southern mexico: past and present - latin american network

Southern Mexico: Past and Present

Author: Marti Middlebrook School: Highland Elementary – Hamilton, Ohio Grade Level: 2nd Subject Area: Language Arts, Social Studies, Art Topics: Geography of Mexico, Mayan History, Aztec History, Mexican Culture

and Traditions, Arts and Crafts, Food, Literature, and Comparison of Cultures

Time Frame: 17 days – a 45-minute lesson each day Unit Summary:

Students will gain an understanding of the rich culture and the past and present history of Southern Mexico. They will be able to describe ways in which language, stories, music, and artistic creations serve as expressions of culture and influence the behavior of people living in Southern Mexico. Teacher prepared lessons utilizing literature, photographs, PowerPoint presentations, maps, and foods will help students to meet the goals of the unit. Second grade state standards will be met through the implementation of these lessons.

ESTABLISHED GOALS – The benchmarks in this unit are taken from the Grade Two Ohio Social Studies Grade Level Indicators.

Geography • Read and interpret a variety of maps. • Describe and locate landforms and bodies of water in photographs, maps, and 3-d

models.

History • Place a series of related events in chronological order on a timeline. • Use historical artifacts, photographs, maps, and folklore to answer questions about daily

life in the past. • Identify the work that people performed in the past and explain how jobs in the past are

similar or different from those of today. • Recognize the importance of individual action and character and explain how they have

made a difference in others’ lives with emphasis on the importance of: o Social and political leaders. o Explorers, inventors, and scientists.

• Describe the cultural practices and products of people in Mexico. • Describe ways in which language, stories, folktales, music, and artistic creations serve as

expressions of culture and influence the behavior of people living in a particular culture. Economics

• Explain how resources can be used in various ways. • Explain how people are both buyers and sellers of goods and services. • Recognize that most people work in jobs in which they produce a few special goods or

services. • Explain why people in Mexico earn a living in a variety of ways. • Recognize that money is a generally accepted medium of exchange for goods and

services and that different countries use different forms of money. Social Studies Skills and Methods

• Obtain information from oral, visual, and print sources. • Predict the next event in a sequence. • Communicate information in writing.

UNDERSTANDINGS – Students will understand the following concepts:

• Mexico is located on the continent of North America. Students will be able to locate the

country on a map along with the bodies of water and countries on its borders. • Southern Mexico has different landforms and climates that influence the lives of the

inhabitants. • The history of Mexico played an integral part in the development of contemporary

culture in southern Mexico.

Middlebrook – Southern Mexico p. 2 of 2

• The people of southern Mexico use resources to produce goods and services as a means of earning a living.

• Traditions and folklore portray the heritage of southern Mexico. • The diversity of southern Mexico’s people and culture has contributed to the heritage of

Mexico and the United States.

ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS

• What is the geography of Mexico? • What is the history and culture of Mexico? • How do the people of Mexico use its resources to provide goods and services?

Students will know or be able to do the following:

• Locate Mexico on a map. They will label the capital, main port, pyramid sites, and major

cities of southern Mexico. • Identify the landforms and climates of southern Mexico. • Identify aspects of contemporary culture in southern Mexico that have been influenced by

past history. • Identify three resources of southern Mexico. • Explain how a family in southern Mexico earns a living. • Determine the knowledge or tradition that is explained in a Mexican folktale. • Discuss and illustrate an aspect of the cultural heritage of southern Mexico. • Identify ways that diverse indigenous groups have contributed to the heritage of Mexico

and the United States. • Compare their life to the life of a child in Mexico.

ASSESSMENT EVIDENCE

• Color and label Mexico on a world map and a map of North America. Label Mexico

City, major cities of southern Mexico, Chichen Itza, Edzna, Palenque, Monte Alban, Teotihuacan, and the major bodies of water.

• Identify and label pictures of different landforms and climates of southern Mexico: mountains, rainforests, coastlines, canyons, rivers, and cenotes.

o Choose a climate and draw a picture of a child wearing appropriate clothing for that climate.

• Complete a timeline depicting the pre-Hispanic Mayan history of Mexico to present day life.


• Draw a process map depicting the steps from raw material to finished product for a marimba and a Zapotec weaving. Explain each step in writing.


OVERVIEW OF LEARNING PLAN

• Lesson One: Preview of Unit/Map Skills

o Students will complete a KWL class chart after locating Mexico on a world map and a map of North America.

o Discuss climate and show landform pictures to help children plan their packing. They will draw and label items packed in their suitcase.

• Lesson Two: Introduction of Unit o Students will complete a passport, pack for a trip and board the plane for their

imaginary trip to Cancun, Mexico. o Students will be served agua de chia and a traditional Mexican cookie as they

preview photos of what the unit will cover. • Lesson Three: History

o Define the terms history, timeline, and culture. o Read the book Aztecs and the Maya by Robert Coupe. o View site of Cortes’ landing and discuss his influence on the future of Mexico. o Start a list of Mayan jobs and illustrate one job performed during this time.

• Lesson Four: History o View PowerPoint slides of the Mayan pyramids. o Read Illustrated Book on How the Mayas Lived by Roxanne Burns and David

Grepe. • Lesson Five: History

o View PowerPoint slides of the pyramids of Teotihuacan and Tenochtitlan. o Read Illustrated Book on How the Aztecs Lived by Roxanne Burns and David

Grepe. o Make a group list of important facts. o Compare and contrast the Mayas and the Aztecs using a Venn diagram. o Complete a timeline of the history.

• Lesson Six: The Indigenous People o View photos of the costumes of the different groups of the region. Discuss the

similarities and differences. o View photos of several markets and discuss their importance. Compare to

markets/supermarkets of the United States. o View photos of homes. Students will draw a picture of an indigenous home and a

picture of their own home and compare the two in writing. o Religious customs will be discussed. Have students recall the conquest of Mexico

by Cortes and the Spaniards. Ask: What do you think the religious practices would be like today if the Spaniards had not come to Mexico?

• Lesson Seven: The Marketplace o Read the book Market Day by Lois Ehlert. Discuss the importance of the market

and the Mexican folk art illustrated in the book. o Display photos of numerous marketplaces of southern Mexico.


o Note the different products sold. Students will make a picture dictionary of the foods sold in the markets. They will label the foods with the Spanish words for the foods.

o Children will make tortillas and hot chocolate. • Lesson Eight: Music

o Listen to marimba music on the CD, ” La Magia de Chiapas, Mexico, Marimba Nandayapa.”

o View photos of the Nandayapa family’s marimba workshop. Emphasize that it is a family business.

o Discuss resources used to make a marimba and produce a product map of the process.

• Lesson Nine: Zapotec Weaving o Read the book The Art of Zapotec Weaving by Marti Middlebrook. o Display traditional weaving patterns and explain that each pattern is of cultural

significance. o Students will design their own weaving pattern with a preliminary sketch and then

orchestrate their design with oil pastels on colored construction paper. • Lesson Ten: Pottery/Clay Figures

o View photos of the Doña Rosa pottery and the clay figures of the Aguilar sisters. o Read the book A Dozen Angels by Ruth and Neil Thompson. o Discuss the importance of family members working together. o Emphasize how the artists are continuing the work of their ancestors and

expressing their culture through their art work. o Design and produce a piece of pottery or a figurine out of clay.

• Lesson Eleven: Folklore o Share as many folktales as possible throughout the unit. See resources for

suggested titles. Compare them to one another. o Read The Lizard and the Sun by Alma Flor Ada. Complete the comprehension

worksheet. • Lesson Twelve: Life in the Big Cities of Veracruz and Mexico City

o Define the words port, export, and import. Determine why it is important for a country to have large ports. View photos of the port of Veracruz. Research on the Internet what products are exported from Mexico at this port.

o Define the words capital and government. View photos of Mexico City. Ask: Why do you think Mexico City is so big?

o Compare/contrast the big cities to the small villages/cities using a Venn diagram. Write about where you would rather live.

• Lesson Thirteen: Family o Read the books: In My Family and Family Pictures by Carmen Lomas Garza.

Ask: How is the family in these books like your family? o Complete a graphic organizer and write about how families in Mexico and the

United States are alike. • Lesson Fourteen: Children of Mexico

o View photos of many children during their daily activities and discuss how they spend their time.


o Students will take cameras home and have parents take pictures of their daily activities. Students will then write a comparison piece to compare their daily lives with the lives of children in Mexico. The photographs and writing will be displayed at the school’s “Mexican Heritage Night.”

• Lesson Fifteen: Sharing the Heritage of the Mexican People o Play mariachi music and define fiesta. Give a brief overview of some of the more

common celebrations. o Read the book The Festival of Bones by Luis San Vicente. Students will then

construct a skeleton puppet and decorate it. • Lesson Sixteen: Sharing the Heritage of the Mexican People

o Read the book Gathering the Sun by Alma Flor Ada. As you read the book discuss how the people are continuing the work of their ancestors.

o Review past lessons as you discuss how some practices of the past have influenced current practices.

• Lesson Seventeen: Plan for Our “Mexican Heritage Nigh.” o View PowerPoint presentation for a review of the unit. o Decide on children’s crafts, activities, music, and food. o Students write invitations to invite their families, friends, and community

members to the event. o Students will design and make advertisement posters depicting something they

learned about to promote “Mexican Heritage Night.” All PowerPoints mentioned in the lessons can be found at http://www.innoser.com/mexico_project/ and are also downloadable from this Web site: http://lanic.utexas.edu/project/etext/llilas/outreach/fulbright10/


http://www.innoser.com/mexico_project/

http://lanic.utexas.edu/project/etext/llilas/outreach/fulbright10/

Lesson One: Preview of Unit/ Map Skills Benchmark Indicators

• Read and interpret a variety of maps. • Describe and locate landforms and bodies of water in photographs, maps, and 3-d

models. Objectives

• Locate Mexico on a world map and a map of North America. • Identify landforms of southern Mexico and the climate associated with them.

Vocabulary

• canyon, cenote, gulf, mountain, rainforest, river, wetlands Background Information

• Southern Mexico has a variety of landforms from the Sierra Madre mountain range to the coastal lowlands. The Yucatan Peninsula juts into the Gulf of Mexico. Coastal wetlands and rainforests of eastern Mexico are home to a very diverse population of plants and animals.

• The beautiful Sumidero Canyon on the Grijolva River in Chiapas is a wonderful example of a unique landform that is a result of seismic activity.

• Another unusual formation, the cenote (say-No-tay), is a water-filled limestone sinkhole which provided a stable water supply for the ancient Mayans. The ancient city of Chichen Itza was built around a cluster of cenotes.

Activities

• Locate Mexico on a world map, globe, and a map of North America. Students will color in Mexico on both maps. Also shade in the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico.

• Complete a KWL class chart for what students know and what they would like to know. • Show landform pictures and discuss climate found there. Display vocabulary cards as

landforms are introduced. Display in room. • Students decorate their suitcase with cut and paste labels. This is a folder with suitcase

type handles (cut from cardstock) attached. All handouts and work will be placed in the suitcase folder throughout the unit study.

Assessment

• Students will draw and label items to be packed in their suitcase. Items must include appropriate clothing for the areas we will “visit.”

Resources/materials

• Maps of the world and North America (attached), globe • KWL chart (attached) • Vocabulary cards (attached) • PowerPoint photos (“Landforms,” available for download from this Web site) • Suitcase labels (attached)


• Journal (attached)


Southern Mexico KWL Chart Name:___________________________________ Directions: 1) List what you know (K) about southern Mexico; 2) what you want (W) to learn about southern Mexico; and, after completing the unit, 3) what you learned (L) about southern Mexico. K W L

What I KNOW What I WANT to Know

What I LEARNED


Vocabulary Cards

cany

on

ceno

te

gulf

rain

fore

st

mou

ntai

n

peni

nsul

a sw

amp

rive

r

wet

land

s


Suitcase Labels


http://www.supercoloring.com/image_print.php?img_src=http://www.supercoloring.com/wp-content/original/2010_04/pagan-coloring-page.jpg

Journal Journal pages should be cut as half pages and assembled with staples on the left side. Lesson seven requires two pages for a longer response. The cover and pages are attached.


Lesson 2: What did you enjoy about your flight? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Lesson 4: What did you think was interesting about the pyramids and the Mayan people who built them? __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________


Lesson 5: What did you think was interesting about the Aztecs? Why? __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________ Lesson 6: Write about something that you saw that was especially interesting to you? What else would you like to know about it? ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________


Lesson 7: Pretend you are at a market in the zócalo of a town in southern Mexico. Describe the things you would see, hear, smell, touch, and taste while you are there? __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


Lesson 8: What did you like about the marimba music? __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________ Lesson 9: Would you want to be a weaver? Why or why not? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


Lesson 10: If you were an artist in Mexico, what kind of art work would you like to do and why? __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________ Lesson 11: How is The Lizard and the Sun similar to other folktales we’ve read about Mexico? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________


Lesson 12: Would you rather live in a big city or a small city or village? Explain why. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________ Lesson 15: Which ancestor would you honor on Día de los Muertos? What would you do to honor them? ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


Lesson 16: Write about your day as a migrant worker. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


Lesson Two: Introduction of Unit Benchmark Indicators

• Obtain information from oral, visual, and print sources. • Communicate information in writing.

Objectives

• Complete a “passport” with correct personal information. • Make predictions about our travels through southern Mexico based on the viewing of the

PowerPoint preview photos. • Complete journal entry

Vocabulary

• passport, border, tourist, agua de chia, culture Background Information

• When a tourist crosses a border into another country he/she must show a passport which is then stamped.

• Mexico shares its northern border with the United States of America. • When visiting another country a tourist must be respectful of the culture of that country.

Activities

• Students will complete a “passport” with their personal information and photo. • They will be given a ticket for an assigned seat, check their suitcase, and board the

“plane” which will be classroom chairs lined up as if they are seats on a plane. • Define culture. Discuss the importance of being respectful of other cultures and being

willing to try new things. Define border and tourist. • Two volunteers will act as flight attendants and serve the refreshments, agua de chia and

a Mexican cookie, as students view the preview photos of the highlights of the unit. • Journal entry: What did you enjoy about your flight?

Assessment

• Journal entry Resources/materials

• Vocabulary cards (attached) • Passports (attached) • Agua de chia and Mexican cookies (recipes attached) • PowerPoint photos of unit preview (“Introduction,” available for download from this

Web site) • Journals and grading rubric for journal entries (attached at end of unit)


Vocabulary Cards

passport border

agua de chia tourist

culture


Recipe for Agua de Chia (chia seed water) Ingredients: 1 cup chia seeds 2 quarts water 1 cup sugar ½ cup fresh lime juice, or to taste Preparation: Soak chia seeds in water to cover and until they soften and take on a spongy consistency. Sweeten the two quarts of water with the sugar, stirring to dissolve. Add the chia seeds and lime juice. Chill and serve cold. Makes two quarts.


Mexican Cookie Rings Ingredients: * 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour * 1/2 teaspoon baking powder * 1/2 teaspoon salt * 1/2 cup butter * 2/3 cup white sugar * 3 egg yolks * 1 teaspoon vanilla extract * 5 tablespoons multicolored sprinkles/jimmies (optional) Directions: 1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Lightly grease

baking sheets. 2. Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. 3. Cream together the butter and sugar. Add the egg yolks and

vanilla, beating until light and fluffy. Mix in the dry ingredients.

4. Shape into 1 inch balls. Push your thumb through center of each ball and shape dough into a ring. Dip top of each ring in decorating candies. Place cookies onto the prepared baking sheets.

5. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the baking sheets and let cool on racks.

Makes two dozen.


Lesson Three: History Benchmark Indicators

• Place a series of related events in chronological order on a timeline. • Use historical artifacts, photographs, maps, and folklore to answer questions about daily

life in the past. • Identify the work that people performed to make a living in the past and explain how jobs

in the past are similar or different from those of today. • Recognize the importance of individual action and character and explain how they have


Objectives

• Understand the terms history, timeline, and culture. • Identify Mayan/Aztec jobs performed during pre-Hispanic times. • Determine that Cortes’ arrival in Mexico heavily influenced the course of Mexican

history. • Obtain information from oral, visual, and print sources. • Communicate information in writing.

Vocabulary

• History, timeline, culture, conqueror, maize, precious metals, ceremony, glyph, pyramid, Mesoamerica

Background Information

• Excellent historical background information can be found on the following site: www.historylink101.com and excellent historical books can be purchased at www.monclem.com.

• Basic student background information o In 1500 BC the Maya settled in agricultural villages in the Yucatan Peninsula.

They grew squash, beans, and corn (maize). These foods are still part of the main diet of the Mayas today.

o They built great stone buildings and pyramids and by AD 200 their ceremonial centers had developed into cities with temples, palaces, ball courts, and plazas.

o They used gold and copper. o They practiced religion. o They were mathematicians and astronomers. o They were traders who sailed the Caribbean in great canoes. o They recorded history, had a system of writing, and used a calendar. o After AD 900 the lowland Mayan cities declined and became overgrown with

jungle vegetation. The highland cities continued to flourish for several more centuries. When the Spaniards arrived in the early 1500s most of the Mayas were again practicing farming in small villages.


http://www.historylink101.com/

http://www.monclem.com/

Activities

• Introduce and define the terms: history, timeline, and culture. • Read aloud the book Aztecs and the Maya by Robert Coupe.

Assessment

• List the jobs of the Aztecs and the Maya that are depicted in the book. • Illustrate one job performed during the pre-Hispanic time period. Write two to three

sentences describing the job. Resources/materials

• Vocabulary cards (attached) • Book: Aztecs and the Maya by Robert Coupe • Drawing and writing materials


Vocabulary Cards

pyra

mid

prec

ious

m

etal

s

cultu

re

timel

ine

mai

ze

glyp

h

cere

mon

y

conq

uero

r

hist

ory

Mes

oam

eric

a


Lesson Four: History Benchmark Indicators

• Read and interpret a variety of maps. • Place a series of related events in chronological order on a timeline. • Use historical artifacts, photographs, maps, and folklore to answer questions about daily


in the past are similar or different from those of today. • Obtain information from oral, visual, and print sources. • Communicate information in writing.

Objectives

• Label Chichen Itza, Edzna, and Palenque on a map of Mexico. • Complete a timeline of Mayan history. • Recall important facts about the Mayas.

Vocabulary • Hieroglyphs, temple, terrace, thatched roof


• See Lesson Three. • Mayan people still live in the Yucatan and in Guatemala where they practice traditional

farming methods similar to those of long ago. • They live in houses built on a base of stone with wooden walls and thatched roofs.

Activities

• View PowerPoint slides of Chichen Itza, Edzna, Palenque, Monte Alban, and Cholula. • Locate those sites on a map of Mexico. • Read aloud the book Illustrated Book on How the Mayas Lived by Roxanne Burns and

David Grepe. • Complete a timeline of the history of the Mayas. • Journal entry: What did you think was interesting about the pyramids and the Mayan

people who built them? Assessment

• Completed timeline • Journal entry • Quiz

Resources/materials

• Vocabulary cards (attached) • PowerPoint photos (“Mayan Ruins,” available for download from this Web site) • Book: Illustrated Book on How the Mayas Lived by Roxanne Burns and David Grepe • Timeline worksheet (attached)


• Journal and rubric for assessment (attached at end of unit) • Quiz (attached)

Vocabulary Cards

temple hieroglyphs

thatched roof terrace


Name _________________________________ Date __________________________________

How the Mayas Lived

hieroglyphs maize cenotes Yucatan irrigation calendar farmers pyramids religion

1. __________________ was very important in Maya life and they worshipped over 150 gods.

2. __________________ were mostly built of

limestone and some were used for temples or tombs.

3. Many Maya people settled near

_____________________ or sinkholes.


4. The Maya people of Mexico live on the

____________________ peninsula.

5. Most Mayas were _______________who grew _________________as their main crop.

6. They built _____________________canals to

help their crops grow.

7. Their system of writing used pictures called __________________________.

8. They had a very accurate

______________________ inscribed on tablets of bark paper using numbers and symbols.

9. What sport was played in all Mayan cities?

What was it like? ______________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


Lesson Five: History Benchmark Indicators

• Place a series of related events in chronological order on a timeline. • Use historical artifacts, photographs, maps, and folklore to answer questions about daily


in the past are similar or different from those of today. • Recognize the importance of individual action and character and explain how they have


• Obtain information from oral, visual, and print sources. • Predict the next event in a sequence. • Communicate information in writing.

Objectives

• Locate Teotihuacan and Tenochtitlan (Mexico City) on a map of Mexico. • Recall important facts about the Aztecs. • Complete a timeline of the history of the Aztecs. • Compare and contrast the Mayas and Aztecs using a Venn diagram.

Vocabulary

• Aztecs, Cortes, Montezuma, chinampas, emperor, noble, priest, commoner, cacao beans, mosaics, smallpox


• At its height, Teotihuacan was the largest pre-Hispanic center in all of Mesoamerica. It was inhabited from 100 BC until 700 AD. We are unsure as to who the original inhabitants were. Its name is a Nahuatl word meaning “place of the gods.” It is uncertain as to what led to the fall of Teotihuacan. Later people traveled to the city to perform religious ceremonies honoring the gods.

• The word Aztec or Azteca is derived from “Aztlan” (“White Land”), a northwestern region of Mexico where the tribe originated. They were also known as Mexica, thus the country name of Mexico.

• In 1325, after many years of wandering, the Aztecs settled on an island in the middle of a lake where they saw an eagle perched on a cactus devouring a snake. This site became the center of Tenochtitlan, later known as Mexico City. This was the capital of the Aztec empire which covered a vast territory as far as Oaxaca, Yucatan, and even Guatemala.

• The Aztecs built up layers of water plants, stones, and mud to form islets or floating gardens known as chinampas. These were very important for producing food for the Aztecs. Chinampas can still be found in Xochimilco, in the southeast of Mexico City.

• The Aztecs valued their calendar with every day belonging to a god. • Aztecs used cacao beans or exchanged goods for others of equal value.


• The Aztecs were fierce warriors. War was a religious obligation with captives being sacrificed to the sun so it would rise again.

• At one time Tenochtitlan had 250,000 inhabitants. Sanitary measures were practiced, an aqueduct carried clean water and a wall was built to control flooding. The city had a great market and majestic palaces.

• When Cortes landed on the southern coast of Mexico, not far from Veracruz, in 1519, Moctezuma sent welcoming gifts of precious stones, gold, and silver. The Spaniards then became greedy and decided to conquer the Aztecs. With the help of the Aztecs’ enemies, Cortes and his men marched a great distance through jungles and over mountains. After three months of fighting Tenochtitlan fell to the Spaniards on August 31, 1521. Many Aztecs were killed and the city was destroyed. The Spaniards then began building the new city with European style buildings.

Activities

• Locate Teotihuacan and Tenochtitlan on a map of Mexico. • View PowerPoint photos of Teotihuacan and Tenochititlan. • Read aloud the book Illustrated Book on How the Aztecs Lived by Roxanne Burns and

David Grepe. • Complete a timeline of Aztec history. • Compare and contrast the Mayas and Aztecs using a Venn diagram. • Journal entry: What did you think was interesting about the Aztecs? Why?

Assessments

• Timeline • Venn diagram • Journal entry

Resources/materials

• Vocabulary cards (attached) • PowerPoint photos of Teotihuacan and the remains of the Templo Mayor (“Ruins 2,”

available for download from this Web site) • Map of Mexico • Book: Illustrated Book on How the Aztecs Lived by Roxanne Burns and David Grepe • Venn diagram worksheet (attached) • Journal and rubric (attached at end of unit)


Vocabulary Cards

Aztecs Cortes

Montezuma chinampas


emperor noble

priest commoner

cacao beans mosaics


smallpox


Name _________________________________________

Compare and Contrast the Mayas and Aztecs

Mayas Aztecs


Lesson Six: The Indigenous People Benchmark Indicators

• Identify the work that people performed in the past and explain how jobs in the past are similar or different from those of today.


expressions of culture and influence the behavior of people living in a particular culture. • Recognize that most people work in jobs in which they produce a few special goods or

services. • Explain why people in Mexico earn a living in a variety of ways. • Obtain information from oral, visual, and print sources. • Communicate information in writing.

Objectives

• Explain the similarities and differences of the costumes of the indigenous people of southern Mexico.

• Compare and contrast a typical indigenous home of southern Mexico to a typical home in the United States through drawings and writing.

Vocabulary

• Costume, market, indigenous Background Information

• Many indigenous civilizations were present in southern Mexico long before Cortes and the Spaniards arrived in the area in 1521. Some of them were the Olmecs, Zapotecs, Mixtecs, Maya, and Aztecs.

• The largest indigenous population of Mexico is found in the state of Oaxaca, which is also the poorest state. Sixteen groups reside there. There are seven indigenous groups in the state of Chiapas. Some of the groups are the Zapotec, Mixtec, Mazotec, Chinantec, and Chatino. The Zapotecs, or “The People” as they like to refer to themselves, are the earliest prominent group dating back to 100 BC.

• Locate the states of Chiapas and Oaxaca on a map of Mexico. • Many indigenous groups in southern Mexico do not speak Spanish. There are fifty-two

languages spoken in Mexico. • The individuality of the groups can be attributed to the isolation in the rugged terrain of

the area. • The religion of Catholicism is practiced but heavily influenced by indigenous religious

practices of the past. • Many support themselves with crops similar to those of their ancestors. Pottery,

weaving, basketry, and other artistic work also help to support indigenous families. Many children work to help support their families.

• Most live in extreme poverty, although many own their homes and a farm plot. One-third of those homes have no electricity and one-half have no plumbing. Many cook on open-pit fires in the floor of the home and burns are a frequent problem.


• Each indigenous group has a different type of dress that is particular to their group. • Brocade, a woven embroidery, is on the top of women’s blouses. The color and design

may change from year to year. There is incredible detail work on most clothing.

Activities • Locate the states of Oaxaca and Chiapas on a map of Mexico. • View PowerPoint photos of life in the states of Oaxaca and Chiapas. Point out the

costumes of the people and the homes. • Discuss the different costumes. Ask: Why do you think the people continue to wear

clothing that is special to their group? • Draw a picture of a typical home of an indigenous family of southern Mexico and a

typical home from the local neighborhood in which you live in the United States. Write about how they are alike and different.

• Journal entry: Write about something that you saw that was especially interesting to you. What else would you like to know about it?

Assessments

• Student responses during the discussion about the costumes • Pictures and writing about the homes • Journal entry

Resources/materials

• Vocabulary cards (attached) • Map of Mexico (attached) • PowerPoint photos of life in Oaxaca and Chiapas (“Indigenous,” available for download

from this Web site) • Drawing and writing materials • Journals and rubric (attached at end of unit)


Vocabulary Cards

costume market

indigenous


Lesson Seven: The Marketplace

Benchmark Indicators • Explain how resources can be used in various ways. • Explain how people are both buyers and sellers of goods and services. • Recognize that most people work in jobs in which they produce a few special goods or


services and that different countries use different forms of money. • Obtain information from oral, visual, and print sources. • Communicate information in writing.

Objectives

• Compare/contrast a market of Mexico to a market/supermarket in the United States. • Identify market products and the resources used to produce those products. • Recognize the importance of a market. • List foods sold at the markets and identify them with their Spanish names. • Describe in writing a market of southern Mexico.

Vocabulary

• Market, zócalo, barter, bargain, peso, resource, product Background Information

• The market is a vital part of modern life in southern Mexico just as it was during ancient times. Tianguis, an Aztec word for market, is still used in Mexico today. Farmers, artisans, traders, and small businessmen meet at the market where families come to buy a wide variety of food items, clothing, household items, and imported items such as plastic toys, CDs, and DVDs. Tourists can also find a wide range of regional folkart. The market is an important economic event as well as a social event.

• Long ago cocoa beans, tin, and feathers were used for money along with bartering. • Bargaining is the way business is typically conducted in the market. Fixed prices are rare

and bargaining is expected. • The market is usually held in the zócalo, the town’s main plaza or square.

Activities

• Read the book Market Day by Lois Ehlert. Discuss the importance of the market and the Mexican folk art illustrated in the book.

• Display photos of numerous markets of southern Mexico. Mention that every town/village has a market(s) usually located in the zócalo (town square).

• Discuss the practice of bartering or bargaining in a market and that pesos are the form of currency in Mexico. Compare a Mexican market to a supermarket located in the United States. Ask: Why is a market /supermarket important to a family?

• List of some of the products that were being sold in the markets. Mention


local resources used to produce those products. Note the different foods sold. • Students will make a picture dictionary of the foods sold in the markets. They will label

the foods with the Spanish words for the foods. • Children will make tortillas and hot chocolate. • Journal entry: Pretend you are at a market in the zócalo of a town in southern Mexico.

Describe the things you would see, hear, smell, touch, and taste while you are there.

Assessment • Student responses during class discussion • Product/resource chart • Food dictionary: Children will draw pictures of the market foods and write the

corresponding words in English and Spanish. They will use picture dictionaries to find the correct Spanish words.


• Vocabulary cards (attached) • Book: Market Day by Lois Ehlert • PowerPoint photos of numerous markets in southern Mexico (“Marketplace,” available

for download from this Web site) • Booklets for food dictionaries (simple construction paper cover with pages stapled

together) • Ingredients for tortillas and hot chocolate • Recipe for tortillas (attached) • Journals and rubric (attached at end of unit)


Vocabulary Cards

zócalo market

peso resource


Tortilla Recipe

Tortillas go back many years, with various kinds of the corn version being used in Mexican cooking for centuries. The much newer flour tortillas originated in Sonora, Mexico, in the northern part of the country. Flour tortillas have become much more popular in the United States and in northern Mexico than in the southern part of Mexico. The same is true of many of the Tex-Mex dishes, such as burritos, quesadillas, and soft tacos. This tortilla recipe is easy and produces light and delicious homemade flour tortillas every time. It makes 6 to 8 flour tortillas, but it is easily doubled if you want to cook more.

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder 1 1/2 teaspoons of canola or corn oil 1 teaspoon salt 3/4 cup of lukewarm water or milk

Directions:

Sift together the baking powder, flour, and salt into a large mixing bowl. Pour the oil into the dry ingredients, mixing with your hands to combine. Add the milk or water, working that into the dough until you have a sticky ball.

Dust a pastry board or counter lightly with flour, and knead the dough for at least 1 minute. The mixture should be firm and no longer sticky.

Place in a bowl and cover with a damp towel. Let the dough rest for 15 minutes. Divide the dough into 6 to 8 balls, and cover again with the damp cloth. Let the dough rest for 15–30 minutes this time.

Lightly dust a pastry board or counter with flour, and roll out each ball in a circle, about 1/4 inch thick. A tortilla roller (looks like a short piece of a broomstick) works best for these, but a small rolling pin will work.

Heat a heavy skillet or griddle on high heat for 5 minutes. Cook the tortillas for 30 seconds on each side, or until the dough looks slightly wrinkled and a few brown spots appear on both surfaces.

Serve the tortillas warm on a plate or basket, to be eaten with salsa, or filled with your meat of choice.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Billy_Bristol


http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Billy_Bristol

Lesson Eight: Music Benchmark Indicators


expressions of culture and influence the behavior of people living in a particular culture. • Explain how resources can be used in various ways. • Recognize that most people work in jobs in which they produce a few special goods or


Objectives

• Recognize that past cultural practices and products of the people of Mexico are also part of the lives of the people today.

• Explain how music is an expression of culture. • Demonstrate an understanding of the production of a marimba. • Explain why the Nandayapa family continues to build marimbas.

Vocabulary

• marimba, product map Background Information

• The Nandayapa family of Chapa de Corzo has been making handmade marimbas for nearly a century.

• A marimba is similar to a xylophone. They vary in size and are played with mallets. Several people may play the larger ones at the same time.

Activities

• Listen to marimba music on the CD, “La Magia de… Chiapas, Mexico, Marimba Mandayapa” or “La Magia de…Oaxaca, Mexico, Marimba Nandayapa”

• View PowerPoint photos of the Nandayapa family’s marimba workshop. Note the statue of a marimba of long ago. Ask: Why do you think people still play the marimba today Why do you think the Nandayapa family continues to build marimbas as their ancestors did?

• View the photos a second time noting the steps the workers take to build the marimba. Ask: What part of the production process don’t we see in the workshop? (the harvesting of the wood)

• Students will complete a product map, with illustrations and writing, to show the steps in the production of a marimba.

• Journal entry: What did you like about the marimba music? Assessment

• Student responses during class discussion


• Marimpa product map • Journal entry

Resources/materials

• Vocabulary cards (attached) • PowerPoint photos of the Nandayapa’s marimba workshop (“Nandayapa,” available for

download from this Web site) • For additional photos and a more comprehensive tour of the workshop you can go to

www.veracruzspanish.com/marimba_image_pages/image18html. • CD: “La Magia de… Chiapas, Mexico, Marimba Mandayapa” or “La Magia

de…Oaxaca, Mexico, Marimba Nandayapa” (produced by Gradabo y Mazterizado en Estudios mastereo, TEL: (01) (55) 5318-0277, FAX: (01) (55) 5318-0364, E-mail: [email protected] or [email protected]. Or purchase marimba music of your choice.

• Marimba product map worksheet (attached) • Journals and rubric (attached at end of unit)


http://www.veracruzspanish.com/marimba_image_pages/image18html

mailto:[email protected]


Vocabulary Cards

product map marimba


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Lesson Nine: Zapotec Weaving Benchmark Indicators





Objectives • Recognize that past cultural practices and products of the people of Mexico are also part

of the lives of the people today. • Explain how art (weaving) is an expression of culture. • Demonstrate an understanding of the production of a woven rug. • Explain why the people of southern Mexico continue to weave as their ancestors did. • Design and create a weaving pattern.

Vocabulary

• Backstrap loom, two-pedal loom, weaving, wool, carding, spinning, dying Background Information

• Wonderful background information can be found at www.rosengren.net/artisansinfocus/visit.htm.

• In Teotitlan del Valle, Zapotec weavers have been creating cloth for over 1,700 years. Cactus fiber and cotton were first used to create the cloth on backstrap looms. With the arrival of the Spanish in1521 came sheep and two-pedal looms. This enabled the weavers to produce larger, more durable weavings.

Activities • Read aloud the book The Art of Zapotec Weaving by Marti Middlebrook. • Point out the different patterns in the rugs in the book and mention that each pattern

means something important in the culture of the people. • Show a picture of a backstrap loom and point out the difference between that and the

two-pedal loom that was introduced by the Spaniards. • Ask: Why do you think the Zapotecs continue to weave as their ancestors did? • Students will complete a product map, with illustrations and writing to show the

production of a woven rug. • Students will design their own weaving pattern with a preliminary sketch and then

orchestrate their design with oil pastels on colored construction paper.


http://www.rosengren.net/artisansinfocus/visit.htm

• Journal entry: Would you want to be a weaver? Why or why not? Assessment

• Student responses during class discussion • Weaving product map • Weaving design in oil pastels • Journal entry

Resources/materials

• Vocabulary cards (attached) • Book: The Art of Zapotec Weaving by Marti Middlebrook found on the Shutterfly Web

site: http://mexicoproject.shutterfly.com/pictures/8 • Picture of a backstrap loom (attached) • Weaving product map worksheet (attached) • Article on “The Textile Art of Chiapas Maya” from the Science Museum of Minnesota

(attached) • Paper, pencils, oil pastels, construction paper • Journals and rubric (attached at end of unit)


http://mexicoproject.shutterfly.com/pictures/8

Vocabulary Cards

spin

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wea

ving

card

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Image of Backstrap Loom


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Middlebrook – Southern Mexico

p. 69 of 69 Middlebrook – Southern Mexico

p. 69 of 69

Lesson Ten: Pottery/Clay Figures Benchmark Indicators

• Identify the work that people performed in the past and explain how jobs in the past are similar/or different from those of today.




Objectives

• Recognize that past cultural practices and products of the people of Mexico are also part of the lives of the people today.

• Explain why it is important for the people of southern Mexico to continue to do artwork as it was done in the past.

• Identify reasons family members work together. • Identify ways clay can be used as an expression of culture. • Demonstrate an understanding of the production of a piece of thrown pottery. • Design and produce a piece of pottery or a figure out of clay.


• For excellent background information on Doña Rosa pottery go to www.novica.com/ww/index.cfm?r=7&day=4 and read “The Legacy of Doña Rosa” in the “Wander Woman” series.

• The Zapotecs have been making pottery in Coyotepec for two thousand years. It was a functional pottery of a dull black color acquired during the firing process.

• Doña Rosa was already well known for her beautiful pottery but in 1952 she discovered that if she rubbed the unfired pottery with a piece of quartz it would acquire a lustrous sheen. It sold well so the family has continued to make it as she did before her death in 1980 at eighty years of age. The potters throw the clay on two plates, one on top of the other, rather than a wheel. This pottery is purely decorative as it does not hold water and breaks if put on a cooking fire.

• In Ocatlan another clay art form takes shape at the hands of the Aguilar sisters who transform clay into whimsical figures depicting the local people, skeletons and even Frida Khalo. Doña Isaura, born in 1924, departed from her functional clay pieces and began creating these colorful clay figures many years ago. As she was illiterate, her husband signed the pieces with his name and for quite some time it was thought that he had created them. Unfortunately, she died at age forty-four. Her four daughters continue to create figures as she did, and continue the family business in their home studio on the main road leading into Ocatlan, not far from Oaxaca.


http://www.novica.com/ww/index.cfm?r=7&day=4

Activities

• Visit the Doña Rosa pottery in San Bartolo Coyotepec by viewing PowerPoint photos of the famous black pottery as it is made by one of the family members.

• Visit the Aguilar sisters, famous for their colorful clay figures, by viewing the photos of their work: www.smm.org/mexicanfolkart//.

• Read the book A Dozen Angels by Ruth and Neil Thompson. • Discuss the importance of family members working together. • Ask: Why do these artisans continue the work of their ancestors? How is this work an

expression of their culture? • Design and produce a piece of pottery or a figurine out of clay. • Journal entry: If you were an artist in Mexico what kind of artwork would you like to do?

Why? Assessment

• Student responses during discussion • Production of a piece of pottery or figurine out of clay • Journal entry

Resources/materials

• Vocabulary cards (attached) • Photos of the artists: PowerPoint (“Pottery,” available for download from this Web site)

and online • Book: A Dozen Angels by Ruth and Neil Thompson • Journals and rubric (attached at end of unit)


http://www.smm.org/mexicanfolkart//

Vocabulary Cards

clay firing

quartz


Lesson Eleven: Folklore Benchmark Indicators

• Use historical artifacts, photographs, maps, and folklore to answer questions about daily life in the past.

• Describe ways in which language, stories, folktales, music, and artistic creations serve as expressions of culture and influence the behavior of people living in a particular culture.

• Obtain information from oral, visual, and print sources. • Communicate information in writing.

Objectives

• Determine the knowledge or tradition that is explained in a Mexican folktale. • Make predictions about a story as it is read aloud. • Identify practices of daily life from the past in southern Mexico.

Vocabulary

• folktale, barge, emperor Background Information

• Folktales are found in cultures throughout the world. They are a means for people to pass down stories, legends, and explanations from ancestors. Perhaps they can also help modern people to have a better understanding of what life was like in the past for their ancestors. Animals taking on the personalities and characteristics of people are often a part of these tales.

Activities

• Define folktale: A tale or legend passed on from generation to generation, often orally. It usually explains something that happens in nature or some superstition or belief of a people.

• Read as many Mexican folktales as possible throughout the unit study. Compare them to one another and the one being read as part of this lesson.

• Read The Lizard and the Sun by Alma Flor Ada. As you read it aloud have students make predictions about what they think will happen next in the story. After reading the story, ask: What did the author want us to know about the sun? Why do lizards lie in the sun? What are some things that you noticed about the people and how they lived? How is this folktale similar to other folktales we’ve read about Mexico?

Assessment • Student responses during class discussion • Comprehension worksheet • Journal entry

Resources/materials

• Vocabulary cards (attached) • Numerous Mexican folktales (see additional sources on resource page)


• Book: The Lizard and the Sun by Alma Flor Ada • Comprehension worksheet (attached) • Journals and rubric (attached at end of unit)


Vocabulary Cards

folktale barge

emperor

Name __________________ Date ___________________


http://parenting.leehansen.com/downloads/coloring/animals/lizard-clr.gif

The Lizard and the Sun an indigenous folktale of Mexico

by Alma Flor Ada

Answer all questions in complete sentences: 1. What is the main problem in the story? 2. Where does lizard find the sun?


3. Why do the people need the sun? 4. How does the emperor wake the sun? 5. What are two things that this folktale explains to us? • •


6. Why do you think folktales are important to the indigenous people of Mexico?

Lesson Twelve: Life in the Big Cities of Veracruz and Mexico City Benchmark Indicators






• Explain how resources can be used in various ways. • Explain how people are both buyers and sellers of goods and services. • Recognize that most people work in jobs in which they produce a few special goods or


services and that different countries use different forms of money. • Obtain information from oral, visual, and print sources. • Communicate information in writing.

Objectives

• Define port, import, and export. • Explain why it is important for Mexico to have a large port such as Veracruz. • Identify products that are exported from Mexico at the port of Veracruz • Recognize why Mexico City is the capital of Mexico. Determine why it is so big. • Compare/contrast the big cities to the small villages/cities using a Venn diagram. Write

about where you would rather live and why. Background Information

• Veracruz on the Gulf coast is Mexico’s most important port. It was established as a port in the early 1600s by Hernan Cortes. Some imports are: scrap, iron, tallow, rice, vegetable oils, vehicles, and sorghum. Some exports are: autos, steel, sugar, molasses, wheat flour, minerals, and steel tanks. It is also a fishing port. Veracruz has good rail and road connections to many cities.

• Veracruz is a popular tourist destination for the people of Mexico. It is known for its cultural music and dance.

• Mexico City is the former Aztec capital, Tenochtitlan. In 1521, under the leadership of the Spanish conquistador, Hernan Cortes, the Aztecs were defeated and Tenochtitlan came under Spanish rule. Because of its central location and importance as a pre-Hispanic city Cortes decided to make it the future capital of New Spain.

• Today Mexico City is one of the largest cities in the world. Visitors to Mexico City can visit many interesting sites, some of which are: Xochimilco, with its chinampas (floating gardens) and decorated barges; Chapultepec Castle; Palacio de Bellas Artes with its wonderful murals by Diego Rivera and others; Templo Mayor, the former Aztec temple; the pyramids of Teotihuacan; and the National Museum of Anthropology.

Vocabulary

• Port, import, export, capital, government Activities

• Locate Veracruz and Mexico City on a map of Mexico. • View the photos of Veracruz. • Ask: What do you notice about this city? (It’s on the water. There are big ships.) Do you

know what a port is? • Define import and export.


• Use the Internet to research the products of Mexico exported at the port of Veracruz. • Mention that there are railways and roads coming from other cities to Veracruz. Ask: Why is

this important? Why is it important for Mexico to have a large port? Mexico City is the capital and one of the largest cities in the world. Ask: What is a capital? Why do you think Spain made this city the capital when they defeated the Aztecs? Why do you think Mexico City is so big?

• Complete a Venn diagram comparing and contrasting the big cities to the small villages and cities.

• Journal entry: Write about whether you would like to live in a big city or small city/village and explain why.

Assessment

• Student responses during discussions • Venn diagram • Journal entry

Resources

• Vocabulary cards (attached) • Map of Mexico • PowerPoint photos of Veracruz and Mexico City (“Big Cities,” available for download from

this Web site) • Venn diagram (attached) • Journals and rubric (attached at end of unit)


Vocabulary Cards

port import

export capital

government


Big City Village


Lesson Thirteen: Family Benchmark Indicators


expressions of culture and influence the behavior of people living in a particular culture. • Obtain information from oral, visual, and print sources. • Communicate information in writing.

Objectives • Identify customs/cultural practices of Mexico.. • Explain how the artist uses her paintings to share her culture with others. • Distinguish how families from Mexico and the United States are alike.

Activities

• Read the books In My Family and Family Pictures by Carmen Lomas Garza. Ask: What are some customs in the book that were similar to those in ancient times that we’ve talked about?

• Tell the students: The family in these books lived in Kingsville, Texas near the border with Mexico. They brought many of their customs with them from Mexico. Some of the people may be immigrants, people who move from one country and make their home in another country. These books show pride in their Mexican-American culture. Ask: Did you notice anything else in the books that you think is a part of Mexican culture? How is the family in these books like your family?

• Complete a graphic organizer and write about how families from Mexico and the United States are alike. Draw a picture to go with the writing.

Assessment

• Student responses during class discussions • Written informational piece comparing families from Mexico and the United States

Resources • Books: In My Family and Family Pictures by Carmen Lomas Garza • Graphic organizer (attached) • Writing and drawing materials


Name __________________________

Comparing Families

My Family • _________________

__________________________________

• ___________________________________________________

• ___________________________________________________

• ___________________________________________________

Mexican Family • _________________

__________________________________

• ___________________________________________________

• ___________________________________________________

• ___________________________________________________

Lesson Fourteen: Children of Mexico Benchmark Indicators

• Explain how contributions of different cultures within the United States have influenced our common national heritage.

• Obtain information from oral, visual, and print sources.


• Communicate information in writing. Objectives

• Using photographs compare cultural practices and daily activities of Mexican children and children from the United States.

• Recognize that some cultural practices of Mexico have contributed to some similar practices in the United States and a continuation of the heritage of Mexico for immigrants living in the United States.

Vocabulary

• Immigrant, border Activities

• View PowerPoint photos of Mexican children during their daily activities and discuss how they spend their time. Ask: Do you think that you and these children have some things in common? Are they doing anything that you do? What are some ways that their activities may be different from what you do everyday? Emphasize the commonalities of the children in the two countries.

• Instruct students to have parents help them take photos of some of their daily activities. Photos will also be taken at school. After photos are printed students will compare them to the photos of the Mexican children.

• Students will complete a graphic organizer, identifying the common characteristics of children in the two countries.

• They will write a composition to compare their daily lives with the lives of children in Mexico. All photographs and writing will be displayed at the school’s “Mexican Heritage Night.”

• Discuss the completed projects as a class. Emphasize the commonalities. • Ask the students: Are there some activities that you think originated in Mexico that

happen in our community? Remind the students that it is important for Mexican immigrants to remember their heritage. Define immigrant if necessary.

Assessment • Student responses during class discussion • Photo composition

Resources/materials

• Vocabulary cards (attached) • Parent letter explaining the project (attached) • PowerPoint photos of Mexican children (“Children,” available for download from this

Web site) • Disposable cameras • Writing materials • Journal and rubric (attached at end of unit)


Vocabulary Cards

immigrant border Dear Parents,


Our class has been studying the history, culture and daily life of the people of southern Mexico. We will be learning about the daily lives of the children and comparing them to our own lives. We will be using photographs and writing about the way our lives are like theirs. We have some disposable cameras and would like for you to take six to eight photos of your child engaged in daily activities, which could include family celebrations or outings, transportation to school, mealtimes, homework, play, etc. We are sharing the cameras so please return it after you take up to eight photographs. If you have a digital camera and would prefer to use it, that would be a big help to me as you could e-mail the photos to me and it would save some time and money. Please let me know if you are willing to do this. My e-mail address is: [email protected]. Our completed photo-compositions will be displayed at our school’s “Mexican Heritage Night” on Saturday, April 9th. Sincerely, Ms. Middlebrook

Lesson Fifteen: Sharing the Heritage of the Mexican People Benchmark Indicators



expressions of culture and influence the behavior of people living in a particular culture. • Obtain information from oral, visual, and print sources.

Objectives



• Identify the major holidays of Mexico. Background information

• January 6: Día de Los Santos Reyes is the day when Mexicans exchange Christmas presents in accordance with the arrival of the three gift-bearing wisemen to Jesus Christ. This day culminates the Christmastime festivities.

• Semana Santa is the holy week that ends the 40-day Lent period. This week includes Good Friday and Easter Sunday. It is Mexican custom to break confetti-filled eggs over the heads of friends and family.

• May 5: Cinco de Mayo is the Mexican national holiday that honors the Mexican victory over the French army at Puebla de los Angeles in 1862.

• May 10: Mother's Day. Due to the importance of the mother in Mexican culture, Mother’s Day is an especially significant holiday.

• September 16: Mexican Independence Day celebrates the day that Miguel Hidalgo delivered El Grito de Dolores, and announced the Mexican revolt against Spanish rule.

• November 1 & 2: Día de los Muertos is an important Mexican holiday that merges pre-Columbian beliefs and modern Catholicism. Europe’s All Saints’ Day and the Aztec worship of the dead contribute to these two days that honor Mexico's dead.

• December 12: Día de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe or Day of the Virgin of Guadalupe is celebrated with a feast honoring Mexico’s patron saint.

• December 16: Las Posadas celebrates Joseph and Mary’s search for shelter in Bethlehem with candlelight processions that end at various nativity scenes. Las Posadas continue through January 6.

• December 25: Navidad. Mexico celebrates the Christmas holiday. (Source: www.mexonline.com/holiday.htm. Additional information is available at this

site. There are photos, depicting some of the holidays, that may help students to better understand the holidays)

• A town often celebrates a holiday to honor its patron saint. • Many of the holidays are celebrated with parades, fireworks, family get-togethers, and

special foods. Vocabulary

• procession, patron saint, fiesta


http://www.mexonline.com/holiday.htm

Activities • Play mariachi music and define fiesta. Give a brief overview of some of the more

common celebrations. • View PowerPoint photos of the festivities honoring Santa Maria Magdalena, the patron

saint of Xico, Mexico. • Read the book The Festival of Bones by Luis San Vicente. • Students will then construct a skeleton puppet and decorate it. • Journal entry: Which ancestor would you honor on Día de los Muertos? What would you

do to honor them? Assessment


• Vocabulary cards (attached) • CD of mariachi music • PowerPoint photos of Xico, Mexico (“Festivals,” available for download from this Web

site) • Book: The Festival of Bones by Luis San Vicente • Skeleton puppet pattern: www.washington.edu/burkemuseum/celebration/skeleton.pdf • Journal and rubric (attached at end of unit)


http://www.washington.edu/burkemuseum/celebration/skeleton.pdf

Vocabulary Cards

patron procession saint

fiesta


Lesson Sixteen: Sharing the Heritage of the Mexican People Benchmark Indicators



• Recognize the importance of individual action and character and explain how they have made a difference in others’ lives.


expressions of culture and influence the behavior of people living in a particular culture. • Obtain information from oral, visual, and print sources. • Communicate information in writing.

Objectives

• Recognize how the diversity of southern Mexico’s people and culture has contributed to the heritage of Mexico and the United States.

• Describe ways that immigrant workers carry on the practices of their ancestors. • Identify Cesar Chavez as a significant individual who made a difference in migrants’ lives.


• Information from prior lessons. • Migrant workers are workers who move from one area of the country to another to find

employment. For detailed information on the history of Mexican migrant workers go to www.farmworkers.org and read the research by Rodolfo Tuiran.

• Cesar Chavez (1927–1993) worked for better pay and working conditions. Vocabulary

• Prickly pear, migrant, salsa, enchilada Activities

• Read the book Gathering the Sun by Alma Flor Ada. As you read the book discuss how the people are continuing the work of their ancestors. Ask: What else are the people in the book doing that their ancestors also did? (Families are working together. Families share stories. Families eat some of the same foods that their ancestors ate.)

• Briefly discuss the importance of Cesar Chavez’s work for migrant workers’ rights. He is mentioned in the book.

• Review past lessons as you discuss how some practices of the past have influenced current practices. View photos from past lessons.

• Design a postcard depicting something learned during the unit on southern Mexico. Write a message to a friend. Tell about the place you visited. Make sure to include two facts.

• Journal entry: Write about your day as a migrant worker.


http://www.farmworkers.org/

Assessment • Student responses during class discussions • Postcard with message to a friend • Journal entry

Resources/materials

• Vocabulary cards (attached) • Book: Gathering the Sun by Alma Flor Ada • Photos from previous lessons • Cardstock for postcards, drawing and writing materials • Journal and rubric (attached at end of unit)


Vocabulary Cards

prickly migrant pear

enchilada salsa

Middlebrook – Southern Mexico

p. 94 of 94

Lesson 17: Plan for Our “Mexican Heritage Night”

Benchmark Indicators • Use historical artifacts, photographs, maps, and folklore to answer questions about daily

life in the past. • Identify the work that people performed in the past and explain how jobs in the past are

similar or different from those of today. • Describe the cultural practices and products of people in Mexico. • Describe ways in which language, stories, folktales, music, and artistic creations serve as

expressions of culture and influence the behavior of people living in a particular culture. • Explain how people are both buyers and sellers of goods and services. • Explain how resources can be used in various ways. • Recognize that most people work in jobs in which they produce a few special goods or


Objectives

• Based on the knowledge acquired during the unit study, students will plan appropriate art activities, crafts, displays, music, and food for the culminating activity, “Mexican Heritage Night.”

• Students will write invitations to invite their families, friends, and community members to the event.

• Students will design and make advertisement posters depicting something they learned about to promote “Mexican Heritage Night.”


• Review background information from prior lessons. Activities

• View photos of the highlights of the unit study. Play mariachi music in the background. • Distribute planning sheet to small groups of students and ask them complete the sheet with

their ideas for “Mexican Heritage Night.” • Write invitations to invite people to the event. • Design and make advertisement posters.

Assessment • Group planning work • Invitations and rubric • Posters

Resources/materials

• Review photos • Group planning sheets (attached)


• Writing materials • Poster paper, pencils, markers

Notes

• “Mexican Heritage Night’ will be a night to share what has been learned and show an appreciation for Mexican culture. Students who participated in the unit study, local high school students who are studying Spanish, members of Miami Universty’s Latin Student Union, and my colleagues will work together to plan and carry out this event.

The celebration will include a display of student work, a PowerPoint depicting my travel in southern Mexico, a display of artifacts, music, dancing, arts and crafts activities for children, storytelling, and food.

It will be funded by my school’s PTO, the sale of merchandise, and a pending grant. Local

businesses are also participating. • I have also developed a curriculum kit with artifacts, films, books, maps, music, and posters

that can be borrowed by teachers in my district.


Name ______________________

Mexican Heritage Night Discuss with your classmates the things you have enjoyed learning about Mexico. What are some things you would like to do at the community “Mexican Heritage Night? Complete the form below with your friends.

What food would you like to serve? ______________________________________________________ What crafts would you like to have? ______________________________________________________ What kind of entertainment would you enjoy? ______________________________________________________ What kinds of stories should the storyteller tell? ______________________________________________________ What do you want people to learn? ______________________________________________________


Rubric for Journal Entries for Unit Study: “Southern Mexico: Past and

Present”

Lesson _____ ______ (5pts) Student addresses the prompt.

______ (5 pts) Student includes information from the lesson taught prior to the journal entry.

______ (2 pts) Student writes in complete sentences.

______ (2 pts) Student uses correct sentence structure.

______ (2 pts) Student uses correct punctuation.

______ (2 pts) Student uses capital letters where needed.

______ (2 pts) Student uses correct spelling.

______ Total Points

Grading Scale

A = 18 – 20 points

B = 16 – 17 points

C = 14 – 15 points

D = 12 – 13 points

Name ___________________________________________

Date ______________________


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