¿Quién Llegó Primero? - Who arrived first?
Early Spanish Explorers in the United States

Abstract: Who arrived first? Early Spanish Explorers in the United States

This project is designed for high school students who are in their 3rd year or higher of Spanish. It could be adapted to lower levels of Spanish, but the activities would need to be completed in English. The time required to complete the unit is between one and two weeks depending upon the activities chosen and the available class and computer time. Both individual and group activities are included, but each activity could be modified for all individual or all group work. While the Curriculum Fit is decidely intermediate or advanced Spanish, the unit could be modified for the Social Studies classroom. (The LOC includes a bilingual parallel history). The unit activities, products and assessments have been designed to meet National Standards for Foreign Languages and to be used with a Multiple Intelligences focus.

Objectives:

1. Students will read about the involvement of Spain in the history of the United States in the target language. (Verbal-Linguistic)

2. Students will explore digital images of maps, historical documents, and art depicting Spanish exploration of the United States available through the Library of Congress. Comparisons will be made with modern day maps. (Visual-Spatial, Bodily-Kinesthetic)

3. Students will create a representation of the four journeys of Christopher Colombus. (Logical-Mathematical, Bodily-Kinesthetic, Visual-Spatial, Verbal-Linguistic)

4. Students will create a timeline comparing the arrival of both English and Spanish explorers to the continental United States. (Logical-Mathematical, Visual-Spatial, Naturalist, Bodily -Kinesthetic)

5. Student groups will research and use primary sources to create a PowerPoint about a Spanish discoverer who explored and colonized in the United States between 1492 and the arrival of the English colonists in 1607 and 1620 and present it to the class. (Verbal-Linguistic, Visual-Spatial, Logical-Mathematical, Bodily-Kinesthetic, Naturalist, Interpersonal)

6. Students will write a short composition in Spanish will complete the project detailing what was learned, and the students' personal reactions to the "he who writes history determines truth" concept. (Verbal-Linguistic, Intrapersonal)

7. Optional Activity: Students will be challenged to do a Websearch to: (1) find and react to current research and evidence that question the assumed italian origins of Christopher Colombus and (2) to learn why he was returned to Spain in chains. Information learned can be presented in English or Spanish. (Verbal-Linguistic, Logical-Mathematical, Bodily Kinesthetic)

Illinois State and Technology Goals Met

Lesson Plans: Content and Process

To complete most of the lessons and activities, students will be using primary resources via the Internet from the Library of Congress which has made maps, images and even early documents available to us through a cooperative effort with the National Library of Spain and the Biblioteca Colombina y Capitular de Sevilla as part of the LOC's Global Gateway initiative. Activities are student directed and guided by printable rubrics. The instructor will need to spend time teaching the students how to use the LOC (Day Three) as well as how to insert Spanish symbols such as: á, ñ, ¿ (Day Four).

Products, Assessment and Evaluations

The Multiple Intelligences approach to this multi-media research project provides the instructor with a myriad of ways to assess and evaluate student learning. Products students will create during this process include an LOC search for information and visual images, a PowerPoint, a historical timeline, a map of the Colombus journeys, a Websearch and a reflective composition on what the student has learned. Activities include <<Inspiration>> based mind maps and a Jeopardy game. The products are accompanied by assessment rubrics. The teacher may choose to design traditional quizzes or tests.

Materials

Students will need computer access to complete their research and PowerPoint project as well as a network or an electronic storage device to save their selected primary sources to use and save to their PowerPoint presentation. The instructor may choose to provide uniform supplies to the students for the Discovery Timeline and Colombus map activities or allow students to use their own creative ideas.

Individual, Partner and Group Activities

Each of the products presented in this lesson could done as an individual, partner or group activity. The lesson plan suggested here uses a combination, but can be easily modified to meet the student and time needs of the instructor. For example, groups within a class can be assigned different activities: Group 1 - timeline, Group 2 - Colombus' journeys, Group 3 - PowerPoint. Another time-saving option available to the instructor is to complete one large PowerPoint with a single-slide contribution from an individual student, partners or a small group.