Celebrating Spanish Authors

Overview

Curriculum Area: English Language Arts
Grade Level: 7th Grade
Duration: 30 minutes
Focus: Introduction to Spanish Authors and Their Contributions to Literature

Objectives

• Students will gain an understanding of the impact of Spanish authors on global literature.
• Students will discover key works by Spanish authors that align with themes relevant to 7th Graders.
• Students will engage creatively with the text through discussion and a short writing exercise.

Common Core Standards

• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.7.7: Compare and contrast a text to an audio, video, or multimedia version, analyzing each medium’s portrayal of the subject.
• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.7.2: Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas, concepts, and information through the selection, organization, and analysis of relevant content.
• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.7.1: Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions.

Materials

• Brief bios of selected Spanish authors (provided in handouts)
• Excerpts from selected texts by these authors
• Whiteboard and markers
• Paper and pens for each student

Lesson Structure

Introduction (5 minutes)

1. Hook: Ask students if they know any Spanish authors or if they have heard of famous works like “Don Quixote”. Highlight the global impact of Spanish literature.
2. Objective Preview: Explain that today they will be exploring influential Spanish authors and how their works continue to enrich world literature.

Exploration of Spanish Authors (10 minutes)

1. Author Highlights:

   • Miguel de Cervantes: Briefly introduce "Don Quixote" as a cornerstone of Spanish literature, discussing themes of adventure and imagination.
   • Federico García Lorca: Present a snippet from his poetry to showcase themes of nature, life, and death.
   • Isabel Allende: Highlight her magical realism and mention "The House of the Spirits" as a bridge between the real and the mystical.

2. Group Discussion:

   • Divide students into small groups and assign each a short excerpt from one of the authors. Encourage them to identify key themes or messages.
   • Facilitate a brief whole-class discussion on what they found intriguing or challenging about the excerpts.

Creative Engagement (10 minutes)

1. Writing Activity: Have students write a short paragraph imagining themselves as a character in a Spanish author’s story. What kind of adventure might they embark upon or what magical element might they encounter?
2. Sharing: Invite a few students to share their paragraphs with the class. Encourage positive feedback and connections to the themes discussed earlier.

Conclusion and Reflection (5 minutes)

1. Review: Summarize the significance of Spanish authors in literature and the themes they often incorporate in their works.
2. Reflection: Ask students to reflect on how the themes they discovered today might appear in contemporary stories they enjoy.

Assessment

• Participation in group discussions.
• Creativity and connection to themes in the writing activity.
• Reflective insights shared during the conclusion.

Extensions

• Encourage students to research another Spanish author of their choice and present their findings in a short report next week.
• Incorporate a tech component by having students create a digital collage that represents a theme from one of the author’s works.