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Using the story Isla, by Arthur Dorros, the teacher introduces
travel by imagination with islands as the destination. Students
discover what makes islands different and special from mainland
homes and environments as they “travel” to an island or
a series of islands to explore life there. In the context of Spanish-speaking
islands, students make comparisons of island elements such as weather,
wildlife, economy, geography, folklore, and international relations.
ACTIVITY SET 1: Introduction to Islands
In an introductory discussion, students brainstorm the names of
as many islands as they can and follow up by locating them on a
map. (The teacher identifies Spanish-speaking islands to be researched
in the course of the learning scenario. See Resources for ideas.)
The class uses a graphic organizer, such as a Venn
diagram, to list the characteristics of an island and compare
them to the characteristics of the mainland, including what is shared
and what is independent, what is similar and what is different,
etc. The teacher reads Isla out loud to the whole class.
The book tells the story of an imaginary trip that a grandmother
and granddaughter take back to the island where the grandmother
grew up. After listening to the story, the class discusses the sights
they “saw” and the difference between real and imaginary
happenings. As a reflective piece, students use a personal “journal”
to list aspects of the story that appealed to each of their five
senses.
ACTIVITY SET 2: Building an “Island”
Using the characteristics of an island compiled in Activity Set
1, students work together to create a model island for the classroom.
A plywood board can be used as the base; students build up from
there, adding clay or papier mâché hills or volcanoes,
grass, roads, ponds, houses, cars, vegetation, etc. They also paint
or draw a background or several backgrounds on poster board or butcher
paper (perhaps depicting night and day or different kinds of weather
on the island). Students label the parts of the island in Spanish,
play on it, and enjoy it. (Note: Make the island only as large as
you can easily move!) They then work in pairs to generate lists
of words/phrases that describe the island, using a dictionary as
necessary. Students share original sentences about the island’s
different components, using phrases such as: “Me gusta….”
“Te gusta...” “Le gusta...” “Nos gusta...”
“Les gusta...” “Es muy bonito(a)...” “Son
muy bonitos(as)...”
ACTIVITY SET 3: Presentations
Students work in collaborative groups and choose an island to research
from the Spanish-speaking islands identified in Activity Set 1.
The teacher provides:
- an outline of four aspects of the island that each group should
address
1. landforms, vegetation, and wildlife
2. map and geographical information
3. people and culture (including products, practices, and perspectives)
4. government, politics, and international relations
- a template for the oral presentation (requiring the use of technology,
such as PowerPoint, HyperStudio, a “live” visit to an
Internet site, etc.)
- a timeline for completion
Target-language research resources, including maps, books, Web
sites, atlases, etc. are made readily available. Students use English
resources for support as necessary. Students (or the teacher) bring
samples of tropical fruit for the “audience” to enjoy
as the island presentations are made. After all the presentations
are complete, students make a human
bar graph to show the class’s favorite fruits.
ACTIVITY SET 4: Island Research
The presentations from Activity Set 3 provide food for thought about
the studied islands’ neighbors and the relationships between
them. Students explore these relationships in terms of history,
commerce, trade routes, military alliances/conflicts, weather, ecological
issues, etc. They use grade-level mathematics skills to graph island
data such as average high temperatures, average rainfall, population
growth, import/export information, etc. Students use the target
language for numbers, weather terms, seasons and months of the year,
geographical terms, etc.
If possible, invite a parent or other community member who speaks
the target language and was born on one of the studied islands to
come and share with the class.
ACTIVITY SET 5: Family Ties
Close family ties are one focus of the book Isla. Have a
class discussion of the family ties in the story and at home. Start
by asking what the relationship between the grandmother and granddaughter
is by using the illustrations from the book and asking simple questions
such as ¿Quién es? Bring the discussion “home”
by asking questions such as ¿Cómo se llama tu abuela?
and ¿Cómo se llama tu mamá (papá,
abuelo, hermano, hermana, etc.)? (Teachers should be sensitive
to students without families and those with non-traditional families.
With younger children, it may be useful to send home a note asking
for a “family tree” listing significant relatives, including
their ages.) Students then practice these questions in pairs. The
class discussion might also address the issue of age with the teacher
asking ¿Cuántos años tienes? The pairs
then converse again, asking the ages of the family members instead
of asking their names.
ACTIVITY SET 6: Planning an Imaginary Trip
Now that they are well-informed about islands where Spanish is spoken,
students plan an imaginary trip to one of the islands studied with
their most special friend or relative. They make lists of clothing
appropriate for the weather there and come up with a travel itinerary
full of specific activities, including restaurants they’d go
to, museums they’d visit, beaches they’d like to see,
etc. They list foods they think they will enjoy. As they are working
on their travel plans, they listen to music typical of each destination.
Students write and present a diamante
poem to describe the trip.
- Communication:
Interpersonal, Interpretative, & Presentational Modes
- Cultures:
Practices & Perspectives, Products & Perspectives
- Connections:
Access to Information, Other Subject Areas
- Communities:
Within & Beyond the School Setting, Personal Enrichment &
Career Development
- Isla by Arthur Dorros
- Materials for the classroom “island,”
including plywood board for the base, papier mâché,
clay, paint, butcher paper for background, etc.
- Computers with Internet access and presentation
software (e.g., PowerPoint)
- Art supplies, including construction paper
and drawing or painting materials
- Books for research on islands
- Graph paper
- Software templates for group presentations
(e.g., in PowerPoint, HyperStudio)
- Template for diamante poems
- Materials for map-making (such as salt
dough, tempera paint or food coloring, cardboard as a base, etc.)
- Assorted tropical fruits
Communication: The interpersonal mode
is used in class discussions, small group work, and pair work. The
interpretive mode is used when students listen to Isla, when they
conduct research on their island, as they listen to class presentations
of island projects and diamante poems, and as they listen to a classroom
visitor(s). The presentational mode is used when students present
their group projects and diamante poems.
Cultures: Students learn about products
(food, music, and exports) and practices (religion and government)
of the islands studied and thereby gain understanding of many Hispanic
cultures. Classroom visitors lend insight into the perspectives
behind the products and practices.
Connections: Students use target language
resources to gain access to information about islands where Spanish
is spoken. They also connect to many other subject areas, including
science (geography, topography, environmental biology), mathematics
(graphing activities), the fine arts (creating model of island,
discovering artwork of the islands during research, listening to
island music and identifying its characteristics), and social studies
(research on political systems, trade issues, international relations,
history).
Communities: Students gain insight
into island life by listening to a community member who speaks Spanish
and is from one of the islands studied.
- Invite a travel agent, preferably one
that speaks the target language, to class to present information
on the islands studied.
- Students create a full-color travel brochure
for their chosen destination.
- Students keep journals of their imaginary
trips.
- Intermediate- and advanced-level students
could prepare a speech to lobby for conservation legislation reform.
(All islands have serious ecological issues, such as beach erosion,
habitat preservation, ecotourism, etc.)
- Students create a timeline of colonization
of the island and the resulting changes over time.
- Students create Web pages or electronic
brochures for their islands using all of the information they
acquire from their research.
- Research groups from Activity Set 3 write
a letter requesting information to the Travel Bureau or Consul
General of the island they are studying.
- Students compare original artwork from
three or four islands and note specific island influences.
Books
Cooney, B. (1993). Hattie and the wild
waves. New York: Penguin Putnam Books for Young Readers
Dorros, A. (1993). Follow the water
from brook to ocean. New York: Harper Collins Children’s
Book Group.
Dorros, A. (1999). Rain forest secrets.
New York: Scholastic.
Fiarotta, N. & Fiarotta,
P. (1996). Great experiments with H20. New York: Sterling Publications
Corporation,
Inc.
Forsyth, A. (1989). Journey through
a tropical jungle. New York: Simon & Schuster, Inc.
Ganeri, A. (1995). I wonder why the
sea is salty: Ocean questions. New York: Larousse Kingfisher
Chambers, Inc.
Hulme, J. (1993). Sea squares.
New York: Hyperion.
Linse, B & Judd,
D. (1993). Fiesta!
Mexico and Central America: A global awareness program for children
in grades 2-5. Torrance, CA: Frank Schaffer Publications,
Inc.
Nelson, W. E. & Glass,
H. (1992). International playtime: Classroom games and dances from around
the world. Torrance, CA: Frank Schaffer Publications, Inc.
Orozco, J. (translator) (1994). “De
colores” and other Latin-American folk songs for children.
New York: E P Dutton.
Rockwell, A. & Rockwell,
H. (1991). At the beach. New York: Aladdin Paperbacks.
Truglio Martin, A. (1993). Famous seaweed soup. Morton Grove,
IL: Albert Whitman & Co.
Rylant, C. (1997). Henry and Mudge
and the forever sea. New York: Simon & Schuster, Inc.
Music
- Knowles, R. & Morse, K. (1991). Lyric
language [audio cassette]. Carlsbad, CA: Penton Overseas,
Inc.
This bilingual cassette tape features the song “At the Beach/En
la Playa.”
Luciani, G. (1996). Azúcar [CD]. Canada: Avalon
Music.
- Vehkavaara, K. (2000). Fiesta del Sol
[CD]. Canada: Avalon Music.
Webliography
NOTE: These Internet
resources may have changed since publication or no longer be
available. Active links should be
carefully
screened
before
recommending to students.
Sites that go with Isla (by Arthur Dorros)
Rainforest Site
Weather Sites
Falkland Islands Sites
Sites on Cuba
Isla Margarita Sites
Islas Galápagos Sites
Puerto Rico Sites
San Blas Sites
Template for Diamante Poem
Students follow this template to write an
original poem of their own:
subject
adjective, adjective
infinitive, infinitive, infinitive
adjective, adjective
subject
Example:
la isla
brilliante, misteriosa,
cantar, sombrar, mirar, murmurar
verde, viva
la isla
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