GEORGINA PEREZ

ACTFL Unit Plan Template

Approximate Length of
Unit
Approximate Number of
Minutes Weekly

Language and
Level / Grade

Spanish
Novice Mid Novice
High
7th & 8th Grade

Theme/Topic

Identity: Heroes in our Latin American Culture

Essential
Question

What causes ordinary people to be heroes in the eyes of others?

4 weeks

225 minutes

Learners will be able to:

Goals
What should
learners know
and be able to do
by the end of the
unit?

Summative
Performance
Assessment
These tasks
allow learners
to demonstrate
how well they
have met the
goals of the
unit.

Describe the conditions of Puerto Rican & American life & culture that led to Roberto
Clementes status as a hero.
Identify the major contributions/accomplishments of other Latin American individuals who
can be considered heroes.
Discuss information about their own heroes and reasons they are heroes to them.
Express ways in which they have made a difference (been a hero) or can/will make a
difference (be a hero) for others.
Identify heroic characteristics.
Compare & contrast ways that they view heroes compared to Latin Americans.
Create a presentation on a historical Latin American hero.
Use preterit & imperfect tenses in their writing.

Interpretive Mode
A group of four
students will
conduct internet
research on a
historical Latin
American hero. A
teacher handout
with a series of
key questions will
guide their

ACTFL Keys to Planning for Learning by Clementi & Terrill 2013

GEORGINA PEREZ
They are
integrated
throughout the
unit.
The template
encourages
multiple
interpretive
tasks.
The
interpretive
tasks inform the
content of the
presentational
and
interpersonal
tasks.
The tasks
should
incorporate 21st
Century Skills.

ACTFL Unit Plan Template

research.
Students will read
& view a variety
of resources (i.e.
articles, websites,
and data bases)
and demonstrate
comprehension by
thoroughly
answering all of
the questions on
the handout.
Students will cite
3 or more
resources.

Presentational Mode
Students will create a
presentation (ppt, video,
poster, collage, etc.) based
on their research findings
on their historical Latin
American hero. Each
student in each group will
participate and present
their part that they
prepared on their hero.
Presenters should be
prepared to answer
questions from other
students at the end of the
presentation.

Interpersonal Mode
In the target language, students in each group will come together
and share their information or findings they gathered from their
research on their hero. The students will compare each others
answers that are written on the research handout & make any
necessary adjustments. Students will identify the best answers or
add to their answers on their handout to make their responses more
thorough and detailed.

ACTFL Keys to Planning for Learning by Clementi & Terrill 2013

GEORGINA PEREZ
Cultures
(Sample
Evidence)
Indicate the
relationship
between the
product, practice,
and perspective.

ACTFL Unit Plan Template

Product: Heroes
Practice: To inspire/motivate/influence others & make a change or difference in a community/society/ country.
Perspective: To make things better for others or improve lives of the community, city, and country.
Product: Good friend/neighbor/son or daughter
Practice: Be kind, respectful, caring, & influence in a positive way.
Perspective: Bettering your neighborhood/community/city
Making Connections

Connections
(Sample
Evidence)

English language
arts: reading,
writing,
interpreting,
comprehension,
analyzing,
discussions,
researching, and
presentations.
History:
researching heroic
historical figures
from Latin
America.

Acquiring Information and Diverse Perspectives

Language Comparisons
Comparisons
(Sample
Evidence)

Communities
(Sample

Inspirar (inspire)
Motivar (motivate)
Metas (goals)
Comunidad
(community)
Pais (country)
Heroe (hero)

School and Global

Communities

Acquire information on the contributions/ accomplishments of Latin American heroes

and gain diverse perspectives on the Latin American culture.
Acquiring information & diverse perspectives on Puerto Rican & U.S. life and culture
and learn to appreciate the similarities and differences.
Acquiring and gaining diverse perspectives of heroism

Cultural Comparisons

Puerto Rican Culture & American Culture

Cultural and language views toward heroism in Latin America and the U.S.
Latin American and the U.S. culture

Lifelong Learning

ACTFL Keys to Planning for Learning by Clementi & Terrill 2013

GEORGINA PEREZ

Evidence)

ACTFL Unit Plan Template

Reflections on students
own lives with regard to
heroes and their qualities.
Students will also share
ways they can be a hero
by making a difference
for others in their
school/community.

Students will learn that they can be a hero by making a positive difference or impact
where ever they go.

Reading 1: Reading closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical
inferences.
Writing 7: Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects based on focused
questions, demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation.

Connections
to Common
Core

Writing 4: Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style
are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
Speaking & Listening 1: Prepare for and participate effectively in a range of conversations and
collaboration with diverse partners, building on others ideas and expressing their own dearly and
persuasively.

Toolbox
Language Functions

Describe the conditions

of Puerto Rican and
American life and culture
that led to Roberto
Clementes status as a
hero.

Vocabulary Expansion
Tier 1

Related Structures / Patterns

Preterit & imperfect

tenses

Family life (vida familiar)

Childhood life (vida de ninez)
Baseball life (vida de beisbol)
Struggles (luchas)
Difficulties (dificultades)
Talents (talentos)
Experiences (experiencias)
Abilities (abilidades)
Actions (acciones)
Personality (personalidad)

ACTFL Keys to Planning for Learning by Clementi & Terrill 2013

GEORGINA PEREZ

ACTFL Unit Plan Template

Examples (ejemplos)
Proof (pruebas)
Brave (valiente)
Leader (lider)
Help (ayuda)
Similarities/same (similitudes/igual)
Differences/different (diferencias/diferente)
Point of View (punto de vista)
Feeling (sentir)
Opinion (opinion)
Hero (heroe)
Heroic (heroico)
Positive (positivo)
Examples (ejemplos)
Impact (impacto)

Compare/contrast (comparar/ contrastar)

Accomplishments (logros)
Qualities (cualidades)
Characteristics (caracteristicas)
Contributions (contribuciones)
Evidence (evidencia)
Conflicts (conflictos)
Culture (cultura)
Challenges (desafios)
Define (definer)
Overcome (supercar)
Confront (confronter

Tier 2

Ask and answer questions on a

historical Latin American hero.

Preterit & imperfect

tenses.

ACTFL Keys to Planning for Learning by Clementi & Terrill 2013

GEORGINA PEREZ

ACTFL Unit Plan Template

Compare & contrast ways you

view heroes compared to Latin
Americans.

Present & past tenses

Express opinions/feeling on
your own hero.

Preterit & imperfect

tenses.

Present tense

Make suggestions on things

you can/will do to make a
difference (be a hero) in the
lives of others. Or suggest ways
in which you have already made
a difference (been a hero).

Preterit & imperfect

tenses
Present tense

Key Learning Activities/Formative Assessments

Key Learning Activity/Formative
Assessment
(representative samples from beginning to end
of unit)

Quick Write (closure activity):

using heroic characteristics
describing their parents as
heroes & supporting it with
examples.
Compare & Contrast
Paragraph (homework
activity) describing a personal
heroic figure with a non-heroic

How does this activity

support the unit goals or
performance tasks?
Provides students with
the opportunity to
describe their own
personal hero and
provide evidence
preparing them for the
performance task.
Students are able to
practice and become
familiar with character
traits and identify

Interculturality
Self
Community
World

Mode of Communication

Interpretive Mode

Self

Interpretive Mode

Self

ACTFL Keys to Planning for Learning by Clementi & Terrill 2013

GEORGINA PEREZ
figure.

Reading the book Roberto

Clemente el Heroe de Beisbol
& filling out the Guided Notes.
Completion of Guided Notes
from book by reviewing &
comparing notes.

3-2-1 closure activity about

Robertos life

ACTFL Unit Plan Template

which traits are
heroic.
Students are learning
and practicing how to
comprehend &
interpret a story on an
ordinary person and
identify his heroic
actions.

Provides students an
opportunity to check
their understanding
about the story and
identify main events
about the heros life
which will help
students on their
performance task.

Time line of Robertos life

Interpretive Mode
Interpersonal Mode

World
Self

Interpretive Mode

World

Interpretive Mode

Self

Helps students
practice identifying,
comprehending, &
interpreting key
events in the life of
the hero which will
help students on
performance task.

ACTFL Keys to Planning for Learning by Clementi & Terrill 2013

GEORGINA PEREZ

ACTFL Unit Plan Template

Interpretive Mode

Quiz on preterit & imperfect

tenses

Students will make a list of

conditions of Puerto Rican &
US life and culture that led to
Robertos status as a hero.

Venn diagram: compare &

contrast ways students view
heroes compared to Latin
Americans.

Students are required

to use preterit &
imperfect tenses in
their writing on many
assignments in the
unit. The quiz is for
students to check
their progress and
mastery of the
grammar skills.

Students will be able

to identify and
organize a list of
situations and
obstacles Roberto had
to confront &
overcome in two
different countries
making him a hero.
Students will be able
to compare the
different cultures.

Interpretive Mode

World

World

World
Interpretive Mode

ACTFL Keys to Planning for Learning by Clementi & Terrill 2013

GEORGINA PEREZ

You-tube video clip of Puerto

Rico & the US.

Write About Graphic

Organizer: students will write
about their own heroes and
reasons they are heroes to
them. Students will share their
Write About information with
a partner on their own personal
heroes.

S-O-S (Statement- OpinionSupport) Summary Sheet:

students will support their
opinion with evidence on
ways in which they have been
a hero or can/will be a hero for
others. Students will share

ACTFL Unit Plan Template

Provides students to
demonstrate
understanding of
cultures by making
comparisons and
explaining similarities
& differences in the
target culture and
between their own
cultures.

Helps students
understand the two
different cultures by
comparing them and
identifying the
differences,
challenges, and
obstacles Roberto had
to overcome.
Students are able to
apply their knowledge
of heroism to their
own personal lives
and understand that
ordinary people in
their lives can do
extraordinary things.

Interpretive Mode

Interpersonal Mode
Interpretive Mode

Interpersonal Mode
Interpretive Mode

Interpersonal Mode

ACTFL Keys to Planning for Learning by Clementi & Terrill 2013

World

Self
Community

Self
Community

Self

GEORGINA PEREZ
their S-O-S Summary Sheets
with a partner.

T.A.L.K. Scores used in group

work: What is a hero? & what
is a non-hero? & what does a
hero do? Present to the class
what is a hero? & what does a
hero do? Poster:
Characteristics of a hero & a
non-hero

Sharing research info on

contributions/accomplishme
nts of other Latin American
heroes with a partner.
Describe
contributions/accomplishme
nts of a Latin American hero
using research handout. Fill
out research handout on
contributions/
accomplishments of other
Latin American heroes.

Writing events from book

unto Foldable by sharing,
comparing, & discussing
with peers. Summarizing

ACTFL Unit Plan Template

Presentational Mode

Students can apply

their knowledge
beyond the school
setting by making a
difference in their
community and
becoming a hero by
making an impact in
the lives of others.
Interpersonal Mode
Presentational Mode
Interpretive Mode

World

Students are able to

develop their
vocabulary by
interacting with peers
and providing heroic
characteristics and
actions.
Interpersonal Mode
Presentational Mode

Students are able to

identify the
contributions &
accomplishments of
other Latin American
heroes. Students
demonstrate
understanding of the
roles that products,

Interpretive Mode

ACTFL Keys to Planning for Learning by Clementi & Terrill 2013

Self
World

Self

GEORGINA PEREZ

the events that occurred in

the beginning, middle, and
end of Clementes life
(students will use their
Foldable).

practices, and
perspectives play in
the culture.

You-tube video clip on

character traits.

Students are able to

identify the major key
events in the story
and recognize heroic
contributions and
challenges of the
hero.

Write on and off field

accomplishments of Roberto
Clemente.

Provides students with

a variety of character
trait vocabulary words
that they will use and
need for their writing
when describing their
hero.

ACTFL Unit Plan Template

Interpretive Mode

Students are able to

pin point Robertos
good deeds on & off
the field that made
him a hero.

ACTFL Keys to Planning for Learning by Clementi & Terrill 2013

World

GEORGINA PEREZ

Resources

Final Interpretive
rubric
Final novice mid
interpersonal rubric
Final presentational
rubric
321 Actividad.docx
Talk Scores.docx
Quick Write
S-O-S Summary.docx
Compare & Contrast
Paragraph.docx
Write About GO.png
Basic Foldables.pdf
guided notes.docx
venn diagram.pdf
timeline1.htm321
Actividad.docx

ACTFL Unit Plan Template

Technology Integration

Spanish Human Characteristics YouTube

Racial Segregation - 1950s YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=LhViT43tSIE

ACTFL Keys to Planning for Learning by Clementi & Terrill 2013

GEORGINA PEREZ

ACTFL Unit Plan Template

Preterite vs_
Imperfect #1 test
Conjuguemos_php.mh
t
136 Adjetivos de
Personalidad
Research questions
on Latin American
Hero.docx

ACTFL Keys to Planning for Learning by Clementi & Terrill 2013