Teacher Resources

¡Vamonos! Spanish-Speaking Countries

  Task, Product & Assessment | Step One: Questioning & Planning | Step Two: Gathering, Sorting & Sifting | Step Three: Synthesis & Evaluation 
Step Four: More Gathering, Sorting & Sifting | Step Five: Final Synthesis & Evaluation | Step Six: Presentation 

Did you know... Spanish is the official language of 20 countries? there are more than 30 countries and territories in which Spanish is widely spoken? Spanish is the third most widely-spoken language in the world? 250 million people speak Spanish as their mother tongue. Spanish ranks 4th in official language population? 280 million people live in countries where Spanish is the official language.    - The Kenosha Unified School District World Language Department

The Task Your school is beginning a foreign exchange program with Spanish-speaking countries around the world. You have been asked to participate on a team to develop profiles of the 20 countries in order to help exchange candidates with their selections. You will be assigned a specific country and will research what the nation offers in terms of:    geography  notable figures and events      the arts  other cultural aspects   In addition, you have been selected to participate in the actual exchange program. To help you decide where you'd like to live and study for six weeks, you will participate in a gallery walk, reviewing at least four of the informational posters created by your peers depicting the various countries, cultures, and people.

The Product You will need to research this topic, then prepare a poster displaying the information you gathered. You will arrange your information on the poster using a graphic organizer that represents some aspect of your country (such as a palm tree with fronds for Costa Rica or levels of a pyramid for Mexico). Also, using designated scoring tools, you will complete peer critiques of the posters you review and a reflection journal entry about why you selected the country you did for your foreign exchange experience. Teachers, click here to see other possible student products.

The Assessment Daily (Formative) Research Process - Summative (Student/Self)  Research Process - Summative (Teacher) Items Used in the Research Process  (notes, outline, drafts,works cited, etc.) Poster Oral Presentation Your teacher may supply criteria for assessing the peer critiques and journal reflections.

¡Buen Viaje!

The Research Process

Step One: Questioning

As you look at the task above, list as many questions as you can that will help you to understand and investigate this topic. What do you already know about the country? What do you need to know to begin your research? What information do you need in order to make your country appealing to potential exchange students?

Examples of questions: What are the major geographical features and climate? What are the popular sports? What are some typical foods? What are some places of interest?

More Step One: Planning

After you have generated your questions, determine which resources you will use to help answer your questions. Consider the scope of the resources you have available and decide what resources will best answer each question. Remember to record the resources as you locate them so you can return to them if necessary. Using a graphic organizer will help to keep your information organized. A cluster diagram may be helpful to brainstorm questions and to plan research. You may choose to use another graphic organizer if you wish.

Step Two: Gathering, Sorting, and Sifting

In this step you will be using a variety of library resources to find answers to your questions.

Tip:If you did not formulate questions in Step 1, go back and do it now. A topic is not a question.

CD-ROM Resources 

World Factbook Discovering Nations, States, and Cultures (Gale) Junior Worldmark: All About Nations, States & Provinces (Gale) World Atlas (Mindscape, Microsoft)

Let's Visit Mexico (Queue) Let's Visit South America (Queue) Let's Visit Spain (Queue) General electronic encyclopedias

Internet Resources 

CIA World Factbook U.S. State Department - Background Notes Library of Congress - Country Studies Altapedia Online Official Sites of International Government Lonely Planet The Electronic Embassy LatinWorld - Latin America on the Net	Party Guide (Click on the appropriate continent.) Flags of the World The Global Gastronomer: Cuisines of the World (Besides foods and customs, this site also includes crafts, traditional local fesitivites, leisure activities, and musical entertainment.) Global Gourmet The Universal Currency Converter
Tips for Using the Internet:  Using Internet Information | Using Search Tools | Comparing Search Tools | Search Strategies | Evaluating Internet Resources

Remember to cite your references. Check the MLA guidelines and examples for citing resources; however, your school may use a different format.

Sort your research findings by using note cards or a graphic organizer.

Sift through the resources, eliminating those that do not answer your questions.

Step Three: Synthesis and Evaluation

Check point! It is time to assess your progress. Now that you have gathered information, stop to evaluate your findings. Have you found sufficient details to answer all your questions? Can you throw away material which is not useful or does not answer your questions? Do you need to rearrange the information in different categories? Can you condense or combine the information? Do you need to develop new questions to adequately cover your topic?

Figure out how much you have learned. Is the puzzle beginning to take shape? Are you able to make out any patterns? Try moving your information pieces around until some kind of picture emerges. You are looking for insight. What have you learned so far? What more do you need? You are trying to "tease" meaning out of fragments. Synthesis requires rearranging pieces of information until a new version emerges.

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Task, Product & Assessment | Step One: Questioning & Planning | Step Two: Gathering, Sorting & Sifting | Step Three: Synthesis & Evaluation 
Step Four: More Gathering, Sorting & Sifting | Step Five: Final Synthesis & Evaluation | Step Six: Presentation 

Step 4: Refined Gathering/Sorting/Sifting 2

Now that you have synthesized your information and evaluated your progress, you are ready to locate additional information to answer your questions and further develop your topic. Return to any of the resources mentioned earlier in Step Two.

Step 5: Final Synthesis and Evaluation

Synthesis is the act of pulling your research and ideas together to form a new whole.

Before you begin, recall the items you were asked to consider in your research. They were:

• geography
• the arts
• notable figures and events
• other cultural aspects

Step 6: Presentation

Are you ready to prepare your presentation?

	Recall your task and product. Review all of your materials to prepare for your final product. Your product should reflect your efforts during the past steps in the research process.
		Questioning and Planning Gathering, Sorting, and Sifting Synthesis and Evaluation
	Consider: Do you have enough to say? Are you able to explain your findings as well as your suggestions clearly? Are you able to cite the references from which you obtained your facts?