"The Hardy Personality in Theory, Research, and Practice,"
Relationships: Defining
Roles and Resolving Conflict - Lisa Botts, Saddleback High School
Teaching Spanish for Spanish speakers has been the focus of my attention
for the past few years; hence, I chose to write this project based upon
material I plan to use with this group. Because I was trained
to teach Spanish as a foreign language, the challenge of teaching Spanish
speakers has intrigued me and provoked much thought; it is very similar
to teaching Language Arts, which requires the use of literature in the
classroom. However, the majority of Spanish speaking students are
unsure of their language abilities, as many have never studied Spanish
and/or have never formally read or written their native language.
At the same time, these students struggle with relationship issues and
the conflicts that arise within them, a position that nearly all adolescents
find themselves in at this stage of social development. Relationships
will be the central theme of this unit, and both academic and social development
will be addressed. I sincerely hope that this project will benefit
the language arts teachers that would like to look at how social roles
and conflict are handled and identified in relationships, particularly
in those of high-school age students.
In this curriculum unit, cooperative group work and literature will
give students in their 1st year of study the opportunity to practice their
Spanish while they learn and utilize new vocabulary. One short story,
two poems, and a piece from an autobiography will be included in the unit,
and they were chosen particularly because of their high interest level
for this age group. The unit will include these readings in addition to
activities that will aid the students in identifying the various roles
that people play in our daily lives. In addition, the students will
learn to identify and resolve conflict and learn communication skills that
will help them to be successful in relationships.
Because the major themes of this unit focus on relationship roles and
conflict, I have chosen to incorporate works from a literature book designed
for Spanish speakers entitled Encuentros 2 that incorporates these ideas.
The unit in the book is entitled ãLazos de Amistad,ä which when translated
means ãBonds of Friendship.ä The first two pieces of literature that
students will read are entitled ãCadena rotaä (ãBroken Chainä) and ãNaranjasä
(ãOrangesä) by Gary Soto, and both have been translated from English.
A translated excerpt from an autobiography entitled ãYo se por que canta
el pajaro enjauladoä (ãI Know Why the Caged Bird Singsä) by Maya Angelou
will follow and a poem entitled ãLa murallaä (ãThe Wallä) by Nicolas Guillen
will be the final reading. Each of these works addresses the themes
of this unit and will further the studentsâ understanding of how to deal
with relationships.
Academic Goal
? Students will improve their reading, writing, speaking, and cognitive
skills.
Objectives
? Students will be introduced to new vocabulary in the literature.
? Students will improve and develop their oral reading skills by having
the opportunity to read for the class and/or in small groups.
? Students will improve and develop their reading comprehension skills
by answering basic and critical thinking questions based upon the readings.
? Students will improve and develop their writing skills by expressing
themselves through journal writing and other exercises.
? Students will improve their Spanish-speaking skills by sharing information
and interacting with their cooperative group members and teacher in Spanish.
? Students will improve all skills mentioned by learning and identifying
literary terms, which will also reinforce their abilities in English Language
Arts classes.
? Students will increase their ability to use contextual clues in order
to clarify the meaning of new vocabulary words and expressions.
Social Goal
? Students will learn how to identify relationship roles.
Objectives
? Students will explore the meaning of ãfriendshipä and what it entails.
? Students will identify characters in the literary works and be able
to label the roles they play in relation to one another.
? Students will analyze their relationships and evaluate social support
functions and the roles people play in their lives.
Goal
? Students will learn how to identify, manage and resolve conflict.
Objectives
? Students will be able to define and identify the 2 different types
of conflict.
? Students will be introduced to strategies for managing and resolving
conflicts when they arise.
? Students will be able to identify the 3 most common ways people respond
to conflict.
Goal
? Students will improve their interpersonal communication skills.
Objectives
? Students will be able to express themselves more clearly when introduced
to valuable communication skills.
? Students will practice learned communication skills in cooperative
groups by role-playing and shared decision making.
? Students will interact with one another in cooperative groups to
discuss and make conclusions based upon the readings.
Relationship Roles
Analyzing relationships and how they affect us is a topic that most
anyone can benefit from. People create their lives within a web of
connection to others. The cast of characters in a life and the nuances
of interconnection provide the intricacy, the abrasion, and much of the
interest in living (Josselson 1).
What we rarely take the time to look at are the roles that people play
in our lives. Exactly how do people socially support our needs?
Furthermore, how do we support their needs? Understanding relationship
roles and support is the key to self-harmony and fulfillment. In
addition, it leads to a more clear understanding of the self and how integral
relationships are.
According to the Hardi Training Institute, ãfriendship support
functionsä are 5 areas of social support that are crucial to our well being.
These 5 social support functions consist of Mentor Friendship, Material
Friendship, Emotional Support Friendship, Activity Friendship and Work
Friendship support. These functions are much like relationship roles
and, of course, the more roles that a person/group of people plays in our
lives, the more fulfilling the relationship(s). The more intimate
relationships usually satisfy at least 4 of the 5 social support functions
(Khoshaba and Maddi 98).
Relatedness is central to physical health, to longevity, to meaningful
social life, and to the growth and development of the self (Josselson
3). Unfortunately, our relationship needs make us vulnerable, especially
in here in America with a culture that values self-reliance and independence.
This is why many people tend to depend on themselves solely as opposed
to others, which can create alienation.
Because of the fact that this unit will be used with Hispanic students,
I feel that the majority will be very interested in this topic. The
Hispanic family is a culture that relies heavily on the dependence of others,
especially the family unit. Whereas before I mentioned that we live
in a culture that relies on independence, the Hispanic culture tends to
be very much the opposite. This will be a great opportunity to compare
and contrast the value of relationships with that of different cultures.
Communication Skills and Conflict Resolution
In order for relationships to be successful, it is vital to know how
to communicate and deal with conflict. Many of us see conflict as
negative, and what many people donât understand is that conflict actually
helps us grow and become stronger, both emotionally and mentally.
Communication is the key to resolving and managing conflict as well as
to preventing it from occurring.
Unfortunately, many individuals in todayâs society are not as successful
as they could be in their relationships because of their inability to manage
conflict. Two of the most common and least constructive ways of dealing
with conflict are the flight response and the fight response. The fight
response, which involves arguing irrationally or verbally attacking, can
damage a relationship with time, and it can even resort to physical abuse.
The flight response, which consists of simply staying away from a person
or place to avoid conflict, can be just as harmful. Conflict withdrawing
prevents involved parties from learning coping skills. It also leads to
the harboring of unexpressed feelings and stops the parties from clarifying
and improving their relationship (Khoshaba and Maddi 114). Finally,
the ideal way of responding to conflict would be the flow response, which
involves constructively working towards a sensible agreement by openly
and honestly communicating.
In my experience as a PAL (Peer Assistance Leadership) advisor, I have
seen a drastic difference in students upon completion of Conflict Resolution
training. I myself benefited, which is part of the reason why I feel
it is so beneficial for students to be introduced to it. The skills
and activities that I will cover in this unit will be of great value to
the studentsâ social development and relationship awareness. The
students will be introduced to specific strategies and skills and at the
same time will work together in groups to make decisions, problem solve,
and develop interpersonal relationships.
This unit will attempt to introduce the idea of ãfriendshipä
and ãrelationshipsä through literature in order to introduce the themes
of communication and conflict. Students will gain an insight
to their own personal relationships as well as have a strong background
before the readings take place. Upon reading the works, students
will have an understanding as to what they are looking for and why this
unit will benefit them. I strongly believe that when literature can
connect with the studentsâ personal interests, they see their learning
as powerful, insightful, and most importantly worth their time.
Rationale
This unit will be incorporated into approximately 2 weeks and will consist
of daily lessons. The lessons will last anywhere from 1-3 days, depending
on the complexity of the activity. Some of the lessons in this unit
were inspired by Managing Conflict, Encuentros 2, and Khoshaba and Maddiâs
training manual, HardiTraining v.1.
I plan to introduce the unit at the very beginning of the second
semester, which usually starts at the beginning of February. The
timing is appropriate since Valentineâs Day is approaching, an ideal time
to look at relationships. In addition, the students will have had
an entire semester to develop the basic skills necessary to succeed in
reading and writing.
As I mentioned earlier, I chose pieces of literature that deal with
relationships and conflict and that have high interest levels. The
following literary terms, which are the terms that the unit in the textbook
focuses on, will continue to be reinforced throughout the course of the
unit:
Setting the Stage
To introduce this unit, I plan to include a variety of activities that will last anywhere from 3-5 days. This will give the students a solid background before beginning the actual readings.
Lesson #1
The theme of ãfriendshipä will be introduced, and it will be made very clear that anyone can be considered a friend, including family members. ãRelationshipä will also be introduced as comparable to friendship; from this point on I will use the words interchangeably. The word ãFriendshipä will be written on the board, and the students will be asked to think of words and phrases associated with it by creating a cluster. The leader of each group will be instructed to take out a piece of paper, and the groups will have 5 minutes to complete their clusters. Each group will have the opportunity to share their findings and the cluster will be completed on the board. The groups will be able to add to their clusters. Following this activity, the students will complete a journal writing assignment in which they will answer the following questions: What is a friend? What makes a good friendship?
Lesson #2
This lesson will entail defining our social support in relationships. The students will listen to the teacher talk about a person that he/she has a relationship with. The teacher may decide to simply talk about his/her friend or may have a short essay describing the type of relationship they share on the overhead. This should hold the studentsâ attention, considering the fact that they love to hear personal (of course, not too personal) information about their teachers! The students will be asked to decide whether or not that person fits into the 5 categories of social support:
1. Mentor Friendship÷Based upon knowledge, experience and support.
A person who serves as a mentor that champions your growth and offers resources
to further your development.
2. Material Friendship÷Based upon material help in the form of loans,
baby-sitting, carpooling, and any other type of favor that would involve
expense if the person were not there to offer their support.
3. Emotional Support÷Based upon love and understanding. The person
who gives you emotional support, appreciates you, respects you, listens
to you, and helps you with your struggles.
4. Activity Friendship÷Based upon mutual enjoyment of certain activities.
5. Work Friendship÷Based upon teamwork efforts toward school, work,
personal, or family goals.
The students may need to ask the teacher some questions to be able to
determine which areas the person fulfills. The teacher will clarify
and talk about the relationship and start a discussion about how certain
people in our lives may fulfill certain areas and not others, or all areas,
or few areas, depending on the relationship. A journal writing activity
will follow asking the students to evaluate 3 of their closest relationships
in all areas.
The teacher will then discuss how certain areas of support may be stronger
than others and explain the reasons that may contribute to this. The students
will then evaluate 4 different areas of support in their lives and decide
which areas are most/least fulfilling: family support, friendship support,
school support, and work environment/religious institution/other support.
An optional homework assignment would be for students to develop a
plan that would involve the different measures that could be taken to strengthen
the weaker support areas.
Lesson #3
The topic of this lesson is communication. Why is communication an essential part of a relationship? In assigned cooperative learning groups, student #1 will be the speaker, student #2 the listener, and students #3 and #4 the observers. Student #1 will talk about a topic that interests them for 2 minutes. For the first minute, the listener will listen attentively and with great interest. Student #3 will tap the student after the first minute, in which the listener will look as bored and uninterested as possible throughout the last minute. The observers will be watching carefully to see if there is any difference in the speakerâs behavior in the first minute and the last minute. In their journals, students will write down how they felt during the activity, and each person will then share their feelings with the group. The teacher will ask for students to share their findings, which will initiate a discussion on the importance of listening and how important it is just as important as speaking to successful communication. The difference between verbal and non-verbal communication will also be discussed, in addition to the surprisingly powerful effect that non-verbal communication can have on certain situations.
Lesson #4
The topic of this lesson will be listening. Student #4
from each group will be asked to leave the room for about a minute.
One person (randomly chosen) will be asked to stand in the front of the
room and listen attentively to a story that I will read to the class.
The teacher will make it clear that they the story will be told just one
time. One of the students that was asked to leave will be invited
back into the room, and the person standing at the front will transmit
the message to that person. One more student will be invited back
in, and the last student will transmit the message to him/her, and so on
and so forth. The last student will tell the class what he/she heard,
which will be written down by the teacher. The teacher will then
read what the last person said to the class, and then read the original
story to the class. A discussion about listening and rumors will
follow, and students will react to this assignment in their journals.
Lesson #5
The topic of this lesson is active listening vs. passive listening, and it reinforces the previous lessons. The teacher will ask a volunteer to come to the front of the room and tell the teacher about a problem that he/she is experiencing. The teacher will then explain to the class that he/she is going to demonstrate poor listening. Some suggestions for poor listening include looking away, interrupting, walking away, or directing attention towards something/someone else. The students observe the teacherâs behavior. After the demonstration, students make a list of how the teacher acted, and then share their lists with their group members. Then, the student is asked how he/she felt when the teacher listened poorly, and the students write that down as well. Then, the teacher tells the class that he/she will demonstrate active listening. The same student is instructed to talk about something that would interest the teacher, such as a way that he/she can help him/her, or a funny story that involves the teacher, etc. The teacher listens actively by making eye contact, nodding, moving closer, asking questions about the story, etc. The students then repeat the previous steps by writing down their findings. A discussion will follow that involves these questions:
1. When is it easy to be an active listener? Why? What are
some of the common verbal and non-verbal responses for active listening?
2. When is it easy to be a poor listener? Why? What are
some of the common verbal and non-verbal responses for poor listening?
A journal writing assignment will follow that will involve answering
the following questions: Think of a person that you share a close relationship
with. Do you have active listening skills? If so, when are
you more likely to actively listen and when do you tend to listen poorly?
If you are having trouble answering this question, think of the last time
your friend was experiencing pain had a problem and try to remember how
you listened.
An appropriate homework assignment would be to have the students focus
on their listening skills for the next few days and jot down their observations.
Lesson #6
Conflict will be the focus of this lesson. The teacher will write the word ãconflictä on the board and ask students what the word means to them. The teacher will give the students a few minutes to think about it and/or jot down some words that they associate with conflict in their journals. Then, the students will volunteer their ideas and the teacher will do a cluster on the board. Following should be a short discussion about the meaning of conflict by sharing that conflict is a disagreement or emotional disturbance, and that conflicts will always be present in our lives and that the we will be learning how to deal with conflicts in relationships. In addition, the difference between external and internal conflict will be discussed. Some examples of internal conflict will be discussed, and students will write about an internal conflict that they are experiencing/have experienced. The students will then continue writing in their journals about a time that they recently were involved in an external conflict. They will be asked to answer the following questions:
1. Who was involved in the conflict? Include his/her/their relationship
to you.
2. What was the conflict about?
3. What did you do/say during the conflict?
4. What did the other person do/say during the conflict?
5. How did you feel at the beginning of the conflict?
6. How did you feel at the end of the conflict?
7. Was the conflict resolved?
Following this activity will be a short introduction to Maddi and Khoshabaâs approach to handling conflict entitled ãSituational Reconstruction.ä In this exercise, students will be asked to think about an ongoing conflict that they are currently experiencing with another person. Students will be introduced to the two principles to follow when approaching conflict. The first is ãThe Win-Win Principle,ä which involves finding a way for both people/parties to get what they need. The second is the ãIn The Service of the Relationship Principle,ä which focuses on positive behaviors that preserve and enhance the relationship. They will then be asked to respond to the following statements in regards to the conflict:
1. Describe an ongoing conflict between you and someone else.
2. Think of a way in which this conflict could be even worse than it
is.
3. Think of a way in which this conflict could be better than it is.
4. Make up a story about how the worse version of the stressful conflict
you identified in step 2 might actually take place. What would have
to change in you and the others involved to make things even worse?
Once you have finished the story, estimate (from 0% to 100%) how likely
it is to come true.
5. Make up a story about how the better (or win-win) version of the
stressful conflict that you identified in step 3 might actually take place.
What would have to change in you and the others involved to make things
better? Once you have finished the story, estimate (from 0% to 100%)
how likely it is to come true.
6. What specifically can you do to bring about the better (or win-win)
version of your problem and stop the worse version from happening (Maddi
and Khoshaba, 127)?
Lesson #7
This lesson deals with the three different ways in which people deal with conflict: fight, flight, and flow. The three terms will be written on the board with a basic explanation of each type next to it. Basically, flight would be avoiding the problem or denying that it exists; fight would be confronting, bullying or attacking; and flow would be communicating to resolve the problem. The teacher may elect to role-play various conflicts with volunteer students to clarify meaning. Based upon the last journal writing, students will determine which style of conflict they used in the disagreement that they wrote about. They will then briefly write about two other conflicts that recently occurred and determine which style they used in those situations. In their journals, students will reflect upon this activity by answering the following questions:
For each of the three conflicts you wrote about·
1. If you used flight as a way of dealing with conflict, what was negative
about your experience? What was positive?
2. If you fight as a way of dealing with conflict, what was negative
about your experience? What was positive?
3. If you used flow as a way of dealing with conflict, what was negative
about your experience? What was positive?
Students will then continue to write by analyzing the way in which they
deal with conflict. Which style do you most often use? Does
your style change? Why? Why is it helpful to be able to recognize
your own conflict style? Why is it helpful to know how the other
person in the disagreement deals with conflict? And of course, most
importantly, why would ãflowä be the most constructive way to resolve a
conflict?
ãCadenta Rotaä (ãBroken Chainä) and ãNaranjasä (ãOrangesä)
ãBroken chainä is a short story written by Gary Soto that deals with
common issues of adolescence: insecurities about appearance, sibling conflict,
first love, and being misunderstood by parents. The main characterâs
name is Alfonso, a boy in 7th grade that is experiencing doubts about his
appearance. When not in school or riding his bike, Alfonso does 50
sit-ups a day since his goal is to have a washboard-like stomach, and with
his fingers puts pressure on his teeth, trying to make them straight.
The relationship he has with his brother is typical; sometimes they get
along, and other times they donât. The story consists mainly of the
problems that arise when Alfonso meets a girl and worries about making
the right impression on a first date. The plan is to ride their bikes
together one day after school, but when Alfonsoâs brother doesnât want
to let Alfonso borrow his bike and when the chain breaks on Alfonsoâs bike,
it as if the world were going to end in Alfonsoâs eyes. At the end
of the story, Alfonsoâs brother ends up letting him borrow the bike and
everything works out÷he and the girl share the bike and end up having a
great time.
ãNaranjasä is a poem that deals with a similar issue. It is a
poem that reads very easily and does not contain any difficult or abstract
concepts or words. A young boy is on his first date with a girl and
walks her to the store and buys her candy. The problem is that the
boy only has 1 nickel and 2 oranges in his jacket pocket, and the girl
chooses a candy bar that costs 10 cents. The boy leaves the nickel
and one of his oranges on the counter, and the clerk doesnât say a word.
The poem ends as the boy and girl leave the store holding hands, and the
boy is relieved that everything has worked out.
Since the students will be familiar with relationship roles, communication
and conflict, the students will be able to apply what they have learned
to this story and poem and the works that follow. The lessons that
follow will last anywhere from 3-5 days. Both the works will be read
silently and then as a class.
Lesson #1
Students will be asked to copy the vocabulary list from the board and will leave two lines for each word÷one for the definition that they come up with while reading the story and guessing from contextual clues, and the other for the definition that I will give them. The homework assignment will be to use the words in sentences.
Vocabulary list: fingir (to pretend), titubear (to hesitate/stutter), fastidiar (to annoy/upset), mueca (face), trayecto (route/way), agudo (shrill), decepcionar (to disappoint), tacano (stingy), porche (porch), solar (building site), and graderia (rows of seats)
Students will then be given a dictation of words that come from the story and poem. The focus of this dictation will be on the /s/ sound, which in Spanish is written orthographically with the letters s, c, and z. They will be instructed to study the words throughout the week.
Dictation: posicion, cincuenta, sentadillas, ondulaciones, incisiones, encima, rasurado, cinco, trece, cabeza, cerrada, cespedes, hizo, cielo, aparecer, almacen, occasion, parecido, enderezarse, decidir, anuncio, calcetin, bicicleta, velocidad, duraznero, acercarse, asiento, acero, sucio, hicieron, chistoso, reconocer, silencio, conocer, encendidio, trasero, decir, cerca, zapatos, informacion, hacia, hacer, celoso, cocina, centavo, cien, seccion, azotar, cita, suceder, fuerza, doce, recien.
Lesson #2
Students will be instructed to read ãCadena Rotaä silently and at the
same time take notes about Alfonso, the main character of the story.
They will be asked to pay attention to his personality and his actions.
The question to be answered from this note-taking assignment will be ãWhat
makes Alfonso a typical teenager?ä The students may also choose to
compare themselves to Alfonso, for example some things that they have in
common with him and/or things they donât have in common with him.
Once finished, they will read ãNaranjas,ä the poem that follows.
How are the two works similar? How are they different?
Once the students are finished with this assignment, the class
will read the story and the poem. The teacher will begin and each
student will read a paragraph or two out loud. The teacher will stop
to clarify as well as to have the student share their findings about the
main character. The term ãcharacterizationä will be introduced, and
the teacher will ask if the examples from the story directly tell us about
Alfonso or indirectly show us about his character. The teacher will
ask the students which type of characterization, direct or indirect, is
more effective and interesting and why. The students will be told
at this time that in a few days when they write their biographies they
will be asked to use examples of indirect characterization in their work.
The students will copy examples of both direct and indirect characterization
in their notes.
Lesson #3
The focus of this lesson will be on figurative speech. The teacher
will write a sentence from the story on the board: ãCuando sonrio se dio
cuenta por primera vez de que tenia los dientes chuecos, como una pila
de coches estrelladosä (When he smiled he realized that he had crooked
teeth, like a pile of smashed cars). The teacher will ask if there
really were cars in his mouth, which will initiate a discussion about the
various types of figurative speech that authors use, such as similes, metaphors
and personification. The teacher will give examples of each of the
three terms previously mentioned. The students will refer back to
their notes about direct and indirect characterization as well as the story
itself, and they will look for examples of the three previous terms mentioned.
In groups, the students will share and compare their findings. Then,
one student from each group will be asked to write an example of figurative
speech on the board, and following that the teacher and students as a class
will decide if each sentence is an example of a metaphor, simile or personification.
As a follow-up assignment, students may be asked to draw pictures based
upon an image created by one of the examples of figurative speech from
the story.
Lesson #4
Students will analyze internal and external conflict in this lesson. The definition of conflict will be reviewed with the students, as well as the difference between internal and external. In groups, students will make a list of the examples of internal and external conflict found in the story. They will look at each example and analyze how Alfonso dealt with each problem÷specifically, fight, flight, or flow. A class discussion will follow and the teacher will review those examples with the students. In their journals, they will write about one of the examples of a problem that Alfonso dealt with and write about how they would handle a similar situation. They will also be asked to put themselves in Alfonsoâs shoes and follow the steps of ãSituational Reconstructionä to deal with the conflict. They may choose to include an example of something that happened in their lives recently in order to compare and contrast.
Lesson #5
Students will be asked to write a character profile of Alfonso, and
they should include what he looks like, the names of the members of his
family, things he enjoys, his hopes and dreams, where he lives, and anything
else they feel is pertinent to his character. In addition, they will
analyze which roles/social support functions that each of the following
characters fulfills in reference to Alfonso: Alfonsoâs mother, Alfonsoâs
father, Alfonsoâs brother, and Sandra, the girl he meets. Since the
story might not directly help them with this portion of the assignment,
they will have to guess based upon the information that they have.
They will do this activity individually. The students will share
their responses with their group members.
The students will then write in their journals about a person that
did a favor for them, like Alfonsoâs brother did by letting him borrow
his bike or the clerk at the store that accepted the orange instead of
money. Beforehand, the teacher will lead them through a guided imagery
exercise in which the room is darkened and the students close their eyes
and visualize the occasion. They should describe how that person
helped them using as many details as possible and not worrying about spelling
and punctuation. They may then categorize the details under headings
such as age, appearance, facial features, style of dress, etc. This
exercise will help the students learn to write descriptively using vivid
images as opposed to using direct words and phrases.
ãYo Se Porque Canta el Pajaro Enjauladoä (ãI Know Why the Caged Bird Singsä) and ãLa Murallaä (ãThe Wallä)
The final two works of this unit are relatively short, and the lessons
that accompany them will last anywhere from 2-4 days. The excerpt
deals with a young African American girl that has just transferred to a
high school in a white neighborhood. The girl feels different and
out of place for many reasons÷especially because from her perspective,
the white children have a better vocabulary and seem to act much more confident
in class. However, one teacher makes a difference in her life because
of the love and passion the teacher displays for learning as well as her
ability to treat everyone as equals. In this portion of the autobiography,
the girl reflects on how the teacher affected her and how that particular
teacher is the only one she remembers from her days there at that school.
This story is an important part of the unit÷it deals with the
feelings of uncertainty and fear that one deals with in certain situations
in life. In addition, it shows how certain special people in our
lives can have a lasting impression on us for as long as we remember.
The poem that follows by Nicolas Guillen further enforces that peace and
love are essential for happiness in relationships.
Lesson #1
Students will be asked to copy the vocabulary list from the board and will leave two lines for each word, one for the definition that they come up within while reading the story and guessing from contextual clues, and the other for the definition that I will give them. The homework assignment will be to use the words in sentences.
Vocabulary list: apear (to lower), alivio (relief), cerciorarse (to assure), predilecto (preferred), frivolidad (frivolity), intimidar (to intimidate), talento (talent), alzar (to raise), autentico (authentic/real).
The dictation will consist of words that have the initial orthographic h that is silent in Spanish: hermoso, haber, hacer, hacia, hermano/a, hablar, hoy. In addition, a group of words that contain the /b/ phonetic sound that are orthographically written with the letters b and v will also be included: barrio, tranvia, blanco, nuevo, vocabulario, atreverse, vacilar, trabajar, cabello, libro, veces, abrir, ver, revista, saber, viceversa, liberal.
Lesson #2
In their journals, students will write about a time when they felt uncertain or frightened about something they had to do, such as trying something new or feeling pressured to do well at something. They will then be asked: If the experience turned out positively, could you attribute its success to the help or influence of another person? They will then be asked to create a profile of that person. If that particular experience didnât involve another person, they may write about someone that has helped them to be successful in a certain situation. Was that person one of the three people that you chose to write about in the journal writing assignment about social support (the 5 functions)?
Lesson #3
The focus of this lesson will be on setting. Students will think about a place where they spend a lot of time, such as their home, a park, or even the school. The students will draw a picture and then make a list of the most important things there with vivid details. The teacher will explain the definition of setting and that it is an important element of a story that directly affects the characters. Then, the students will silently read the story and write down the details of setting that the author has included. They may then go back to their lists and add more details to the place they originally wrote about.
Lesson #4
The excerpt will be read aloud by student volunteers, and the teacher
will stop and ask questions about the setting as well as clarify meaning.
Following the excerpt, students will answer questions about the story and
prepare a plot summary in their cooperative learning groups. They
will then continue working in groups to decide how they would welcome a
new student to their school. Each group will share their ideas with
the class.
As a follow-up assignment, students will be asked to write in
their journals about a time when they felt ãdifferentä in school, possibly
similar to how Ms. Johnson felt in regards to her race. Possible
topics to discuss beforehand would be race, sex, language barriers, and
even just looking ãdifferent.ä
Lesson #5
Students will read the poem ãLa Murallaä (ãThe Wallä) and decide what the theme of the poem is. The term will be reviewed with the students beforehand. The students will then be asked to create a poster in their groups that represents that theme. They will be asked to create a sentence, somewhat like a title of their poster that represents the theme they are addressing. Each group will make a short presentation to the class based upon the poster and what it means.
Unit Project
The unit project will consist of writing a detailed biography about a person that the student admires. The person that each student chooses can be a family member, teacher, or friend, but must be a person that the student was personally inspired by. The teacher will walk the students through the writing process. Topics to be covered and reviewed will include gathering ideas, outline, organization, use of figurative language, direct/indirect characterization, rough draft, and peer editing. Each student will orally present their biography and have accompanying visuals for the class.
Angelou, Maya. ãYo se porque canta el pajaro enjaulado.ä Encuentros 2. Austin: Holt, Rhinehart and Winston, 1997. An autobiography about an African American girl living during the era of World War 2.
Copeland, Noreen. Managing Conflict. New Mexico: The New Mexico Center for Dispute Resolution, 1995. A curriculum guide for adolescents÷teachers have permission to reproduce handouts that accompany the lessons. 800-249-6884 is the main number, if interested in ordering this guide and/or others.)
Ford, Loren. A Guide for Improving Human Relations and Personal Adjustment. New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 1997. A book geared toward improving self- knowledge in order to improve human relation skills.
Guillen, Nicolas. ãLa muralla.ä Encuentros 2. Austin: Holt, Rhinehart and Winston, 1997. A poem about peace and love.
Hays, Pamela and Ellis. Communication Activities for Personal Life Strategies. Iowa: Kendall/Hunt Publishing Company, 1989. A book that contains activities for improving communication.
Josselson, Ruthellen. The Space Between Us. California: Sage Publications, 1996. A book about relationships.
Khoshaba and Maddi. Hardi Training. Vol. 1. California: The Hardiness Institute, 1994. A book that contains exercises, activities and strategies for coping with stress and strain in relationships.
Soto, Gary. ãCadena rota.ä Encuentros 2. Austin: Holt, Rhinehart and Winston, 1997. A short story about a typical adolescent boy.
---. ãNaranjas.ä Encuentros 2. Austin: Holt, Rhinehart
and Winston, 1997. A poem about an adolescent boy on his first date.
Annotated Student Reading List
Angelou, Maya. ãYo se porque canta el pajaro enjaulado.ä Encuentros 2. Trans. Carlos Manzano. Austin: Holt, Rhinehart and Winston, 1997. An autobiography about an African American girl living during the era of World War 2.
Ford, Loren. A Guide for Improving Human Relations and Personal Adjustment. New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 1997. A book geared toward improving self- knowledge in order to improve human relation skills.
Guillen, Nicolas. ãLa muralla.ä Encuentros 2. Austin: Holt, Rhinehart and Winston, 1997. A poem about peace and love.
Hays, Pamela and Ellis. Communication Activities for Personal Life Strategies. Iowa: Kendall/Hunt Publishing Company, 1989. A book that contains activities for improving communication.
Josselson, Ruthellen. The Space Between Us. California: Sage Publications, 1996. A book about relationships.
Khoshaba, Deborah M., and Salvatore R. Maddi. Hardi Training.
Vol. 1. California:
The Hardiness Institute, 1994. A book that contains exercises,
activities and strategies for coping with stress and strain in relationships.
Soto, Gary. ãCadena Rota.ä Encuentros 2. Trans. Tedi Lopez Mills. Austin: Holt, Rhinehart and Winston, 1997. A short story about a typical adolescent boy.
---. ãNaranjas.ä Encuentros 2. Trans. Carlos Perellon.
Austin: Holt, Rhinehart and Winston, 1997. A poem about an
adolescent boy on his first date.