Interdisciplinary Unit for Grades 6-8

By Ben Bollweg-Group Social Studies, David Gallagher-Music, Kyle LetotEnglish, and Mayra Villarreal-Spanish
Theme
A Spanish Jukebox:
Latino Music Influence on American Culture and Popular Music.
Generalizations (3 - 6)
1. Popular musicians use a lot of Latino music to create mixes for new songs.
2. Shakira, Pitbull, Enrique Iglesias Jennifer Lopez...are among these popular musicians that
have influenced American Culture. (Current music)
3. Every city in the U.S. can be described using the five themes of geography, and Latino
culture and music can be used to help describe those cities
4. The Latino music influenced American culture through the introduction of various
instruments in popular music (Jazz in the beginning) in major cities across the United
States.
Concepts (7 15)
1. Place
2. Location
3. Movement
4. Human Environment Interaction
5. Region
6. Musical stylings
7. Political Activism
8. Ethnicity
Facts (8 18)
1. Cuban musical styles like the rumba, mambo and cha cha cha were widely popularized by New
York bands and recording labels through the 1950s.

2. Puerto Ricans fueled the development of salsa music, popularizing it internationally in

the 1960s and 1970s.
3. Caribbean Latinos, many of whom are of African descent, have also had extensive
musical exchange with African Americans in New York.
4. Multi-racial political activism in the Bay Area had a musical counterpart in innovative
and racially integrated bands like Santana, Sly and the Family Stone, Tower of Power,
Malo and Azteca.
5. Latino musicians have had a profound influence on traditional genres of music in the
United States, including jazz, R&B, rock n roll, and hip-hop.
6. San Francisco, Los Angeles , San Antonio, Miami, and New York all have an absolute
and relative LOCATION.

7. San Francisco, Los Angeles , San Antonio, Miami, and New York all can be described as
a PLACE which has vibrant Latino music culture.
8. San Francisco, Los Angeles , San Antonio, Miami, and New York all share the element
of MOVEMENT of people (Latin Americans) and ideas (Latin music) from one
place/location to another.
9. San Francisco, Los Angeles , San Antonio, Miami, and New York all have the element of
Human Environment Interaction (HEI), in that the people that move to the city change
the physical environment as well as the cultural.
10. San Francisco, Los Angeles , San Antonio, Miami, and New York all can be categorized
as being in a certain region of the world.
Identify Standards
GLCE Social Studies Michigan
6 G1.3.1 Use the fundamental themes of geography (location, place, human environment interaction,
movement, region) to describe regions or places on earth.
6 G1.3.2 Explain the locations and distributions of physical and human characteristics of Earth by using
knowledge of spatial patterns.
6 G1.3.3 Explain the different ways in which places are connected and how those connections
demonstrate interdependence and accessibility.

3. Empower Students.
Geography: Students will be able to create a poster and a map based on the five themes of
geography. They will be looking at five different American cities that have been impacted by the
Latino culture. Students will also be creating a multi genre project based on the 5 themes and the
5 major cities discussed, and how Latin Americans changed the U.S. culture. I believe
empowerment comes when students have the chance to take ownership of their work. I believe
these lesson plans do that.

4. Assess and Evaluate student experience and learning using a variety of technique
Daily free write warm ups
Investigation worksheet
Creating a poster and map
Presenting a poster and map
Creating a multi genre project based on the five themes and the 5 major cities discussed
Answering the Essential Question in a free write
5. Identify Resources. Each person in the team will identify the books, speakers, field

trips, digital media, etc., that will be used during this unit in each content area.
Berros Miranda, Marisol, et al. American Sabor: Latinos in U.S. Popular Music. 2014. Website. 20
September 2014.

https://americansabor.org/story

6. Select Literacy and thinking strategies

Socratic style Lecture
Jigsaw presentations
Reading in groups
Writing in groups
Creating a map
Creating a poster
Multi genre projects
Free write warm ups
Free write wrap ups