Identidades: Salud y Bienestar

Overview

A 60-minute IB DP Spanish B lesson for 11th graders exploring the prescribed theme of Identidades through the cultural lens of Ecuadorian indigenous medicine, contrasting traditional healing practices with Western allopathic medicine. Students engage with an authentic Spanish text and develop vocabulary and writing skills aligned with Paper 1 assessment criteria.

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Learning Intentions

• Students will analyze an authentic Spanish text about Ecuadorian indigenous medicine for meaning and cultural significance.
• Students will evaluate how cultural identity shapes attitudes toward health and wellness.
• Students will apply IB DP Spanish B vocabulary to persuasive writing tasks.
• Students will practice selecting and structuring an appropriate text type for Paper 1 writing.

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Success Criteria

• I can identify key arguments in a Spanish text about traditional vs. Western medicine.
• I can use at least 10 unit vocabulary words accurately in discussion or writing.
• I can write a structured persuasive text (letter or article) responding to a Paper 1 prompt.
• I can connect the cultural context of Ecuador to the broader theme of identity and wellbeing.

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Curriculum Links

• IB DP Spanish B prescribed theme: Identidades — sub-theme La salud y el bienestar
• IB DP Language B receptive skills: reading for detail, inference, and cultural understanding
• IB DP Language B productive skills: writing for specific audience, purpose, and text type conventions
• Approaches to Learning (ATL): critical thinking and communication skills

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Unit Objectives & Inquiry Questions

Factual: What traditional healing practices do indigenous communities in Ecuador use, and how are they passed down?

Conceptual: How does cultural identity influence an individual's choices about health and medicine?

Debatable: Should governments integrate indigenous traditional medicine into national healthcare systems, replacing or supplementing Western treatments?

ATL Skills:

• Critical thinking: evaluating multiple perspectives on health systems
• Communication: constructing persuasive, audience-aware written texts in Spanish

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Lesson Structure (60 minutes)

0–5 min — Warm-up (Hook) Display two images: a Western pharmacy and an Ecuadorian healer (curandero) with medicinal plants. Ask students: ¿Cuál preferirías y por qué? Students share a one-sentence opinion with a partner to activate prior knowledge and frame the cultural inquiry.

5–20 min — Authentic Text Reading Distribute the teacher-prepared Spanish text (approx. 300–400 words) about Ecuadorian indigenous medicine. Students read independently, then complete three tasks: identify three traditional healing practices mentioned, underline five unfamiliar words, and write one inference about cultural identity. Teacher circulates and supports comprehension without over-translating.

20–30 min — Vocabulary Instruction & Practice Introduce the 30-word IB vocabulary list organized into three categories: health and the body (la salud, el bienestar, la enfermedad, el remedio, sanar), culture and tradition (la cosmovisión, el curandero, la herencia, la identidad, ancestral), and persuasion and argument (sin embargo, por lo tanto, cabe destacar, se puede afirmar, a pesar de). Students work in pairs to match 10 words to definitions and then use 5 in original sentences aloud.

30–42 min — Text Analysis Discussion Class discussion guided by the three inquiry questions. Teacher facilitates using Socratic questioning, encouraging students to cite the text as evidence. Push toward the debatable question to develop critical thinking. Students take brief notes on peer arguments for later writing use.

42–57 min — Paper 1 Writing Task Students respond to the formal Paper 1 prompt below. They choose one of two text types and write approximately 250–300 words.

Prompt: La medicina indígena ecuatoriana ofrece alternativas valiosas para el bienestar moderno. Elige UNO de los siguientes formatos y escribe en español:

• Option A: A formal letter to your school principal recommending the inclusion of a mindfulness or herbal wellness program inspired by Ecuadorian traditions.
• Option B: A magazine article for a health publication arguing that a specific traditional Ecuadorian health habit should be adopted by young people in the United States.

Students must demonstrate clear text type conventions, persuasive language, and accurate use of unit vocabulary.

57–60 min — Closure Students share one sentence from their writing with the class. Teacher briefly previews how this writing will be assessed using IB Paper 1 criteria (language, message, format).

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Resources

• Teacher-created authentic Spanish text on Ecuadorian indigenous medicine (approx. 300–400 words, printed)
• 30-word IB vocabulary list (printed or projected)
• Warm-up images displayed via projector
• Paper 1 writing prompt (printed handout)
• Lined paper or Google Docs for student writing
• Bilingual dictionary (print or approved digital version)

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Assessment

• Formative: Pair and whole-class discussion using inquiry questions; vocabulary matching and sentence production monitored through observation.
• Formative: Written Paper 1 response collected at the end of class and reviewed against IB criteria for language, message, and format.
• Summative connection: Writing task feeds directly into preparation for the IB DP Spanish B Paper 1 external assessment.

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Differentiation

• Support: Provide a sentence frame bank and a glossed version of the authentic text with key vocabulary annotated in English for students below Intermediate-Mid proficiency.
• Extension: Students write a second text type as a comparative exercise and reflect in Spanish on which format was more persuasive and why.
• EAL/SEN: Allow extended time for the writing task; offer a structured outline template with labeled sections (introduction, argument 1, argument 2, conclusion) to scaffold organization.
• Advanced learners: Challenge students to incorporate subjunctive constructions and formal register markers from the vocabulary list into their Paper 1 response.