Download Juanita`s Dream – An Exploration of Mayan Culture

Christina Gabonay
Action Plan for Learning
July 15, 2011
Title:
Juanita’s Dream-An Exploration of Mayan Culture
Subject Area/Grade Level:
th
Spanish 1/8 grade
Investigative Question:
How has life changed for the Mayans since the arrival of Western Europeans in 1492?
PA Academic Standards and/or Common Core Standards:
Stage 1 World Language:
12.1.1.S4.A: Listen to, model, interpret and discuss distinct regional accents as heard in conversation by native speakers
12.1.1.S4.D: Discuss how speakers and writers use various sentence structures to convey meanings.
12.1.1.S4.E: Select a specific historical event that occurred in the target language/culture and the English/American culture.
Demonstrate comparisons and/or contrasts of how target language vocabulary is used in describing the bicultural event.
8th grade World History:
8.1.8.A: Compare and contrast events over time and how continuity and change over time influenced those events.
8.1.8.C: Produce an organized product on an assigned historical topic that presents and reflects on a thesis statement and
appropriate primary and secondary sources. (Reference RWSL Standard 1.8.8 Research)
8.4.8.B: Illustrate how historical documents, artifacts, and sites are critical to world history.
8.4.8.C: Illustrate how continuity and change have impacted world history.
8.4.8.D: Compare conflict and cooperation among groups and organizations which have impacted the history and development
of the world.
Reading, Writing, Speaking, Listening 8th Grade Anchor
R8.A.2 Understand nonfiction appropriate to grade level.
R8.A.2.3 - Make inferences, draw conclusions, and make generalizations based on text.
Common Core-ELA Informational Text-Grade 8
Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative, connotative, and technical
meanings; analyze the impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone, including analogies or allusions to other texts.
Source: http://www.pdesas.org/
Learning Objectives of current segment:
1. To provide insight into the way of life in Mayan villages in Guatemala
2. To examine the differing roles of men and women in Mayan life
3. To explain the nature and importance of agriculture in the Mayan economy
4. To understand the importance of tourism to the Guatemalan economy
5. To appreciate the nature and variety of Mayan handicrafts and their role in the Guatemalan economy
6. To begin to formulate personal beliefs pertaining to Justice
7. To begin to understand the role of equality, opportunity and access in the US
8.To be able to explain the difference between empathy and pity
9. To begin to form an understanding of applications of empathy
Duration:
This is a description of the final two week-long segment of a year-long cultural focus. The investigative question given is the
original question posed at the beginning of the year. The primary focus of this segment is the modern Maya of Guatemala.
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Action Plan for Learning
July 15, 2011
Materials & Citation of Resources:
Antonio de Nebrija. (1441–1522). Gramática de la lengua castellana (Grammar of the Castilian language). Salamanca: 1492.
Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (026.00.03)
Bartolomé de Las Casas (1474–1566). Aqui si contiene una disputa, o controuersia . . . (Here is contained a dispute, or
controversy . . .). Seville: Sebestian Trugillo, 1522. Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (080.01.00)
Christopher Columbus (1451–1506). Epistola Christofori Colom (Letters of Christopher Columbus). Rome: Stephan Plannck, after
April 29,1493. Jay I. Kislak Collection, Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (048.00.03)
Frederick Catherwood (1799–1854). Back of Idol at Copan, ca. 1842. Pencil and brown wash drawing on paper. Jay I. Kislak
Collection, Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (003.00.03)
Frederick Catherwood (1799–1854). Back of Idol at Copan, ca. 1842. Pencil and brown wash drawing on paper. Jay I. Kislak
Collection, Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (003.00.00)
Juanita Dream: A Mayan’s Guide to Guatemala.”By Velasco, Juanita, 2002. AIMS Multimedia. Video.
<http://www.unitedstreaming.com>
Teaching Tolerance. 2011.Southern Poverty Law Center.13 Jul. 2011 <http://www.tolerance.org/>
Von Schoff, E.J.. “Juanita Dream: A Mayan’s Guide to Guatemala.” AIMS Multimedia (2002) PDF file.
Other materials:
Guatemalan Basket; Modern Handicraft or Replicas of: Mayan Musical Instrument, Mayan Cooking Utensil, Mayan Religious
Artifact; Mayan Material, Various Art Supplies, Sufficient Copies of All Handouts, SmartCart, COW
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Christina Gabonay
Action Plan for Learning
July 15, 2011
Inquiry-Based Instruction:
I will use an Inquiry-Based Instructional Model with the following components:
Ask: Students will begin by formulating questions about gaps in their knowledge of Guatemalan culture, ancient or modern.
Investigate: Students will investigate the answers to their questions, with teacher aid if needed. They can do this in
cooperative groups or individually.
Create: Students will cooperatively or individually create an artifact or other representation that illustrates their new
learning.
Discuss: Students will share their findings with the class and an open discussion of those findings will follow.
Reflect: Students will reflect on their new learning, not only what they investigated, but also what they learned from other
students as well.
Description of Procedures:
Pre-class Preparations:
Prior to class I will prepare my classroom in several ways. I will have all necessary materials,
handouts, art supplies, COW (Computer on Wheels) Lab, Smart Cart and video arranged neatly
and readily available. I will display photographs of the landscape, people, architecture, ecology
and culture of Guatemala throughout the classroom. I will also decorate the classroom in a way
that evokes thoughts of Guatemalan culture and ecology. The desks will be arranged in groups
of four in a pinwheel pattern. Students will have teacher assigned seating during the course of
the semester. I will chose the seating based upon several factors, perceived proficiency level,
behavior and perceived personality to best support cooperative learning during grammatical
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Action Plan for Learning
July 15, 2011
instruction. The seating will change during the final, project- based assessment according to
whom the students work with to create their demonstration of learning.
Instructional Procedures:
Bell Assignment Explanation: Every day, I will propose a question that pertains to some aspect
of Mayan culture, either modern or ancient that the students will write about in their journals.
Procedure by Day:
Day 1:
On the first day, as the students enter the classroom, I will have modern Mayan music playing.
On the board, I will have an abstract thought based question pertaining to the Mayan music
that is playing written on the board, which the students will answer in their daily journal.
Students are required to write three full sentences for each journal entry. The entry can be
written in either English or Spanish unless otherwise noted. In this case, the entry can be
written in English. The students will have one and a half minutes after the bell has rung to
complete their writing. The students will be given the opportunity to share their journal
responses with the class. Once the students have been given ample occasion to discuss their
entries, I will briefly detail our lesson objectives for the day. I will then pose my investigative
question to the class. After this, I will bring out some authentic artifacts (preferably artifacts
that will be seen in the Juanita’s Dream video and that would entice a variety of interests) and
primary resources that are connected to Mayan culture. I will give concrete background of
what the items are used for, symbolized and/or how they are made. (ASK/INVESTIGATE) I will
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Action Plan for Learning
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then open discussion to the class to allow them to share prior knowledge of Mayan culture and
personal “wonderings” that the students will be able to investigate throughout the unit. (By
doing this after the introduction and showing artifacts, I will have given the students time to
think about previous knowledge naturally.) The students will be asked to write down their
questions on a separate note page in their binder, leaving space between each question to
allow for them to write the “answers” to their questions as they find them through
investigation later in the unit. As they are writing down their questions, I will set out the
primary source artifacts around the room along with information cards that describe each item.
At this point in the lesson, we will be nearing the end of the period. As a culminating activity, I
will give each student a hand out worksheet. On the worksheet will be a large box with space
below it to write. I will ask each student to choose an artifact that we have discussed, do their
best to draw of a representation of it, and then, write a description of the object in their own
words. For homework, the students must write a new question that the object they chose
invoked. They will also have the option of completing their representation of the object in color.
To review before the end of class, the students will briefly share what they have learned. I will
then end class by making an inviting statement alluding to meeting “Juanita” the following day.
Day 2: Juanita’s Dream
When the student’s enter the classroom, I will have an artifact clearly displayed. The artifact
will be something that is most likely unfamiliar to the students and that will be a part of the
Juanita’s Dream video that they will view later in the period. The coverage of the object will not
be direct in the video, it will be peripheral. The journal entry of the day will pertain to the
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Action Plan for Learning
July 15, 2011
students’ speculation of what the object is, how it is used or any other speculation pertaining to
the object. (ASK) After the student’s have completed their journal entries, they will be given the
opportunity to share their thoughts. When all students who have volunteered have shared
their guess, I will introduce the video “Juanita’s Dream: A Mayan’s Guide to Guatemala” and
distribute a handout activity that will help guide the students through the crucial points of the
video. Following the introduction, I will present the video. (INVESTIGATE) When the video ends,
we will revisit our guesses about the purpose of the object presented the beginning of class and
discuss its true purpose. We will then go over the guided practice worksheet from the video.
To end class, we will take a moment to REFLECT on our learning and students will volunteer
what new learning or understanding they are taking away from class that day.
Day 3: Application and the Importance of Perspective
On the board, I will post a picture of something pertaining to a modern (age appropriate)
controversy. The picture will be cropped or be from an angle that either the image appears
entirely “normal” or that in way that it may imply that something is “just not right” in the
picture. Students will be asked to write a journal entry describing the picture. Students’
responses will vary from holistically describing the picture or situation to more pinpoint focus
on a certain aspect of the photo.
After students have completed their entries, I will then
present the photo from a new perspective. We will then take the time to REFLECT on our
previous assumptions and DISCUSS what effect the new perspective has had on those
assumptions. We will then work through a short reading and a simple activity that promotes
the understanding of empathy and complete a pair activity that also has the aim of increasing
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Action Plan for Learning
July 15, 2011
empathy within the student. Next we will then proceed through a guided reading of the three
primary aspects of Justice (fairness, equality and tolerance). After the reading, I will answer any
questions that the students have in the most neutral, word redefining based way possible. I will
then lead the class through individual guided practice activities designed to assist students in
formulating their own perspective of common ethics based situations. Before breaking into
groups, I will guide students through the process of creating neutral questions that seek only to
clarify. The students will then share their perspectives with a small group. As the students listen
to each other’s views, they will fill in a guided practice sheet, outlining the group members’
perspectives. They will not be permitted to comment on the other’s perspective; however, they
will be permitted to ask questions for clarification. (INVESTIGATE)
After all students in the
group have shared their perspectives, students will work individually to complete a graphic
organizer that compares and contrasts the perspectives that they had with her/his own. To
culminate the day’s activities, we will share what volunteers feel was the most important
learning of the day for him/her as an individual. For homework, students are to analyze their
graphic organizer and write a written REFLECTion of how his/her view compares and contrasts
with the views of other group members being sure to note if his/her view has changed as a
result of reflecting on the different perspectives of the group members.
Day 4: Differing Perspectives of the Past, then Back to the Modern Maya
The journal activity of the day will be to continue thinking about perspectives by attempting to
create a perspective of the topic from previous day (also from the homework assignment) that
is different from the perspectives given by the other group members and their own. After
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Action Plan for Learning
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sharing their perspectives, I will make a connection back to previous a unit about the ancient
Mayan by presenting conflicting perspectives through two primary sources, Bartolomé de Las
Casas book Aqui si contiene una disputa, o controuersia and contrasting it with Christopher
Columbus’ letters in Epistola Christofori Colom. To transition to the modern Maya, I will ask the
students how they think the arrival of the Europeans may have influenced the lives of the
Modern Maya. Then I will present a picture of Antonio de Nebrija’s Gramática de la lengua
castellana (Grammar of the Castilian language) and explain its intended purpose. I will then ask
students, in groups to speculate what this artifact meant for the Mayans and how it still affects
the Mayans today. The students will choose one person from each group to share the group’s
ideas. I will then have the students begin work on guided practice activities focused on the
daily lives and culture of the Modern Maya. Homework for the weekend will be to reflect and
choose at least two specific topics, aspects of culture, economy, daily life or world
influences/issues/controversies affecting the modern or ancient Maya. The homework will be
turned in at the beginning of class on Day 5. This homework will aid my grouping of the
students for the assessment project.
Day 5: Introduction to the Project
The journal entry for the day will be a situation in which the students will be to write from the
perspective of a modern Mayan living in Guatemala. This is be a practice in empathy. Two to
three students will then share their writings. After this, I will give each student two handouts,
the first will contain a detailed checklist of criteria for the project, a description of the roles of
individual group members, as well as project suggestions, the second handout will contain the
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Action Plan for Learning
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rubric on which the students will be graded. After the students have the handouts, I will begin
to discuss the upcoming project. The project will have a dual basis, differentiated instruction
and project-based learning. Students will work in groups to create a presentation of an aspect
of ancient or modern Mayan culture or that affected/affects the ancient or modern Maya.
Students will be required to use the Library of Congress website to find a primary source that
supports their chosen topic. Project ideas and project specific guidelines will be provided. All
projects will include a written component, a student created physical representation of their
research, a primary source found on the library of congress’ website, and a presentation. I
must approve the project before the group can begin the researching stage. Within each group,
there will be predefined roles for students to fill. These roles can be altered by the group if
they collectively chose to do so and have my approval.
Special Needs (non-gifted)- An individual project option will be available for students with
special needs that prevent them from benefiting from cooperative work. A preplanned
traditional step by step project will also be available. I will also create a new step-by-step
project option if needed for an individual student with special needs. On an individual basis, I
will work to find a way to include a cooperative component to the student’s project.)
After explaining the project, the students will break off into their cooperative learning groups
and work on a guided practice activity. While they are working on this activity, I will review
their homework and sort the students into groups based on their chosen topics. I will work to
make the groups as diverse as possible. Before the end of class, I will let the students meet
with their new groups to talk over some ideas for the project next week. Their homework for
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Action Plan for Learning
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tonight will be to fill out a project proposal sheet for a project of their creation and choose the
member role that is most preferable to them as well as their second choice for a role.
Day 6: Propose
The bell activity for today will be to review their proposals and prepare to share them with their
group. After the bell, the students will met with their groups and share their proposals. After
all group members have shared their proposals, the group will either vote on their favorite,
create a hybrid from the proposals presented, or come up with an entirely new proposal. After
a decision is made, the group will complete a project proposal form. One representative will
present their proposal to me. I will either approve it, or work with the group to alter the
proposal to fit the necessary criteria. Once the proposal is complete, the assigned group
member will compile a list of necessary materials to complete their project and show it to me.
The school will provide as many of the supplies that it can. The group will begin its research
using books, the internet or any other sources found in the room.
Day 7: Library Research
We will meet in the library to allow students to continue INVESTIGATE and work on project.
Days 8-9: Project Work Days
We will meet in the classroom and continue work on the projects. If a student needs more time
in the library, they may go during activity periods.
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Christina Gabonay
Action Plan for Learning
July 15, 2011
Day 11-13: Project Presentations Students will present projects to the class.
Day 14: Reflection
On this day, students will complete a reflection of their new learning, they will not only reflect
on their own project, but also what they have learned from the projects of others and what
they have gained from the unit itself.
Assessment Rubric:
Juanita’s Dream Rubric
Category
4
3
2
1
Content
Facts
The project content is
exemplary, on topic and
suggests the student has
discovered the important
ideas of his/her aim.
The project content is
good, on topic and
suggests the student has
discovered most of the
important facts of
his/her topic.
The project content
is fair/poor and
suggests the student
has not discovered
most of the
important facts
and/or is not
entirely on topic.
The project content
is poor, off topic
and/or suggests
that the student
has not done
sufficient research.
Organization
Materials are complete
and organized to present
the ideas well.
Materials are complete
and organized.
Some materials are
complete and
organized.
Materials are
incomplete and not
organized.
Creativity &
Appearance
Project is excellently
presented reflecting
creativity and a lot of
thought.
Good creative effort.
Project is neat and
shows evidence of time
spent on it.
Some attempt made
to add color and
originality. Project is
neat.
Little attempt to
add color or
originality. Project
has sloppy
appearance.
Knowledge
The project demonstrates
a thorough knowledge of
the subject investigated
The project
demonstrates good
knowledge of the subject
investigated
The project
demonstrates some
knowledge of the
subject investigated.
The project
demonstrates very
little knowledge of
the subject
investigated.
Presentation
Presentation sequence is
exemplary and a detailed
plan is evident.
Presentation has
sequence and plan is
evident.
Presentation has
some sequence and
plan evident.
Presentation has no
sequence or plan
evident.
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