How Will I Decorate My Home Abroad?

Emily Warburton
Grade: 9-12 Novice-Intermediate Spanish

Common Core Standards:

Communication:
● Interpretive:
a. Learners derive meaning through the use of listening, viewing and reading strategies.
b. Learners reinforce and expand their knowledge across disciplines as they acquire information
and distinctive viewpoints directly through authentic print, non-print and digital language and
culture sources.
● Interpersonal:
a. Learners initiate and sustain meaningful spoken, written and signed communication by
providing and obtaining information, expressing feelings and emotions, and exchanging
opinions in culturally appropriate ways.
b. Learners actively negotiate meaning across languages and cultures to ensure that their messages
are understood and that they can understand others.
● Presentational:
a. Learners present information, concepts, ideas and viewpoints on a variety of topics to audiences
of listeners, readers or viewers for varied purposes.
Lesson Summary:
You are a college graduate and have started your first job with your degree in a Spanish speaking country. You
have to find an apartment in your new city and you must decorate it based on your monthly income from your
new job.
Estimated Duration:
This lesson will need three 50 minute class periods to fully complete. The time can vary based on if students
work at home.
Commentary:
While students have free reign to select any furniture they want, they will have to stay within their budget
based on their income. They must choose if they need it or simply want it. Students need items such as a bed, a
sofa, a kitchen table, etc. But they might want a T.V., anything decorative, video games, etc. After students are
able to imagine this possible future with this new job, I believe they will become very invested in their work.
They can imagine themselves as an interpreter, or an interior designer, etc. and make personal connections to
the assignment.
Instructional Procedures:
Day 1:
10 minutes:
1. Introduce vocabulary for common household items, such as los muebles (furniture), la cama (bed), la
mesa (table), la silla (chair), etc.
40 minutes:
1. Students will use their tablet/laptop available in the room to research possible careers they are
personally interested in.
2. They will then select, at most, 3 jobs they are interested in and then go to the website
https://jobs.k-12.ohiomeansjobs.monster.com/Search.aspx?pg=1&rad=20&rad_units=miles&sid=68​ to
find the average salary for their selected careers. They will select the career with the lowest salary since
they are just starting their working career.
3. Students will then calculate what their average monthly salary will be based on a 40 hour work week.
4. Students will need to select a preferred country they will want to live in.
5. Research the currency in the selected country and convert the monthly salary to the currency. For
example, if the students selected a job as a Spanish teacher making an estimated $45,000/year in Spain,
then they would be making $3,700/month. That would be converted to $3,262 Euros. This will be the
money allowed to be spent on their household items.
Day 2:
5 minutes:
1. Place students into groups of 3 students, and have them select which rooms of the apartment they want
to decorate. They will only have to decorate the family room, the bedroom and the kitchen, so each
student will only have one room to work on.
45 minutes:
1. Have students read through Spanish translated online stores and select the furniture they prefer.
http://www.elcorteingles.es/hogar/
https://www.ikea.com/es/es/
2. Students will then take screenshot pictures of the furniture they like, and then paste them to their
shopping cart. This will be a long list of all of the items they have selected to put in their apartments. Inside
their shopping, students will include:
● a picture of the furniture item
● a small description of the item including size, color, etc.
● the price of the item in the correct currency.
Students will select the lowest priced item to place in their apartment based on their income.
Day 3:
1. The entire class will have the opportunity to listen on a skype call between myself and a friend who
lives abroad. We will discuss what living is like in their country, the necessities to have in an apartment
in their given country, as well as common ages to live alone in their country.
 2. Students will take the furniture items in their shopping cart, and select only the essential items that fit
best with their monthly income. They will use the organizer provided on page 6 to help.
3. Students will also talk about the items they want, but cannot afford, as well as the items they want but
don’t need.
4. Students will present this information in a quick 2 minute mini presentation to the class in the target
language.

Pre-Assessment:
As a pre-assessment, I will pass out a worksheet with all of the common household items in Spanish. Students
will fill out which words they might know. After, we will go over the words as a class to properly learn the
correct vocabulary. Then, in small groups, I would like students to discuss if they have any knowledge on what
the different currencies might be in the different countries. As they are working in their small groups, I will be
visiting each table and listening for correct use of Spanish language, as well as any prior knowledge to
currencies.

Scoring Guidelines For Presentation:

Did the student 1-Did not 2- Was able to 3-Engaged in 4-Followed 5-Formed
engage in engage at all form a few small group whole class and mature thoughts
group ideas or discussions, but group and ideas and
discussion? thoughts not whole class discussions, but was a leader in
22% did not lead the classroom
conversation discussion

Did the student 1-Did not 2-Selected 3-Selected three

properly select follow varying careers careers they are
a career that directions and they are not interested in
pertains to selected a interested in
their interests? career that is
14% not reachable

Did the student 1- Did not 2-Selected a 3- Selected a 4-Selected the

properly follow salary from the salary within lowest average
calculate their directions and website that is the career they salary within
average salary chose a salary different than chose, but did the career they
based on the not listed on the the career they not choose the chose
website website chose. lowest income
provided? available
18%

Was the 1- Worked 2-Followed 3-Engaged in

student able to individually and directions from communication
work with did not their peers, but with their group
 his/her group communicate couldn’t follow peers, and
and select with their directions on selected
furniture group. Chose a furniture they furniture they
based on a variety of needed or both wanted
want/need furniture that is wanted and needed
basis? not a need/want
14%

Is the shopping 1-Shopping cart 2-Shopping cart 3-Shopping cart

cart well does not include includes a includes a
organized and needed items. It variety of items variety of items
ranked on does not include students need students need
prices low to a variety of and want, but and want and
high? prices for does not include also has a
14% students to a variety of variety of prices
choose from prices

Did the student 1-Student only 2- Student 3- Student 4-Student

properly use used a few briefly described their described their
the organizer words to described their apartment in apartment in
to lead their describe their apartment, but detail, but kept detail, and
presentation? apartment in did not go into the presentation discussed the
18% their detail. They very brief. They items they
presentation. filled out their utilized their needed and the
Their organizer organizer, but organizer items the could
is filled out did not use it to during the not use due to
with a few present presentation their monthly
words budget. They
also utilized
their organizer
to help
formulate their
presentation
Post-Assessment:
After student presentations, students will then take a vocabulary assessment on the information they have
retained after the entire activity. Vocabulary words that will be on the assessment will correlate with what
students have been working on. This will assess if the students truly retained the information.

Scoring Guidelines:
For the vocabulary post-assessment, about 20-25 questions will be asked. Each question will be worth 1pt each
for a total of 20-25. This makes the post assessment a low stakes test so it isn’t necessarily stressful for
students, but it is also important to pay attention and study so you can receive the full amount of the
points for the assignment.
Differentiated Instructional Support
For students who are below, on, or above-target, the lesson will be altered to tailor to their needs. For example,
for students who are below-target, I believe it would be beneficial to have students work in closer groups to
help each other with their work. For the student who is below-target, I would carefully select a partnered
student who has shown a sense of responsibility and maturity and who I know will be able to help the other
student with their work. For the on-target students, they will continue the assignment as planned without any
additional challenges or aides. Lastly, for the above-target students, it would be fair to give them additional
work in order to maintain their attention and curiosity. I believe it would be interesting for these students to
better utilize their Spanish speaking abilities by going into more detail about their furniture with more specific
items, such as el horno (oven) el aparador (dresser), etc. These students can more deeply investigate into their
selected country. For the mini-presentation, the above-target students should present their apartment in detail
as well as provide more information to their target country.

Extension
http://education.ohio.gov/getattachment/Topics/Ohio-s-New-Learning-Standards/Foreign-Language/FINAL-9-
12-Standards-with-links_may10_2014.pdf.aspx
Students can go to this website to see where my classroom expectations come from for this assignment. It is
important that we follow along with what the state of Ohio says states as the common standards for Spanish in
grades 9-12.

Homework Options and Home Connections

The entirety of this assignment will be conducted online through the use of the students’ tablets/laptops. These
students are able to take their tablets/laptops home with them and can work on their assignment there if they
feel they are not getting enough class time. The assignment is due at the end of the class period by the third
day. At home, students are able to elaborate on what type of furniture they think they need or want in their
apartment. They can use this home time to get ahead in their work to be best prepared for the presentation and
for the post assessment.

Interdisciplinary Connections integrated

Several different subjects can be integrated in order to fully grasp the idea of this assignment.
1. The first subject that can be integrated, would be mathematics. Students need to apply their previously
learned algebra skills to be able to calculate the currency exchanges. For example, for $1 in American,
it is $20.59 Mexican pesos. So if the student is making $3,000/month, then they are going to multiply
3,000 by 20.59 and they will quickly discover that they will be earning $61,433.10 MEX Pesos.
 2. The second subject that will be integrated into the assignment, will be geography. Students will need to
know where spanish speaking countries are located throughout the world. For example, the majority of
countries in South America are spanish speaking, however there are a few countries like Brazil, French
Guinea, etc. that speak Portuguese.

Materials and Resources:

For teachers As the teacher, I will need my own personal laptop in order to stay in constant
communication with my students about any problem or question they might have. I will
also need a large smart board to display any information I need to the entire class. I will
also need a hovercam to display physical objects in the classroom to the rest of the
students. Lastly, I will need all of my students to be equipped with their own personal
tablet/laptop provided by the school so they can work on the assignment at home in
their own time.

For students Students will need their tablets/laptops in order to fully participate in the assignment.
For each small group, students may use their own smart boards to display their
furniture ideas with their groups in order to see it in a bigger picture.
Key Vocabulary
​ urniture
Los Muebles - F
​ itchen
La Cocina - K
La Mesa - ​Table
La Silla - ​Chair
​ efrigerator
El Refrigerador - R
​ lates
Los Platos - P
​ ups
Los Vasos - C
​ tove
La Estufa - S
El Horno - ​Oven
El Reloj - ​Clock
La Sala - ​Living Room
​ ouch
El Sofa - C
​ amp
La Lampara - L
​ ug
La Alfombra - R
​ urtains
Las Cortinas - C
El Estante -
El Cuadro - ​Painting
​ edroom
El Cuarto - B
La Cama - ​Bed
El Colchon - ​Mattress
La Mesita - ​Night Stand
​ ed Sheets
Las Sabanas - B
Las Almohadas - ​Pillows
​ larm Clock
El Despertador - A
El Escritorio - ​Desk
​ irror
El Espejo - M
​ .V.
La Television - T
 How I Will Decorate My Apartment

For my presentation, I will include:

1. List of the items I find to be a necessity
2. List of the items you need, but cannot afford, and why
3. List of the items you don’t need
4. Discuss what items you will buy that fit within your monthly salary, and why you will buy them
5. Discuss how you will purchase the items you need but you cannot afford

My job and monthly salary will be: _________________________________________________

Total cost of decorating my apartment will be: ________________________________________

I Am Going to What is the Cost Things I Need, But The Things I Do

Buy of the Item I Cannot Afford not Need

Living Room
________________ ________________ ________________ ________________

________________ ________________ ________________ ________________

________________ ________________ ________________ ________________

________________ ________________ ________________ ________________

Bedroom
________________ ________________ ________________ ________________

________________ ________________ ________________ ________________

________________ ________________ ________________ ________________

________________ ________________ ________________ ________________

Kitchen
________________ ________________ ________________ ________________

________________ ________________ ________________ ________________

________________ ________________ ________________ ________________

________________ ________________ ________________ ________________