Classroom Activities
Activity 1: Introduction
The first activity is designed as a hook to get the students to engage with the unit’s theme. As described in the Student Background Knowledge section of this unit, my students are coming to this unit having completed a nine-week unit of study on the Day of the Dead in which they learned in detail about the Mexican celebration of remembering deceased loved ones. Many of these students then took advantage of the opportunity to design and create an ofrenda honoring a family member or pet who has passed. In addition, they wrote a tribute, in the target language, about the person or pet honored. This activity consists of three parts: Access Prior Knowledge, Review of Calaveras Literarias in previously read literature, and the KWL Inventory.
Access Prior Knowledge – Día de los Muertos
To assess what the students already know I will present the students with questions in the target language like “What do you remember about the Day of the Dead?” “Name some elements of the celebration of the Day of the Dead.” “Describe the significance of the elements you mentioned.” “Why is the Day of the Dead important?” “How is the Day of the Dead different from Halloween?” Students will record their responses on paper. I anticipate that some students will mention calaveras (sugar skulls), papel picado, calacas (dressed skeleton figures), pan de muerto (bread of the dead), cempasúchiles (marigolds), velas or candelas (candles), ofrendas or altares (altars), música, decoraciones, flores, and the novel Tumba. Some students will express the celebration of this holiday in terms of Alex, a character in the book Tumba, fearing the Day of the Dead but later learning to appreciate it because through the celebration he learned more about his grandfather. A few students who created an ofrenda and wrote a tribute honoring a loved one will be able to share the significance of the items and information they included.
Students then share their responses with a shoulder partner. Then I will direct a whole class discussion related to the questions. I suggest conducting a class poll related to the questions having the students create a bar graph or pie chart of the results. This will give students visual data indicating the similar opinions and experiences of classmates.
Review of Calaveras Literarias
In the previous year’s unit of study on the Day of the Dead my students were introduced to a Calavera Literaria in the novel Tumba. Before delving more deeply into this type of poetry, I will present my students with the work they read last year. Reviewing this Calavera Literaria from a previous unit of instruction will provide context for my students. Being familiar with the text allows for better understanding which makes working with it more manageable for learners of another language. Language learners have a greater level of comfort working with text to which they have been previously exposed.
“La abuela de Alex es una bruja agresiva. Por la noche se transforma en gata. Habla con una chica loca y explosiva. La chica ataca a Alex y lo mató.”32
“Alex’s grandmother is an aggressive witch. At night she transforms into a cat. She speaks with a crazy and explosive girl. The girl attacks Alex and kills him.”
After reading the poem to themselves, I will ask my students to complete these sentences in the target language, “I notice . . .” “I wonder . . .” I will explain that when you notice something, it is something that you are able to prove. Eliciting answers from my students, I anticipate some of them will mention that a crazy girl kills Alex, Alex’s grandma turns into a cat, the grandma is a witch, agresiva, gata, and explosiva all end in the letter “a”, and the poem has four lines. In addition, I will communicate that wondering is identifying curiosities and questions you have about the poem. My students might respond asking why the poem only has four lines, why the crazy girl kills Alex, or why three out of the four last words of each line end in the letter “a”. Students will record their responses using a Google Form.
Students then share their responses with a shoulder partner. I will direct a whole class discussion related to the sentence starters. Using the answers recorded on the Google Form, I can share the class results in the form of a graph or chart. It will be interesting to note similar and differing notices and wonders.
KWL Inventory
Before we begin our in-depth study of Calaveras Literarias, I will provide my students with a KWL Chart which they will use to support their learning throughout the unit. A KWL Chart is a visual graphic organizer used to determine what student already Know about the topic, what they Want to know, and throughout the unit what they have Learned.
Prior to introducing any new Calavera Literaria poetry to my students, I will ask my students to activate their prior knowledge of this type of poetry in order to complete the K column of the KWL Chart. In introducing this chart, I will explain to the class that when beginning to study new material it is important to determine what we already know about it. As a prompt, my students may use the information we gathered individually and as a class in the previous activity Review of Calaveras Literarias to aid them in completing this section of the chart. Learners will complete the K column individually.
Next, I will employ Think, Pair, Share to assist my students with filling in the W column of the KWL Chart. First, I will direct students to think about what they want to learn about Calaveras Literarias. Once they have had ample opportunity to think about what they want to learn, learners will share this information with a shoulder partner comparing and contrasting their responses. Pairing provides language learners with the opportunity to discuss their thoughts with a partner. Each pair will share what they want to learn with the entire class. Once every pair has shared each student will record their want to learn items in the W column of the chart. The information shared by my students with the class will aid me in which direction to go with this unit. I want to be sure to include information they want to learn.
Throughout this unit, my students continue to add to their KWL Charts with relevant learned information. Doing this assists them in organizing thoughts and information. Periodically, I will refer learners to the W column to note if any of their questions have been answered and I will then direct them to add those answers to the L column.
Activity 2: Analyze Visual Imagery in Calaveras Literarias
Building upon my students’ previous knowledge of Calaveras Literarias, we will examine the use of visual imagery in these poems. Providing learners with various Calaveras Literarias, I will prepare them to identify and analyze the use of visual imagery in these works. I want my students to explore how imagery contributes to the overall impact and meaning of each poem.
Examination of Texts
As previously stated, I will provide learners with various Calaveras Literarias to examine. Here is an example of a poem that I will supply to my students to analyze.
“La calavera de maestro estricto: Con regala en mano y mirada severa, el maestro infunde temor. Sus alumnos, con huesos temblorosos, aprenden con sudor.”33
“The calavera of a strict teacher: With ruler in hand and a severe look, The teacher instills fear, His students, With trembling bones, They learn with sweat.”
In choosing Calaveras Literarias in the target language for my language learners, I will be deliberate in my choices, being sure to include authentic texts with vocabulary familiar to my students. This will allow for easy comprehension of the text and facilitate the examination process. The subject of this chosen text, school, as well as the vocabulary will aid my students in identifying and analyzing the use of visual imagery in this poem.
To get started, I will explain to the students that they will be reading the text a couple of times, each time focusing on a different aspect of it. The first read is read aloud by the teacher. Students follow along circling any words they do not know and annotating any text they do not understand with a question mark. After this first read students use a graphic organizer, a one-page paper divided in half with the first half labeled Learning and the other half labeled Reflection, to write a Learning/About statement and a brief summary. This is very similar to the “I notice . . .” “I wonder . . .” activity completed earlier in Activity 1.
The second reading is reading with purpose. Students read independently, highlighting details in the poem that evoke visual images. Using the above graphic organizer, students reflect upon what they just read and highlighted. I will explain that the reflection can be questions they still have related to the poem. With a shoulder partner, each student will discuss the details they selected from the text and how they conjure visual imagery. Reflections are also shared. I will then conduct a whole-class discussion regarding the details of the text in order to check for understanding. In addition, I will address student questions about the poem.
Creating a Visual Representation
Using the information gathered and shared in the previous reads of the Calavera Literaria, my students will illustrate the scene described in the poem. I will make available art supplies such as paper, drawing materials, and watercolors. Students may also choose to create a digital representation using online drawing platforms like Canva, Sketchpad, and Charlala, or utilize animation tools such as Toon Boom Harmony and Adobe Animate. I anticipate that my students will include in their illustrations the teacher as a skeleton dressed in proper teaching attire representing authority. The skeleton will likely appear severe and stern with an intense stare holding a ruler that emphasizes his control. The students, possibly depicted as skeletons, are visibly trembling, expressing fear on their faces. They may appear exhausted or nervous, perhaps portrayed with beads of sweat.
Check for Understanding
To assess the students’ understanding of the use of visual imagery in Calaveras Literarias I will have students shared their illustrations of the poem with a shoulder partner explaining how they interpreted and how they chose to represent that in the artwork. Once students have shared, I will encourage them to review and reflect upon their learning statements and reflections from the previous readings to help them with their presentations. I will then ask students to present their artwork to the class justifying it with evidence from the poem. I will assess their understanding of the visual imagery used in the poem by looking at the evidence from the poem that they provided to justify their illustration.
Activity 3: Examine Sound and Rhythm in Calaveras Literarias
In order to maintain consistency, I will employ strategies previously used in Review of Calaveras Literarias and Examination of Texts. Below is an example of a poem in the target language that I will supply to my students to analyze. I chose this poem and will provide others like it because it is an authentic text written by a native speaker for native speakers. In addition, this work is accompanied by an audio recording of the author, Abuelita Hector, reading it in the target language.
“¡Qué belleza es el tamal!
Historia envuelta en hojas. Deliciosa nube de nixtamal, manjar para todas las bocas.”34
“What beauty is the tamale! History wrapped in leaves. Delicious cloud of dough, delicacy for all mouths.”
To get started, I will explain to the students that they will be reading the text a couple of times, each time focusing on a different aspect of it. The first read is read aloud by the author, an audio recording. It is important for my students to listen to the Calavera Literaria read by a native speaker. This will provide my students the opportunity to focus on the rhythmic and phonetic elements of these poems.
Initially, my students will just listen to the audio recording. Then students are provided with a copy of the poem. I will direct them to follow along as they listen, circling any words they do not know and annotating any text they do not understand with a question mark. My plan is to play the audio recording twice, pausing as needed, allowing time for learners to make their annotations.
After listening to and annotating the poem, I will ask my students to complete these sentences in the target language, “I notice . . .” “I wonder . . .” I will remind them that when you notice something, it is something that you are able to prove. Eliciting answers from my students, I anticipate some of them will mention that the poem is about tamales, lines one and three rhyme, lines two and four rhyme, and the poem has four lines. In addition, I will reiterate that wondering is identifying curiosities and questions you have about the poem. My students might respond asking what nixtamal means, why tamale is spelled tamal, what the meaning of nixtamal is. Students will record their responses using a Google Form.
Students then share their responses with a shoulder partner. I will direct a whole class discussion related to the sentence starters. Using the answers recorded on the Google Form, I can share the class results in the form of a graph or chart. It will be useful to note similar and differing notices and wonders.
The second reading and listening is with purpose. Students will read the poem aloud with a shoulder partner each taking a turn. As they read, learners will highlight details in the poem relating to sound, rhythm, or rhyme. Using a graphic organizer, students reflect upon what they just read and highlighted. I will explain that “I wonder . . .” can be questions they still have related to the poem. With the opposite shoulder partner, each student will discuss the details they selected from the text and how they add to the overall sound of the work. The recently added “I wonder . . .” statements are also shared. I will then conduct a whole class discussion regarding the details of the text focusing on meter, rhythm, and rhyme scheme in order to check for understanding. In addition, I will address student questions about the poem.
Check for Understanding
I will assess students’ understanding throughout the entire activity. As the students share in pairs, I will circulate around the room evaluating student engagement, looking for on topic conversations in the target language. Reviewing my students’ Google Form responses to “I notice . . .” and “I wonder . . .” I will provide feedback. In addition, I will assess the completeness and depth of analysis in the graphic organizer completed during the second reading and listening of the poem. I will assess their understanding of the sound and rhythm in the poem by looking at the evidence from the poem that they provided to justify their annotations. The final class discussion will provide me with the opportunity for one final check of student understanding via their contributions to the discussion. This will also allow me to address any misconceptions or unanswered questions.
Activity 4: Interpret Satire in Calaveras Literarias
To conclude the unit, my students will investigate the role of satire in Calaveras Literarias. Providing learners with various Calaveras Literarias, I will prepare them to identify and analyze the use of satire in these works. My students will determine the satirical content within each of the poems. I will facilitate a whole class discussion that will guide my students to an understanding of how satire is used in Calaveras Literarias to comment on societal norms, behaviors, and attitudes towards death. In groups, my students will analyze various Calaveras Literarias identifying the satirical elements and the societal commentary emphasized in each poem. I desire for my students to explore how satire contributes to the overall impact and meaning of each poem.
Explanation of Satire
To ensure that my students possess a solid of understanding of satire, I will lead a class discussion on the topic. I will divide the class into groups of four students and ask them to define satire. They will have about eight minutes to develop their definition, recording it on a sheet of chart paper. Group definitions will be posted around the classroom. I anticipate that some groups will respond, “Satire is making fun of important people and issues”; “It is joking about a serious topic”; or “Satire makes people laugh at something that is not really funny.” As a whole class, we will view each groups’ definition making note of the similar explanations across the class. Using those similarities, we will attempt to create our own definition of satire.
Then I will introduce to the class definitions of satire taken from various literary sources that explain it as a genre that uses humor, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to criticize or highlight the flaws or shortcomings of individuals, societies, institutions, or humanity in general. The goal of satire is to provoke thought, promote change, or entertain through its critical observations.35 Humor makes the audience laugh while delivering a critical message. Irony expresses the opposite of what is meant, pointing out the absurdity of the subject. Exaggeration overstates certain aspects to point out their flaws. Ridicule mocks the subject to demonstrate its weakness or failings. In Calaveras Literarias, satire serves a mirror to society, reflecting its corruption and absurdities in a manner that urges readers to think critically about their own world.36
After providing my students with the above explanations of satire, I will direct students to work with a shoulder partner. I will ask each pair to create a list of examples of satire, advising them that satire can be found in other forms of media in addition to literature. After about seven minutes, pairs will share their lists in a whole class discussion. I anticipate that some of my students will share the following examples of satire, Shrek as a satire of fairy tales, Scream as a satire of horror movies, Deadpool satirizes super heroes, Family Guy and/or The Simpsons that satirize American middle-class society, and political cartoons which satirize political events and/or politicians. I believe it is essential to provide these contemporary examples for my students because they are more likely to be relatable to their lives. Seeing satire in a modern context facilitates students’ grasp of how satire works and why it is used. Understanding how satire is applied in their own culture and contemporary context, my students are able to more fully appreciate and understand its use in Calaveras Literarias.
Identification and Analysis of Satire in Calaveras Literarias
I will employ strategies previously used in Examination of Texts. Below is an example of a poem I will supply to my students to analyze. I chose this poem and will provide similar works because it is an authentic text written in 1910 by José Guadalupe Posada. In addition, this work is about the cholera epidemic.
"La terrible calavera del cólera, está en combate; Esa le dice a cualquiera ¡Tres piedras y un tepetate!"37
“The terrible calavera of cholera Is in combat; It says to anyone Three stones and a tepepate (a piece of limestone)!”
To begin, I will explain to the students that they will be reading the text a couple of times, each time focusing on a different aspect of it. The first reading is a read aloud by the teacher. Students follow along, circling any words they do not know and annotating any text they do not understand with a question mark. After this first reading students use a graphic organizer, a one-page paper divided in half with the first half labeled Learning and the other half labeled Reflection, to write a Learning/About statement and a brief summary. This is very similar to the “I notice . . .” “I wonder . . .” activity completed earlier in Activities 1and 3.
The second reading is reading with purpose. Students read independently highlighting satirical elements in the poem as well as social commentary. Using the organizer, students reflect upon what they just read and highlighted. I will explain that the reflection can be questions they still have related to the poem. With a shoulder partner, each student will discuss the details they selected from the text and how they are satirical. Do these details display humor, irony, exaggeration or ridicule? They will also discuss any social commentary identified in the work.
I will direct the students to come back together as a class at which time I will conduct a whole class discussion regarding the satirical elements and societal commentary of the poem. For example, we will discuss how the poem uses satire to comment on the impact of cholera and the minimal efforts to combat it. “Three stones and a tepepate” could imply that insufficient action was being taken to combat the illness. Then together, we will review the details of the text in order to check for understanding and I will address any unanswered student questions about the poem.
Activity 5: Create an Original Calavera Literaria
The culminating activity of this unit will require my students to collaborate within groups to author original poetry, in the target language, containing satirical elements that address a contemporary issue such as immigration, inflation, discrimination, or climate justice. It is my goal for each group to present to the class their Calaveras Literarias, explaining the satirical elements and the contemporary issue they chose to address. I will provide students with a packet containing the following information about this project; a letter addressed to both the student and their parent(s), a detailed explanation of the project requirements along with helpful vocabulary and phrases in the target language, explanations and examples of poetic forms available for the students to use, and the rubric that will be used to assess their work. Students will share their original poetic work with their classmates digitally using a learning management system like Schoology.
To aid my students in creating their Calavera Literaria I will employ the teaching strategy of realia. I will provide them with the infographic titled Calavera Literaria Cómo Hace Una Y No Morir En El Intento (Calavera Literaria How To Make One And Not Die Trying).38 According to The Best Practices Foundation, using infographics in the classroom may improve students’ learning up to 400%. Vision trumps all other human senses when it comes to learning, as the average learner can recall 65% of visual information 10 days later but only 10% of what they heard. The majority of students (close to 65%) are visual learners.39 Incorporating visual media into my lessons has proven to increase student engagement with the material being taught and student motivation to learn. In addition, in the World Language classroom infographs provide clarification of content being taught as well as enhance vocabulary comprehension due to the visual clues included in the infographic. As previously stated, the use of visuals is especially helpful for students with special needs as they assist these students in acquiring background knowledge and putting the elements of the lesson into context.
The infographic Calavera Literaria Cómo Hace Una Y No Morir En El Intento is divided into the following sections: The definition of a Calavera Literaria; The process of writing a Calavera Literaria; and Examples of Calavera Literarias written using the outlined process. As the students prepare to view the infographic, I will explain to them that they will read it, both independently and collaboratively to closely analyze it. I will further explain that they will read the infographic a couple of times, each time focusing on a different aspect of it. I suggest that the infographic to be studied be divided into three separate viewings. In the first reading, I will ask the students to view the infographic in silence for a minute or two and think about what they see. After a minute or two I will ask the entire class, in the target language, “What do you observe in the infographic?” I anticipate the students to respond with the obvious — “There are a lot of images from the Day of the Dead. There is information about Calaveras Literarias. The infographic is divided into 3 sections." When a student provides an answer, I will ask her/him to supply more information. “You said it has information about Calaveras Literarias. What makes you say that?” The students will justify their answers by providing evidence from the work. They may say, “Calavera Literaria is mentioned in the title.” Next, I will encourage the students to share differing opinions and provide justification for their opinions. This will deepen the conversation and allow for a wider variety in the student interpretations of the various elements of the infographic. One student may say, “This infographic is about the elements that make up a Calavera Literaria because the focal point of the infographic is a list of literary elements.” I would then ask if everyone agrees with the statement. Another student might say that s/he doesn’t agree because even though the focal point of the infographic is a list of literary elements there are graphics that are numbered which implies an order or a process. I will summarize what the students said. After the discussion, the students will use a graphic organizer; a one-page paper divided in half with the first half labeled Learning and the other half labeled Reflection, to write a Learning/About statement and a brief summary.
The second reading is reading with purpose. Students will study the infographic independently, noting in writing details of the infographic that support their learning statements. Using the above graphic organizer, students reflect upon what they just read. I will explain to the students that the reflection can include questions they still have about the work, observations, or a personal connection that they have to a particular part of the infographic. With a shoulder partner, each student will discuss the details they selected from the infographic and how they support their Learning/About statement. Reflections are also shared. I will then conduct a whole class discussion regarding the details of the text in order to check for understanding. In addition, I will address student questions about the infographic.
The next step in the reading process is a series of text-dependent questions. I will model for the students the process of answering these questions by working through the first question with them. The process requires the students to begin by reviewing the infographic. Next, they will review the completed graphic organizer. Then they will seek the answer to the question and discuss the question with a partner checking for accuracy and clarification. The final step is where the students write their best possible answer using all of the information that they have gathered to adequately answer the question.
To end the close reading process, I will lead a whole class discussion of the questions and the work in order to check for accuracy and address any inaccurate responses. Then I will encourage my students to employ the information they gained from this activity in the writing of their Calaveras Literarias.
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