CASE STUDY

Student Seminar

Janeth Cano
College of Saint Mary

Section 1 Contextual Factors (narrative)

Description of school context
o I am student teaching in a High School Spanish classroom in a culturally diverse district located
in a suburban area of the most populated county in Nebraska. The district is also the states
largest district, giving room to a wide variety of diverse students, teachers and staff. There are
63 elementary schools, 13 middle schools and 8 high schools. This leads to high student
enrollment at the high school level. The high school I am student teaching at had 1,989 students
enrolled for the 2014-2015 school year. It had a student-teacher ratio of 18:1, which is
significantly higher than the state average of 14:1. The school had 113.2 full-time teachers with
an average of 11 years of teaching experience. The majority of the high schools student body
was made up of 40.4% African-American students, while the typical high school in the city is
made up of 17.3% African-American students. This represents a drastically different ethnic
distribution in the high school compared to other schools in the district. The rest of the student
body consisted of 37% White, 9.9% Hispanic, 1.8 % Asian, 1.3% American Indian and 9.5%
students of two races. The student body is also divided in 54.7% male and 45.3% female. Of the
student population at the high school, 53.1% were eligible for free school lunch while 10.6%
were eligible for reduced price lunch and 36.3% were ineligible for free or reduced lunch. The
high school is ranked in the bottom 10% of Nebraska high school based on their performance on
the state reading and math exams, with 52% of the students scoring at reading proficiency while
only 35% scored at the math proficiency. The high school also serves as a magnet school in the
areas of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).

Description of class context

o At the school, I have three classes of Honors Spanish. The high school follows an A day B day
schedule, two of these honors classes are given on A days while one is given on B days. One
class (A3) is composed of 26 students, 12 male and 14 female. The next class (B4) has 21
students of which 9 are male and 12 are female. The last class (A7) has 12 students, 7 male and 5
female. In all classrooms, students are predominantly black and there are less than 10 native
speakers overall. Most students come from middle to low-income families. In the A3 classroom,
one student has a parent restriction order in place, which restricts the students parental
involvement to strictly educational settings. The student displays certain attitudes, which reflect
her home situation. Certain attitudes such as back talking, using foul language and refusing to do
work are common with this student. However, she demonstrates great potential when she is
engaged. I found that this specific student likes to participate in partner work but is easily
distracted in group work. She also likes to participate in activities that reflect a competition, such
as board races or jeopardy, and demonstrates a great ability to encourage classmates and show
her true potential. In the B4 classroom, there are two students with IEPs (Individual Education
Plan) for lack of concentration. These students have a hard time focusing during the class period
and need constant motivation to help them stay on task. Their lack of focus is evident in their
out-going personalities, which tends to draw extra attention to them. However, once we are able
to get them on focus, they are hard working students, especially when the task at hand gives
them the opportunity to explore different intelligences (kinesthetic, linguistic, special, rhythmic,
etc.). One student in this class also has a parent restriction order in place due to a domestic
violence charge placed against her father. The order strictly removes all contact from the student
with her father. Although this is something that has without a doubt impacted the student, she
does not display any signs of it affecting her studies. She is a shy student, but is also a very hard
worker and does her best to achieve her highest potential.
In all classrooms, there is a wide gap in readiness and learning where some students are at or
exceed the level of understanding while some are below level. This creates a classroom with very

diverse learning styles and needs. Although there are not many native speakers, these few
students are in a unique situation, as they are fluent in the language and can communicate clearly,
but lack dominance with the grammatical aspect of the language. Because of this, these few
students tend to enjoy participating in verbal activities and discussions, but tend to disregard
written activities or note taking. Overall. the students display typical teenage attitudes of
authority-defiance and occasional uninterested, however, they also display a great potential for
achieving high scores, the key to this is finding a way to engage the whole classroom while
tending to special needs and keeping in mind their background.

Implications these factors may have on instructional planning

o In order to keep all students engaged, the cooperating teacher and I work on creating
lessons that provide a wide range of opportunities to use different intelligences and
personalize their assignments. Although we have a textbook for the classroom, we use it
mainly as an outline of what we want to teach. The students get their vocab for each unit
from the textbook, but the activities are created by us and tailored to each classs
dynamics and characteristics. For instance, one class may enjoy playing bingo with the
vocab to help them get practice time, while the other class would find this game too dull
and need an activity that provides more opportunity for them to move around such as
trashketball or board races. We also try to include as many activities that involve
Kagans cooperative learning techniques to help the students develop interpersonal and
intrapersonal skills along with developing their language mastery. As far as assessments,
the students have expressed an interest in receiving more frequent quizzes that cover a
fewer amount of topics as opposed to having more spread out tests that cover a wide
range of topics. The interest of the students to be assessed more frequently in order to
know where they stand in the unit as far as learning demonstrates their interest in
succeeding in the classroom and is an encouraging factor for us. Along with planning
dynamic activities, I have also taken it upon myself to create activities that provide
opportunities to students to be exposed to more technology in the classroom. One of
these lessons included the students using the computer lab to create a fake facebook
profile in which they were to use their unit vocabulary and grammar lessons to create a
family dialogue. The response from students to this lesson was outstanding and
demonstrates a deeper need for more activities like this one. Overall, students need
constant praise and motivational boost to keep them engaged in the classroom and this
is a big factor that we keep in mind while planning lessons and assessments.

Section 2 Learning Goals/Outcomes (short narrative then the chart)

Description of and background of learning goals selected
o Learning a second language is a powerful tool that opens doors to expanded career
opportunities as well as giving and edge to stand out among others. However, beside the
academic benefits from learning a foreign language, there is also a huge potential for
bridging gaps between cultures and becoming more socially and culturally aware.
Students who learn a second language have a potential opportunity to be immerged into
a culture different from their own and become aware of social aspects that had been
unknown to them before. During the rapid increase of cultural diversity in our country,
students who learn a second language, specifically Spanish, and who become aware and
are able to better understand the culture open doors to social engagement opportunities
and potential career advancement opportunities that put them ahead of their peers who
lack these abilities. During the unit, the students will learn different aspects of Hispanic
culture such as music, art and social interactions that will give them a deeper insight
into what the culture is like beyond the language.

Summary Chart of Goal/Outcomes and Assessment Links

State learning goals/outcomes for the
unit
Students will read a traditional
Hispanic myth or legend and analyze
for cultural aspects represented in the
reading. Students will share this
information with their classmates
through partner and group discussions.

NE state standards

Students will analyze aspects of a

traditional Hispanic celebration and
compare this event to an event
traditional to their own culture

Cultures
Standard 2.1: Students demonstrate an
understanding of the relationship between
the practices and perspectives of the culture
studied.
Connections
Standard 3.2: Students acquire information
and recognize the distinctive viewpoints
that are only available through the foreign
language and its cultures
Comparisons
Standard 4.2: Students demonstrate
understanding of the concept of culture
through comparisons of the cultures studied
and their own.

Students will create an art piece

representing an aspect of Hispanic
culture with which they identify with
based on what they learned form the
unit

Communication
Standard 1.3: Students present information,
concepts, and ideas to an audience of
listeners or readers on a variety of topics.
Cultures
Standard 2.1: Students demonstrate an
understanding of the relationship between
the practices and perspectives of the culture
studied.
Connections
Standard 3.1: Students reinforce and further
their knowledge of other disciplines
through the foreign language.

Communication
Standard 1.1: Students engage in
conversations,
provide and obtain information,
express feelings and emotions, and
exchange
opinions.
Standard 1.2: Students understand and
interpret written and spoken language on a
variety of topics.
Culture
Standard 2.2: Students demonstrate an
understanding of the relationship between
the products and perspectives of the culture
studied.

Comparisons
Standard 4.2: Students demonstrate
understanding of the concept of culture
through comparisons of the cultures studied
and their own.
Communities
Standard 5.2: Students show evidence of
becoming life-long learners by using the
language for personal enjoyment and
enrichment.
Section 3 Description of Assessment Plan (chart of assessment plan)
Learning Goal

Assessment

Goal #1
Students will read
a traditional
Hispanic myth or
legend and
analyze for
cultural aspects
represented in the
reading. Students
will share this
information with
their classmates
through partner
and group
discussions.

Pre-assessment

Goal #2

Assessment
Format
Class discussion
about different
aspects of
Hispanic culture
and KWL chart

Formative
Assessment

Students will fill

out chart with the
aspects of culture
they find in their
respective reading

Summative

Students will
complete chart to
analyze the
aspects of culture
found in the
reading and
evaluate how
these aspects
affect the story
and how the story
would be different
if these aspects
were not present
The class will

Pre-assessment

Differentiation
s
Breaks to give
opportunity for
partner discussion
to come up with
more ideas before
sharing with the
classroom
Students will also
be allowed to write
down their
comments for
those who feel
insecure of the
accuracy of their
comment
Students will be
given the option to
also draw pictures
representing the
aspects they find
in the reading
Students will be
given the option to
also draw pictures
representing the
aspects they find
in the reading and
how the story
would look
different without
them

Students will have

Students will
analyze aspects of
a traditional
Hispanic
celebration and
compare this
event to an event
traditional to their
own culture
Formative
Assessment

Summative

Goal #3
Students will
create an art piece
representing an
aspect of Hispanic
culture with which
they identify with
based on what
they learned form
the unit

Pre-assessment

Formative
Assessment

Summative

create a graffiti
wall by having a
class discussion
about traditional
Hispanic
celebrations that
the students know
about and key
aspects or words
that are related to
these events
Students will
create a chart
describing the
aspects of the
Hispanic
celebration they
have chosen and
the event from
their own culture
Students will
create a power
point or prezi
giving clear
comparisons and
contrasts about
both events they
chose
Class discussion
about popular
Hispanic artists.
Students will use
yes/ no cards to
indicate whether
or not they are
familiar with a
certain artist/style
Students will
answer quiz
connecting
popular artists to
their respective art
pieces

Students will
create an art piece
applying one of
the specific styles
learned during the
lesson to

the opportunity to
discuss with their
shoulder partner
about possible
ideas they may
have

Same assessment
for all

Students will be
given the option to
write a paragraph
comparing and
contrasting the
events
Students will have
the opportunity to
discuss with a
partner about
their opinions/
comments on the
artists or style
Same assessment
for all.
Students who need
more time will be
given the
opportunity to
finish the quiz in
the homework
help center
Same assessment
for all.
Different materials
will be provided
for students to
use.

represent an
aspect of culture
they identify with
Section 4 Design for Instruction
Use of technology
o In this lesson, technology is used both as a teaching resource and as a resource to
facilitate student learning. The teacher uses technology to create and present notes,
examples and videos as part of the lesson. Through the use of technology, the teacher
can present more vivid and interactive material to keep students engaged throughout
the lesson. Students use technology to do individual research on the topic being learned
and to create their own presentations on the subject. In addition, the use of multimedia
such as music videos or songs can be incorporated into the lesson by having traditional
Hispanic music playing during student work time to help set the mood for the lessons.

LESSON/ACTIVITY INFORMATION
Title: Legends of My Culture
Your name:
Age or Grade
Janeth Cano
Level:
Spanish Level III

Integrated
Disciplines/Subjects:
Spanish
Literature

Time frame for

Lesson:
90-minute
period

STANDARDS, OBJECTIVES, ASSESSMENTS & MATERIALS

Standards:
Communication
Standard 1.1: Students engage in conversations,
provide and obtain information,
express feelings and emotions, and exchange
opinions.
Standard 1.2: Students understand and interpret written and spoken language on a
variety of topics.
Culture
Standard 2.2: Students demonstrate an understanding of the relationship between the
products and perspectives of the culture studied.
NETS-S:
5. Technology Research Tools
Students:
a. use technology to locate, evaluate, and collect information from a variety of sources.
b. use technology tools to process data and report results.
c. evaluate and select new information resources and technological innovations based on
the
appropriateness to specific tasks.
Objectives:
By the end of this lesson, students will be able to identify the cultural aspects of the
hispanic folklore by analyzing traditional Hispanic myths and legends.
Assessment:

Students will complete "Culture Chart" to identify the aspects of culture found in the
reading and evaluate the story would be different if these aspects were not present.
Materials:
Video of "La llorona" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BmKyPiAk5ak
Computer with access to internet for each student.
Culture chart handout for each student.

LESSON PROCEDURES
Anticipatory Set:
Show students the video of "La llorona" to introduce hispanic myths and legends. Talk
about the culture aspects found in the legend.
Input/Modeling/Guided Practice/Check for Understanding:
Teacher will do:
Student will do:

Teacher will lead discussion over the

video of "la llorona" and make a list
on the board to identify the cultural
aspects present in the story.
Teacher will demonstrate how to fill
out chart by writing the list of
cultural aspects identified and
thinking out loud what the story
would look like without these
aspects.
Teacher will give instruction for
students to browse the internet and
find a traditional hispanic myth or
legend to be approved by the teacher.
Teacher will handout culture chart to
students.
Teacher will walk around the room
to ensure students are on task and to
answer questions from students.

Students will watch the video "La llorona"

Students will participate in group
discussion to identify the cultural aspects
present in the story.
Students will follow along as teacher
demonstrates how to fill out culture chart
and take notes for their individual
assessment.
Students will use the internet to find a
traditional hispanic myth or legend and
have it approved by the teacher before
printing it out.
Students will use the myth or legend
found to fill out culture chart as was
demonstrated by the teacher.
Students will ask appropriate questions as
they complete assessment.

Closure:
Students will gather in groups to show their completed charts and discuss how the
cultural aspects identified influence the story analyzed.
Differentiation:

Students may have the option to draw a picture representation of aspects cultural aspects
found in the reading along with how the myth or legend would be different without said
cultural aspects.

LESSON CONTENT AND STRATEGIES

Content Knowledge:
Throughout this lesson, students will be exposed to Spanish literature that represent different
Hispanic cultures. Students will analyze these pieces of literature to identify key cultural aspects and
evaluate their significance to the story and the culture itself.
Teaching Methods/Strategies:
Modeling, individual work, group discussion

REFLECTION
Students could benefit from having a more thorough model as to how to fill out the chart.
More time can be devoted to filling out a chart as a whole group using "la llorona" as an
example.
Teacher should also consider having the myths and legends for students to use chosen
beforehand to spend less time on students finding them online. English-Spanish
dictionaries should be included in the list of materials needed for the lesson to give
students an extra resource at their disposal.

LESSON/ACTIVITY INFORMATION
Title: Traditional Events
Your name:
Janeth Cano

Age or Grade
Level:
High School
Spanish Level III

Integrated
Disciplines/Subjects:
Spanish
Literature
Culture

Time frame for

Lesson:
90-minute
period

STANDARDS, OBJECTIVES, ASSESSMENTS & MATERIALS

Standards:
Cultures
Standard 2.1: Students demonstrate an understanding of the relationship between the practices
and perspectives of the culture studied.
Connections
Standard 3.2: Students acquire information and recognize the distinctive viewpoints that are only
available through the foreign language and its cultures
Comparisons
Standard 4.2: Students demonstrate understanding of the concept of culture through comparisons
of the cultures studied and their own.
Objectives: By the end of the lesson, students will be able to describe similarities and

differences between the Hispanic culture and their own by analyzing aspects of a traditional
Hispanic celebration and comparing these aspects to a celebration of their own tradition.
Assessment: Student will create a PowerPoint or Prezi to present at least 3 similarities and 3
differences between both celebrations chosen and the impact these aspects have.

Materials:
Computer with internet access and PowerPoint software
Teacher-made sample of presentation
Compare and Contrast Matrix Handout
Pictures of traditional Hispanic celebrations

LESSON PROCEDURES
Anticipatory Set:
Show students pictures of traditional Hispanic celebrations and have students share what they see.
Input/Modeling/Guided Practice/Check for Understanding:
Teacher will do:
Preparation:
Teacher will print out or find
enough pictures of traditional
Hispanic celebrations for
students to analyze in pairs
for anticipatory set.
Lesson Steps:
Teacher will hand out pictures
to students in pairs
Teacher will lead class
discussion about what
cultural aspects can be seen
or insinuated form the
pictures
Teacher will present the
sample presentation,
describing each step used to
create presentation and
explaining how to use the
compare and contrast matrix
Teacher will hand out
compare and contrast matrix
to students
Teacher will answer questions
students may have about the
project
Teacher will give students 3040 minutes to use the

Student will do:

Students will participate in

anticipatory set by identifying
cultural aspects in the picture
they received with their partner
and adding to class discussion
Students will observe teachers
sample presentation and take
notes on steps needed/ procedure
that the teacher points out
Students will ask questions to
clarify as needed to the teacher
Students will receive compare
and contrast matrix and use 3040 minutes to use the
computer/internet to find a
traditional Hispanic event and a
traditional event of their own
culture to fill out the matrix
Students will ask questions as
need to the teacher
Once matrix is filled out, students
will use 20-30 minutes to create
PowerPoint/ Prezi presentation
using the filled out matrix
Students will turn in compare and
contrast matrix to teacher and
present their PowerPoint/ Prezi

computers/internet to fill out

compare and contrast matrix
Teacher will walk around
making sure students are on
task and helping guide/
answer questions
Teacher will give students 2030 minutes to create
PowerPoint/ Prezi
presentation
Teacher will walk around to
ensure students matrix is
filled out and that students
are on-task creating
presentations.
Teacher will collect students
compare and contrast matrix
and set-up projector for
students presentations

presentation to class

Closure:
Graffiti culture wall
Each student receives two sticky notes. On one sticky note students will
write one aspect of culture they found to be similar between both
cultures, on the other students will write one aspect they found to be
different. Students will place sticky notes on wall or chalk board to
create a visual representation of what they discovered throughout the
lesson.
Differentiation:
For students who need more hands-on activities; students will have the
option to create a poster instead of a PowerPoint/Prezi presentation.
For students with writing IEP, the option will be given to draw pictures to
go along with the comparing and contrasting matrix
References:

LESSON CONTENT AND STRATEGIES

Content Knowledge:
Students understand aspects from a culture different from their own
Students compare and contrast aspects of their own culture with aspects of a different culture
Students analyze two cultures to find similarities and differences between them
Teaching Methods/Strategies:
Individual learning: Allows students to incorporate their own thoughts and values to their

presentation and guide their own learning

REFLECTION
After presenting the lesson, I would definitely increase the time frame by another 45minutes. This would allow for more time to answer questions and students would be able
to have their compare and contrast matrix revised by the teacher or peer-edited before
moving on to the presentation. Students could also use about 20 extra minutes on the
computer to research the cultural event or finish their presentation. A list of cultural
aspects that students may see would be helpful so students know what they are looking
for. This list can be done as a class lead by the teacher before the students split up into
their individual research.

LESSON/ACTIVITY INFORMATION
Title: Culture Art
Your name:
Janeth Cano

Age or Grade
Level:
Spanish Level III

Integrated
Disciplines/Subjects:
Spanish
Culture
Art

Time frame for

Lesson:
90-minute class
period

STANDARDS, OBJECTIVES, ASSESSMENTS & MATERIALS

Standards:
Communication
Standard 1.3: Students present information, concepts, and ideas to an audience of listeners or
readers on a variety of topics.
Cultures
Standard 2.1: Students demonstrate an understanding of the relationship between the practices
and perspectives of the culture studied.
Connections
Standard 3.1: Students reinforce and further their knowledge of other disciplines through the
foreign language.
Comparisons
Standard 4.2: Students demonstrate understanding of the concept of culture through comparisons
of the cultures studied and their own.
Communities
Standard 5.2: Students show evidence of becoming life-long learners by using the language for
personal enjoyment and enrichment.
Objectives:
By the end of the lesson, students will be able to explain the cultural significance of a specific
value or event of the Hispanic culture by creating an art piece to represent it.
Assessment:
Students will create an art piece using the art style of one of the Hispanic artists learned

throughout the lesson

Materials:
Yes/No response cards
PowerPoint of Hispanic artists
Hispanic Artist Matching Quiz
Project Rubric
4 sets of matching game:
-Pictures of art pieces and Hispanic artists
Materials for art project:
-construction paper
-colored pencils/ markers
-glue
-scissors

LESSON PROCEDURES
Anticipatory Set:
Teacher will lead class in a matching game. Teacher will show pictures of art pieces and the name of
a Hispanic artist. Students will use yes/no response cards to indicate whether they believe the art
piece was created by that artist or not.
Game can be played as a whole class or class can be divided into 2-4 groups to create a competition,
keeping score of how many matches are made correctly.

Input/Modeling/Guided Practice/Check for Understanding:

Teacher will do:
Preparation:
Teacher will prepare a
PowerPoint presentation with
pictures of art pieces and
Hispanic artists for the
matching game
Teacher will make sure to
have enough yes/no response
cards for the matching game
Lesson Procedure:
Teacher will guide students
through matching game for
anticipatory set
Teacher will introduce lesson
by showing PowerPoint
presentation of Hispanic
artists
Teacher will answer questions
from students as they arise
After the PowerPoint
presentation, teacher will
divide students into 4 groups
to play matching game

Student will do:

Students will participate in
anticipatory set
Students will take notes over the
Hispanic Artist PowerPoint
Students will ask clarifying
questions as needed
Students will gather with their
group to play review matching
game
Students will transition back into
whole group
Students will participate in the
general review matching game
Students will listen to instructions
for quiz and ask questions as
needed
Students will take quiz during
allowed time
After quiz, students will receive
rubric for art project
Students will ask questions as
needed about project procedure
and rubric

Teacher will allow 10-15

minutes for students to play
matching game
Teacher will bring students
back into one whole group
Teacher will lead students
through the initial
anticipatory matching game
to review artists and art
styles with students
Teacher will read over
instructions to matching quiz
for students
Teacher will deliver quiz to
students and allow 15-20
minutes for students to
answer
Teacher will collect quizzes
and give students project
rubric and instruction sheet
Teacher will allow 20-30
minutes for students to work
on project
Teacher will collect projects at
the end of the period

Students will use available

materials to work on project
When time is up, students will
display their art project around
the room
Students will participate in a
gallery walk. For each art piece
viewed, the students will list the
name of the projects creator, the
art style imitated, and the
Hispanic value or event
represented
Students will turn in list as exit
slip

Closure:
Students will hang their art projects around the room and participate in a Gallery Walk.
Students will walk around the room observing their classmates art projects and make a list
connecting their classmates art project with the art style used and the values/event represented in
the art piece.
Differentiation:
Extended time may be available for students who need it
Guided notes may be made available for the Hispanic Artists PowerPoint

REFLECTION
The lesson definitely requires more time. Planning this lesson for a 90-minute period created a
rushed environment. Students would benefit from increasing the plan by another 45-minutes to
allow more time for the individual project. Students would also benefit from incorporating a short
review of the cultural values and events that they have learned of throughout the lesson. This
review could be a general class review or a list that is displayed on the board to give students an
idea of what their projects can be about. An example of what a finished art project would look
like also help students get a better idea of what is being asked of them.

Section 5 Instructional Decision-Making

 Adjustments made to lessons based on student learning

Not many adjustments were made to the lessons, however, I did have to extend time and
incorporate small aspects to give students a better idea of what was expected for them. Measuring the
time needed for each lesson was difficult because most of the activities were individual and each
student worked at a different pace.
During the Legends of my Culture lesson, students seemed to have difficulty finding websites
that they could use to choose a Hispanic myth or legend. In these cases, I directed them to few
websites that I knew they could use. In the reflection section of the lesson plan, I wrote that the
teacher should have pre-selected myths and legends prepared to give to students in case they couldnt
find any on the internet to help with this situation.
During the Traditional Events lesson, students were hesitant to call out cultural aspects that
they saw in the pictures. To help, I started by leading them in a discussion of what could be
considered a cultural aspect and making a list of what they said on the board. Having this visual list
made students feel more comfortable about calling out what they saw in the pictures. This also helped
them identify different aspects to talk about during their presentations. I also extended the time frame
for this lesson to give students more time to analyze their myth or legend and to work on their
presentations.
For the final lesson, I included a short review about the aspects of culture that the students had
previously identified. This helped the students recall the information they had been studying and they
were able to incorporate elements and terms learned in previous lessons to complete their art project.
I also added more time to this lesson to give students more opportunity to spend be more creative
with their project instead of rushing through it.
Overall, students enjoyed the cultural unit and they were very enthusiastic about being able to
incorporate technology to the lesson. Although at times students got off-task, the conversations were
usually about the different aspects of culture that had caught their attention. They also responded
very well to the hands-on activities and individual work. Student presentations demonstrated
thorough thinking and in-depth analysis of the topics. Since the unit was presented to all three
Spanish classes, adjustments were made on an individual class basis to accommodate the
work/learning style of each class.
Differentiation for special needs students
Most of the differentiation needed for this unit included adding more hands-on activities and giving
options to allow students to include drawings along with their written assignments. Extra time was
also an accommodation needed for students who needed the extra time to process/analyze the
information. In addition, extra activities were included to accommodate students who were able to
finish their assignment ahead of the class.
Section 6 Analysis of Student Learning (charts and narrative)
Goal #1: Students will read a traditional Hispanic myth or legend and analyze for cultural aspects
represented in the reading. Students will share this information with their classmates through partner
and group discussions.

Goal #2: Students will analyze aspects of a traditional Hispanic celebration and compare this event to
an event traditional to their own culture

Goal #3: Students will create an art piece representing an aspect of Hispanic culture with which they
identify with based on what they learned from the unit

 Written analysis of assessment results

At the beginning of the lesson for Goal #1, only two students were able to accurately describe what
a traditional Hispanic cultural aspect was (family bonds and religion). These students were able to
do so because they are native speakers who follows these customs at home. As for the rest of the
class, two students were able to name a few cultural aspects but were unable to describe their
significance to the Hispanic culture, while the other twenty-two students were unable to describe
or name cultural aspects at all. As students researched and read the myths and legends they had
chosen, they began to have a better understanding of these cultural aspects and were able to open
up and ask questions to clarify their understanding. They shared their ideas with each other and
gained new knowledge through peer feedback. By the end of the lesson, fifteen students proved to
be proficient in naming cultural aspects as well as their significance to the culture based on the
literature they had analyzed. One student remained in the beginning level due to his lack of
involvement in the lesson.
At the beginning of Goal #2, students were already showing improvement in their cultural
knowledge. Only sixteen students started out in the beginning level, while eight of them were able
to name traditional Hispanic events and give some insight as to their significance in the culture,
and two students were at a proficient level by being able to name the events and give in-depth
descriptions to their relevance in the culture. Throughout the lesson, students compared and
contrasted traditional Hispanic cultural events to an even from their own culture. They were able
to use the terms and topics that they learned in the previous lesson, which helped strengthen the
depth of knowledge. By the end of the lesson, twenty students reached a proficiency level by being
able to accurately compare and contrast aspects from both cultures, while five students who had
started at a beginning level reached a progressing level, and one student remained in the
beginning level due to his lack of cooperation and involvement.
During the final lesson of the unit, only twelve students started out at a beginning level while the
rest of the students were able to apply information learned in the two previous lessons to give
them a head-start, including two students who were able to achieve a proficient level at the
beginning of the lesson along with the two native speakers in the class. During this lesson,
students applied information learned to create an art piece that represented a traditional cultural
aspect influenced by a signature art style of a Hispanic artist. At the end of the lesson, twenty-two
students had reached a proficient level by giving an in-depth description of the event or cultural

aspect they had chosen to represent in their art piece, whole three students moved from a
beginning level to a progressing level and on student remained in the beginning level.
Overall, students showed significant improvement in their ability to identify, understand, describe
and apply cultural knowledge within different settings (reading, writing and speaking). Students
were very engaged with the hands-on activities and were able to gain knowledge through different
resources (internet research, literature, teacher presentations and peer-discussions). In the end,
over 75% of the class had reached a proficient level in cultural knowledge, while the rest showed
great improvement. There was only one student who showed little improvement throughout the
unit due to his lack of participation and cooperation in the lessons and activities.
Section 7 Reflection and Self-Evaluation (narrative)
Interpretation of student learning
The purpose of the unit was for students to be able to understand and explain the significance of
Hispanic cultural events and aspects in their own words and compare and contrast them with their
own culture. At first, students were hesitant to participate in class discussion due to their own
insecurity in their answers being wrong. Although I could sense that they had good ideas, they refused
to express these ideas out loud.
As the unit progressed, students were able to do research on the Hispanic culture and to bounce ideas
off of each other as well as ask for clarifying questions to the teacher. Student progress showed a
steady increase from one lesson to the next. Although students learned a different pace, the individual
activities allowed for students to lead their own progress and left room for the teacher to be a guide as
opposed to the only source of new information. This allowed me to spend more time with students
who were struggling or needed extra assistance.
There was one particular student who refused to participate in activities. Several options were given to
this student as differentiation, including alternative assignments and extended work time. However,
no matter what approach I took he still refused to cooperate. Because of this, he remained at the
beginning level throughout the entire unit.
By the end of the unit, students showed great improvement and were able to apply the information
learned throughout the unit in an individual art project. Most of the students showed great in-depth
understanding, while a few still showed room for improvement and growth in the area. Overall, the
students responded very well to the interactive, student-lead activities and were excited to present
their art projects to the class. They were also participating more actively in class discussion and
eagerly shared with the class interesting aspects and facts about the Hispanic culture they had learned
throughout their research.
Insights on the effectiveness of the units lessons and assessments
I believe that the success of the unit was in great part thanks to the individual activities that allowed
students to lead their own learning. Because of this, little differentiation and modifications were
needed other than extending the time frame for the lessons. Students were able to work on their own
pace and use different resources to conduct their research while having the teacher as a guide. By
making the activities student-based, I was also able to help students who needed extra guidance. In
addition, by encouraging students to use their classmates as resource for their activities and projects,
the environment of the classroom became more supportive and encouraging of each others learning. I
believe that this positive environment was also a huge asset that encouraged students to reach out of
their comfort zone and delve into a culture they didnt know to find a deeper understanding of it.
Implications for future teaching
For future teaching, I would keep in mind the personality of each class the unit will be taught. I
delivered these lessons to three different classrooms and found a wide range of interest, participation
and engagement in between the classes. For example, one class was able to dive into the activities
right away with minimal instruction or clarification needed. The second class needed to see more

visual examples of what was expected of them before diving into their individual work. Finally, the
third class needed extensive guidance and constant clarification. Its difficult to create a lesson that
will accommodate the specific needs of each student, however, by being able to form relationships
with students and to understand their different learning styles, the teacher can modify the lesson as
need in order to provide the most enriching experience possible.
Implications for professional development
This experience has given me great insight into teaching culture lessons to High School level students.
One of the goals that emerged from teaching this unit was to find more new and engaging ways to
incorporate more resources for the students to gain a richer cultural experience. For example, I could
use skype to contact friends or relatives from Spanish speaking countries to give a video conference
presentation to the students. I think this could be a great way to integrate technology into the lesson
and to engage students. Another element that could be included would be to introduce pen-pals,
where students would be in contact with students who are native Spanish speakers in order to ask
questions and use them as a resource for learning about the culture. Although this element would take
a lot of planning and coordination, I think it would prove to be a great way for students to practice
their writing and to engage with peers their age and get answers from a first-hand source. As a new
teacher, I believe it is crucial to find new innovative ways to incorporate different resources to be at
the disposal of students, especially in lessons that are heavily student-lead.
My second goal reflect the need to be more aware of the reality of difference in student pace which
leads to a need in extended time frames to complete assignments and projects. Initially, I timed the
lesson to be delivered in what I believed to be an average speed, however, throughout the lesson I
discovered that there were different elements I had not considered. For example, the need for more
in-depth instruction or example and extra clarification added time to the lesson, as well as the
increasing class discussions to share information the students considered interesting and exciting. As
a teacher, I will be more mindful about the extra elements that will affect the time needed for students
to reach their highest potential.
Finally, a third goal that I will continue to work on is classroom management. As a teacher, this is
something I had already identified as an area for improvement, and although in this case the
conversations between students largely involved lively discussions about what they had learned in
their research, the spontaneous burst of conversations kept distracting the students and easily got
them off task. In order to get the students back on track, I found ways to lead the conversation back to
the activity they were working on. This technique worked for the most part, but there were a few
students who clearly needed to get up and move around before being able to get back and focus on
their work. To accommodate these students, I gave them the opportunity to get up and ask two or
three questions to a peer on the opposite side of the classroom about their work or their research.
Although this small activity was not incorporate on the initial lesson plan, it was a good and easy way
to give students a change to move around while still keeping them on-task and keeping distractions at
a minimum. As a teacher, I will continue to look for small activities like this one that I can easily
modify and incorporate into larger activities to help students who need a break and to help better
manage the classroom.
Overall, this experience reinforced my belief that teacher must always continue to improve their
techniques and strategies in order to deliver the best instruction possible. I also learned that no
matter how hard you try, you wont always be able to reach every student and that sometimes you will
get a student who genuinely doesnt care about their grade. You can try to be a cheerleader to the
students and to show them that you care, but if the students dont meet you half way there is nothing
you can do. I learned that a teacher never stops learning and that you must be willing to not only be
flexible with your teaching but to also be open minded enough to learn from your students as well.