UCCI Course Description

Native Speaker Spanish 3 for Health Careers

Overview Course Content Course Materials
Length of Course
Full Year (2 semesters; 3 trimesters; 4 quarters)
Subject Area - Discipline
Language other than English (E) - LOTE Level 3
UC Honors Designation
Honors
CTE Sector
Health Science and Medical Technology
CTE Pathway
Public and Community Health
Grade Level(s)
10 - 12
Prerequisites
N/A

Overview

This course meets the standards of a third year Native Speaker Spanish course while incorporating Health Science and Medical Technology (HSMT) themes, with a focus on the Public and Community Health Pathway.  Taught exclusively in the target language, this course begins with a focus on personal health, then broadens the context and scope to include family, community and public health, and health careers. Students acquire knowledge of a range of public health issues including physical, mental and social.  They apply their understanding of public policies to promote health-positive behaviors among individuals, families and the community. Through a range of real-world situations, students demonstrate understanding of culturally appropriate Spanish and the nuances of language across the Spanish-speaking world, as they engage in advanced listening, speaking, reading and writing activities.   Students use a full range of academic Spanish vocabulary, with emphasis on health terminology, in present, past, future, subjunctive and perfect tenses.

Course Content

Unit 1 : Personal Health

Unit 1 Description

In unit 1, students will learn about health indicators and lifestyle factors that impact an individual’s physical and mental health.  They will learn how to chart accurately patient vital signs while engaging in culturally and linguistically appropriate dialogue with a patient. As students complete the unit’s activities focused around individual health, diet, nutrition, Body Mass Index (BMI) and the taking and proper charting of vital signs, students will  improve their ability to use expression of negation, the present tense, and health related vocabulary in Spanish. Students will use the district-adopted textbook for a third year college preparatory Spanish class to improve their ability to use expression of negation, the present tense, and health related vocabulary in Spanish.  Students may also complete the appropriate reading, writing, speaking and listening activities found in a medical Spanish textbook such as sections of chapters 1, 2 and 4 of An Introduction to Spanish for Health Care Workers: Communication and Culture.

Assignment 1:

As a means for reviewing and strengthening their ability to use health-related Spanish vocabulary, students begin by brainstorming and discussing what the terms “health” means, after which they brainstorm and discuss behaviors that are beneficial or harmful to health, or both (i.e., dieting which leads to an eating disorder). Students should organize this information in appropriate graphic organizers for later reference. Then, focusing specifically on the physical health of the individual as related to diet students reference the Choose My Plate website (or similar) website, and create a menu and visual aid in Spanish for each day of the week that follows the healthy choice guidelines and that reinforces healthy eating choices.

This activity allows students to review, acquire and strengthen their ability to use health-related,  and nutrition and menu planning vocabulary as they demonstrate how to eat healthfully. Students should demonstrate the ability to use and spell Spanish vocabulary words related to nutrition and menu planning appropriately.

Assignment 2:

Students reflect on knowledge gained through the prior activities and assignment by writing a short expository essay in Spanish discussing what they believed the term “health” meant before they completed the discussions and activities and what they understand it to mean now.  They should use specific examples from their graphic organizers and http://www.choosemyplate.gov/en-espanol.html (or similar) website. This essay affords the students the opportunity to  use the present tense, the imperfect and preterite to discuss any changes in point of view.  

Assignment 3:

Students learn to calculate Body Mass Index (BMI), review a BMI chart and consider healthy ranges for BMI. Utilizing the BMI information found in research done via the internet as well as information obtained from traditional print sources as an evidence, students write a 150 word statement in Spanish analyzing the impact body mass index may have on general health.

This assignment affords students the opportunity to  review vocabulary related to numbers as they learn to use numbers that contain decimals and express percentages in Spanish.  Additionally, students are afforded the opportunity to strengthen their ability to use the metric system as they learn to use this numerical system and its vocabulary in Spanish in a medical environment. This assignment also allows students to review the present tense while they augment their ability to use expressions of cause and effect, and are introduced to subjunctive triggers dealing with necessity (Es preciso, etc.) as students suggest ways for people with high BMI to lower the health risks associated with a high BMI.

Assignment 4:  

In this assignment students write up charting notes for a patient evaluation, and perform a role play with that patient. Students will learn how to obtain an individual’s vital signs (temperature, pulse, respiration, blood pressure), and will learn to chart vital signs accurately to identify abnormal measurements. As students chart their findings proficiently using appropriate medical procedures and abbreviations, students will enhance their ability to use vocabulary related to body parts as well  as augment their ability to use commands as they obtain patient cooperation in obtaining the results. Students will expand their their ability to use vocabulary related to body parts as they acquire the vocabulary needed to express the relationship between particular body parts and the cardiovascular and circulatory systems. Additionally, students will enhance their ability to use subjunctive triggers related to necessity, expressions of obligation (tener que, hay que) and the impersonal “se” as they explain the procedure in the third person (as to a home caregiver who must record the vital signs of a loved one) and make suggestions as to any lifestyle changes that may be needed to improve one’s health.   

Students will submit their charting notes to the instructor for evaluation.  They will also role play a scenario that requires a demonstration of charting techniques within the context of an interchange between a healthcare professional and a patient. This role play may be done before the class or before the instructor alone as the instructor sees fit. Students should explain the implications of the results, and suggest any course of action that may be needed to improve someone’s health.

Assignment 5:

Students refer to health texts to determine the implications of having abnormal vital signs.  They also investigate medical interventions and lifestyle changes that may bring the signs back to within normal range. In small groups students create and present informational presentations on how to recognize when an individual should make a lifestyle change for better overall health, identifying the necessary changes based on the health concern  and how to go about making the change(s). Communications will be conducted in Spanish. Having looked at factors that contribute to an individual’s overall well being students will broaden their understanding of how an individual’s health can impact the family and how the family can impact an individual’s health.

The presentation is an opportunity to demonstrate the competent use of Spanish numerical and mathematical terminology, instructional terminology, third person register, present subjunctive and the impersonal “se”. Students should also demonstrate medical accuracy of information, linguistic competence both written and spoken and an ability to engage their audience.

Proposed Portfolio Submissions:

  • Copy of KWL chart
  • Copy of Venn diagram
  • Copy of meal planning assignment
  • Copy of essay regarding the definition of “health.”
  • Copy of the essay regarding the role BMI plays in well-being
  • Copy of essay regarding the role vital signs play in determining one’s well-being

Proposed Health Fair Components (may be further developed in unit  6.)

  • Visual aids  for nutrition / Tips on menu planning
  • Demonstration on how to calculate BMI
  • Demonstration on how to take and chart vital signs
  • Informational presentation on lifestyle change

Unit 2 : Family Health

In this unit, students will focus on the family as they learn more about the factors that impact well-being. Because families are composed of individuals it is inevitable that the lifestyles of those individuals affect the lifestyle, and therefore, the health of the other members of the family especially those who live under the same roof. In this unit students will examine some concrete examples of how this interconnectedness may affect one’s overall health. In the course of investigating these examples students will gain the awareness needed to detect these issues within families so that they may better serve their clients as medical professionals or community health workers, advocates and educators.  Students will increase their Spanish language proficiency as they complete the activities in this unit thus making them better able to serve the Hispanic community.

Students will continue to use the district-adopted Spanish textbook to improve their ability to use vocabulary related to transportation and travel, purchasing, the names of buildings, family vocabulary, vocabulary related to health conditions, expressions used to discuss cultural sensitivity, and grammatical structures related to the expression of cause and effect relationships. Students may also complete the appropriate reading, writing, speaking and listening activities found in a medical Spanish textbook such as appropriate sections of chapters 3, 5 and 7 of An Introduction to Spanish for Health Care Workers: Communication and Culture.

Assignment 1:

In preparation for writing an essay, students will work aloud in Spanish to answer questions that help them to understand the relationship between health and external factors such as finances, available transportation, and possible linguistic disconnects between health care provider and patient. These questions should bring up concerns related to culture such as the use of curanderos as well as of folk remedies, and should allows students to augment their understanding of how cultural factors impact health care and how important it is to develop cultural sensitivity as a healthcare professional. All communications will be conducted in Spanish. Students may record the responses in written form in Spanish so that these responses may be used as reference information for a later essay assignment.

This discussion affords the students the opportunity to practice employing a variety of tenses appropriately, (present for simple statements, preterite and imperfect for evidentiary  statements made about the past, the conditional tense, the subjunctive in if... then statements, etc.)  Students will also be provided the chance to use vocabulary related to daily routines and activities places frequently visited and experiences with the health care system.

After the discussion has been completed, students will write a 250 word expository essay that details how each student understands the impact that environmental, financial, and cultural factors may impact one’s well-being. This assignment provides the students the opportunity to strengthen their ability to use  expressions of obligation, the subjunctive with expressions of necessity, and topical vocabulary related to the questions asked in activity 1.

Assignment 2:

Using traditional maps or an internet mapping tool such as google maps or yahoo maps, students will determine the distance between their homes and the nearest full service (sells fresh produce) market, stand alone mini-mart, fast food restaurant, and gas station with mini mart.  Students will then be asked to calculate and record how long it would take to reach each location from their home a) on foot b) using public transportation c) on a bicycle (optional) and d) by car.  All communications for this activity will will take place in Spanish.

Students will then write a 350 word reflective and expository essay in Spanish in which they delineate the results of their investigations and hypothesize about the effect on family diet given the mode of transportation the type of store visited, the price of the food bought and the quantity of foodstuffs that one could bring home in a single trip.

This activity affords the students the opportunity to connect nutritional and dietary issues to environmental issues not related to a lack of willingness to eat more healthily. This assignment provides the students with an opportunity to strengthen their ability to use the students’ ability to use vocabulary related to food, purchasing, city sites, transportation, money and numbers, verb tenses such as the present, the conditional, and the subjunctive. 

Optional Assignment 1:

To understand the connection between lifestyles and food choices that grow out of cultural practices and beliefs and personal health students reflect upon the daily living practices, shared traditions, and common patterns of behavior acceptable to various Spanish speaking societies. Working in small groups from similar backgrounds (country, urban/rural), students consider cultural celebrations through a health lens, using the knowledge and skills acquired in the previous units. Students create a visual with written descriptions of the foods, purpose/significance, and customs in a traditional family or cultural event. Students analyze the nutrient content of the meal using Choose My Plate. Students use planned language to orally present their visual. This assignment focuses on food terminology and comparatives in Spanish.   

Optional Assignment 2:

In an effort to explore other individual’s experiences with food in the Spanish speaking community, students may read  excerpts from literature written by Spanish speaking authors. Texts such as Como Agua para Chocolate (Like Water for Chocolate) describes a family feast. Students may read Pablo Neruda’s poem, Oda al Tomate (Ode to the Tomato). Having become aware that financial, environmental and cultural issues often have a bearing on both individual and familial health, students will now use this awareness to analyze how some of these very same issues affect the wellbeing of community at large.

Proposed Portfolio Submissions:

  • Copies of graphic organizers and copies of essays

Proposed Health Fair Components (may be further developed in unit  6.)

  • Visual aids that demonstrate how much food can be brought into a home by one person in a single trip using various modes of transportation.
  • Visual aids that illustrate what kinds of meals might be prepared using different types of markets (supermarket, mini-mart, drug store, etc.)
  • Visual aids that illustrate the differences in price of the same foods that may be purchased in a mini mart, drug store, supermarket, etc.

Unit 3 : Community Health

Having learned how financial, environmental and cultural factors may affect personal and familial health, students now expand the scope of their studies to include the community around them.  In this unit, students will focus not only on community-wide health concerns but on the factors that contribute to lack of well-being. Additionally, students will learn how to counter these detrimental health conditions and advocate for community-based changes that will decrease the prevalence of these diseases and conditions. Students will use such databases as the California Health Interest Survey or other, similar databases to assist in this research.

Students will continue use the district-adopted Spanish textbook to improve their ability to use the preterite, the imperfect, the perfect tenses, the subjunctive and the conditional as well as vocabulary related to the names of nations and nationalities, and to gaining access to healthcare and health insurance. Students may also complete the appropriate reading, writing, speaking and listening activities found in a medical Spanish textbook such as appropriate sections of chapters 6,7 and 8 of An Introduction to Spanish for Health Care Workers: Communication and Culture.

Assignment 1:

Students use assigned research tools to both expand their knowledge of health problems present in communities as well as to augment their understanding of the various elements that affect how healthy a lifestyle one is able to lead. In preparation for a week long journal activity and essay, students work as a class and in the target language to discuss why and how these elements addressed might appear on a community health survey or in a report / database that deals with community health. The class will discuss how the topics are interrelated. How, for example, does a lack of private or public transportation affect one’s health?  How is emergency room use related to a lack of health insurance coverage? What impact does having a job or not having a job have on being able to see a healthcare professional? What impact might the family belief system as it relates to health care have on being able to see a healthcare professional/the type of healthcare professional seen?

This work affords students the opportunity to acquire and properly utilize Spanish language vocabulary related to community health care topics. Students will also have the opportunity to demonstrate their ability to use a variety of tenses (present-- I believe, I see,  imperfect--When mom was a girl her mom treated a cold by...., preterite--When my brother fell, we …, subjunctive-- I think that people become obese because..... This activity may be used as an informal assessment of each student’s ability to communicate well in Spanish as well as of their willingness to speak publicly using the target language.

At the end of the discussion, students will begin a week-long journaling assignment in which the document their thoughts on these topics as they observe the community around them as they go about their lives. Students may write at least one journal entry of 50 words each day in the target language.  At the end of the week each student will select an area of concern or interest taken from their journals to write about. Students will write a 300 word report in Spanish that details the problem, discusses how it is evidenced in the community and proposes some measures to ameliorate the situation.

This assignment provides the students the opportunity to practice correct spelling while using proper writing conventions in Spanish, the conditional tense and the subjunctive especially in if...then sentences.  This assignment will be evaluated using a rubric that assesses the completeness of the assignment.  Assessments of written linguistic competence and acquisition of CTE competencies will be made when the students write the culminating essay for this unit.

Assignment 2:

In groups, students identify health care providers/agencies in the community.  Students then research how these are accessed. Students complete a table on which they record the health care resources available in the community. The table includes information such as name of the organization or business, services it provides and location.  All communications for this activity will be conducted in Spanish.

This assignment affords students additional opportunities to acquire and properly utilize Spanish language vocabulary related to community health care topics. Students will also have the opportunity to demonstrate their ability to use a variety of tenses (present--There is a doctor’s office …,  preterite---I saw, I noticed, I found,.....subjunctive-- It is possible that..., commands--Put a pin in the map at the intersection of....

This activity may be used as an informal assessment of each student’s ability to communicate well in Spanish as well as of their willingness to participate in activities and to speak publicly using the target language.

Assignment 3:

Using the databases cited above as well as a “yellow pages” search and a canvas of the community (possible) students compile statistics as to how many state certified health care providers there are per capita in their  community. Students may also call providers to ascertain what languages are spoken by the health care providers and what interpretation services are provided. Whenever possible communications for this compilation activity will be completed in Spanish.

Using a community map, students will chart their findings by creating a “ pushpin map”  that indicates where in the community each of these providers is located. Following the completion of this activity students will use a quickwrite written in Spanish to collect their thoughts about the implications of their research on community health. Students reflect on the implications of their findings to specify what additional health care issues may arise from a lack of readily available traditional Western / Eastern healthcare as well as the use of alternative healthcare systems. Students will share their reflections aloud with the class.  Communications for this activity will be conducted in Spanish.

This activity provides the students the opportunity to strengthen their ability to use topical vocabulary while reviewing adjectives of nationality as well as of nouns that name languages.  This activity allows students to review the simple present tense (There is a doctor’s office on the corner of... ) as well as the more complex grammatical structures of the subjunctive (It is necessary to train more doctors who speak Chinese....). This activity may be used as an informal assessment of students’ abilities to think critically and to communicate well in Spanish.  It may also be used to gauge their willingness to participate in activities and to speak publicly using the target language.

Assignment 4:

Students and teacher work together to create interview questions for healthcare providers, health care agency personnel, representatives from health insurance companies and members of  advocacy groups to discover where, how and why the holes in the health care net may exist in the community and solutions these professionals may propose. Students then conduct these interviews. Whenever possible these interviews will be completed in the target language. Upon completion of the interviews students will write a 300 word report in Spanish delineating their findings. Following this, students share out their reports to the class in order to practice domain vocabulary and demonstrate their ability to use the various verb tenses and grammatical structures needed to properly state their findings.

This assignment affords students additional opportunities to acquire and properly utilize Spanish language vocabulary related to community health care topics, to demonstrate their ability to use a variety of tenses (present--There is a shortage of doctors, The doctor believes...., preterite-- The representative said,....., subjunctive-- The advocate thinks that....), and to reinforce vocabulary and grammar skills practiced orally.

Assignment 6:

Students write a 350 word reflective essay in Spanish that discusses the status of healthcare in the community, the reasons why the status is what it is and what types of advocacy and changes might be needed to ameliorate the situation.  Students will make use of their journal entries, canvassing surveys and interview notes as they complete this assignment.

Assignment 7:

As the culminating project for this unit, students create a two minute PSA video disseminating information about  a particular community health issue and about where and how to obtain services related to that issue. Alternatively, they may create an advertisement for a local advocacy organization to help promote change within the community. This advertisement will also be two minutes in length. PSAs  may be about such organizations as the It Gets Better campaign or The Bigger Picture project. Students practice the subjunctive, command and formal register in Spanish and apply their content knowledge to their presentations. Finally, the students present their PSAs / advertisements to their peers. These presentations may be evaluated by both instructor and fellow students (at the discretion of the instructor) using a rubric that assesses the appropriateness of the piece for the target audience, the accuracy of the information presented, the degree to which the piece engages its audience, the proper use of Spanish grammar, the fluency of the speakers and the cultural sensitivity of the piece.

Having seen how individual, family and community health concerns are interrelated and having learned about the importance of educating and advocating for the community-at-large and its individual members, students now move on to the next unit of study. Here, they will take their desire to care for themselves, their families and their community to a new level as they learn to safeguard the rights of those whom they are considering serving in a professional capacity.

Proposed Portfolio Submissions:

  • Journal notes
  • Copies of essays
  • Copies of rubrics
  • Copies of graphic organizers
  • Digitized copies of PSAs / advertisements

Proposed Health Fair Components (may be further developed in unit  6.)

  • PSA / Community Health advertisement as video display at a booth
  • Flyers with lists of the health care resources in the community
  • Map of the community healthcare providers
  • List of the interview questions and findings
  • Informational presentations on health care problems commonly found in communities  with accompanying bilingual Spanish/English informational pamphlets on causes and prevention  on topics such as: asthma, diabetes, tobacco use, drug use, obesity, etc.

Unit 4 : Ethics and Professional Conduct

Having seen how individual, family and community health concerns are interrelated and having learned about the importance of educating and advocating for the community-at-large and its individual members, students will move on to the next unit of study. In the fourth unit of the course, students will take their desire to care for themselves, their families and their community to a new level as they learn to safeguard the rights of those whom they are considering serving in a professional capacity.

Using the chapter from the district textbook that deals with legalities and ethics, as well as copies of HIPAA Rights that have been translated into Spanish and lectures by the instructor in the target language, students will become familiar with the rights of patients being treated in the United States as well as with the professional code of conduct required of healthcare professionals in this country.

Students will continue use the district-adopted textbook for a third year college preparatory Spanish class to improve their ability to use commands, reflexive verbs, impersonal “se,” expressions of negation and obligation, the subjunctive as well as vocabulary related to legal and ethical matters, especially HIPAA related vocabulary.  Students may also complete the appropriate reading, writing, speaking and listening activities found in a medical Spanish textbook such as appropriate sections of chapters 9, 10 and 11 of An Introduction to Spanish for Health Care Workers:Communication and Culture.

Assignment 1:  

Using lecture notes, copies of HIPAA rights, and copies of blank “new patient” packets obtained from different medical facilities, students will work in small groups to complete a graphic organizer in Spanish  as a pre-writing brainstorming activity that delineates how HIPAA rights affect such issues as office organization, the handling of current and outdated information and how and where office staff may discuss patient issues. The graphic organizers will be completed in Spanish. All communications for this assignment will be completed in Spanish. This pre-writing assignment will help students acquire and use Spanish language vocabulary related to ethical issues commonly found in the healthcare field.

After the discussion has been completed, each student will interview a healthcare professional that works at a medical facility to gain first hand knowledge of the procedures. This knowledge will provide concrete examples to support statements that may be made when students write a 400 word expository essay in Spanish on the application of HIPAA legislation to a particular work site. These essays afford the students the opportunity to demonstrate their ability to use the imperfect tense and impersonal subjunctive triggers related to necessity proficiently in Spanish.

Assignment 2:

In order to apply rules and regulations regarding sharing of confidential information as determined by HSMT sector laws and practices (such as HIPAA) students will write and perform two realistic workplace dialogues that examine the correct and  / or incorrect methods of handling confidentiality with patients or other health care workers (nurse, doctor, technician, etc.). They will use appropriate grammatical conventions such as impersonal expressions that trigger the use of the subjunctive, the use of formal or informal commands in accord with the language register of the skit, the use of expression of obligation such as "tener que" and "deber de," the use of the true future tense to indicate what students are about to do to produce a role play.

Through this activity, students will demonstrate their comprehension of how confidential matters are to be handled in the workplace. Role plays may be evaluated by industry representatives as well as by peers and the instructor. Role plays may be evaluated for competencies regarding legal and ethical issues as well as the student’s proficiency in using correctly formulated written and spoken Spanish.

Assignment 3:

Based on lectures provided by the instructor as well as copies of appropriate legislation that have been translated into Spanish, students will write and present Spanish language role plays based on legal and ethical issues related to the workplace that do not relate to confidentiality.  Such role plays may deal with sexual harassment, abuse of authority, financial misconduct, child and substance abuse, and the lack of mandated interpreters in the workplace. Each role play will review the proper procedures for reporting violations.

As students prepare and present these role plays, they will use appropriate grammatical conventions such as impersonal expressions that trigger the use of the subjunctive, the use of the subjunctive to counsel a colleague as to what to do or not do, the use of formal or informal commands in accord with the language register of the skit, the use of expression of obligation such as "tener que" and "deber de," the use of the present perfect to about the rumors one has heard, to produce a role play. Whenever feasible, this presentation will include the use of technology (powerpoint, video, etc.).

Role plays may be evaluated by industry representatives as well as by peers and the instructor for students understanding of legal and ethical issues in the workplace as well as student’s proficiency using correctly formulated Spanish.

Assignment 4:

Using what they have learned from assignments 1-3 regarding legal and ethical issues in the workplace, students will use formal “usted” commands to create workplace related signs that remind everyone of the standards of conduct required in the workplace. These signs will be posted around the classroom.

Proposed Portfolio Submissions:

  • Copies of completed rubrics created for this unit
  • Copies of recorded / digitized presentations and / or role plays
  • Copies of essays.
  • Copies of completed interviews.
  • Digital copies of map charting locations of healthcare facilities
  • Digital copies of recorded presentations
  • Journal notes
  • Copies of graphic organizers
Proposed Health Fair Components (may be further developed in unit  6.) Booth that:
  • Displays workplace signs that one should see in a medical office
  • Provides copies of HIPAA rights in English, Spanish and perhaps  any other language commonly spoken in the community
  • Provides a checklist of the  HIPAA related procedures that one should see implemented when in  various types of medical facilities
  • Video of role plays

Unit 5 : Hiring

After students have developed an understanding of individual, family and community health issues as related to the Public and Community Health Pathway, they will employ previously acquired grammar and vocabulary such as that related to personal interests and background as they learn employment-related vocabulary. They will strengthen their abilities to use more recently acquired grammatical structures.  Structures such as the preterite, the imperfect, and the perfect tenses will be employed to discuss accomplishments while the conditional tenses will be utilized to talk about specific job openings. These skills will improve as students research the hiring process from both the perspective of the employer and the employee. This research will include a study of cultural variations and acceptable etiquette when applying for work in the United States in an area where the population is predominantly Spanish speaking. Students will continue use the district-adopted textbook for a third year college preparatory Spanish class to improve their ability to use impersonal “se, the perfect tenses, the subjunctive, the true future to express probability and the conditional.  Students will also use the textbook to review and strengthen their ability to use adjectives that refer to physical and emotional states. Students may also use appropriate sections of a medical Spanish textbook such as An Introduction to Spanish for Health Care Workers:Communication and Culture to review the medical vocabulary needed to  prepare for an interview related to the Health Science and Medical Terminology Pathway.

Assignment 1:  

After appropriate scaffolded classroom prereading, reading and discussion of authentic or translated literature such as  authentic job listings and the use of authentic literature such as Cómo conseguir trabajo en los Estados Unidos, students will discuss in small groups what information might need to appear in a job description for each of the potential jobs listed within the Public and Community Health Pathway (also within The Health Science and Medical Terminology Pathway in general if the instructor allows this option). Students will create a template for a generic job announcement for a fictional healthcare provider or providers. These templates will be submitted to the instructor for comment and revision before they are used in a future assignment. All communications for this assignment will be conducted in Spanish. Websites such as Trabajos may also be used to reinforce the acquisition of  hiring-related vocabulary and familiarity with authentic job postings in Spanish.  

Assignment 3:

Students will divide up or will be assigned the task of writing specific job descriptions for each position. Students will use standard hiring-related vocabulary in Spanish. Copies of these descriptions will be submitted to the instructor as well as posted on an in-class jobs board and / or class website for later reference and selection. All communications and written materials will be in Spanish.

Assignment 4:

Students will research how to publish these job descriptions/announcements via traditional TV, radio and print media as well as on various websites. This research will include submission formats and deadlines, demographic and cost effectiveness. Based on this research, students will prioritize the methods they would use to advertise the jobs, and modify the ads based on publication parameters. All communications and written materials will be in Spanish. Each student will submit an individually developed memo (100 words) to the instructor that provides a copy of the prioritized list as well as justification for these decisions.

Assignment 5:

Using the research from the first assignment, students will develop a written list of questions in Spanish for each job description.  These questions will form the basis for the oral interview of each candidate. Students will submit this list of questions to the instructor before using it in an interview setting.  

Assignment 6:

Students will fill out a standardized job application (that has been translated into Spanish)  for at least one job opening from the jobs board. They will also fill out a Spanish language application for a similar position in a Spanish-speaking country to allow students to compare and contrast the various cultural and legal norms that are inherent in job applications. These applications will be submitted to the appropriate hiring panels as well as to the instructor.

Assignment 7:

Students will develop basic résumés and cover letters.  One résumé and cover letter responding to one of the class job postings will be written in Spanish and will be appropriate for an American business environment. A second résumé and cover letter appropriate for an Hispanic or Spanish community healthcare position will also be created. The creation of dual résumés and cover letters will allow students to compare and contrast the various cultural and legal norms that are inherent in the preparation of job application documents. These will be submitted to the hiring panel and to the instructor.  All communications and written materials will be in Spanish. This assignment will be evaluated using a rubric that assesses both linguistic and CTE competencies.

Assignment 8:

Students will develop rating rubrics from the job descriptions they have already created to be used in the hiring process. These rubrics will be submitted to the instructor prior to their use in the interview process for review. All communications and written materials will be in Spanish. This assignment will be evaluated using a rubric that assesses both linguistic and CTE competencies.

Assignment 9:

Students will participate as members of hiring panels to hire employees. They will use the rubrics developed above. Each panel member will complete a rubric for each candidate. These completed rubrics will be submitted to the instructor for review before being passed on to the student candidates. This assignment will be evaluated using a rubric that assesses both linguistic and CTE competencies.

All communications and written materials will be in Spanish.

 

Assignment 10:

Using Spanish as the means of communication, students will write a two part (200 words per part) reflective essay detailing what they learned from being interviewed as well as from receiving the completed rubrics.  They will also detail what they might do differently and / or what skills they might acquire or strengthen before participating in an actual interview. The second part of the reflective essay would detail what the student learned from the experience of being on a hiring panel, how this might affect his/her preparation for an actual interview and how he/she might change the job descriptions or interview questions that his/her team had written previously.  These essays might make use of subjunctive triggers, perfect tenses and the conditional tense. This assignment will be evaluated using a rubric that assesses both linguistic and CTE competencies.

 

Assignment 11:

As a culminating activity, students take a fresh look at their portfolios to make sure that they are well-organized, complete, and representative of themselves and their work. Having become aware of the impact that financial, environmental ( geography, access to transport, language spoken in the home , etc.) have on individual, familial, and community well-being, and having learned how to address these issues professionally as potential members of the healthcare professions, in the final unit of the course students bring their professionalism and awareness to bear as they plan and present a capstone project in the form of a health fair as a first step in bettering the lives of those among whom they live.

Proposed Portfolio Submissions:

  • Copies of job descriptions/announcements
  • Copies of interview questions
  • Copies of rubrics created in this unit
  • Copies of résumés and cover letters
  • Copies of interview questions
  • Copies of completed (or tabulated) interview rubrics related to student’s interview performance
  • Copy of essays and memos
  • Copies of job descriptions
  • Copies of completed job applications

Proposed Health Fair Components (may be further developed in unit  6.) Human resource booth that provides:

  • Copies of job descriptions for jobs in the Public and Community Health Pathway
  • Bilingual flyers with tips as to how to create a successful résumé and cover letters
  • Bilingual flyers with tips on how to interview successfully
  • Mock Human Resources “representatives” who can recruit students for next year’s CTE course
  • Video of mock job interviews

Unit 6 : Community Health Fair

Having gained an understanding of healthcare as related to the Public and Community Health Pathway students display their Spanish linguistic and cultural competencies, and healthcare  knowledge gained throughout the year via the planning and presentation of a health fair in the target language.. In the health fair they will display the degree to which they are able to demonstrate knowledge and skills in the healthcare sector as found in the Public and Community Health Pathway using Spanish as the means of communication. This unit integrates created language use in oral and written  formats in interpersonal settings and cultural literacy in the context of health care. Students will have created a portfolio, or similar collection of work, that offers evidence through assessment and evaluation of skills and knowledge competency in the Public and Community Health Pathway. At the conclusion of the health fair experience, students will reflect in both oral and written Spanish on what the journey through this course has meant for them both in terms of the CTE competencies gained and the their growth in their abilities to use oral and written Spanish and cultural competency to interact in a simulated real world context. Students will use the target language and the district-adopted textbook for a third year college preparatory ory Spanish class as well as a medical Spanish textbook such as An Introduction to Spanish for Health Care Workers:Communication and Culture as a general resource as they make these preparations and present their final products.

Assignment 1:

In preparation for contextualized lectures and presentations given in Spanish regarding effective health care fairs, students will read scaffolded sections of authentic or translated literature related to the development of effective spaces. Students will use pre-reading and reading strategies such as the completion of graphic organizers, elaboration, contextualization, reciprocal teaching and Cornell note-taking strategies to acquire vocabulary in Spanish. Students will use these and similar strategies to understand information available in print and electronic media such as that found in magazine articles or on websites. 

Assignment 2:

Students choose a space format that appeals to them. The selected space must appeal to Spanish speaking attendees, fit the presentation or materials being presented and function well despite any limitations imposed by the physical size of the space.  Resources may be in the form of face to face, telephonic, Skype, video chat or e-mail exchanges interviewing persons involved in health care fairs, online sources, narratives, magazine articles and instructional literature for the creation of healthcare spaces. In addition speakers may be invited to the class to present the various health care fair formats and their purposes or give a step-by-step lesson in their creation. After determining which format will be most effective, students will write a brief (200 words) informational document describing the format selected and support the choice by discussing the most effective ways to reach the intended audience. This will also necessitate the need for integration of and practice of grammatical concepts such as the subjunctive and conditional tenses in Spanish. This assignment will be evaluated using a rubric that assesses both linguistic and CTE competencies.

Assignment 3:

Based on their space format, students will determine what aspects of the space have been created and what must be added to create a space that is both culturally appropriate and functional. Students will research written communication modes commonly used in the workplace. This information can be found on websites, through presentations by professionals in the community, and other instructional sources. Students write an email (100 to 150 words) to the coordinator of the health fair detailing what aspects of the space are already completed and what needs to be created including materials to do so. This may necessitate the need for integration of grammatical concepts such as the subjunctive, conditional, indirect and polite commands as well as register in Spanish. This assignment will be evaluated using a rubric that assesses both linguistic and CTE competencies.

Assignment 4:

Based on their research findings students will design plans for the assembly of the space. Students will develop step-by-step instructions, identify individual tasks and responsibilities, and create a written overall time frame in which the assembly must be completed. Students  present this information in writing in chart form using the target language. All final copies of planning documents will be submitted in Spanish. Planning includes specifying where each piece of the health fair is to be laid out, displayed, or stored for easy access. This assignment will be evaluated using a rubric that assesses both linguistic and CTE competencies.

Assignment 5:

Students create a practice dialogue in written format (200-250 words) of potential interactions with attendees using grammatical concepts needed for education and persuasion. Additionally, students identify and defend the cultural appropriateness of their dialogue at the end of the dialogue by writing a brief expository paragraph in Spanish. In preparation for their dialogue students may make use of websites such as Cultural Interviews: Latin America. This site offers dozens of interviews of professionals in Spanish speaking countries focusing on a wide array of culturally appropriate practices of interaction. This assignment will be evaluated using a rubric that assesses both linguistic and CTE competencies. 

Assignment 6:

Students use these dialogues to participate in a variety of role-plays that simulate actual health fair scenarios. The dialogues will be evaluated with a rubric focused on linguistic ability, cultural literacy and depth of knowledge in the Public and Community Health Pathway.

Assignment 7:

At the conclusion of the health fair experience, students reflect in both oral and written Spanish on what the journey through this course meant for them both in terms of the CTE competencies gained and the ability to use oral and written Spanish more easily and confidently in a simulated real world context. Students present their reflections aloud. They then write a reflective essay based on feedback from their team in order to organize their thoughts in preparation for a final assessment activity.

Assignment 8:

Students organize their portfolio pieces from the entire course into a document that shows how they acquired skills and knowledge in each area. The portfolio will showcase student writing skills in Spanish as well as each student’s understanding of health concepts as related to the CTE Pathway and organizational skills.

As an extension activity:

Whenever possible, students will carry out educational health care activities and research with Spanish speaking members of the community and faculty, staff and/or students of the high school in the role of potential health fair attendees.

Proposed Portfolio Submissions:

  • Informational document describing the healthcare space format
  • E-mail, note or other communicative document to the health fair coordinator
  • Step by step instructions, calendar of execution and time frame
  • Practice dialogue for proposed presentation in written format
  • Rubric evaluation from oral practice
  • Feedback form on portfolio and health fair if available

Proposed Health Fair Component:

  • Presentation of the health fair itself

Course Materials

Primary Texts:

Title: District-adopted Spanish 3 textbook for native speakers
Usage: Read in the entirety

Title: District-adopted CTE textbook related to health care or for health
Usage: Read in the entirety

 

Supplemental Instructional Materials:

An Introduction to Spanish for Health Care Workers:Communication and Culture, by Robert O. Chase and Claudia Medina de Chase, Third edition, Yale University Press, DVD, edition March 10, 2009 -- Introduces vocabulary and dialogue needed by health care workers. This text also comes with dvd/video feature to improve listening skills. 

California Health Interview Survey is a database to research community health in California. It also contains a biligual English Spanish database on fourteen communities in particular  

McGraw-Hill's Spanish for Healthcare Providers - With CD - 2nd edition by Joanna Rios
Lifetime Health: Spanish Student Edition Grades 9-12 Sexuality and Responsibility 2005 (Lifetime Health 2004) [Hardcover], RINEHART AND WINSTON HOLT (Author)


Avanzando: Gramática española y lectura by Sara L. de la Vega, Carmen Salazar (for referencing in grammar lessons and practice exercises)

Como Agua para Chocolate (Like Water for Chocolate) Unit 2:
To supplement their own experiences, and to interpret nuances of language, students read narrative/fictional texts with an excerpt from Como Agua para Chocolate (Like Water for Chocolate) that describes a family feast.

Oda al Tomate (Ode to the Tomato) Unit 2
Using poetry, students read Pablo Neruda’s poem, Oda al Tomate (Ode to the Tomato). These readings prompt a discussion of the cultural impact on eating habits, and some differences in language and customs within the Spanish-speaking world. Building upon a similar exercise in Unit 1, students analyze the nutritional value of the meal at www.choosemyplate.gov and make a brief oral presentation on their findings.

Pamphlets and brochures written in Spanish available from insurance providers that explain what healthcare services are available and how they are accessed.

Intake forms, HIPAA forms and charting resources written in the target language

Newspapers:
BBC New: Mundo widely read periodical with accesible Spanish and comprehensive health section. Excellent audiovisual section.
El Pais: Spanish main newspaper with comprehensive health section
Clarin: Periodical from Argentina
La Opinion Nationa periodical in Spanish for the Los Angeles area.

Television:
Televisa Largest network in Mexico/ Spanish-speaking world.
Television Espanola National television in Spain. Can be viewed online. Channel two is mostly educational and has abundance of documentaries and round table discussion programs on varied topics.

Spanish grammar review and exercises:
Website: Study Spanish
Website: Spanish Proficiency Exercises

Audiovisual materials: Ejercicios de Espanol

Health organizations (National and international):

National Institute on Drug Abuse
Salud
Minesterio de Sanidad, Consumo y Bienestar Social

UNIT 1: Supplemental Materials
Students investigate their personal health, including their diet. The website used to educate about and evaluate their diet is www.choosemyplate.gov.

UNIT 2: Supplemental Materials
CDC website, American Diabetes Association, American Lung Association

UNIT 3: Supplemental Materials

Health and Human Services Website -- Information on families, health and disease prevention

UCLA Center for Health Policy Research

UNIT 4: Supplemental Materials
District-adopted Spanish 3 textbook for native speakers
House on Mango Street, Sandra Cisneros
Walking Around, Pablo Neruda
Avanzando: Gramática española y lectura, Salazar, De la Vega

Edible Schoolyard website
Redcross website


Unit 5: Supplemental Materials
Cómo Conseguir Trabajo en los Estados Unidos by Mariela Debbah, Sphinx Publishing, January 1, 2008.
This book contains practical advice about procuring employment

Stay informed with key updates from UC High School Articulation!
Sign up for our monthly e-newsletter!