Inquiry Project

Inquiry Project: Should Spanish be a Mandatory Class in the United States?


Purposes: 

  1. Students develop a position on this issue
  2. Students build their arguments and defend them in the classroom
  3. Students become aware of opposing arguments and viewpoints


Lesson Summary

Students are given the initial driving question and split up into two teams: those who are for it and those who are against it. The following class day, each person creates their own  Powerpoint/Prezi presentation of their argument. Each student’s Powerpoint should be no less than 10 slides. Then, the groups collaborate with their own team members and decide which Powerpoint to present to the class debate. Each group selects a ‘representative’ to present their argument. After each group presents their argument, the class will engage in a discussion about the issue. 


Lesson Narrative

Introduction: The instructor will announce the expectations and focus the classroom on the driving question


Presentations: There will be two groups: those who support mandatory Spanish Class and those who are against. Both groups will decide and present their best arguments and their best presentation. Although students are encouraged to create their own conclusions about the issue, articles (sources for inspiration) will be readily available to them. 


Debriefing: The instructor should revisit the initial question, “Should Spanish be a mandatory class in the United States?” In this class discussion, students will discuss the pros and cons of this hypothetical question. The instructor should not reveal or discuss their own opinion in this matter, but rather play “devil’s advocate” and revealing bias as the student’s debate in this discussion. The instructor should be more of a moderator rather than the leader of the discussion.  


Culminating Activity

Purposes:

  1. Finalize the debate and classroom discussion
  2. Students will be able to articulate their arguments into written form 


Lesson Summary

The presentation that each student created will serve as a guide for their Culminating Unit Activity, unless the student changed their position. Students will write a 150 word paragraph answering the question: “How often do you use Spanish? How often do you think you’ll use Spanish in the future?” Students will also describe their stance and their personal beliefs about the initial driving question. 

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