Introduction
“Mira a los árboles, los pájaros, las nubes, las estrellas y si tienes ojos serás capaz de ver que toda la existencia es alegría. Todo es simplemente feliz. Están felices sin ninguna razón: no van a ser primeros ministros o presidentes y no van a tener ingresos en el banco. Contempla las flores: no hay motivos. Es simplemente incredíble lo alegres que son las flores.” -- Osho Look at the trees, the birds, the clouds, the stars and if you have eyes you will be able to see all of existence is joy. Everything is just happy. They are happy for no reason: they are not going to be prime ministers or presidents and they are not going to have income in the bank. Contemplate the flowers: there are no reasons. It is just unbelievable how happy flowers are.1
In this multisensory unit designed for a World Language class, I will focus on providing opportunities for my Spanish students to connect to the natural world through place-based education. Over a span of six weeks my students will explore and observe various aspects in nature. My students will spend time in nature writing in the target language. This unit will include, but is not limited to, a nature journal written response to nature in the target language, a visual depiction labeled in the target language of an observation in nature, and an oral presentation of a selected journal entry. My plan is for the unit to culminate with each student selecting an entry from the entirety of their natural journal entries to present as their final entry, their summative assessment. Students will share the end product, their updated and enhanced journal entry, with 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 middle school meetings. This unit addresses the World-Readiness Standards for Language Learning of Interpersonal Communication and Global and School Communities.
Comments: