Lesson 1: Para empezar: Vivir en la ciudad
Duration of Days: 6
Lesson Objective
Talk about living in the city.
1. What is it like to live in a large Latin American city?
2. What are the main challenges that cities face today?
3. What are the means of transportations in the studied cities?
WL1. Students understand and engage in written and spoken language.
WL2. Interpretive Communication Understand and interpret written and/or spoken language on a variety of topics.
WL3. Exhibit understanding of content in a variety of formats.
WL4. Understand and compare cultural differences.
Description
Unit 2 introduces students to the essential terminology needed to navigate and describe urban environments, including specific city locations, urban challenges, and social behaviors within a city. It also integrates the logistics of public transportation systems.
Purpose
The primary purpose is to move students from describing people (Unit 1) to describing their surroundings and interactions within a larger societal framework.
DOK 1: Recall Identify and label urban landmarks and transportation icons (e.g., el metro, el suburbio, la acera).
DOK 2: Skill/Concept Describe the atmosphere of a specific neighborhood and explain which transportation method is best suited for it and why.
DOK 3: Strategic Thinking Compare the advantages and disadvantages of living in a city center versus the suburbs, supporting the argument with specific vocabulary regarding city services and personal feelings.
DOK 4: Extended Thinking Create a "Survival Guide" for a traveler in Mexico City, synthesizing research on Mexican culture with practical advice on transportation and past-tense testimonials from other travelers.
Scaffolding (Support for Emerging Learners)
Focus: Reducing linguistic load while meeting the "Living in the city" and "Public transportation" objectives.
Visual Vocabulary Support: Provide a "City Map" graphic organizer where students must physically place labels (e.g., el ayuntamiento, la parada, la comisaría) onto icons rather than just memorizing a list.
Sentence Frames for Past Narration: Support the objective of narrating in the past by providing frames like:
"El año pasado, yo fui a la ciudad de _________."
"Para moverme, yo usé _________ (transporte público) porque era más rápido."
Teacher selection of activities from the Imagina Vista supersite.