Connecting With Spain
10th Grade Spanish
By Mr. Meza and Ms. Griffin
Project Overview
In today's world, connecting with others via the internet has become a common and practical tool. Many jobs today use the internet to connect with people from around the world in order to complete tasks and share ideas. There are standards that employees follow while communicating via the internet in a professional work environment. This project will give students the opportunity to gain knowledge for how to communicate effectively and professionally on the internet with people from another countries. In this project, students will connect with other high school students in Madrid, Spain using the Skype app. The students will have the opportunity to practice their second language oral proficiency skills and learn about each others' cultures. The goal of this project will be to create a joint, informative slideshow presentation that compares and contrasts the aspects of American culture vs Spanish culture. Then, each class will present the joint slideshow to the rest of their respective schools. In addition, the teacher will present lessons on digital citizenship, integration of technology, citing sources in MLA format so that the students can use technology effectively during this collaborative project.
Instructional Materials
- Computer Lab (with Skype app and webcams)
- Strong internet connection
- Headphones
- Pen/Paper
- English-Spanish Dictionary
- Access to a Google Doc and Google Slides that both classes can collaboratively edit in real time
- MLA Citation Handout given by teachers
Washington Technology Standards
EALR 1 – Integration
Students use technology within all content areas to collaborate, communicate, generate innovative ideas, investigate and solve problems.
EALR 2 – Digital Citizenship
Students demonstrate a clear understanding of technology systems and operations and practice safe, legal and ethical behavior.
Students use technology within all content areas to collaborate, communicate, generate innovative ideas, investigate and solve problems.
- 1.2: Collaborate: Use digital media and environments to communicate and work collaboratively to support individual learning and contribute to the learning of others.
EALR 2 – Digital Citizenship
Students demonstrate a clear understanding of technology systems and operations and practice safe, legal and ethical behavior.
- 2.1: Practice Safety: Practice safe, legal and ethical behavior in the use of information and technology.
Project Plan
The two parties participating in the collaborative project are 2 classes: one from Sunnyside High School in Washington, USA, which is Mr. Meza and Mrs. Griffin's 10th grade Spanish classroom. The other class is from the Escuela Secundaria de Lavapies, a 10th grade class from Madrid, Spain. These two classes will be collaborating to make one final joint presentation that compares and contrasts the cultures of Spain and the USA.
To complete this project, the students in both classes will need access to the materials listed above. First, the teachers of each classroom will teach their respective students about the integration of the technology they will be using in this project, and then continue to teach the students about Digital Citizenship as described in the Washington Technology Standards section above. The teachers will have previously instructed their students how to properly cite sources in MLA format, giving their students a handout to refer back to. Using the computer lab computers, web cams, and Skype App, the two classes will have a series of Skype interviews with each other, asking about each other's culture. Students will take notes with pen and paper about what they learned about their Spanish/American counterparts. Once the introductory lessons about digital citizenship/integrating technology/MLA citations and the Skype interviews have been completed, the Spanish and American students will work collaboratively on a single Google Doc that allows all students to edit the document in real time. In this document, they will organize their ideas and try to verify what they learned. Finally, the students from both classes will use the information they organized in the Google Doc and will put it in a single, joint Google Slides slideshow. The Google Slides and the presentation of the Google Slides will be the culminating joint project.
This final collaborative project (the Google Slides slideshow) will basically be a slideshow presentation that is edited via Google Slides by BOTH classrooms. The students will have to either use Skype, typing on the Google Doc, or typing on the Google Slides presentation itself to work together and decide what information from the Google Doc should go on the slides, how the slides should be formatted, etc. The slideshow should compare and contrast Spanish and American culture, using the information learned in the Skype interviews. Students may add relevant pictures found on the internet to the slideshow to make it more visually appealing, but must use their handouts to help them properly cite their sources in MLA format on a "Works Cited" slide at the end of the slideshow. The purpose of creating the slideshow is to have the students work collaboratively to make the presentation and then present the information it contains to an audience. Once the Spanish and American students have worked together to produce this final slideshow presentation that compares and contrasts the two cultures, they will each present their joint Google Slides slideshow to their respective schools.
To complete this project, the students in both classes will need access to the materials listed above. First, the teachers of each classroom will teach their respective students about the integration of the technology they will be using in this project, and then continue to teach the students about Digital Citizenship as described in the Washington Technology Standards section above. The teachers will have previously instructed their students how to properly cite sources in MLA format, giving their students a handout to refer back to. Using the computer lab computers, web cams, and Skype App, the two classes will have a series of Skype interviews with each other, asking about each other's culture. Students will take notes with pen and paper about what they learned about their Spanish/American counterparts. Once the introductory lessons about digital citizenship/integrating technology/MLA citations and the Skype interviews have been completed, the Spanish and American students will work collaboratively on a single Google Doc that allows all students to edit the document in real time. In this document, they will organize their ideas and try to verify what they learned. Finally, the students from both classes will use the information they organized in the Google Doc and will put it in a single, joint Google Slides slideshow. The Google Slides and the presentation of the Google Slides will be the culminating joint project.
This final collaborative project (the Google Slides slideshow) will basically be a slideshow presentation that is edited via Google Slides by BOTH classrooms. The students will have to either use Skype, typing on the Google Doc, or typing on the Google Slides presentation itself to work together and decide what information from the Google Doc should go on the slides, how the slides should be formatted, etc. The slideshow should compare and contrast Spanish and American culture, using the information learned in the Skype interviews. Students may add relevant pictures found on the internet to the slideshow to make it more visually appealing, but must use their handouts to help them properly cite their sources in MLA format on a "Works Cited" slide at the end of the slideshow. The purpose of creating the slideshow is to have the students work collaboratively to make the presentation and then present the information it contains to an audience. Once the Spanish and American students have worked together to produce this final slideshow presentation that compares and contrasts the two cultures, they will each present their joint Google Slides slideshow to their respective schools.
Final Comments
The idea for this collaboration project was not taken from an existing lesson plan and tailored; it was the original idea of Isaac Meza and Megan Griffin.