Unit: From el joncar to the un!

Designed by: Mertixell Marquès Gainza & Victor Villanueva

Level: Eso 2 (group b & C)

final product: An individual video recording to be posted on Google Classroom about

the student’s opinion on gender equality. The recordings had to follow

the structure and content of the script. These videos are sent to the

Finnish Parliament and UN Women SUOMI.

During the second practicum we wanted to go more in depth with gender equality (UN development goal 5) having in the first practicum designed a mini-teaching unit on women in science this time we wanted to develop the topic having a more in depth look at it from a local to an international perspective. This unit starts with giving scaffolding on what is done locally in Catalunya to fight against gender inequalities and then progressively moves into a more international approach where students learn what happens abroad and how other countries fight equality. In this case, we chose Finland as a reference country as it's the 4th country in 2023 in the global ranking for gender equality. What we hoped for this teaching unit was that students were given enough material to think critically and form their own personal opinions on the topic of gender equality. Also we wanted them to take action in a real cause, that's why the final task has to do with sending a video to the UN WOMEN SUOMI organisation. The UN WOMEN SUOMI has been contacted and they agreed upon receiving our students videos. Recently in January I had the chance to visit the Finnish Parliament with a friend of mine who works there Siiri Tuovila, we are therefore also sending the videos to Mr. Ben Zyskowicz the longest MP's in Finland's history. We are sending this videos because we want our students to become active and critical citizens in the future and wanted to transmit the importance of making a change in society.

Why are we sending the videos to a foreign institution? We believe in the power to open our students' minds both locally as internationally. 

“The love of one's country is a splendid thing. But why should love stop at the border? -- Pablo Casals (Catalan Cellist, Wrote music for UN Anthem for world peace, 1963 Presidential Medal of Freedom; b. 1876- 1973)

 Let's meet local activists!

The main objective of these sessions were to introduce the teaching unit and its objectives as well as the final product. We introduced the teaching unit with some texting stories, students had to discuss the meaning behind these and guess what the topic of the unit would be. After that and having some guesses we proceded with the UNIT TRIGGER. With the help of a slide with the words "WE HAVE A MISSION" and the use of kinesthetic and synesthetic elements we tried to catch their interest on the topic. After a few seconds of kinesthetic and synesthetic elements, the final objective is unraveled. The objective of the unit is “To create and send a video to the UN WOMEN SUOMI organisation and the Finnish Parliament on the SS’ opinion on gender equality”. We presented a video of the UN WOMEN organisation. After watching the video, we asked “What do you think the UN WOMEN organisation does?” Students wrote down their ideas and shared them with the class. (For further information check the Teacher's Book & Student's Book)

a) local approach to gender equality sessions

 Fighting for equality

During these sessions the a local approach to equality meant to serve as scaffolding for their mid-assessments and final product assessment. They met with two activists Clàudia Arqués a feminist writer and Judit Freixas an artist. Pictures were shown about them and their work. Also Judit's artwork, a piece of art that Judit made specially for our class and that we used as a tool to scaffold what an activist work is meant to be so that they can get ideas for their final products. The Mentimeter App was also used to gather the students first opinions on the topic (Another final Mentimeter would take place at the end of the gender equality sessions so that students could see the improvement in their learning vocabulary and knowledge in general). Students also prepared questions for Clàudia, a feminist expert who they would be meeting soon to talk about books and feminism. A rubric for the question was presented as this questions would be assessed. Scaffolding and help was provided so that students' could write the questions.

(For further information check the Teacher's Book & Student's Book)

 Meeting Clàudia!

During this session students got to participate in a ZOOM call with Clàudia. They had previously been taught some things about her and her work. They interacted with her and wrote down the answers to their questions.

(For further information check the Teacher's Book & Student's Book)

 Paint with watercolors! (CLIL)

CLIL ACTIVITY: Following the local activist thread, we wanted our students to become activists themselves just like Judit Freixas, an artist from Girona that participated in our "Fighting for equality" previous sessions and did a painting for us.  We wanted to include a CLIL session that would have something to do with our own teaching unit. Both English and Art techniques where included in this CLIL session. Both teahing subjects were taken into account and assessed for an extra positive point for the final English mark. Students had to make a drawing that would express their opinion on gender inequality. By using two watercolor techniques "wet on wet" and "wet on dry". Students had to explain how they had drawn the painting, express what the painting represented to them and share it with the class. Here you can see some pictures of the experience.Once the activity was concluded we hung the paintings on the class wall as an Art exhibition on gender inequalities.

(For further information check the Teacher's Book & Student's Book)

 Anita: The story of a young girl in the 1910's

During these sessions, student's learn about someone from the past. Anita Barceló Olivas, an empowered woman from the past that had to fight all odds to make herself a place in society. It was in fact my great-grandmother, I thought that her fight for equality could inspire my students so that's why I considered that it was fit to include her story in this teaching unit and shared this story with my practicum colleague Víctor. We all took a time machine together (an image of a spiral clock was shown on the classes tv screen), while we all clapped our hand together and made time machine sounds we got to the past and a picture of Anita appeared on the screen.

Once students calmed down, eliciting of information was done using Anita's picture, the  vocabulary that came out of this was added on the classes vocabulary list. Student's read the biography of Anita, each reader was chosen in an allegory way and the text was adapted with an OPEN DYSLEXIC font. While the reading took place we asked students questions to check their understanding. We also highlighted facts in the text that may resonate with the students (girls in this class now would be working in a textile factory, etc.) We then told our students that we had real pictures of the story! For context, the layout of the classroom consisted of 8 tables with 4 students. Every table was called “team”. This was their sitting arrangement for every subject. Every team got a set of 17 pictures that will have to be ordered according to the story. We then told them to remember the details of the story.Each group was given a set and they proceeded to organise the pictures. The first to finish would win the game, this triggered their motivation and positive competitiveness in them!

Closing of the session: VOCABULARY LIST REMINDER

• This unit included a vocabulary list assignment that was presented during session 1. Students were encouraged to add any new word they did not understand.

• Students had to write down at least two vocabulary words in the vocabulary text from Anita’s biography.

• The location of this vocabulary list was given while giving instructions.

• Students put the pictures back in the transparent folders and give them back to us.

(For further information check the Teacher's Book & Student's Book)

 b) International approach to gender equality sessions

 International activities

During this session the an international approach to equality meant to serve as scaffolding for their mid-assessments and final product assessment. We started this succession of sessions with a Jigsaw reading! This Jigsaw reading included relevant information about gender inequalities in the world, the UN Women organisation and other information about feminist activists around the world. Students had a great time while they learned about gende equality worldwide.

(For further information check the Teacher's Book & Student's Book)

 Run for equality

During this session, students ran for equality! They participated in a running dictation activity that gave them information and a simple example for their final task, writting a script to the UN WOMEN SUOMI organisation. Students had to work cooperatively in groups of four. Different strips of paper were disseminated across the school's corridor. Runners from each cooperative group had to go outside and read a strip of paper, run inside and read the sentence to students in the cooperative group. The writer in the group had to write down what the runneres told him. The first to finnish won the game! During this activity students litteraly ran for equality as by the end of the activity they had an example of how to write a critical short script on gender equality.

(For further information check the Teacher's Book & Student's Book)

 Let's get to the un!

These session were very important for the completion of the final product. Siiri Tuovila was presented to our students. She who works as an assistant for a member of the Finnish Parliament made a video on gender equality for our students in which some important positive and negative facts were tackled.  The video was paused several times to discuss with the students some important gender equality vocabulary as well as to answer the questions that Siiri asked the students on her prerecorded video. Thanks to this meeting students got to learn important and essential facts that they could use in their final tasks in regards to what has to change in Finland's gender inequalities problematics. They could take notes and provably include this ideas on their final task.

A rubric was presented to the students for both the final script and video that they should have to do and create for their final tasks. In this rubric students got to know what would be taken into consideration on the assessment of such important tasks. Two models of scripts were handed out, one model was slightly more challenging than the other. We had some students in the class with reading and writing difficulties, so we wanted them to be able to follow this task too. Two full sessions were given to the students to complete these tasks. During this two sessions we helped all students complete the scripts and guided them with their own ideas on the topic so that the scripts could be interesting and critical.

(For further information check the Teacher's Book & Student's Book)

 Recording time!

We helped students record some of the videos in class, those who finished before the others. The rest of students recorded themselves and uploaded the videos on the Classroom platform. We wrapped up the unit with a final Mentimeter  where students wrote down the new vocabulary on gender equality. We compared it with the first Mentimeter they made at the beggining they could therefore see their improvement. Final goodbyes were made!

(For further information check the Teacher's Book & Student's Book)

OUR STUDENT'S BOOK: FROM EL JONCAR TO THE UN

OUR TEACHER'S BOOK: FROM EL JONCAR TO THE UN