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Subject

English Language Arts (2005)

Assessment

See rubric below.

• Spanish I Currency Project Rubric

Learning Context/ Introduction

This is a student project learning experience geared toward 8th grade students studying Spanish. The students will be developing cross-cultural skills and understandings related to Spanish speaking countries and their currency. The students will be creating charts using Microsoft Excel. The students will track and convert the currency of a Spanish speaking country to the US dollar for one week. They will take the information acquired and create a chart using Microsoft Excel. Students will explain why the currency rates fluctuate, develop an awareness of other currencies, and convert currencies from Spanish speaking countries to US dollar amounts.

Duration

This lesson will need 7 class days consisting of 42-minutes each. Teachers will need to prepare for the lesson by checking the working consistency of the websites needed.

Essential Question

Why do currency rates change?
What could you buy with one hundred US dollars in a Spanish speaking country?

Instructional/Environment Modifications

Computer lab, teacher aide, SMART Board, MS Excel, Internet

Procedure

Day 1

1. Review of currency - Mexican peso and Spain's euro. Students will be able to make visual distinctions between the two currencies. The students will be able to touch and see the currencies of three different countries: the US, Spain, and Mexico. The students will practice answering the question in Spanish ¿Cuánto cuesta(n)? The items to be used will be school materials that will have assigned prices to them in the Euro, Peso and the US dollar.
2. Next students will be introduced to Spanish speaking countries. Students will be given maps on a hard copy and they will have to fill in countries of Central America, Europe, and South America that will be displayed on the SMART Board.
3. Students will then be assigned a Spanish speaking country by drawing a country name from a sombrero.
4. I will explain to them about the project on tracking currency.

Day 2

1. Students research currency. Students will be given instructions on hard copy of how to find and look up currency using the internet. The students will go to the computer lab and follow instructions given on paper and orally by teacher. They will go to a shared network folder and open the document titled "Currency Website." The students will not be receiving a hard copy of the websites. The websites are found on the district shared Classworks folder. A list of the websites has been provided under the Related Resource section. The students will find and write down their assigned country's currency name, symbol, and subdivision.
2. Next they will open up the link titled "Currency Converter Sites." They will be given a worksheet that they will need to use daily to record the currency exchange over one week. They will be converting US dollars to Euros and to their country's currency. See attached worksheet titled Currency Tracker Sheet.
3. Students will review country locations by using the SMART Board. Students will see a blank outline map of the world. There will be a word bank of countries. The students will have to place the country name in the appropriate spot on the map.

Day 3

1. Students track and record currency.
2. Discuss what possible changes in currency might mean. Students use the Internet to locate country's capital.
3. Students use SMART Board Vortex game to place countries in Central America or South America. Student will choose which country they want to select.

Days 4 - 5

1. Students track and record currency.
2. Discuss what possible changes in currency might mean.
3. Students use SMART Board Vortex game to place countries in Central America or South America. This time students will be given a country to select.
4. Students discuss and share with different classmates each day about their country's currency and how it relates to the US dollar.
5. Students are to choose 5 school materials from www.officemax.com website and record their prices to use for an upcoming project relating currency conversions.

Day 6

1. Students track and record currency.
2. Students are quizzed on country locations.
3. Students are given a worksheet based on school material items and prices in Euros.
4. Students need to navigate through a website to find the items and then convert the Euros into US dollars.

Day 7

1. Students complete conversions for the week.
2. Students complete chart set up using teacher instruction modeled on SMART Board and hard copy directions.
3. Students discuss the purpose and importance of charts. Students customize charts.
4. Students share with the class what they have learned about their chosen country relating to the currency and changes if any.

• Spanish I Currency Conversion Worksheet
• Spanish 1 Currency Tracker Sheet
• Spanish I Currency Chart Set Up

Reflections and Feedback

I learned that a lot of students are very interested in using shortcuts with technology. I showed the students what a grade 1 through 4 would look like providing examples of charts. I feel that they used my 4 example to their benefit by just copying what I had and not putting enough personal creativity towards the creation of their own charts. Also, students became carried away with creating colors and patterns for their charts which took away from the readability of the displayed information. If I were to introduce this unit again, I would show samples of student work from previous years and have the current students grade them according to the rubric. I would think maybe the students would take more consideration and time into what they would create. I enjoyed the unit due to the fact that most of the students seemed to enjoy creating and personalizing their charts, even if they did get too carried away.

Student Work

Students will be creating and presenting a chart displaying a currency of a Spanish speaking country.

• Student Work - As Expected
• Student Work - Above Expectation
• Student Work - Below Expectation

Related Resource

• Direction sheets
• Internet sites:
  • http://www.exchange-rates.org/converter.aspx
  • http://www.foreign-trade.com/resources/converter.cfm
• District Shared Classworks folder
• Rubrics

Related Academic Standards

New York State

LOTE.ML.2.1.A.A Students can use some key cultural traits of the societies in which the target language is spoken.

RH.5-8.2 Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source; provide an accurate summary of the source distinct from prior knowledge or opinions.

ELA.8.R.1.B Students apply thinking skills, such as define, classify, and infer, to interpret data, facts, and ideas from informational texts.

MST5.I.CT3.2 Students use a computer system to connect to and access needed information from various Internet sites.

ELA1.I.LR1A Students interpret and analyze information from textbooks and nonfiction books for young adults, as well as reference materials, audio and media presentations, oral interviews, graphs, charts, diagrams, and electronic databases intended for a general audience.