My high school uses a linear approach to teach Spanish as a second language in the regular classroom levels from 1 to 3. I see the interests and needs from my students to use their previous knowledge and creativity while learning. I believe that combining these two strategies into my educational approach would enhance their interest in others languages and cultures therefore develop empathy. 

Project Based Learning (PBL) is a teaching method in which students learn by actively engaging in real-world and personally meaningful projects. 

Students work on a project over an extended period of time – from a week up to a semester – that engages them in solving a real-world problem or answering a complex question. They demonstrate their knowledge and skills by creating a public product or presentation for a real audience.

As a result, students develop deep content knowledge as well as critical thinking, collaboration, creativity, and communication skills. Project Based Learning unleashes a contagious, creative energy among students and teachers.

The Funds Knowledge framework was developed in the 1990s to link their unique experiences to instruction. Families and students have Funds of Knowledge from various aspects of daily-life and how this idea can foster understanding by applying their skills, abilities, and ideas developed outside school in a range of school contexts.  

Funds of Knowledge are collections of knowledge-based in cultural practices that are a part of families’ inner culture, work experience, or their daily routine. It is the knowledge and expertise that students and their family members have because of their roles in their families, communities, and culture.

Students will experience:

For example, instead of doing visits to homes, I will ask for sharing a video from home with a skill or knowledge they may have or want to share. This video can be used in our Project-Based learning experience as an element of the actual project. Another example, students will add vocabulary in two languages: Spanish as the Course Language and their Home-Language into their project when presenting their findings and identify elements from their topic/question during the project. 

During the month of May, students will explore, discuss, and investigate a question they will choose to work on, they will add knowledge from home as well. I will have the month of May to work in this Project-Based learning combined with Funds of Knowledge. The themes that I have to cover for the last part of the curriculum for Spanish 1 in the current program are Ch.4 School life and Ch.5 Home life. I will combine those themes for the learning experience for my freshman in high school. I will present several outcomes to experience their learning. It will be for example: creating a digital presentation, a video, an artifact, a role-play, a model, a mockup, composing a song, poetry, children’s story book, a Podcast, among others. Students will bring their skills learned from home and combine it with those learned at school to come up with a unique outcome full of ah-ha moments and fun. 
Students will work in small groups to support each other and will be grouped by topic or themes, interests or choice.  

The Project-Based and Funds of Knowledge will have several parts: Connecting with home-language, vocabulary in primary language and Course target language, recipes from home, schedule of daily life at school and at home, chores at home, furniture at school and at home, classes/subjects and after school activities, any skills from home: cooking, gardening, auto-repair, construction, accounting, market, medicine, childcare, religion, sports, etc. Students can share as well about storytelling, arts, crafts, dance and more. They will choose their focus of exploration and learning under the big umbrella of School life and Home life.