, 1983), titled La Guerra de los Idealistas.
• Copies of the article "Las Brigadas Internacionales" written May 1, 1937 by the Russian journalist Ilya Ehrenburg for Izvestia. (12)
• Copies of the poem "A un soldado Internacional caído en España" written by Miguel Hernández and included in Viento del Pueblo (13)
• Smart Board, computer (14) and speakers.

Special Needs

Students have previously read Ilya Ehrenburg´s "Las Brigadas Internacionales" for homework.

Initiation

"Pass the bull:" students will be asked questions about the article to see if they have read and / or understood it.

Procedure

1. The teacher and students will go over the article in order to make sure they have understood its general sense.
2. The teacher will ask students to write down three questions about Las Brigadas Internacionales in a piece of paper.
3. The teacher will ask a couple of students to formulate their questions to their classmates.
4. Students will get a handout with questions about the documentary fragment they are about to watch. They are asked to carefully take notes during the movie.
5. Students and teacher will watch a fragment of chapter 3 (La Guerra de los Idealistas) of the documentary La Guerra Civil Española.
6. The teacher will stop a couple of times to make sure all the students are following and are understanding the information since the documentary does not have subtitles.
7. Teacher and students will discuss what they have seen.
8. Teacher will show students 3 different still images taken from the documentary (15) and ask them for their reactions.

Closure

To wrap up the lesson, the teacher will "pass the bull" asking different students to read from their notes their three most important insights about the Brigadas Internacionales.

Assessment / homework

For homework the students will read Miguel Hernandez's poem "A un Soldado Internacional Caído en España" included in Viento del Pueblo. They will also answer questions on the poem.

Lesson Three: "Guernica"

(This lesson plan is to be developed in a 70-minute class. However, it can be changed according to teachers needs)

Note: This lesson plan, due to its length, will not start with the "Viewing Cue(s)"

Goal

To introduce students to the process of viewing, describing, interpreting and recognizing art.

Learning Objectives

As a result of this lesson students will be able to:

1. Describe, express opinions and analyze a piece of art in the target language.
2. Understand the importance of art in expressing and illuminating human experiences, beliefs and values.
3. Practice their listening comprehension skills of the target language.
4. Search for relevant information and express it orally in the target language.
5. Gather relevant information from an audiovisual source.
6. Practice their listening comprehension skills.

Materials

• Transparency of Picasso's Guernica.
• Overhead projector.
• Chapter 3 of the documentary La Guerra Civil Española (Spain, David Hart, 1983), titled La Guerra de los Idealistas.
• Smart Board, computer and speakers.

Initiation

There will be a propaganda poster up on the Smart Board as the students come in. The teacher will give them a piece of paper with a couple of tasks and questions about the poster. They will start working on them as they sit down. Students will read their answers in turns when called, and then students and teacher will analyze the poster together reflecting on the implications of propaganda in society. What is propaganda? Do you think it is effective?

Procedure

1. Teacher will ask general questions about Guernica, to find out if the students know anything about it.
2. With the Guernica painting up in the overhead projector, students will be asked to write down three sentences on what they see or how they interpret the painting.
3. tudents will watch the fragment of the La Guerra Civil Española about the bombing of Guernica. The teacher will stop the film at critical moments to point out important concepts or ideas.
4. Students and teacher will briefly discuss the fragment, reasons and implications of the bombing.
5. With the transparency up in the overhead projector, students will be asked to get in groups of three (previously and thoughtfully established by the teacher.)
6. Students will be asked to carefully reflect on the fragment of the documentary and the painting through some questions that they will answer in groups.
7. Students —still working in groups— will be asked to prepare a brief explanation of the painting as if they have to present it to someone who has never heard of the painting or the town.
8. All the "proposals" will be collected and graded.

Closure

One group will informally sample their work.

Lesson Four: Miguel Hernández

(This lesson plan is to be developed in a 70-minute class as well)

Note: This lesson plan, due to its length, will not start with the "Viewing Cue(s)."

Goal

Understand poetry as a complex literary genre

Learning Objectives

As a result of this lesson the students will be able to:

1. Develop active reading, writing and oral language skills.
2. Develop listening comprehension skills.
3. Understand, analyze and interpret a poem.
4. Broaden vocabulary.

Materials

-Movie Viento del Pueblo: Miguel Hernández (second part.) (16)

-Copies of the poem "Nanas de la Cebolla" (17) and of Hernández' letter "A Josefina Manresa. Madrid, 12 de Septiembre de 1939." (18)

-Poem "Nanas de la Cebolla" (19) versioned by flamenco singer José Mercé.

Special Needs

The students are familiar to the writer and have previously seen the last part of the movie Viento del Pueblo: Miguel Hernández, which will ease students' understanding of the poem.

Initiation

"Pass the bull:" students will be asked brief questions about the author and his work.

Procedure

1. Different students will read aloud a fragment of the famous letter Miguel Hernández sent to his wife, Josefina from prison.
2. Students and teacher will discuss the letter.
3. The teacher will provide students a copy of the poem with blank spaces.
4. Students will listen to the poem sang by José Mercé for the first time to get a general sense of the poem.
5. Students will listen the poem broken in segments of three stanzas per segment, in order to fill in the blanks
6. Different students will read out loud one stanza, giving the answers to the blanks and explaining the meaning of that particular stanza.
7. Students and teacher will discuss the poem in detail.

Closure

Students will be asked to write 3 different reactions to the poem in a card. Some of them will read them to the rest of the class.