STAGE 1 DESIRED RESULTS

Title: Introduction to Latin American Music

Program outcomes this short term unit will address listed in full:
Spanish
use a repertoire of words and phrases in familiar contexts, within a variety of
lexical fields, including: music and dances of the Spanish-speaking world;
arts and crafts of the Spanish-speaking world
organize and represent, in a variety ways, information about elements of the
cultures of the Spanish-speaking world
choose to participate in and contribute to activities and experiences that reflect
the cultures of the Spanish-speaking world
recognize some of the factors that affect the culture of a particular region
Arts

proportion and relationship

expressiveness
art criticism
patterns
form and structure of natural and man-made objects

Music
Music of Latin American
enable students to strive to understand, evaluate and appreciate a variety of
music
Big Idea/s this unit will communicate to
students:
Students will understand the Latin
American culture, and the influence the
music has on the people.
They will learn the history of the Latin
American music (e.g. Merengue, Salsa and
Samba)
Artistic expression will be used so the
Maracas will be decorated to be an
authentic representation of a Latin
American country.

Essential Questions that

will guide inquiry in the
classroom:

What kind of music is

played in Latin
American countries?
How the music
influences the culture
of a country?
How the Latin
American music
history has changed

over time?
Understandings: Students will understand
that

Skills and Process: Students

will be able to:

Students will understand the different kind of

music being played in Latin American countries.

Students will be able to:

Understand the history
of the Latin American
music
Appreciate the Latin
American culture
Work collaboratively to
create Maracas that are
accurately and
authentically
representative of a
Latin American country

Students will understand how the music shaped

the culture of the Latin American people.
Students will understand how the Latin
American culture is different from the other
cultures.

STAGE 2 ASSESSMENT EVIDENCE

Central Performance Task/s to demonstrate
understanding and apprehension of key skills
and processes:
In this unit, students are invited to create their own
maracas using art and craft. They will design a
motif that they feel is truly representative of a Latin
American country. They will make a well-reasoned
judgment regarding the resources they will find
during their research. Also, students will be tasked
to play a Latin American song using their maracas.
The concluding activity will be presenting their
prepared song using the maracas at the celebration
of the Spanish culture event.

Other Evidence:
Formative assessment of the first
sketch of the motif to be drawn
on the maracas
Formative assessment of the
rationale of the motif chosen.
Formative assessment on the
effectiveness of teamwork using
peer and self-evaluation
Summative assessment of the
final design of the maracas
Summative assessment of the
presentation of the song at the
event.

Assessment criteria you will use to evaluate this performance task:

Criteria

Excellent

Argument

Students are able to

effectively argue why they
chose their motif to be an
accurate and authentic
representation of a Latin
American country. The motif
is chosen in a way where it is
clear that the students were
reasoning and used critical
thinking to choose their
motif.

Artistic Representation

Students utilize the outcomes

of Art 8 effectively
to make their maracas
aesthetically pleasing as
well as using elements of
artistic critique to back
up why they chose the motif,
as well as to question why
other groups chose their
motif in the way that they
did.

Presentation

Students are able to

demonstrate that they have
clearly planned for the
presentation at the Spanish
culture celebration through
clear communication of why
they chose the motif, music
and being able to present a
clear and concise
presentation with their
partners

Teamwork

Students demonstrate
excellent teamwork and
collaboration in their
partnerships through equal-

say in what motif to use, as

well as giving a music
presentation where each
partner is able to perform
equally.

STAGE 3 LEARNING PLAN

Inquiry and Critical Thinking:
Students in their partnership will come up with their own design and motif to create
maracas using arts and craft. They will research and learn about the culture of the
Latin American they chose. They will use that information to choose an accurate
and authentic motif to draw on their maracas.
Presentation
Students will present their maracas and the song they prepared to a scheduled event
where there will be a celebration of a Spanish culture. The teacher will evaluate the
performance of the students. Students will have the opportunity to communicate
what they learn about Latin American culture and their music.
Connecting with Experts
Students will Skype with a Latin American musician to understand the skills
needed to play the maracas. Connecting with an expert will help students to become
more confident to play the maracas.