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The Seasons of the Year (Grades 5-8)

Master Teacher

Libia V. Raines

Time Allotment

45-minute class period

Overview

Students will learn all about the four seasons. They will collaborate in pairs, publish a book, and share with the class. Students will gain understanding about the four seasons of the year. They will brainstorm and collaborate with each other providing literacy skills through listening, speaking and writing activities.

Subject Matter

Spanish/Science

Learning Objectives

Students will be able to:

describe the four seasons using complete sentences
brainstorm, engage in team writing activities, and read their stories to the class
draw what they are describing and publish their work through a storybook software program

South Carolina Standards

These Standards can be found online at Office of Curriculum Standards.

Standard 1.2

Students will understand and interpret written and spoken language on a variety of topics. Meaning, students will demonstrate comprehension of informational materials, e.g. directions and instructions on the four seasons, make inferences and draw conclusions.

Standard 1.3

Students will present information, concepts and ideas to an audience of listeners or readers on the topic of the seasons. Read what they have learned to the class.

Standard 3.1

Students reinforce and further their knowledge of other disciplines through the foreign language. Identify and use in the target language previously acquired concepts from other subject area, e.g., science.

Cross-curricular standards Grade 8 III A 6 a, b science standard

Media Components

Video

Lyric Language, Spanish I and II, Lessons 9-12; Series I Part II: Las Estaciones/ The Seasons.

Other Technology

Electronic Publisher

Storybook Weaver from The Learning Company (Website)

Materials

Per group (2 students):

A computer with Storybook Weaver or a similar program
1 piece of poster board
markers and crayons
clothing catalogs
scissors
glue
Venn Diagram
one vocabulary list
list of different seasonal changes between the U.S. and Latin American countries

Per student:

one card

Prep for Teachers

Bring in assorted items and pictures related to the seasons.

Provide students with a vocabulary list that corresponds to each season.

Provide a diagram of the different seasonal changes between the U.S. and Latin American countries (word processing program). For example, "When it is winter in the Northern Hemisphere, it is summer in the Southern Hemisphere." A list of different seasonal changes between the U.S. and Latin American countries is provided. (Activity Sheet 1)

Cue video on the seasons.

Provide a collection of catalogs and magazines that students can cut seasonal pictures from. The pictures need to match the words on the vocabulary sheet.

When using media, provide students with a Focus for Media Interaction, a specific task to complete and/or information to identify during or after viewing of video segments, Web sites, or other multimedia elements.

Introductory Activity

Step 1: Designate one area of the classroom for each season. Show the items and pictures to the class and name. Have various students repeat the names, say where they belong, and then place them in the appropriate area.

Step 2: Divide the class into groups of two students and have each group cut clothing catalogs to make a poster of clothing for one of the following situations: en el invierno (in the winter), en el verano (in the summer), en el otono (in the autumn/fall), and en la primavera (in the spring). Each group will need to divide a piece of poster board into 4 sections and label each section with a season in Spanish.

Step 3: Provide a Focus for Media Interaction by asking students to follow the video closely so they can name the season each time the video is paused. When the video is paused after each season, the students will place the pictures for that season in the correct section of their poster.

START the video when you hear "verano"

(summer), "otoño" (fall), "invierno" (winter), "primavera" (spring). PAUSE the video on the segment of summer when you hear "cuando vamos de vacacion" (when we go on vacation). Tell the students to place the appropriate clothing in the correct section of the poster.

PLAY the video when you hear "otoño [autumn]" el aire esta fresco" (the air is cool). STOP the seg-ment on autumn when you hear "ir a la escuela" (go back to school). Have students place the ap-propriate clothing in the correct section of the poster.

PLAY the video when you hear "invierno

[winter] esta frio" (is cold). PAUSE the video on the segment of winter when you hear "jugar en la nieve" (play in the snow). Have students place the appropriate clothing for winter.

PLAY the video on the segment of spring when you hear "primavera [spring] significa" (means). PAUSE the segment of spring when you hear "stir the air," and have students place the appropriate clothing in the correct section of the poster.

Step 4: To check comprehension, have pairs of students draw with color pencils on a card a representation of their favorite weather and an item that they would wear/use. Each group will use Spanish words to name the weather and its corresponding clothing items. After drawing their representations of their favorite weather, students will present their scenario and it will be displayed on the bulletin board.

Learning Activity

Step 1: Inform students that they will work in pairs to write sentences in Spanish and perform peer-editing tasks. Some of their sentences will be written on the board.

Step 2: Each group of students will write descriptive sentences in Spanish about the four seasons. Within groups, the students will exchange papers and check capitalization and punctuation. A Spanish/English dictionary will be provided for those students who have difficulties in writing sentences.

Step 3: Students will write sentences comparing the seasons of the U.S. and Latin American countries. For examples, see the "Seasonal Changes" List. (Activity Sheet 1)

Step 4: When the above tasks are completed, stu-dents will use the Storybook Weaver or a similar program in the computer lab to type their descriptive sentences in Spanish, and choose graphics that correspond with their sentences to complete their books.

Step 5: Students will present their projects to the class.

Culminating Activity

Step 1: Using Activity Sheet 3, the Venn Diagram, for each student, sort and categorize the differences in seasons between the U.S. and Latin America. Instruct students to provide one to three statements about each season that will form a descriptive passage.

Step 2: After making the Venn diagram, have stu-dents write complete sentences comparing the two countries. When it is winter in the Northern Hem-isphere, it is summer in the Southern Hemisphere.

Cross-Curricular Extension

Science: Have students research and be able to demonstrate how Earth's rotation about its north-south axis and Earth's orbit of the sun are related to the day and the year on Earth.

1. The North Pole of Earth's rotation axis points toward the distant Polaris (the North Star). Demonstrate how this affects the tilt of the Earth's rotation axis toward or away from the sun at different times of the year.

2. The tilt of the Earth's axis results in the sun being higher in the sky in summer and lower in the sky in winter. Why does this result in Earth's seasons?

3. To demonstrate concept, students will do an Earth-sun model project. (See Activity Sheet 3.)

Community Connection

Have someone in the local Spanish com-munity come and share with the students the customs and traditions of one of its holidays, for example, the Christmas season.

Student Materials

Vocabulary sheet
Venn Diagram Compare and contrast Sheet

Per pair of students:

Earth-sun model project guide
books
pencil
flashlight
protractor
paper
toothpick
acetate sheet with thick grid lines drawn on it
plastic foam ball marked with poles and equator