Spanish 2+ Reading Text, Teen Health, Sleep, Social Media Habits & Activities

This resource is perfect for a unit on health, social media, or an informational text reading. The topic has been well-researched and simplified into comprehensible language that is accessible for level 2 (Novice- high) students (or Spanish 1 late in the semester). Replete with cognates, and scientific vocabulary, this interdisciplinary resource will not only inform your students about the importance of sleep, but will also equip them to discuss issues in the target language, and hopefully, tweak their sleep habits.

What's included in this resource?

Activities included

• Text about sleeping habits and social media among teens 
• Pre-reading anticipatory set to assess what students already know and think the topic 
• Translation activity: Students read phrases extracted from the text to translate and then write a predictive summary of what they think the text is about. 
• Cognate Connection- students skim through the article to find Spanish-English cognates. 
• 3 pages of note-taking for the article
• Comprehension questions 
• Critically thinking challenge 
• Debate activity 

Synopsis

The purpose of this article is to inform students about the importance of sleep and how to maximize this physiological necessity. The text highlights external and internal factors such as melatonin, the school schedule, electronics usage (social media) etc. The end of the article suggests tips or strategies teens can implement to have a healthier sleep schedule.  There are some tips for teachers too!

We used several sources to compile and write the article, adding our own expertise and flair. We opted to use comprehensible phrasing and wording to make the article more accessible to students; however, we strived to maintain a balance between comprehensible and scientific vocabulary, which we deem important for cross-curricular connections. That specialty vocabulary includes the following terms:

• Saludable        
• Molecular 
• Organismo 
• Sistema inmunitario 
• Sonámbulo
• Células 
• Cardiovascular 
• Presión arterial
• Órganos  
• Ingerir

Structures

Structures: Mostly present tense, present perfect & some past tense. For example: Los investigadores han descubierto que…

Temas mencionados en el texto 

• Las redes sociales
• Falta de sueño 
• La depresión 
• La salud mental 
• Horario escolar
• El mundo irreal  de las redes sociales 
• La luz azul  

We are very passionate about writing texts that center on the life of teens and technology. Below are other resources that highlight technology uses, including the dark side of technology.

Teens Today: Cellphones & Social Media

La cita inolvidable- short funny story on internet dating

Tech & Social Media Mini Unit

Freebie: Technology Words Matamoscas

PSA on sharing pictures on social media (activities)

No pasa nada (short story on picture sharing)

Caray, mi abuela tiene un móvil inteligente

Ebook

Mi vida es un drama total

Los adolescentes hoy en día (school and routines)

El escape: Teaching Manual for using the novel in class (novel not included)