La Llorona

Students delve into Hispanic legend and folklore by researching La Llorona and La Malinche. Students will work in pairs to write articles, create a video, share their findings with one another, and reflect on their learning.

Introduction

In this WebQuest you will research creatures of Hispanic legend and folklore.  You will work with a partner to choose the character which interests you the most, and you will take on the role of a newspaper journalist when you do your reporting.  Lastly you will do a personal reflection on what you have learned and how it relates to your own culture and experience. 

In order to get full marks, you work will be complete, original, and creative.  Video can use any platform and should last between 3 and 5 minutes. Students will include video project, notes, sources, and your rough drafts to show how you worked over the course of ten days. 

Task

Students will work in pairs to complete this project.  The first part of the project is to collect data on two well-known Hispanic legends.  

The pair will research and determine which of the two is most interesting to them.  Students will create a video that relates the pivotal details about the main characters that most interest them.

Each student will write a personal reflection toward the end of the project that shows how much learning he/she has done.

Students will work together to do peer edits and to make sure that their work (and their partner's work) is the best it can be.

Students will turn in all of their research notes, their project plans, and their rough drafts as a part of their grade. 

Process

Step One:  Students choose one of the Hispanic legends to study.  Take time to look up information on the story that you have chosen so that you can share with your partner.  Keep notes of the information you find because your notes will be turned in at the end of the project. 

Choose one of the following and your partner will do the other:

     La Llorona

        http://www.legendsofamerica.com/HC-WeepingWoman1.html

        http://www.tsha.utexas.edu/handbook/online/articles/LL/lxl1.html

        http://www.literacynet.org/lp/hperspectives/llorona.html 

    La Malinche

       https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2015/11/25/457256340/despite-similarities-pocahontas-gets-love-malinche-gets-hate-why

      https://www.thoughtco.com/biography-of-malinche-2136516

     http://www.ancient-origins.net/history-famous-people/controversial-role-la-malinche-fall-aztec-empire-     traitor-or-hero-005284

Step Two:  Once you and your partner have chosen which character is most appealing to you, you will each have to decide which role you will take in this project.  There are two roles to choose from.

Interviewer:  This person will research the character chosen and will write a fictional newspaper article about a local sighting.  The article should look like and read like an actual newspaper article and should include at least one picture.  This should be a piece of creative writing that reflects what the student has learned about the character.  Eye-witness accounts, descriptions, and commentary will add a lot to the article.

Interviewee:  The student with this job will write a biography of the character chosen.  The biography will be written from the standpoint of the main character and how the common knowledge of their lives has been misguided.  Since this is not a real person, there is some room for creativity in the writing, but overall the student should stick to the facts found online.

Once you have decided your roles and agreed upon them, you will set up a project schedule together.  The final video will take place in the form of an interview with agreed upon questions by both students that will lead to an engaging video.

You should have the rough draft of your biography and newspaper article written in the next three days.  Time will be given in class for a peer edit of your rough draft so that you can make corrections and turn in your best work at the end of the project.

Make sure to keep your rough draft and your notes as you go along.  They will be turned in with your project at the end. 

Step Three:  When you have finished your research and written your article or your biography, the last part of the project is to create your video.  Students may use any free video platform to create the interview.

Step Four: Students will write a reflection.  Think about what you learned, what you think about it, and how it is related to your own world.  This reflection should show your teacher that you really learned a lot about Hispanic folklore and that you can compare/contrast it to your own culture. 

Beginning:

1. Description of character is given, but is very brief or incomplete.  Work may be hand written or exhibit poor spelling.

2. Interview and biography are minimalistic and basic.  They show little creativity or detail.  Work may be hand-written or exhibit poor spelling.

3. Video does not meet minimum time requirement and does not reflect upon the original folklore. Interview lacks engagement and reflection.

4. Personal reflection is minimalistic, brief, or does not indicate a great deal of thought.

Developing:

1. Description character is given and picture is included.  Work is typed and exhibits adequate spelling.
2. Interview and biography contain interesting details and shows some creativity. A picture is included. Work is typed and exhibits adequate spelling.
3. Video meets minimum time requirement and has minimal reflection on the original folklore. Interview has minimal engagement and reflection.
4. Personal reflection indicates that the student actually thought about connections to their own culture and background.

Accomplished:

1. Detailed description of character is given.  Picture is included.  Work is neatly typed and exhibits good spelling and grammar.
2. Interview and biography are interesting and detailed.  Creativity and originality are evident.  A picture is included.  Work is typed and exhibits good spelling and grammar.
3. Video meets time requirement and has interesting and detailed creative engagement as it relates to the original folklore. 
4. Personal reflection is detailed and shows an elevated level of thought about cultural comparisons and connections.

Advanced:

1. Very detailed description of character is given and includes interesting facts.  One or more good pictures are provided.  Work is neatly typed and exhibits very good spelling and grammar.
2. Interview and biography are very interesting, entertaining, and engaging.  Creativity and originality are evident throughout.  One or more good pictures are included.  Work is neatly typed and actually looks like a newspaper article.  Spelling and grammar are very good.
3. Video surpasses minimum time requirement and has interesting and detailed creative engagement as it relates to the original folklore.  Detailed notes from research, project plans, and rough drafts are included.  Evidence of improvement from rewriting is clear.
4. A very detailed personal reflection indicates that the student truly learned about the cultural connections and made thoughtful comparisons between cultures.  A high level of thought is evident in the writing.

Conclusion

By the completion of this project, you will have learned about Hispanic legends, you will have written about a character, found pictures of it online, and you will have reflected on your findings.  You will have worked in a group to develop a short video presentation that reflects what you have learned. The reflection allows you to see how your culture is similar and how it is different to Hispanic culture, to expand your horizons to include knowledge of Hispanic legends, and to improve your teamwork and research skills.

Author Biography

Lisa Grider 

I am the proud manager of the Home & Hospital Instruction program for the school district. I am always looking for new ways to support our students who are unable to attend a regular school day due to their medical concerns.

Students delve into Hispanic legend and folklore by researching La Llorona and La Milinche. They work in pairs to write articles, share their findings with one another, and reflect on their learning.

Teacher Introduction

This project is intended to get kids interested in the topic of La Llorona and La Milinche, to give them practice with research methods and writing, to create a short video presentation, and to get them working together in pairs.  

I chose the topic of legendary characters because it is one that has great appeal to teens and resonates with our student population.

The project is especially well-suited to late October in the USA, since that is the time of year that people are already swapping ghost stories, and trying to scare one another.  This also gives the students ample opportunity to reflect on their own culture's perspectives on legendary folklore.

When your students have finished, they will have worked together successfully in pairs, will have researched two folklore stories, will have conducted an interview or have been interviewed and will have created a short video project. Finally, they will write a personal reflection that links their current understanding to these iconic tales.