Holidays and Festivals in Spanish-Speaking Countries

1. Holidays and Festivals in Spanish-Speaking Countries

2. Unit Summary • Students will study the cultural significance of holidays and festivals in Spanish-speaking countries. They will make comparisons/contrast between these cultures and their own.

3. Curriculum-Framing Questions • Essential QuestionWhy do people in all cultures value holidays so greatly? • Unit QuestionsHow can studying holidays in other countries help us to have more insight into other people’s cultures? • Content QuestionsWhat are some of the most important holidays and celebrations in the Spanish-speaking countries? What are some of the holidays we share in common?

4. Vision For The Unit • Students will be able to recognize the importance of holidays and festivals in the cultures of Spanish-speaking countries. • Students will gather, analyze, organize and reflect upon information about the Spanish-speaking population and its cultural practices. • Students will present information about the cultures of the Spanish-speaking people, using visual aids and/or multimedia presentations for a peer audience • * Students will make connections between themselves and their cultural practices as they relate to those of Spanish-speaking population.

5. Project Approaches: • Collaborate With Peers • Gain Understanding of Different Cultures • Create a Project That Shows What They Have Learned • Share Their Learning With a Real Audience

6. 21st Century Learning • Students will develop higher order and 21st century skills in this unit as they: • Use the essential and unit questions to guide their analysis of how cultures and similar and different. • Communicate their ideas to a community audience. • Reflect on their reading, writing, research, and thinking strategies and modify them as necessary. • Use project assessments to self-assess their work and give feedback to their peers.

7. Gauging Student’s Needs Assessments • K-W-H-L Chart

8. Requests For Feedback • Need help assess student’s higher-order thinking skills. • Need ways to assess student’s prior knowledge of geography and culture in Spanish-speaking countries.