Milken-CIM Spanish Exchange Program - Overview

Students will apply their Spanish language skills:  Reading, Speaking, writing and Listening.

Outline of Activities:

Students from Milken and their partner school (Colegio Israelita de Mexico) will complete a Technology Project that is constituted of 3 main parts or Phases. All 3 phases will be graded using different rubrics.

Doing this work together and relaying on their partners to complete the assignments will form a partnership and friendship bond between them.  Both trips (visit to L.A. and visit to Mexico City) will consolidate the friendship and will create a long lasting relationship.

This Project consists of 3 Phases:

PHASE 1 - “Getting to Know You”

Stage 1:  Surveys

• Each student will fill out a questionnaire, which covers various topics     about themselves.

• They will create three new questions to add to the survey.  Things they want to know about their Mexican partners.

• Students will save the questionnaire with their answers in their “Folder” and in their USB Pen Drive, and send a copy to their partners to be corrected.

• Students will receive their partner’s questionnaire (in Spanish) and correct in their native language.  They will return it to their partners as soon as possible.

• Students will receive their corrected surveys and revise their original version, making the necessary changes suggested by their partners.

Stage 2:  Creating a Profile

• Students will do oral presentations of their Mexican partners, putting together a “profile” based on their partner’s answers in their surveys.

• During this oral presentation, students must be able to make two inferences based on information they got from their partner’s survey.

• The oral presentation must cover all important points in public speaking like eye contact, body language, hand movement, tone of voice, etc

Stage 3:  Crossword Puzzles

• Students will create a crossword puzzle.  They will learn how to use EXCEL on their computers to design the puzzle.

• They must write 5 clues about themselves and 5 clues about their partners.

• Students will use skills such as using antonyms, synonyms, descriptions, rhymes, etc.

• They will send their puzzles to their partners to be answered, and they will also receive a crossword puzzle in Spanish written by their partners to be answered by.

PHASE 2 - “Learning about your History”

Stage 1:  Research

• Students will be divided into groups of 3 to 4 people (depending on size of group).  Each group will be assigned a specific topic of Mexican Culture.  The topics or subjects are the following: Native Americans, Typical meals in different regions of Mexico, the Revolution, celebrations, art, Jewish communities, etc.

• Students will do research on their specific subjects and prepare a class to teach to the rest of the group.

• They will send the material they have collected and prepared to their partners to be checked and returned will comments and corrections.

Stage 2:  Preparing Activities

• The groups will also have to prepare 2 activities based on their subject that they will assign to the remaining students after teaching their class.  These activities can range from arts and crafts, to games, trivias, quizzes, debates, etc.

• The activities chosen have the following objectives:

• Review material

• Check for understanding

• Have Fun while Learning

• Clarify information.

Stage 3:  Teaching a Class

• Students will be teaching their classes in chronological order.

• Students can be as traditional or as creative as they want when teaching.

PHASE 3 - “Future Businessmen”

• Students will create a new business.  It can be a company, a good, or a service. This part of the CIM- Milken project must be turned in as a Power Point Presentation.

• Students will be divided into groups.  The groups will be made up of 2 “pairs”, that means 2 Mexican students with 2 American students.

• All 4 members of the team have to be in agreement about everything and all 4 members should work as a team.  Your business has to be located somewhere in the greater Los Angeles area.

• The power point should contain the following things:

• Name of product, service or store.

• Description of product, service or store.

• Target audience with explanation.

• Location with explanation and map.

• Logo.

• Slogan.

• Poster

• Newspaper Article.

• Radio Commercial.

• Story Board / TV Commercial.

• Students have to do all this as a team in both languages. CIM students must turn in their PowerPoint presentation in English and Milken students in Spanish, and it shouldn't be done the other way around.

• In order to ensure this, the teachers will check and monitor the progress throughout the assignment. Students must document their work by turning in at least 5 e-mails that show that they have been working together and not doing the work in their native languages.

Student Expectations:

• Teacher expects imagination, neatness, creativity and good preparation in the presentation of the project whether it is oral or written.

• All work must be saved in the student’s “FIRST CLASS”, Mexico Exchange Class Folder.  The work also needs to be printed out and turned in to the teacher.  You need to make an extra copy saved in a “floppy” disc or USB as back-up and to work at home.

• Students have to keep a good record of their activities for the project.  Deadlines are very important and should be observed.  Students must notify the teacher immediately regarding any inconvenience in the communication with their partners at Milken High School.

• Students are expected to finish the assignments scheduled for a particular class, even when they were absent for any reason.

• Students have to work quietly and making good use of the time while using the computers in class.  Any student who doesn’t respect the rules of the class, or any of the standards pre-established by their teacher or principal will be considered out of the project with a “0” as their grade.

• Students are responsible for contacting the teacher to arrange an appointment if he/she needs extra help.

• The teacher will be revising the students’ work included in their Mexico Exchange Class Folder.  If the Folder is not complete by the deadline, the student will receive a warning only the first time.  The second time, the grade will be lowered in a two number scale.

Trip to Los Angeles

When the Mexican students come to Los Angeles, American families that were selected according to their personalities and interests will host them. They will spend a week sharing a house, daily rides, friends, some classes such as Pluralism, Art, Technology, Model UN, and others, and family gatherings as well as a Shabbat service. Students will visit important museums of Jewish Heritage like the Holocaust and Tolerance Museum and the Skirball Cultural Center.  Art museums like the Paul Getty Museum. The students will  perform Community Service by helping to feed people in shelters and hospices.  They will also take a tour of Hollywood and visit landmark places such as Venice Beach, 3rd Street Promenade in Santa Monica and others.  Students will also have recreational visits to amusement parks.   They will be responsible for completing homework assignments everyday.  They will have a free day to spend with their host families. 

Trip to Mexico City

When the Americans come to Mexico they will live with the same partner’s family or a different one according to their needs.  Students will be doing homework everyday related to the cultural activities and will write reflections about their experience. Students will visit the Anthropology Museum, Xochimilco (a famous canal with canoes), Frida Kahlo’s home, the Dolores Olmedo Museum, the Teotihuacan Pyramides, the Chapultepec Castle,  Jewish synagogues and a Shabbat service. They will also have a day of “Getting to know you” out of the city where they will also do Community Service at a Jewish Retirement Home.

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