World Languages

Applicable Washington State Standards:

2.1 Relating Cultural Practices to Perspectives: Learners use the language to investigate, explain, and reflect on the relationship between the practices and perspectives of the cultures studied.

2.2 Relating Cultural Products to Perspectives: Learners use the language to investigate, explain, and reflect on the relationship between the products and perspectives of the cultures studied.

Lesson Idea: 

In Bellingham, Spanish is offered in middle school, though the class is not overly robust at a few of the middle schools. Even so, Spanish students in middle school have the opportunity to learn more about cultures and communities through food and the way it is cultivated. Using locally grown ingredients, perhaps even from the school garden, students could make a recipe from a target culture and understand any associated practices with this recipe. For example, if students were to make pan de muerto (which could be difficult in the time allotted during class), they could learn about the cultural practice of Día de los Muertos and how pan de muerto is just one small piece of the overarching culture.

Applicable Washington State Standards:

2.1 Relating Cultural Practices to Perspectives: Learners use the language to investigate, explain, and reflect on the relationship between the practices and perspectives of the cultures studied.

2.2 Relating Cultural Products to Perspectives: Learners use the language to investigate, explain, and reflect on the relationship between the products and perspectives of the cultures studied.

3.1 Making Connections: Learners build, reinforce, and expand their knowledge of other disciplines while using the language to develop critical thinking and to solve problems creatively.

3.2 Acquiring Information and Diverse Perspectives: Learners access and evaluate information and diverse perspectives that are available through the language and its cultures.

5.1 School and Global Communities: Learners use the language both within and beyond the classroom to interact and collaborate in their community and the globalized world.

Lesson Idea:

High school language courses allow students to be a bit more profound in their research, dealing with more complex ideas and topics. In addition to the ideas for middle school language learners, educators could satisfy the standards regardings cultures, connections, and communities.

In order to satisfy standards regarding cultures (standards 2.1/2.2), agriculture could be an excellent model. The standards ask that students understand various cultural products and practices, which could easily be achieved by applying farming practices or specific crops grown in target language countries. This could offer students the chance to examine culture at a deeper level, understanding how different methods of cultivation could be representative of values and beliefs in an area. For higher level classes, communication and communities (standards 3.1/3.2 and standards 5.1) could be accessed through inviting local farmers into the classroom and understanding different cultural connotations of farming. In a Spanish class especially, it is crucial to understand that the typical white lens of farming is not comparable for many families who are actually working in agriculture, particularly when one considers the presence of migrant families in schools.