Global Challenges
I adapted what I think is an essential question centered lesson plan to be a group discussion activity in my AP Spanish 5 class. The activity fits into the AP theme of "Global Challenges" and asks students a series of questions which they discuss in small groups to hash out their vision for the future.
The activity has been very successful so far and students have seemed more invested than normal about making sure their opinions are being understood. I intended the activity to last about 90 min but the students still haven't finished their discussions so I plan to use half of class tomorrow to finish up.
Here is an abridged outline (obviously all of this is in Spanish in the original) If you would like to see the whole thing I'd be more than glad to share it, but I couldn't find a way to upload a document on blogger...
Essential Question: What do you hope for the future of our planet?
Steps: (Each step is accompanied by some conversation starters but the idea is that the students take the conversation in the direction that fits their group)
- Brainstorming: Identify what the group thinks should remain the same and what we should work to change by 2025.
- Challenges: Identify major obstacles that could stand in the way of achieving these goals.
- Looking for solutions: Deciding what role certain organizations and people should have in confronting these problems to achieve these goals.
- Educational system, mass media, the government, various industries, the UN, UNESCO, etc.
- Considering perspectives: Students were given a list of quotes that they had come to a consensus on the most important and defend their decision. The quotes say things like...
- "I am a doctor. By the year 2025, I hope that everyone, rich and poor, have access to a high level of health care."
- "I am a high school student. By the year 2025, I hope that students learn more about religions and cultures around the world."
- Reflection and summary:
- How has the world changed in your lifetime?
- Which of the visions for the future of our world are achievable?
- What role do international organizations, national governments, and individuals have to make positive change in the world?
- What can teens do to ensure a better world for the year 2025?
Johnathan, your suggestion is really compelling. The discussion is not based on content knowledge but opinions. You provide sentence starters, but after that students use their pre-existing language skills. They do not have to research facts before getting an opportunity to discuss a topic and may therefore have more opportunities to do so. Language classes are more about speaking, vocab building, and culture than in-depth research and facts, so having more opportunities to speak makes sense. I would like to hear some of your students' ideas. mo
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