Spanish Festivals: A Curriculum Unit developed by Cynthia Kopencey

Grade Level:  Middle School, grades 6-8

Materials Needed: Computers with Microsoft PowerPoint and Publisher and Word, internet access, and other research materials

Time frame: 1-2 weeks, 30-40 minutes a day

Unit Objectives:

·        Students will locate and record information found on a given topic from a variety of sources including the internet

·        Students will gain knowledge of a particular festival or celebration

·        Students will gain knowledge of a particular city or region in Spain in conjunction with their study of a particular festival

·        Students will gain proficiency with using software applications

Lesson Plans:

 These plans are based on the assumption that the students have some prior knowledge and experience with the basic use of PowerPoint and Publisher software.

Day 1:   Students will be given a particular festival to research. (See Supplementary Information)  Given access to the internet and print resources, students will work alone or in small groups to locate information on the festival including:

·        where the festival is located

·        when the festival is held

·        what activities are held

·        what is the historical or cultural significance of the event

·         

Days 2-3:  Students will develop a PowerPoint presentation of at least 10 slides about their festival to show to the class including graphics, illustrations and a bibliography.

Days 4-5: Students will present their PowerPoint to the class.

Day 6:  Students will research the city and region from Spain where their festival is held.  They will locate information including, but not limited to:

·        Important geographical features

·        Typical weather of the region

·        Other attractions in the area including museums, sports events , theater

·        Typical foods of the region

Days 7-10: Students will use Publisher to create a 2-sided travel brochure promoting their region of Spain including, but not limited to the following information:

·        The name of the region

·        A description of the region including geographical features and weather, significant historical events, typical foods of the region

·        A map of the region

·        The flag of the region

·        Specific information on the festival, including 1 photo

·        Other tourist attractions in the region, including at least one photo or graphic

Supplementary Information:

Spanish festivals:

Feast of the Epiphany (Three Kings Day) January 6, throughout Spain

Fallas Festival, Valencia, March

Moros y Cristianos, Alcoy, April

Semana Santa, Seville, holy week

La Feria de Abril, Seville, 2 weeks after Easter

San Isidro, Madrid, May

San Fermin Festival, Pamplona, July

La Tomatina Festival, Bunyol, near Valencia, August

Festes de la Merce, Barcelona, September

Christmas, throughout Spain, December

Internet resources:

Spanish festivals

http://gospain.about.com/od/spanishfestivals/Festivals_in_Spain_Spanish_Celebrations_of_Culture_Film_Music.htm

http://www.nationalgeographic.com/traveler/0209/festivals.html

http://www.spanish-fiestas.com/spanish-festivals/

http://www.spanish-living.com/entertainment_index.php

http://www.2camels.com/festivals/spain.php

Spanish travel guides

http://www.in-spain.info/

http://www.lonelyplanet.com/worldguide/destinations/europe/spain/

http://www.spain.info/

http://www.spainguides.com/

http://www.spanish-fiestas.com/

This unit is developed to meet the Connecticut Standards in Social Studies:

Standard 2: Students will use historical thinking skills to develop an understanding of the major historical periods, issues and trends in United States history, world history, and Connecticut and local history.

Standard 4: Students will recognize the continuing importance of historical thinking and historical knowledge in their own lives and in the world in which they live.

Standard 9: Students will use spatial perspective to identify and analyze the significance of physical and cultural characteristics of places and world regions.

And the Connecticut Standards in Technology:

Standard 3: Students will demonstrate a command of information skills and strategies to locate and use effectively print, nonprint and/or electronic resources to solve problems, conduct research and pursue personal interests.

Standard 4: Students will apply evaluative criteria to the selection, interpretation, analysis, reorganization and synthesis of information from a variety of sources and formats.

Standard 5: Students will use appropriate technologies to create written, visual, oral and multimedia products to communicate ideas, information or conclusions to others.

Standard 6: Students will evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of their own choices and uses of information and technology for problem-solving and communication.