Unit overview
It is my goal to design a unit in which students will use the target language, Spanish, to express in writing their observations of nature. Students will investigate the great outdoors, placing themselves in nature, observing their surroundings, and recording their observations in a nature journal. They will explore various aspects of nature each week focusing on a different element: week one the focus will be line; week two, color; week three, shape; week four, form and texture; week 5, sound; and week six, taste. Each week of journaling will build upon the previous week’s entries making the journaling process cumulative. This will require each student to employ the necessary vocabulary for each area of focus and incorporate that vocabulary in future journal entries. I anticipate that initially it will be less intimidating for my students to record their observations with drawings rather than writing since they are novice Spanish learners. With their sketch in hand, they can then use the vocabulary needed to capture their observation in writing.
To conclude the unit, each student will select an entry from the entirety of their natural journal entries to present as their final entry, their summative assessment. Students will share their end product, their updated and enhanced journal entry with their classmates digitally using a learning management system like Schoology. They will also have the opportunity to present their final product to the larger school community during one of our weekly MYP meetings.
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