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Luxury vs. Necessity

Thematic Unit Title:  

Luxury vs. Necessity
Subject: Possessions
Goals: 1. Communicate in Languages Other than English
3. Connect with Other Disciplines and Acquire Information
Standards: 1.1 Students engage in conversations, provide and obtain information, express feelings and emotions, and exchange opinions.
1.3 Students convey information, concepts, and ideas to listeners and readers for a variety of purposes.
3.1 Students reinforce and further knowledge of the disciplines through foreign languages.
3.2 Students acquire information and perspectives through authentic materials in the foreign languages and within the cultures.
Contexts\Outcomes: Students engage in conversations, convey/acquire information, exchange opinions, and make comparisons about possessions.
Progress Indicators Goal 1:  

1.1D Exchange personal feelings and ideas for the purpose of persuading others.
1.1E Support opinions.
1.1F Exchange information with peers and others.
1.3E Narrate present, past, and future events.
Progress Indicators Goal 2:
Progress Indicators Goal 3:  

3.1A Transfer and apply, within a limited context, information and skills common to the language classroom and other disciplines.
3.1B Analyze the information gathered through foreign language resources for use in other disciplines.
3.2B Use authentic sources to analyze the perspectives of the target cultures.
Progress Indicators Goal 4:
Progress Indicators Goal 5:
Essential Skills\Knowledge:  

Vocabulary for expressing feelings/opinions, activities, daily needs/desires, possessions, making comparisons
Verbs of preference, past, future, subjunctive tenses of needed verbs
Adjectives
Question words
Cultural information about other countries
Economic information about other countries
Assessments: Presentations:
Students write and perform a “rap” about possessions.
Students demonstrate leisure activities and equipment.
Students design a luxury invention for the future and explain it to the class.
Students complete a research project and prepare a culminating oral presentation.
(Create a rubric for project – students use combination written/multimedia – include
other cultures, poverty levels, economics, lifestyles, comparisons with U.S., etc.)
Class Debate – Students engage in a class debate “Luxury vs. Necessity.”
Instructional Strategies:  

Pair Activities:
Students plan survival kits.
Students make posters of “Work Hours Required to Purchase Luxury vs. Necessity
Items.”
Cooperative Learning:
In groups, students plan a luxury vacation or a low cost, necessary vacation.
Inventory:
Students do a self-inventory of their possessions.
Students make a T-Chart of self-inventory categorizing luxuries and necessities.
Students do a cost analysis – price check of luxury vs. necessity items.
Graphing
Students make a comparison chart showing results or survey.
Students test physical education equipment and apparel and chart results based on price
of items.
Interview:
Each student interviews parents about the family budget.
Each student plans a monthly budget.
Internet Surveys/Interviews Around the World
(i.e. How many people in Germany have 5 TV’s?)
Students do a survey of possessions and attitudes. (U.S./Other Countries)
Talking Carousel:
What effects have inventions had on luxury or necessity items?
Timeline:
Students create a timeline depicting the economic and social impact of the Industrial
Revolution.
Vocabulary development and changes related to luxury items.
Research:
Research inventions and examine their effects on the concept of luxury vs. necessity.
Resources: Internet
Textbook
Library resources
Interviews
Surveys
Language ladders – verbs, adjectives, question words
Venn Diagrams
Talking Carousels
Embassies/Travel Agencies
Debate
Other Resources:
Updated December 26, 2019 3:31pm