Lesson 5: Adelante - Inventario Secreto de La Habana
Duration of Days: 2
Lesson Objective
SWBAT identify the sensory details (sights, sounds, smells) the author uses to characterize the city of Havana.
SWBAT analyze how the author uses personification to give the city a "personality" or "life" of its own.
SWBAT interpret the emotional connection between a citizen and their urban environment.
¿Qué elementos hacen que una ciudad tenga "alma" o "personalidad"? (What elements make a city have a "soul" or "personality"?)
¿Cómo influye la historia de una ciudad en los objetos cotidianos que encontramos en sus calles? (How does a city's history influence the everyday objects found in its streets?)
¿Por qué el autor llama a este inventario "secreto"? (Why does the author call this inventory "secret"?)
Standard 1.2 (Interpretive): Students read a complex text and identify the author's tone and primary message.
Standard 2.2 (Products of Culture): Students examine Havana's architecture and social life as a cultural product of the Caribbean.
Standard 3.1 (Connections): Connecting Spanish literature to History (the evolution of Havana) and Sociology (urban living).
Lesson Description: This literary selection is an "inventory"—a list of things that define Havana beyond the typical tourist sites. It touches upon the crumbling beauty of the architecture, the music in the streets, and the daily "rhythms" of its people. Unlike a map or a guidebook, this text uses poetic language to describe the "secret" life of the city, requiring students to engage with more abstract and descriptive Spanish.
Purpose: The purpose of this section is Cultural and Emotional Literacy. In Level 3, students move beyond "Where is the bank?" to "How does this city make me feel?" Reading about Havana provides a window into a city where history and the present are constantly colliding, helping students understand the concept of patrimonio (heritage) and urban identity.
DOK Levels (Depth of Knowledge)
Level 1: Recall Identify & List Students list five specific objects or sounds mentioned in the text that belong to Havana’s "inventory."
Level 2: Skill/Concept --> Summarize & Categorize --> Students categorize the "secret items" into sensory groups (e.g., lo visual, lo auditivo, lo olfativo).
Level 3: Strategic Thinking --> Analyze & Defend --> Students analyze a specific quote from the text and explain how it reflects the author’s nostalgia or pride for the city.
Level 4: Extended Thinking --> Synthesize & Create --> Students create their own "Inventario secreto" of their own town or city, using the same poetic style and descriptive city vocabulary.
Support (Scaffolding): Provide a Sensory Graphic Organizer (Hear, See, Smell, Feel) for students to fill out as they read. Provide a glossary for the more poetic/archaic vocabulary.
Extension (Challenge): Have students compare this "inventory" of Havana to the "fotonovela" depiction of Madrid. How are the "souls" of the two cities different?
Visual/Auditory: "Havana Soundscape." Play a background track of ambient street noise from Old Havana while students read to help them visualize the "secret inventory" in real-time.
Selected formative and summative assessments from the SENDEROS VISTA SUPERSITE.