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... rides a good opportunity to introduce children to the Mexican sombrero. Its a good point to have children start to learn more about traditional Mexican clothing and make their own. From this story, students can make sombreros and Mexican Indian huipil's which is a simple sack like shirt with openings for the head and arms. MUSIC It is my intent to have students learn popular Mexican songs which are short and easy to memorize.
The resource I will be using the most for this task is a book called Arroz con Leche Popular Songs and Rhymes from Latin American selected and illustrated by Lulu Delaware. This collection includes words in English and Spanish and music accompaniment for piano or guitar. The following is an example of one of the short songs: Alla en la fuente The Fountain Alla en la fuente There in the fountain hair un chorizo; A little streamlet se hacia grande, Would smell so grandly se hacia chiquita; Then wither sadly. estate de mal humor, It could not but shed a tear porn chorizo It felt too hot, tenia calor The poor little dear.
Upon completion of learning these songs, we will visit other classes and perform a song for them. This may seem challenging for second graders, however, I have heard first graders memorize songs in other languages and I feel that given enough time, it is possible. If you play any musical instruments or are musically inclined, you will have no problem teaching these songs. They lend themselves best to the guitar since that is such an important instrument used in much Mexican music. If you do not have a musical background, I suggest collaborating with your music teacher. FOOD Food is such a fun subject for everyone.
Children love to eat and experiment with food. When they are introduced to a new kind of food, they taste it as others wait with great anticipation for the tasters reaction. Moreover, it has been my experience that students love to taste their own food that was prepared by themselves and other classmates. Mexican food is a very popular and well liked by those who frequent many restaurants.
It has become a top choice for people looking for an interesting meal. The Mexican menu offers something completely different from that of American cuisine. It has a reputation for being spicy and filling. One may find themselves almost having fun while they are making their choice from the menu. Students will first be introduced to foods found on a menu from a Mexican restaurant.
They will discuss the common ingredients found in many of the dishes. They will also become familiar with very common hot sauces, dips, and chips. After becoming familiar with the menu, the class will choose a dish that sounds very appetizing to them and we will cook it from scratch. I think that the important thing here is that the students get to pick their own dish to cook and will therefore be more motivated in the project. After experimenting with many different foods, the class will open a restaurant in the classroom. They will create their own menu and dictate the prices.
A menu will be designed and distributed throughout the school. Patrons will be paying with pesos which will be given out at the door. Students will have to accept the pesos and be able to make change. When an order is taken, the children will serve the food and respond with Buen prove cho (Enjoy your meal). This activity may cost a little unless you can ask for each parent to contribute a little which is usually not a problem. This experience will give students a lasting impression of Mexican food.
I find it common for children to enjoy pizza, french fries, and burgers the most. It is my feeling that they will include some Mexican dishes amongst their favorites. CLOTHING As stated earlier, The story Uncle Nachos Hat would be a good place to introduce traditional Mexican clothing. Since the sombrero is the most well known, students may begin by creating their own. A variety of materials should be used and can be brought in by students. The hui pil will also be included.
This garment is sack like with holes for the head and arms. It is made from rectangular strips of cloth and may be long, short, narrow, or wide. Heavy wool is sometimes used, however, cotton is most common. Huipil's are made from one, two, or three pieces of garment sewn together lengthwise. Small holes can be cut for the arms or the sides can remain open for more comfort.
In Mexico, the hui pil is worn only by the women. This garment can be a project that the girls of the class create. Another garment of interest is called the quechquemitl. This garment is also worn by women and is described as cape like. A typical construction would be for a rectangular piece of cloth to be folded in half.
However, when the garment is draped over the body, the head goes through one of the corners and the bottom corners are left hanging in the front and the back. The skirt is usually a long woven rectangular cloth and is worn by wrapping it around the body and tucking in one corner. There are many different weaves, colors, and sizes for these skirts. Some of the Spanish names for these skirts include manta, lia, costal, sahara, and ended. Belts are worn by both men and women. These belts are made of cloth and are decorated with patterns or stripes.
The mens belts can be wider than womens belts, almost scarf like, but this is not always the case. The belt is usually a decorative feature but may be covered by long huipil's or skirts. Sandals have a traditional Mexican character but may be harder to produce. It may make more sense for students to wear sandals brought from home with an understanding that the traditional Mexican design would be a little different. These traditional Mexican costumes are not hard to reproduce. Your greatest need is enough fabric for a class.
The designs are simple geometric shapes and stripes and can be added with extra fabric and glue. There is nothing complicated and students will feel successful when they are finished. Clothing can be taken out and put on anytime your class begins work on the unit. This will set the mood to learn more about Mexico. PEOPLE Mexico's population is comprised of a wide variety of racial and ethnic groups. Students can compare this to the population of the United States or even in their own classroom.
It would be important to point out to students that Indians are believed to have migrated over from Asia 40, 000 to 60, 000 years ago. In addition, up to about 2, 000 years before European settlement, Aztec civilizations contained impressive architectural design, irrigation technology, and social structure. After the European settlement in the early 1500 s, Europeans along with Indians have dominated the country in population. These days, most of the population is living in the cities.
People were pushed from rural areas to the cities due to a lack of jobs and opportunities. Many Mexicans still find it necessary to cross the borders into the United States in search for new opportunities as illustrated in the story Friends from the Other Side. Children will not be surprised to learn that all Mexican children ages 6 to 14 are required to go to school. There are both public and private schools just like the United States. Not surprisingly, the private schools offer a superior education to the public schools but are only available to those with the financial means.
Although Spanish is the official language of the country, the are still some places where Indian language dominates. We will, however, be concentrating on the former for this unit. There are also some places in the United States where Spanish dominates. As Spanish speaking people fan out over the country, it is more likely that the language will become more the mainstream. I feel that the best way to introduce students to Mexican people is through literature and video. Through literature, students will become familiar with characters and their ways of living and speaking.
Children can also role play characters and stories as a way to make the experience more enjoyable. Spanish speaking television stations also offer childrens programs which you can encourage students to view. It would be worth while to have students watch one of these shows and write what they think was happening. Perhaps the most effective way for students to get to know Mexican people is to invite someone from the community that has a sense of his / her Mexican culture to come in to speak to the class.
This person may want to discuss his family traditions and some Mexican holidays that he / she celebrates. Students would be able to ask questions and really get a sense of Mexican people. ART Our main focus for art will be on the mural, particularly those of Diego Rivera. Diego was a 20 th century painter who took an interest in painting murals in public places. He particularly enjoyed Mexican themes and people for his subject. He was interested in making sure that everybody, including the poor, saw his paintings and this is why he chose to paint on public walls.
Diego was born in 1886 in the town of Guanajuato. As a young child, he enjoyed spending much time with animals, particularly his pet goat. Soon, he took an interest in drawing. He enjoyed drawing inventions that he made up or mechanical parts from his toys that he took apart.
He even developed the habit of drawing on the walls of his house so his father covered one room with canvas so he could have a place to draw. At 10 years old, he became a student at the San Carlos art academy. There he learned many techniques and studied other European artists. Eventually, he felt that his art was exclusive to only the well educated and he felt it was important for all classes of people to see his work. At this time, he took an interest in painting murals in public places.
Most of his work can be seen in Mexico and some in the United States. I think a great way to introduce the works of Diego Rivera to students is through a book on his life taken from the series Getting to Know the Worlds Greatest Artists written and illustrated by Mike Venezia. This book gives information similar to that above and is written for elementary students. After exploring this book, a class mural will be created. We will first decide on a subject to paint then draw pictures of what it might look like. Students will work in small groups and everyone will contribute.
The mural will be done on the wall in the class or on a piece of canvas that can be stuck to the wall. This project will be completed by the time the class restaurant is ready to open.
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Research essay sample on Diego Rivera Spanish Speaking
