Waltham Public Schools

Unit 1

Q1

1. What forms our identity?

2. Where are we from?

3. What languages do we speak?

4. What is our identity in the Caribbean?

5. What forms my personal identity?

6. What are the components of our cultural identity? 

Identity Reflection: Describing various facets of personal identity and how they evolve over time.

Regional Historical Analysis: Interpreting historical texts and videos to create timelines of major regional events.

Literary & Musical Interpretation: Analyzing and comparing autobiographical novels (such as Cuando era puertorriqueña), poems, and songs regarding immigrant identity.

Geographic Literacy: Labeling maps of the Caribbean and studying the impact of climate and geography on regional cultures.

Critical Debates: Discussing the complexities of race and ethnicity, as well as the impact of U.S. imperialism in the region.

Linguistic Skill-Building:

• Applying correct article-noun agreement in gender and number.

• Mastering accentuation for "aguda" words and monosyllable homographs.

• Utilizing regional lexical variations and slang from Puerto Rico, Cuba, and the Dominican Republic.

Cultural Exploration: Examining the mix of Taíno, African, Spanish, and American influences in Caribbean society.

Unit 2

Q2

1. Who are we?

2. Who are our ancestors?

3. What is our heritage in North America?

4. Where do we come from? 

Cultural & Personal Heritage: Students describe their heritage through oral presentations and write original autobiographical stories, including fragments modeled after La casa en Mango Street.

Comparative Studies: Learners compare and contrast Mexico and the United States, utilizing brochures or pamphlets to analyze different autobiographical texts.

Artistic & Musical Analysis: Students interpret murals by Diego Rivera and José Clemente Orozco to comment on the Mexican Revolution and perform Mexican Corridos via karaoke.

Environmental & Geographic Research: Tasks include researching desert flora, fauna, and climate adaptations, as well as labeling regional maps.

Literary Criticism: Students identify similes, metaphors, and story maps within literary works such as Cajas de cartón.

Persuasive Writing & Performance: Students compose persuasive essays on the importance of learning Spanish in the U.S. and perform skits related to transportation.

Applied Grammar & Linguistics: Experiences focus on mastering noun-adjective agreement, capitalization rules, and complex accentuation patterns like diptongos and esdrújulas.

Historical Timelines: Students create timelines of major historical events for the North American region.

Unit 3

Q3

1. What are some issues in public health? What are the causes and effects of these issues?

2. How can we improve quality of life?

3. What is the relationship between Central American geography and its population?

4. What is the importance of hygiene for the public health issues Central America faces?

5. What is the role that the government should play when it comes to public health?

6. What is the role of families in taking care of people’s health?

Health Advocacy Projects: Creating educational pamphlets, posters, or digital presentations designed to convince peers to prevent or manage specific diseases and public health issues.

Sociopolitical Debates: Participating in formal debates regarding the role of government in addressing gang violence and public health challenges within the region.

Literary & Historical Analysis: Interpreting the realistic story "Fiebre en la costa" and informational texts to understand the intersection of geography, history, and health in Central America.

Geographic & Environmental Exploration: Mapping the region and investigating the impact of tectonic plates, seismic activity, and natural disasters (like volcanoes and hurricanes) on the local population.

Linguistic Skill Development: Mastering the voseo (using the vos form) for informal communication and delivering presentations on public health issues using this regional variation.

Language Mechanics & Literacy:

• Conjugating regular and irregular verbs in the indicative present and past tenses.

• Categorizing and correctly accentuating words classified as aguda, llana/grave, esdrújula, and sobreesdrújula.

• Identifying the linguistic differences between hiatus, diphthongs, and triphthongs.

Cultural & Historical Contextualization:

• Researching the cultural contributions of the Mayans and Garífunas.

• Constructing timelines of major historical events, focusing on migration "push factors" such as poverty, civil war, and political instability.

Unit 4

Q4

1. What does rural manual labor offer us?

2. What do professional careers offer us?

3. How does Southern Central America’s location influence the types of activities and jobs that are common in the region?

4. How do you prepare yourself for employment?

5. What are the obligations of an employee?

Career Preparation & Professional Development

• Simulated Job Interviews: Students participate in mock interviews to practice professional communication.

• Labor Debates: Engaging in formal debates comparing the future importance of manual labor versus professional careers.

• Aspiration Mapping: Discussing personal future goals and the obligations of being a responsible employee.

• Workplace Communication: Learning to talk about a variety of jobs in both the U.S. and Southern Central America.

Regional & Economic Analysis

• Geographic Influence on Industry: Investigating how the location of Southern Central America (Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama) influences regional jobs like ecotourism, hospitality, and agriculture.

• Economic Literacy: Studying the roles of imports, exports, and industry within the region's economy.

• Map Literacy: Identifying and labeling the major countries, territories, capitals, and major cities of Southern Central America.

Environmental & Science Integration

• Sustainability Research: Exploring concepts of biodiversity, renewable energy, and carbon neutrality within the context of the region's flora and fauna.

• Climate Impact: Analyzing the relationship between climate change and regional agricultural work.

Literacy & Linguistic Mastery

• Creative & Autobiographical Writing: Reading and writing humorous stories, as well as composing autobiographical fragments regarding school experiences.

• Grammar & Syntax: * Mastering the future verb tense and object pronouns in both speech and writing.

  • Practicing advanced punctuation, specifically the correct use of commas.

• Spelling & Phonetics: Distinguishing between the letters C, S, and Z, and understanding regional linguistic variations like seseo and ceceo.

• Critical Analysis: Learning to distinguish between facts and opinions within texts.