ALEX Learning Activity Resources

   View Standards     Standard(s): [WLAN] WL4 (7-12) 2 :

2) Interpret, restate, and react to what is heard, read, or viewed on familiar and new topics.

a. Give main ideas, supporting details, and justify inferences in selected texts.

b. Identify themes, settings, characters, and plot lines found in literary texts.

c. Use background knowledge from other disciplines to understand spoken and written information in the target language.

[WLAN] WL5 (7-12) 2 :

2) Understand the main idea and a few details in texts on a variety of topics related to everyday life and personal interests in various time frames and moods using varied vocabulary and more complex sentence structure.

a. Relate main themes and significant details in ads, reports, or announcements presented on TV, radio, video, or in live presentations.

b. Describe the main themes and significant details on topics found in print media.

c. Follow short instructions to complete a task.

This introductory activity provides a gateway to exploring the town of Hershey, Cuba, a town built by Milton Hershey to produce sugar in the early 1900s. Using their taste buds, students will be captivated by this topic and will desire to learn more about Hershey, Cuba. This lesson provides opportunities to explore greater or reinforce the uses of the past tenses (preterit and/or imperfect) as well as build vocabulary related to sugar production and industry.

This activity is for the intermediate proficiency level and should be taught completely in the target language.

This activity is a result of the ALEX Resource Development Summit.

   View Standards     Standard(s): [WLAN] WL4 (7-12) 2 :

2) Interpret, restate, and react to what is heard, read, or viewed on familiar and new topics.

a. Give main ideas, supporting details, and justify inferences in selected texts.

b. Identify themes, settings, characters, and plot lines found in literary texts.

c. Use background knowledge from other disciplines to understand spoken and written information in the target language.

[WLAN] WL5 (7-12) 3 :

3) Present information on a wide variety of both familiar and new topics using varied vocabulary and more complex sentence structure in various time frames and moods.

a. Present information about personal and social events, experiences, and activities.

b. Present information on a topic studied or researched.

c. Present points of view and provide reasons to support them.

This activity engages students in expressing their opinion of a Coca-Cola Commercial that aired in Mexico in 2015. Using past Coca-Cola commercials from various decades and an opinion article from El País, students will reflect on prior knowledge of indigenous groups of Latin America to express their opinion on the 2015 commercial. This culminating activity incorporates presentational writing as students express and support their opinion in the target language.

This activity is for intermediate to advanced proficiency levels and should be taught completely in the target language. 

This activity is a result of the ALEX Resource Development Summit.

   View Standards     Standard(s): [WLAN] WL4 (7-12) 1 :

1) Communicate and share on familiar and new topics in various time frames and moods.

a. Initiate, maintain, and conclude a conversation on various topics.

b. Use the target language to communicate about subjects of particular interest to students.

c. Use the target language to handle tasks that may contain a complication.

[WLAN] WL4 (7-12) 2 :

2) Interpret, restate, and react to what is heard, read, or viewed on familiar and new topics.

a. Give main ideas, supporting details, and justify inferences in selected texts.

b. Identify themes, settings, characters, and plot lines found in literary texts.

c. Use background knowledge from other disciplines to understand spoken and written information in the target language.

[WLAN] WL4 (7-12) 3 :

3) Present information on familiar and new topics in various time frames and aspects using varied vocabulary and more complex sentence structure.

a. Express needs, wants and preferences with supporting reasons.

b. Present information on academic and work-related topics.

c. Present information about common age-appropriate issues.

“Las Charlas”, or Chit-Chats, allow the student to take ownership of vocabulary, content, and grammar at the end of a unit. Las Charlas helps to build student confidence in the target language while speaking about a semi-familiar topic. This Charla includes the topic of Hemingway in Cuba. Students are given two resources to explore and learn about Hemingway’s time in Cuba. Students will present a two-minute interpersonal chat with the teacher on the information they have learned.

This activity is a result of the ALEX Resource Development Summit.

   View Standards     Standard(s): [WLAN] WL4 (7-12) 7 :

7) Acquire information related to diverse perspectives in the target culture in a variety of time frames and moods.

a. Explain how current events are reported in target culture and at home.

b. Compare and contrast advertisements from target culture and local media.

c. Explain the importance of influential figures from the perspective of the target culture.

[WLAN] WL4 (7-12) 5 :

5) Investigate perspectives through products of the target cultures.

a. Analyze the importance of products of the target culture, related to arts, crafts, and graphic representations.

b. Analyze the cultural elements of music and short video clips.

[WLAN] WL4 (7-12) 4 :

4) Investigate perspectives through practices of the target cultures.

a. Explain how behaviors in the target culture relate to and reflect different types of relationships.

b. Interact through role-play in a variety of familiar and unfamiliar environments.

c. Plan hands-on activities related to cultural practices.

[WLAN] WL4 (7-12) 2 :

2) Interpret, restate, and react to what is heard, read, or viewed on familiar and new topics.

a. Give main ideas, supporting details, and justify inferences in selected texts.

b. Identify themes, settings, characters, and plot lines found in literary texts.

c. Use background knowledge from other disciplines to understand spoken and written information in the target language.

[WLAN] WL4 (7-12) 1 :

1) Communicate and share on familiar and new topics in various time frames and moods.

a. Initiate, maintain, and conclude a conversation on various topics.

b. Use the target language to communicate about subjects of particular interest to students.

c. Use the target language to handle tasks that may contain a complication.

Students will analyze the various products, practices, and perspectives of the Spanish-speaking world through the lens of music.  Students will practice interpretive listening using the song “Latinoamérica” by Calle 13 to complete a cloze activity with the lyrics.  Then, students will research and analyze the specific products, practices, and perspectives of Latin American culture that are mentioned in the song.  Finally, students will engage in interpersonal discussion to compare their results and opinions of their findings. The basic format of this lesson could be adapted to fit a variety of songs on a variety of themes, from any language.

This activity was created as a result of the World Languages COS Resource Development Summit.

   View Standards     Standard(s): [WLAN] WL4 (7-12) 2 :

2) Interpret, restate, and react to what is heard, read, or viewed on familiar and new topics.

a. Give main ideas, supporting details, and justify inferences in selected texts.

b. Identify themes, settings, characters, and plot lines found in literary texts.

c. Use background knowledge from other disciplines to understand spoken and written information in the target language.

[WLAN] WL4 (7-12) 3 :

3) Present information on familiar and new topics in various time frames and aspects using varied vocabulary and more complex sentence structure.

a. Express needs, wants and preferences with supporting reasons.

b. Present information on academic and work-related topics.

c. Present information about common age-appropriate issues.

[WLAN] WL4 (7-12) 4 :

4) Investigate perspectives through practices of the target cultures.

a. Explain how behaviors in the target culture relate to and reflect different types of relationships.

b. Interact through role-play in a variety of familiar and unfamiliar environments.

c. Plan hands-on activities related to cultural practices.

[WLAN] WL4 (7-12) 8 :

8) Compare characteristics of the target language and the native language in a variety of time frames and moods.

a. Explain idiomatic expressions appropriately.

b. Compare and contrast formal and informal registers of language.

In this lesson, students will read an authentic literary text, “Las medias de los flamencos,” by Horacio Quiroga.  Students will identify key vocabulary, plot events, setting, and themes of the story. In order to show comprehension of the story, students will create either a storyboard or children’s book version of the story.  Any literary text or story from any language could easily be used in conjunction with this lesson.

This activity was created as a result of the World Languages COS Resource Development Summit.