Exploring the Spanish Speaking World

Introduction

Welcome to Spanish Class!! Bienvenido!

H.Garner -MC

I am sure anyone taking this class knows that they will be studying Spanish and can probably name at least 1-2 Spanish speaking countries if asked. When asked what countries speak Spanish, many students always instantly say Mexico. True, in Mexico, they speak Spanish and other languages related to native Indians that lived there, especially in the Southern region of Mexico. There are many Spanish speaking countries and not just Mexico or Spain. Spanish is actually the second most common language spoken in the world behind Chinese that comes in as number one (related to population). English is the third most common language spoken and it is not number one.

This web quest is designed to create an introduction to Spanish speaking countries and will allow you as a student to explore other countries and get an idea of other areas of the world that also use Spanish. It is important to keep in mind that just like in English, we don't always use the same way of talking or accent. Just think of the people in England and Ireland that speak English. They do not always say things the way we say them in the U.S. and not with the same accent either. Spanish has the same situation for a learner. Actually, when thinking of Mexico, there are 33 different dialects of Spanish in this country alone! Fear not though! Common words and basic conversation can be understood by any Spanish speaker just as in English. Vocabulary will vary from country to country and as you study Spanish 1-2 or even all the way to level 4, you will see the different ways to say things. Learning in Spanish class is not only learning how to speak Spanish or write but also about the world it is spoken in. In class we will learn different cultures, different issues in the various countries, their histories, foods, holidays, etc. Learning another language and it's cultures will be an interesting and fun journey to give a student an educated view that is different than their own.

Task

How well do you know the world's geography?

http://questgarden.com/163/77/1/131030175307/images/Central%20America%20Map.png

Lets see!

Before beginning the project, try your luck with your assigned group at this Spanish country map game. Everyone in the group should be participating in naming the country the map ask you to name, see how many you get correct and make sure you write down the website name for this game as it will help you to practice! A few of these will be on your first exam!

https://www.purposegames.com/game/spanish-speaking-countries-of-the-world-quiz

THE TASK:

Now that you have identified some of the Spanish speaking countries, it is time for you to pick one with your assigned group at the sign up sheet at the teacher's desk. We need to see a variety of countries and each group will need to do a different country than the other groups. Mexico and Spain are already taken! This means you will have to choose another country other than Mexico and Spain.

What we will do:

Once you have picked your country, you will use google slides, power point online or prezi to show the class the country you picked. Limit your presentation to around 8-10 slides and a maximum of 10-15 minutes to show. The purpose is to just introduce us to the country and give the other students an idea of the country you explored in a brief pictorial presentation.

Online presentation (remember to save the link so you can share)
8-10 slides with images and information, links to information, etc
10-15 min in length
Each group member needs to participate in the presentation with contributions of information and a role in the presentation (meaning: we don't want just one person doing all the talking and work please!) Each student will get a handout with an evaluation section for each member of the group on their participation and they will also rate themselves

Process

The presentation guideline:

In the presentation you need to show in images and information of:

The country on the map- This is an image, you can put this on the title page or first slide
The country's flag- This can also be just an image on a slide in the presentation
What is the weather like there? Images and/or facts can be used here
The famous areas people like to visit: here only include one or two (For instance in the US, we have Hollywood, Florida's beaches, the Rocky mountains, etc)
Some of the food they eat (here be creative!): think of the favorite places we like to eat as a culture, think of traditional foods we eat on holidays
The sports that are the most popular in that country, you may also want to mention famous athletes in those sports or just the sport itself, be creative
The famous people such as their president, actors, or artists- only a few are needed
The type of music they listen to: Here you can be creative! we can hear an example, see an image of a famous group, etc. (For instance, in the US, we listen to country, oldies, pop, etc)
Free slide: something interesting to know about this country or it's people, it may be a current event, a past tragedy, or something that it is known for, really the sky is the limit on this free slide

Here are some valuable resources for you to use and explore your country in the following links. You may choose to use other sources but make sure they are appropriate for class and are valid sources of information. Be sure to save the citation or page link to where you got your information to include in the credits section of your presentation.

For your presentations, make sure you provide us with a link to your saved presentation so students may view this presentation online again at home to explore.

Resources you may choose to use:

https://geology.com/world/world-map.shtml

https://www.countries-ofthe-world.com/flags-of-the-world.html

http://www.geographia.com/

https://www.timeanddate.com/weather/

https://www.accuweather.com/en/world-weather

https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/

http://pics.tech4learning.com/?view=sub&cat=Countries

http://www.veintemundos.com/en/spanish/

https://www.topendsports.com/sport/list/index.htm

https://www.worldmusic.net/guide/

Evaluation

How points will be given for project- this will be assigned to the group

Part 1

Presentation Evaluation

CATEGORY	4	3	2	1
Graphics - Relevance	All graphics are related to the topic and make it easier to understand. All borrowed graphics have a source citation.	All graphics are related to the topic and most make it easier to understand. All borrowed graphics have a source citation.	All graphics relate to the topic. Most borrowed graphics have a source citation.	Graphics do not relate to the topic OR several borrowed graphics do not have a source citation.
Required Elements	The presentation includes all required elements as well as additional information.	All required elements are included in the presentation.	All but 1 of the required elements are included in the presentation.	Several required elements were missing.
Timeliness	Presentation was submitted on time.	Presentation was 1 day late.	Presentation was 2 days late.	Presentation was more than 3 days late
Content - Accuracy	All facts are accurate that are displayed in the presentation.	3-4 accurate facts are displayed in the presentation.	2-1 accurate facts are displayed in the presentation.	0 accurate facts are displayed in the presentation.
Mechanics	Capitalization, punctuation, and grammar are correct throughout the presentation.	There is 1-2 errors in capitalization, punctuation, or grammar.	There are multiple errors in capitalization, punctuation, or grammar- 3-4	There are so many errors! more than 4 errors relating to: capitalization, punctuation or grammar.

Part 2

Individual Evalution:

There will also be a participation score the teacher will assign after viewing student evaluations of their group members including the one of their own contributions.

Here is what will be on the form: I will hand these out in class after presentations for turning in.

Form:

Peer Evaluation Form for Group Work

Your name ____________________________________________________

Write the name of each of your group members in a separate column. For each person, indicate the extent to which you agree with the statement on the left, using a scale of 1-4 (1=strongly disagree; 2=disagree; 3=agree; 4=strongly agree). Total the numbers in each column. Be sure to include yourself in one of the columns and assign yourself a score.

Evaluation Criteria	Group member:	Group member:	Group member:	Group member:
Participates actively in research and presentation constriction when group is given time.
Contributes meaningfully to group discussions and planning.
Respects contributions of other members.
Contributes a quality role of participation for the actual presentation- speaking role.
Demonstrates a cooperative and supportive attitude for the group.
Contributes significantly to the success of the project construction and presentation day.
TOTALS

Feedback on team dynamics:

1. How effectively did your group work?

2. Were the behaviors of any of your team members particularly valuable or detrimental to the team? Explain.

3. What did you learn about working in a group from this project that you will carry into your next group experience?

4. Do you have any suggestions to improve this project for the next Spanish I class? I would love to hear ideas and feedback here!

Conclusion

After exploring your country, I hope you have learned a little about the people and things that this country have and how they live. In this class we will take virtual field trips to many of the destinations that will probably be presented by the various groups and learn more as you study the language. The world has so much to offer and see!

Time will be given during class to work on this assignment but students can contribute work they found outside of class during this work time to make better use of group work time- make use of your given time for this project during class to be creative and have fun, not all projects will be given such luxurious class time to complete.

After finishing up your presentation for the class, be sure to email me your link to the presentation from your group (only one email needed for each group)

Put your names in the email and the link

We will present on Friday in an assigned order, be prepared!

Remember you will be given a hand out to evaluate your group members on their participation for the project- this will be for the teacher to view, make sure you are contributing

**Also, feel free to suggest ideas for this assignment on how it can be improved or changed for the next Spanish 1 class!