Professional Documents
Culture Documents
TE 408 Borsheim
Final Unit
4-29-09
Grade Level: This unit was created with a suburban 11th or 12th grade classroom
in mind; however, it could be adapted for any high school class. I would rather a
college prep course so the time for reading, etc. could be sped up, but this will not
always be the case, so the lesson can always change or adapt depending on
classroom needs.
Concept: The concept of this unit is about ‘other voices’ often not heard in the
classroom. I wanted to focus on the historical and contemporary immigrant
experience, as well as the experience of crossing borders. The class will look at
the cultural and personal identity through multiple perspectives. More specifically,
I will look at the role of Puerto Ricans in the United States, and the role of
language, culture, society, economy, and marginalization in the individual’s quest
for self-definition.
Essential Questions:
- How does their history shape their identity as well as the way Americans
see Latinos and Chicanos?
How does a lack of presence and representation in the media and in
literature shape the way we see Latinos and Chicanos, as well as the way
they see themselves?
How do we see immigrants and the immigrant experience?
- How does their voice come through in the novels/poems?
How do the authors honestly depict the immigrant experience or that of
Puerto Rican migrant experience? How does their identity change based on
their experience in America?
What is the difference between the different nationalities/cultures of the
people studied?
What is the difference between race, ethnicity, culture and nationality?
- What is the role research plays in creating informed, educated, and critical
citizens?
Rationale:
This unit will use Latino and Chicano Literature in multiple ways. The main
focus of the unit will be to uncover perspectives often left out of literature and the
media. I think it’s an important perspective and voice to discover and to engage
with. The history of U.S. relationships with and conquests of people from Latino
and Chicano countries is often left out of the curriculum. I liked the idea of
interacting with these histories in the context of novels and other texts. Although
my literature will not extend back to the Spanish-American War, it will be covered
to give some context and background information. Students should understand
when and how we acquired the colony of Puerto Rico, which became a self-
governing territory of the U.S. The Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and the Jones
Act will also be important to cover so students understand how Puerto Ricans
were granted U.S. citizenship in 1917. I will make sure students know Puerto
Ricans are not immigrants, they migrate. History and context is an important part
of understanding literature. With the texts I use it will be useful to have
background information before they begin to read. I also hope to use these texts
to provide students with multiple voices and perspectives that often go unsaid in
mainstream curriculum and even in society. This unit will help make students
more culturally aware and tolerant citizens of the country and of the world. As
educators, one of our objectives is to create informed and educated citizens, who
can also be critical members of society. This unit will aid them in being able to
have the difficult conversations and to be able to have conversations about
cultural, societal, national, and world issues.
Through this unit students will also learn how to do research including using
legitimate outside sources, citing these sources, and presenting this material in a
creative, engaging, and informative way. Research is an important component of
the classroom due to the need for background knowledge and content when
studying literature in an English classroom. Research as a tool is important too for
future classroom experience.
Objectives: The lesson will...
Help students learn to analyze a text
Critically critique poetry and quotes from literary texts
Identify creditable texts and sources
Develop research skills
Read, understand, and engage in a variety of genres across a variety of
modes.
- Understand the importance of historical context
Gain knowledge about the immigrant experience, as well as the relationships
across borders
Consider the experience of immigrants in the U.S.
Demonstrate they can understand different perspectives
Understand how voice and identity is shaped by culture and personal
experiences
MI State Standards Addressed: CE 1.5.3, CE 1.2.3, CE 3.1.5, CE 3.2.5
Possible Texts:
The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros (perhaps excerpts/vignettes
depending on time)
Nilda by Nicholasa Mohr
Excerpt from Odyssey to the North
Excerpt from Desert Blood
YouTube videos of the Juarez murders:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QvQu9umhV8Y&feature=PlayList&p=458F
4B0826D26DBC&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=1 and related videos
“Suicide of a Puerto Rican Jibaro”, a poem
“Puerto Rican Obituary”, a poem
La Misma Luna, film clip http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lqA_gen0SLk
(trailer)
Mi Puerto Rico, a film
Al Otro Lado (To the Other Side), a film
“We Call Them Greasers” by Gloria Anzaldua, a poem
Formative Assessments:
Free-writes
- Think-Pair-Share discussions
Short history tests (some may include poem or movie questions--they will
know what they will be expected to know on the test)
Short novel quizzes (quotes, subject matter, etc.)
Poem responses/critiques
Short essays
Literary quote analysis from novels/poems
Poems in voice
Discussion/ Participation
Summative Assessments: At the end of the unit, students will take what they have
learned and discovered so far and complete a research project on another Latino
or Chicano people and their experience in their own country or the struggles they
have faced coming to America or once they get to America. This research project
will be composed of a short essay about the chosen group of Latinos/Chicanos
including a brief history, their contemporary situation, and any other information
they would like to include. Students should also find visual or literary examples of
these people (photos, poetry, music, novels, etc.) and write an explanation for
their importance of the inclusion in the project. Students will also be asked to
create a creative assessment of the people they have researched--this can also
include a poem, song, visual depiction, short story, etc.
Begin watching “Al Otro Lado” after students have been shown where the main
character Magdiel’s fishing village, Sinaloa, is on Google Earth or on a map. The
film is about a man at a symbolic crossroads in his life. As he seeks a better life,
he decides to leave his home and cross illegally into the United States. His story
provides insight into forces that influence human migration, particularly across
the U.S. border. The film can and may be watched in clips. There is a clip of
Magdiel singing corridos, or Mexican ballads. I would ask students to pay attention
to the words (poverty, lack of economic opportunity, etc). Then ask students
about what economic challenges Magdiel faces. What options does he see for his
future? How does this compare with the options they see for their future? Putting
themselves in Magdiel’s situation, what would they choose? The other clips help
to more fully explain his choices and his firm beliefs about what the U.S. holds
even for an illegal immigrant. Are his expectations realistic? Could they leave their
family and their friends? Ask students what they think the economic, political,
cultural, historical, and geographical forces influencing Magdiel’s choices might
be? They will have to draw from the historical knowledge we have studied of
Puerto Ricans and how they could transfer this knowledge with educated guesses.
Then I would show the clip of Magdiel beginning his journey illegally crossing the
border after he found someone to help him. End with Magdiel’s song about his
journey. (20 minutes)
For homework, have students think about what could have happened to Magdiel.
Then have them write a short story (2-3 pages double-spaced) from Magdiel’s
point of view, using the voice and perspective they think he would employ in
writing. This short story should serve as the final chapter of Magdiel’s story so
they can explain what happened to him after he crossed the border. They should
draw from the film clips especially, as well as class discussion and/or research on
illegal Mexican immigrants in the U.S.. The short story is to be turned in by
Thursday. I might also recommend to students, after showing them the trailer, the
film “La Misma Luna.”
Assessment: Participation in class discussion as well as interaction with the film
clips, photos, and maps is part of the assessment. The research will be practice
for the formal assessment at the end of the novel, so I won’t go too in-depth in
explaining how the research process should go. I want them to try it out on their
own first. I will remind them to cite their sources. If they don’t remember how to
do so, we can go over MLA format and in-text citations, which will again be
covered when assigning the research project. I will assess their short stories
based on their understanding of the clips from the movie as well as their
application of class discussion and/or research.
Day 2: Poems about the Mexican/U.S. border and the Mexican experience,
history and Borderlands
Materials: Historic background powerpoint, handout of poem “We Call Them
Greasers” by Gloria Anzaldua,
Agenda, and “The Homeland, Aztlan/ El Otro Mexico”, a poem.
Begin with the poem “We Call Them Greasers.” Have a student read it aloud and
remind them when reading to take notes, underline/highlight, and try to look for
the poetic and narrative style, the speaker’s voice, the word choice and structure
of the lines, and figurative language. They should also underline words they don’t
know, such as “ranchos in line 2.” Ask students about the author’s choice of
speaker? Why did she choose someone observing the Mexican field workers or
braceros, not of the workers? Why did she choose such an aggressive and violent
speaker? What mood or tone does this create? (10-15 minutes)
Next lecture on the Mexican-U.S. history. Remind students to take notes again, as
they will be quizzed on this information. The PowerPoint will cover The Texas
Rangers and the U.S. Border Patrol, the Great Depression, the Bracero Program,
the United Farmworker’s Union and Cesar Chavez, and Operation Wetback. (20
minutes)
Define for them as well the Spanish word los atravesados, a stereotypical and
deragatory terms used for the people who live in Borderlands: the squint-
eyed, the perverse, the queer, the troublesome, the mongrel, the mulato, the
half-breed, the half dead; in short, those who cross over, pass over, or go
through the confines of the “normal.”
Show students another poem and discuss as a class. This poem is titled “The
Homeland, Aztlan/ El Otro Mexico.” The poem is written using both English and
Spanish so it may be difficult for students to understand the Spanish parts. Tell
students this “code-switching” is the language of the Borderlands. Parts of the
poem will reflect back on the pictures looked at the day before, as one of the lines
says, “I walk through the hole in the fence to the other side” and “I press my hand
to the steel curtain--chainlink fence crowned with rolled barbed wire--rippling from
the sea where Tijuana touches San Diego.” (15 minutes)
4. Ask students to provide their opinions on this quote:
“The U.S. border es una abierta where the Third World grates against the first and
bleeds. And before a scab forms it hemorrhages again, the lifeblood of two worlds
merging to form a third country--a border culture. Borders are set up to define the
places that are safe and unsafe, to distinguish us from them. A border is a dividing
line, a narrow strip along a steep edge. A borderland is a vague and undetermined
place created by the emotional residue of an unnatural boundary. It is in a
constant state of transition. The prohibited and forbidden are its inhabitants.”
(Gloria Anzaldua)
I’d like students to respond to this class in writing for the rest of the hour. Their
response should be turned in before they leave, unless they’d like until tomorrow.
Assessment: Again, I will assess their ability to see into the poem’s speaker’s
voice and to do their best to try to analyze the use of poetic style, the language
(figurative and otherwise), and the form. Then I will assess their assessment of
the quote provided. Did they use the knowledge the possess of the border? Did
they perhaps do any outside research if they took it home over night? Were they
able to provide a reasoning for the contradictions in the quote? Do they better
understand the life of the mestiza, or border people? Can they grasp why these
people would feel anger, hatred, and exploitation for being treated like
transgressors and aliens?
Day 3: “Spanglish”
Key Questions:
Since we’ve previously discussed “Spanglish” and have seen it used in poetic
writing and in novels, how would you define it?
What factors do you thing have promoted its use?
What differences do you think exists between Spanglish and the other languages
spoken by past and present immigrant communities?
Agenda:
To begin students thinking about the emergence of Spanglish and its implications
in our country, listen to a NPR interview with Ilan Stavans, author of Spanglish:
The Making of a New American Language.
Give a few brief descriptions (before the interview) a few terms linguists use to
describe the linguist phenomena many understand to be hallmarks of Spanglish:
Code-switching: when bilinguals use elements of both languages in
conversation either between sentences or within a single sentence. (this
would be touched on earlier--but defined now as a reminder.)
Loanword: a word taken directly form another language with little or no
translation.
Language contact: borrowing vocabulary and other language features from
another language.
Listen to interview:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1438900
Then ask the following questions:
In what ways does language change with each new generation?
Why do people seem to distrust Spanglish so much?
Is Dr. Stavans excited about the change? Why?
How does using Spanglish change the user’s identity?
Is he supportive of the English-only movement?
What do the words “encuentro” and “mestizaje” mean in the context of the
interview?
Have students create an interview with at least ten questions they would ask
someone who spoke Spanglish. The questions should be tasteful and mindful not
to offend. This will be turned in for points. Extra credit if they can interview
someone they know who speaks Spanglish, or is bilingual in English and Spanish.
This will further their knowledge of the Latino experience in the United States.
Assessment: Does their interview show their knowledge of the terms defined in
class and discussed in the interview? Is their interview careful to not offend the
interviewee? Can they use any of their other previous classroom knowledge from
discussions, PowerPoints, research, films, etc. to enhance their interview
questions?
Have students read an excerpt from a fictional account of the Juarez murders
called Desert Blood by Alicia Gasper De Alba, most specifically the quotes:
“Poor Juarez, so far from the truth, so close to Jesus”
“Poor Juarez, so close to Hell, so far from Jesus.”
“People like to pretend they can cover the sun with one finger, while the
truth is shining all over the place.
Talk about the quotes in class until the end of the hour using the knowledge
they have.
For homework, have them make a written or visual representation of these
quotes or of the Juarez murders. These will be presented the day after
tomorrow.
Assessment: Did they listen attentively? Did they appear engaged? Did they ask
questions? Although I will be facilitating most of the questions and the discussion
and trying to engage all students, were they also able to respond to one another?
This material is so interesting though I doubt it will be difficult to get their
attention
Day 2:
Materials: Students’ presentations
Presentation and Discussion day.
Agenda:
I wanted today to just be about each student’s presentation. This is such a serious
subject that my hope is that each project will have been thoughtful and executed
well. I will have each presenter present and then have time for questions from
their peers. (30-40 minutes)
The rest of class will be for further discussion and questions about the Juarez
murders. This is a difficult and horrendous topic so I know students will have
questions and they should feel comfortable asking them.
Assessment: Did their project reflect a true and genuine representation of the
quotes of the Juarez murders. Did the project look like they put time and effort
into it? Were they able to explain to the class why they chose to do what they did?
Were they able to see the world in a different way. This lesson is about opening
their eyes to something they most likely will have been sheltered from and it is
important to try to understand as much as possible about these brutal decades of
murder they have been shrouded with a veil of silence.
There is a website that students can go to where donations can be made or
shirts can be bought that helps the cause of trying to find the young missing girls
and trying to solve these crimes: HYPERLINK
"http://thejuarezproject.com/2007/03/28/help-the-young-women-of-ciudad-juarez-
by-writing-to-these-corporations.aspx"
http://thejuarezproject.com/2007/03/28/help-the-young-women-of-ciudad-juarez-
by-writing-to-these-corporations.aspx
MondayTuesdayWednesdayThursdayFridayWhat does it mean to be Puerto Rican in America?
“What do you think it means to American?” activity
Nilda quote and discussion
HW: Nilda pgs. 140Discuss beginning of Nilda
Puerto Rico history PowerPoint lecture
Begin watching “Mi Puerto Rico”
HW: Nilda pgs. 4180Continue watching “Mi Puerto Rico”
Discuss film in context of Nilda
Poems from PowerPointremind them of the class they have had on using voice in writing. Also look at
figurative language, reminding them of definitions of these style elements (pass out a handout)
HW: Nilda pgs. 81100
Assign essay explaining the title of the film “Mi Puerto Rico.” This will due Friday, bring a draft for
tomorrow.Futher discussion of the Puerto Rican experience and Nilda.
How does Nilda’s childhood experience and her maturity reflect how Puerto Ricans live in the U.S.
Peer Review drafts or outlines for their essay due tomorrow.Essay on title of “Mi Puerto Rico” due.
Remind students they have a test on Monday and to study their lecture and movie notes, as well as
their figurative language definitions.
HW: Continue reading Nilda for next week. Try to be at pg.
130.MondayTuesdayWednesdayThursdayFridayTest on Puerto Rican history with America, poems,
and “Mi Puerto Rico” questionnaire
HW: Nilda. 131170Excerpt of The House on Mango Street. Focus on her writing style and the
vignettes (define). For tomorrow write a page long vignette in Cisnero’s style.
Discuss Esperenza in relation to Nilda. Also, how does this novel depict the themes and subjects of
Nilda?
Discussion: “How would you feel to be on the outside of two cultures?”
HW: Nilda pgs. 171210Audience + Mode/Genre = Voice
Discuss modes/genres we’ve encountered: poem, documentary/film, novels. How does voice change
based on the different mode or genre?
How does mode/genre shape the voice of the text?
Turn in page long Cisnerostyle vignette.
HW: Nilda pgs. 211250.Media: Latin American lack of representation. Show statistics and several ad
campaigns. Look at the role Latin Americans often play in films.
HW: Finish Nilda. Review class and home notes for Nilda test tomorrow.End of Nilda reading test.
Mostly openended, some multiple choice. Some will be quote identification and explanation.
Tell students will be moving on to Mexico/U.S. border on
Monday.MondayTuesdayWednesdayThursdayFridayBegin Borderlands and Crossing Borders Lessons
Google Earth/photos of the border and Sinaloa (as background for film)
Touch on topics of immigrants, borderlands, border patrol, economic opportunities, etc.
Begin watching “Al Otro Lado” clips
HW: Have students think about Magdiel’s situation and write a short sequellike story from Magdiel’s
point of view employing his voice and perspective.Watch more clips of “Al Otro Lado” and watch the
trailer of “La Misma Luna” as a form of recommendation.
Poetry: “We Call Them Greasers” Look at poetic and narrative style. Also, at choice of speaker: what
does this do for the poem?
PowerPoint lecture on U.S./Mexican history.
Poem: “The Homeland, Aztlan/ El Otro Mexico” Discuss codeswitching along with the meaning of the
poem. Remember pictures looked at yesterday.Quote from “The Homeland, Aztlan/ El Otro Mexico”:
Students will respond in writing to this quote in relation to what we have studied thus far. They should
draw from prior knowledge.
What would it be like to be a person who felt they didn’t really belong in one place or another?
Spanglish lesson and NPR interview. (codeswitching, language contact, identity, etc.) Focus on what
this does to someone’s identity.
Create interview for a bilingual person or someone who speaks Spanglish. Extra credit if can get a real
interview. This will be due Friday.Magdiel short story due.
Assign final research project on another Latino or Chicano people that will be due the Monday after
next. Pass out assignment sheets and provide examples of other people they could study.
Cartoons about MexicanU.S. relationships (country and people). Talk about stereotypes that exist and
are perpetuated.Spanglish interview due.
Research day in computer lab. Pass out MLA handout and direct to Purdue’s OWL site as another
reference for correctly citing material. Remind them Wikipedia is not a legitimate source.
Help with finding resources.MondayTuesdayWednesdayThursdayFridayJuarez Murder lesson.
YouTube videos and NPR interview on the subject.
Talk in depth on the subject matter: motives, lack of publicity, female victimes, length of time case
unsolved, American maquiladoras, etc.Alicia Gasper de Alba’s novel Desert Blood. Read aloud
excerpts to continue the discussion. Journal on this in context of everything else we’ve covered in the
unit.
Discuss several quotes and ask students to respond in a creative way for homework. This can be a
written or visual representation. Provide example of past students’ work: pink background, black cross
and quotes from victims of sexually violent crimes. “Take Back the Night.” Will present material
tomorrow.Presentation and response day.
Further discussion and question about the Juarez murders. Point students to the Juarez Project
website.
Put of visual projects around the room.
Time to work on research projects.Time to work on research projects in the computer lab.Time to work
on research projects in the computer lab.
Final Projects will be due Monday.
Late projects will not be accepted.