Focus: Spanish Level II Focus (Typical Grade 10)

Michigan World Languages Standards and Benchmarks:

Connections 3.2: Point of View: students acquire and recognize the distinctive viewpoints that are only available through the world language and its cultures.

   - 3.2.M.a - Use audio, video and/or print material available only in the target language to acquire information.


Comparisons 4.2: Comparing Cultures: Students demonstrate an understanding of the concept of culture through a comparison of the culture studied and their own.

   - 4.2.M.a - Identify the significance of the cultural practices within the target culture(s) and compare them to one's own.


Michigan Educational Technology Standards and Expectations outlined for Grades 9 - 12.

Technology Communications Tools:

1. Identify and describe various telecommunications or online technologies (e.g., desktop conferencing, listservs, blogs, virtual reality).

2. Use available technologies (e.g. desktop conferencing, e-mail, groupware, instant-messaging) to communicate with others on a class6nbsp;was giving them. Allowing them to choose from the resources gives them more motivation to examine what each resource offers them, and then they can choose from that.

My websites will be used in very different manners. They are all very useful and technologically advanced (of course), and students will use them to help increase their learning. I used the del.icio.us account bundle, lacasa, to give my students the opportunity to go and pick and choose which websites they wanted to use for the week. Also, they will be using Google Calendars to keep up-to-date with what we are doing in class.

For example, students can learn vocabulary for the family and house through the elementary Spanish website. (They will using this website on Tuesday, February 12.) Here, the students can listen to the vocabulary in a native speaker voice, say the vocabulary aloud, repeat the word back as they flash on the screen, and then see how some of the sentences are formed that deal with the vocabulary used.

Next, on the same day (Tuesday, February 12), students can utilize Flashcard Exchange to make their own flashcards of the vocabulary they learned, save the flashcards they made as well as print them off to remember them. Students can make them in any language as well as use images on the flashcards to help them study the vocabulary.

Next, on Wednesday, February 13, students will use ePals, where students will communicate with fellow students from Argentina that they have communicated with throughout the year and discuss with them either through e-mail or instant messaging how parties in Argentina are put together, what they do to prepare for parties and what they do at the parties to further their knowledge of how to celebrate on Friday.

On Thursday, February 14, students will use the Study Spanish website to further their knowledge of the simple paste tense, which we will begin learning on Thursday. We will not use this website as the primary source of learning, but the students do have the option to use it as a resource and it offers online quizzes, vocabulary lessons, verb conjugation, etc.

Finally, throughout the week the students will use their blogs on ePals and Blogger to keep track of what they are learning so that I know they are learning what I want them to learn or I realize that they are not learning what they should be and I can change my learning style or do something differently.

These websites can help these students as a resource to further their knowledge in the Spanish language.