Lesson 2: Cortometraje: Eclipse
Duration of Days: 4
Lesson Objective
Students will be able to describe how the natural event of the eclipse symbolizes the internal fears of the two characters.
Students will use the Conditional to express how they would support a family member (Yo ayudaría a mi abuela si...).
Students will use the Future Tense to discuss how the relationship between the two characters will change after the eclipse.
How does the "darkness" of the eclipse represent the characters' fears? Is the eclipse a "natural wonder" or a "natural challenge" in this story?
How does the granddaughter’s help change the grandmother’s opinion about the future?
Why are humans often afraid of natural events they cannot control, and how does "connection" (with family) help mitigate that fear?
WL2. Interpretive Communication Understand and interpret written and/or spoken language on a variety of topics.
WL.2A - 2A. Understand main ideas, topics and specific information on a variety of authentic auditory or written materials.
Description
This film follows a grandmother and her granddaughter as they prepare for a total solar eclipse. Rather than a scientific or historical clash, the conflict is internal and relational. As the sky darkens, the physical "eclipse" mirrors the characters' personal transitions—the grandmother facing the "twilight" of her life and the granddaughter facing the "shadows" of growing up. They rely on one another to navigate the darkness, both literal and figurative.
Purpose
The purpose of this film is to humanize natural phenomena and explore the emotional "nature" of family.
DOK 1: RecallIdentify the specific fears each character expresses before the eclipse begins.
DOK 2: Skill/ConceptExplain how the grandmother and granddaughter demonstrate "mutual help" during the climax of the film.DOK 3: Strategic ThinkingAnalyze the symbolism of the eclipse. Why is the "hiding of the sun" an appropriate metaphor for the grandmother's stage of life?
DOK 3: Strategic Thinking Analyze the symbolism of the eclipse. Why is the "hiding of the sun" an appropriate metaphor for the grandmother's stage of life?
DOK 4: Extended Thinking Create a "Memory Box" project where students interview an elder about a natural event they experienced, telling a family story that connects nature to emotion.
The "Fear Chart": Provide a T-chart titled "El miedo de la abuela" and "El miedo de la nieta." Students use word banks to fill in their observations.
Visual Sequencing: Provide 5 stills from the film. Students must arrange them and write one sentence in the Future Tense for each, predicting what will happen next.
Teacher selection of activities from the Imagina Vista supersite.
Eclipse Video, Script & Translation