Universidad Nacional Abierta y a Distancia

Vicerrectoría Académica y de Investigación

Course: English 2
Code: 90021

Activity Guide and Evaluation Rubric – Task 2 (Crafting superstitions stories)

1. Activity Description

Type of activity: Collaborative

Evaluation moment: Intermediate Unit 1
Highest score of the activity: 100 points
The activity starts on: Thursday, The activity ends on: Sunday, March 17,
February 22, 2024 2024
With this activity, you are expected to achieve the following learning
outcomes:

The activity aims to deepen students' understanding of cultural superstitions and

their significance in storytelling. They should demonstrate enhanced English language
proficiency, as they engage in reading comprehension, collaborative storytelling, and
multimedia presentation creation, effectively using grammar, vocabulary, and
descriptive language.

The activity consists of:

Performing six stages that will enable you to develop your communication skills in
writing and reading comprehension in English.

Choose a role for collaborative work, discuss it in the forum, and contribute with its
functions for the benefit of the group (Annex 1 - Roles for Collaborative Work.pdf).

Step 1: E-book Challenge.

Go to the Learning Environment and enter the E-book / Online Content (Contenido en
Linea) to develop the activities of the E-book.

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After reviewing and understanding the suggested modules, select only one option
and complete the established exercises. Share the screenshots directly on the
forum within the given time frame for the task. Make sure not to choose an
exercise that has already been selected by another classmate.

Option 1 Module 1, exercise 7. Module 3, exercise 1.

Option 2 Module 1, exercise 8. Module 3, exercise 3.

Option 3 Module 1, exercise 10. Module 3, exercise 6.

Option 4 Module 1, exercise 11. Module 3, exercise 4.

Option 5 Module 1, exercise 1. Module 3, exercise 2.

Table 1 - Suggested Exercise Options for This Stage

Step 2: Reading exploration.

Please carefully read and analyze the reading "Colombian Superstitions: Bridging Past
and Present". Take your time to thoroughly understand the key themes, plot, and
message conveyed by the author. To access the story, simply click on the provided
link: https://url.unad.edu.co/04VV9

Once you have finished reading the story, please respond to the following proposed
questions in English. After that, kindly share your answers on the forum.

• What is the evil eye superstition, and how do Colombians protect themselves
from it?
• What is the author's opinion about superstitions in Colombia?

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 • What is the significance of wearing red bracelets or necklaces in Colombian
superstitions?

Step 3: Crafting the story.

Superstitions are beliefs or practices that are not based on science
or reason but are often deeply ingrained in our cultural and
personal traditions. They can be found in every culture around the
world, and even in our modern, scientifically advanced society,
many people still hold onto these beliefs.

3.1. As a group, you must discuss and choose one of these superstitions as
the foundation for your story. Each superstition will provide you with an intriguing
starting point for your tale. Before you begin working on your story, ensure that
everyone agrees on the chosen superstition. Remember to have fun and be creative
as you develop your narrative:

El Mal de Ojo Susto (Soul Mirrors at Crossing Paths

(The Evil Eye): Loss): Night: with a Black
Cat:
Belief: If Belief: Traumatic Belief: It is
someone looks at events or shocks considered Belief: Crossing
you with envy or can cause a unlucky to look paths with a
jealousy, they person's soul to into a mirror at black cat is seen
can bring harm become detached night. as a bad omen.
or misfortune from their body, Explanation: Explanation:
upon you. leading to This superstition This superstition
Explanation: To physical and may have roots likely stems from
protect against mental health in the fear of a blend of
the evil eye, issues. encountering European and
people often Explanation: supernatural indigenous beliefs
wear red Traditional entities or seeing associating black
bracelets or healers, known one's own cats with bad
necklaces, which as "curanderos," reflection luck and evil
are believed to are sought to distorted in the spirits.
ward off negative perform rituals dark.
energy. aimed at
restoring the lost
soul.
Table 2 – - Suggested Superstition Options for This Stage

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3.2. Now that you have picked a superstition, it's time to use your imagination and
creativity to create a special and interesting story related to that belief. To carry out
this collaborative writing activity, each of you must take responsibility for a
specific part of the storytelling structure. Below, you can find the parts you can
choose from, along with the least number of words you need to write for your part:

Introduce the reader to the

story's setting and present the First paragraph:
Beginning main characters. You should Minimum words: 30
(Student 1) create an atmosphere that Maximum words:
piques the reader's interest in 80
the plot.
Explain the selected superstition
and its relevance to the story.
Second
You should provide the
paragraph:
Context necessary information and
Minimum words: 30
(Student 2) supporting details for the reader
Maximum words:
to understand why the
80
superstition is important in the
story.
Describe how one of the
characters confronts the Third paragraph:
Hero’s
superstition and becomes the Minimum words: 30
Appearance
hero of the story. You should Maximum words:
(Student 3)
create suspense and excitement 80
at this point.
Develop the resolution of the Fourth
superstition and how it affects paragraph:
Ending
the characters. You should Minimum words: 30
(Student 4)
provide a satisfying conclusion Maximum words:
for the story. 80
Develop the meaning of the
Fifth paragraph:
Morale or superstition and its impact on
Minimum words: 30
Conclusion the characters' lives. You should
Maximum words:
(Student 5) provide a lesson or conclusion
80
drawn from the story.
Table 3 – Storytelling structure

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To help you guide yourself better, here's an example of how you should approach the
task: https://url.unad.edu.co/stexample

3.3. Guidelines for Effective Language Usage and Story Coherence:

a) Every student should make sure to include the following grammatical structures
in their assigned sections:

o Simple past
o Phrasal verbs
o Usage of the infinitives
o Description of emotions or feelings in your part of the story.

b) To have coherence and cohesion in your story, you must use linking words, to
check which are the best for your text, you can click on the following link:
https://url.unad.edu.co/linkingwords

c) To have a better understanding of your text’s ideas, consider the correct use of
punctuation marks.

After each of you finishes your own part, the team should work together to check and
correct the story to make sure it makes sense and flows smoothly.

IMPORTANT: Every step of this task must be shared on the task’s forum to be
checked by your tutor and give you feedback. You must post it directly on the body
text of the forum, not by attaching files.

Step 4: Multimedia Showcase:

Once you have finished your story, it's time to create a visual aid that complements
the narrative. Create a multimedia presentation to demonstrate your storytelling. Use
various forms like sounds, pictures, and words to grab the viewers' attention. Add
interactive parts to get the audience involved.

Make sure the presentation looks nice, is well-arranged, and is easy to move
through. For you to have a better understanding, here is an example of how you
should complete the task: https://url.unad.edu.co/6YxD2

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You can use some of the following digital tools:

• https://www.storyjumper.com/
• https://storybird.com/
• https://www.canva.com/
• https://genial.ly/

Step 5: STT (Student Talking Time)

To help you improve your English level, pronunciation, and speaking skills, each
teacher will develop some practical workshops named Student Talking Time.

Be attentive to the tutor's invitation to these workshops, which you must attend to
improve and learn English. During these sessions, you will practice your English. The
invitation will be sent by mail. The teacher will share with you the schedule in which
these workshops will be developed.

You will have to attend at least two times to gain some points for your final grade.
Take a screenshot while in the workshop, register your attendance, and add this to
the final task.
In this Student Talking Time, you can share your opinions in English with the tutor
and partners. The evidence must show your name and face; therefore, you must
open the camera during your participation.

Explanatory note: In case you cannot attend the Student Talking Time-STT
sessions while task 2 is available, you still can be part of the rest of the STTs in the
whole academic period to fulfill this item. Just make sure you send your tutor the
evidence of having attended the workshop. Consider that, once you have shared the
target evidence with your tutor, your points will be uploaded.

Step 6: Self-Assessment

This stage is focused on your personal reflection and growth. As part of your
evaluation, please assess your performance on a scale from 1 to 5, where 5
represents excellent and 1 indicates you need to enhance your role in this virtual
module. Consider the relevant criteria for each aspect. Please rate yourself honestly
based on your performance in each stage and general criteria.

1. I completed the assigned exercises and shared the screenshots on the forum.
2. I fully read and analyzed the reading and responded to all questions in English.

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 3. I collaborated with the group to select a superstition, wrote my assigned
section with a minimum of 100 words, including the required grammar
structures, and actively collaborated with the team.
4. I created a multimedia presentation that incorporated audio, visuals, and text
effectively and included interactive elements to engage the audience.
5. I usually complete tasks within the given time frame.
6. I actively participate in group discussions and collaborate effectively with my
peers.

Step 7: Consolidation (Final product)

After making the necessary corrections and receiving positive feedback from your
tutor regarding your story, you should consolidate the following aspects into a .doc or
.PDF file.

Afterward, please upload the file to the Evaluation Environment. It's important to
submit your final document as text (doc or pdf) rather than images. The latter will
not be assessed.

NOTE: Ensure that your final document is named in the following format: Task
2_student’s name group number. For example, (Task 2_Camilo Rodriguez_255).

For the development of the activity consider that:

In the Initial Information Environment, you must: review the course agenda to
work within the established dates.

In the Learning Environment, you must: Study all the English contents found in
the Online content - English level II, to develop each step that you find in the
guide. Besides, the students find the Activities guide and evaluation rubric with
all the instructions to develop, the template to organize the final task and the Forum
of the activity where the students must socialize the development of each step
indicated in the guide. Besides you must look for the Appendix 2 - Template -
Final Task 2 – Crafting superstitions stories.

In the Evaluation Environment, you must: send the final Writing task, organized in
a template and in a PDF document, with all the steps required in the guide and with
the cover page.

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Evidence of individual work:
The individual evidence to be submitted is:

A document that contains the following information:

Step 1: Development of the E-book exercises.

Step 2: Reading comprehension exercise. Answers to the three questions.
Step 3: Creation of one part of the storytelling structure.
Step 4: Design of a multimedia presentation to complement the story.
Step 5: Evidence of attendance Student Talking Time (STT)
Step 6: Evidence of Self-evaluation

Evidence of collaborative work:

The collaborative evidence to be submitted is:

• Collaborative story creation involves multiple students working on different

parts of the story, such as the beginning, context, hero's appearance,
ending, and moral or conclusion.

• A multimedia presentation with contributions from each team member.

7. General Guidelines for the Development of Evidence to Submit

For Individual evidence, consider the following:

• All members of the group must participate with their contributions in the
development of the activity.

• Before submitting the requested product, students should check that it meets all
the requirements mentioned in this activity guide.

• Each student must include the multimedia presentation where the complete story
is compiled.

• Submit your final product document in either .DOC or .PDF format through the
Evaluation Environment.
Please keep in mind that all individual or collaborative written products must comply
with the spelling rules and presentation conditions defined in this activity guide.

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Regarding the use of references, consider that the product of this activity must
comply with APA style.
In any case, make sure you comply with the rules and avoid academic plagiarism.
You can review your written products using the Turnitin tool found on the virtual
campus.

Under the Academic Code of Conduct, the actions that infringe the academic order,
among others, are the following: paragraph e) Plagiarism is to present as your own
work all or part of a written report, task or document of invention carried out by
another person. It also implies the use of citations or lack of references, or it
includes citations where there is no match between these and the reference and
paragraph f) To reproduce, or copy for profit, educational resources, or results of
research products, which have rights reserved for the University. (Acuerdo 029 - 13
de diciembre de 2013, artículo 99)

The academic penalties students will face are:

a) In case of academic fraud demonstrated in the academic work or evaluation, the
score obtained will be zero (0.0) without any disciplinary measures being derived.
b) In case of proven plagiarism in academic work of any nature, the score obtained
will be zero (0.0), without any disciplinary measures being derived.

8. Evaluation Rubric Template

Type of activity: Collaborative

Evaluation moment: Intermediate Unit 1
The highest score in this activity is 100 points
First evaluation High level: The student completes all exercises with correct
criterion: answers and shares screenshots within the given time frame.
If your work is at this level, you can get between 7 points
E-book Exercises. and 10 points.

This criterion Average level: The student completes most of the exercises
represents 10 with correct answers and shares screenshots within the given
points of the total time.
of 100 points of If your work is at this level, you can get between 4 points
the activity. and 6 points.

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 Low level: The student completes a few exercises with correct
answers and/or fails to share screenshots within the given time.
If your work is at this level, you can get between 0
points and 3 points.
Second evaluation High level: The student fully reads and analyzes the reading,
criterion: demonstrating a thorough understanding of the key themes and
message. At the same time, the student responds to all
Reading questions in English, providing accurate and detailed answers.
comprehension. If your work is at this level, you can get between 12 points
and 15 points.
This criterion
represents 15 Average level: The student reads and analyzes the reading,
points of the total demonstrating a basic understanding of the key themes and
of 100 points of message. At the same time, the student responds to most of the
the activity. questions in English, providing somehow accurate and detailed
answers.
If your work is at this level, you can get between 7 points
and 11 points.

Low level: The student reads and analyzes the reading but
lacks a clear understanding of the key themes and message. The
student responds to a few questions in English and/or provides
incomplete or inaccurate answers or the student doesn’t answer
the questions of the reading comprehension exercise.
If your work is at this level, you can get between 0
points and 6 points.
Third evaluation High level: The student takes responsibility for a specific part
criterion: of the storytelling structure, meets the minimum word count of
30 words, and effectively contributes to the story's development.
Storytelling The student includes required grammar structures, effectively
creation. describes emotions or feelings, uses linking words for cohesion
and coherence, and demonstrates excellent writing skills.
This criterion If your work is at this level, you can get between 25 points
represents 30 and 30 points.
points of the total
of 100 points of Average level: The student fulfills their assigned part but may
the activity. have some inconsistencies or could provide more substantial
contributions. The student includes some required grammar
structures, describes emotions or feelings to some extent, uses

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 linking words with occasional inconsistencies, and exhibits good
writing skills.
If your work is at this level, you can get between 17 points
and 24 points.

Low level: The student's contribution to the storytelling

structure is minimal and he/she struggles with grammar, lacks
descriptions of emotions or feelings, and fails to use linking
words, resulting in poor cohesion and coherence, or she/he
does not meet the assignment.
If your work is at this level, you can get between 0
points and 16 points
Fourth evaluation High level: The student actively collaborates with the group in
criterion: creating an engaging multimedia presentation that effectively
incorporates audio, visuals, and text, includes interactive
Multimedia elements, and is well-organized. The presentation reflects
presentation. effective teamwork.
If your work is at this level, you can get between 15 points
This criterion and 20 points.
represents 20
points of the total Average level: The student collaborates with the group to
of 100 points of create a multimedia presentation with some engagement
the activity. elements but may lack effectiveness in incorporating audio,
visuals, text, or organization. The level of group participation is
average.
If your work is at this level, you can get between 7 points
and 14 points.

Low level: The student's multimedia presentation lacks

engagement elements, is disorganized, and does not effectively
incorporate audio, visuals, or text. The presentation shows
limited group collaboration.
If your work is at this level, you can get between 0
points and 13 points
Fifth evaluation High level: The student participates actively in at least two
criterion: practical Student Talking Time, giving answers to the exercise,
and interacting with the tutor and partners.
STT attendance. If your work is at this level, you can get between 12 points
and 15 points.

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This criterion Average level: The student participates only in one practical
represents 15 Student talking time; the interaction was not so visible, but
points of the total he/she evidences attendance.
of 100 points of If your work is at this level, you can get between 7 points
the activity. and 11 points.

Low level: The student doesn’t participate in any practical

workshop, and he/she doesn’t interact with the tutor and
partners.
If your work is at this level, you can get between 0
points and 6 points.
Sixth evaluation High level: The student completes the self-evaluation form
criterion: providing a clear assessment of their performance.
If your work is at this level, you can get between 7 points
Self-Assessment. and 10 points.

This criterion Average level: The student evidences the answer to only some
represents 10 items of the self-evaluation.
points of the total If your work is at this level, you can get between 4 points
of 100 points of and 6 points.
the activity.
Low level: The student doesn’t develop the self-evaluation and
doesn´t answer any items with evidence.
If your work is at this level, you can get between 0 points
and 3 points.

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