PURPOSE:
The goal of this lesson is to make children culturally aware of the differences all over the world.  This lesson will give children the opportunity to learn about a different culture, and recognize and appreciate the similarities, and more importantly the differences.  Children will be introduced to the many aspects of life in Mexico.

CONNECTION TO THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHY STANDARDS:
1.  Knows and understands how to use maps, globes and other graphical tools to acquire, process and report information.  This is a very critical skill for children to learn in order to apply later on in life.  Being able to read any type of map is an essential skill.
3.  Knows how to analyze spatial organization.  The students need to be able to relate to subjects that are not tangible and always able to be seen.
4.  Knows and understands the physical and human characteristics of places.  Students have to be able to develop an appreciation for those places and people other than their own.  It is important to give them the knowledge of foreign cultures and places in order for them to be more understanding.
6.  Knows and understands that culture and experience influence people’s perceptions of places and experiences.  This skill will help students understand why there are differences in people and how they make everyone special.  They will be able to compare their own similar events to those of another culture.
10.  Knows and understands the complexity of earth’s cultural mosaic. The students will be able to learn about another culture and country tat adds to the world’s cultural mosaic.  The more parts that are added to their information the more aware they will be of the differences within the world.
17.  Knows and understands how to apply geography to the past.  The students will study the Aztec and Mexican religion in order to understand some of the customs and religious practices in Mexico.
18.  Knows how to apply geography to interpret the present and the future.  By studying the history of the many areas of the country the students will have a better understanding of the country.  The students will also be able to see how it is developing and what it will be like in the future.

APPLICABLE TEXAS ESSENTIAL KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS:
The student understands how humans adapt to variations in the physical environment.
Compare how people in different communities adapt to or modify the physical environment.
Identify and compare the human characteristics of selected regions.
The student understands the concepts of location, distance, and direction on maps and globes.
Identify and use the compass rose, grid, and symbols to locate places on maps and globes.

OBJECTIVES LIST:
Students will demonstrate their ability:
1.  To know the location of Mexico and the concept of North, South, East, and West.
2.  To become more acquainted with the language spoken in Mexico.
3.  To become briefly aware of the history of Mexico.
4.  To cook and taste the authentic Mexican food.
5.  To understand Aztec and the Mexican religion.
6.  To understand the Mexican home life.
7.  To have brief knowledge over the many important parts of the Mexican culture.
8.  To find information and analyze an Internet site.

OVERVIEW OF PRESENTATION:
This project is focusing on the country of Mexico.  I feel that this topic is very important because of the population increase of Spanish Americans in today’s classrooms.  I believe that it is necessary that children be taught at an early age the importance of accepting others, especially those who are different from them in one way or another.  I believe that the more background and knowledge an individual has the more accepting they will be of differences of other people.  This will lead to less problems in the individual’s future.  This unit is designed to provide some of that important knowledge to help all students.  I feel that this is also assessing any educator who is lacking knowledge on the culture of some of the students.

DAY 1

1.  SPONGE ACTIVITY:
I will have some Spanish music playing as the students come in the first day of our unit.  At each table of students I will have different arrangements of items from the Mexican culture for the children to observe and pick up.  I will then have a sheet of paper to write their opinion of what they have seen.

2.  OPENING ACTIVITY:
I will discuss with the students the importance of location and direction.  We will discuss North, South, East, and West using the classroom walls as a practice activity.  I will then have the students stand up and face the direction I call out as a review.  I will then show them a map and a globe to get different perceptions of ways directions are used.  I will invite them to look at these during the day.

3. GUIDED PRACTICE:
The students will be handed a map of Mexico with a few cities on named on it.  They will use the compass on the map and be able to answer oral questions on the directions we learned earlier.  They will then be 1.  SPONGE ACTIVITY given a handout that requires them to go outside and use the directions to report on what they see on the North, South, East, and West of them.  They will then be given a name of a pen pal and the city they are from and locate it on the map.

4.  INDEPENDENT PRACTICE:
The students will write to their pen pals and send them.  They will then color in their maps and fill out a worksheet to go along with it.  The students will then get into groups of three and see if they can find the city they are sending their letter to with the website I have set up on the computer.

MATERIALS:
Items for tables
Map worksheet and questions
Globe

DAY 2

1.  SPONGE ACTIVITY:
The students will have their BINGO cards on their desks(for a later activity) and they will be instructed to begin coloring them.

2.  OPENING ACTIVITY:
I will explain to the students that there are many different languages spoken all over the world.  I will say a word and then have the students repeat it.  I will use common everyday words that children will have some use for.  I will then hand out a worksheet on the days of the week for the students to complete.

3.  GUIDED PRACTICE:
Students will complete their handout and then begin looking at the words for the BINGO game.  I will have them write the numbers one through ten for practice.  I will then include a math worksheet for them with problems in both, English and Spanish.  They will then go the audio center where there are tapes of someone speaking common Spanish words and listen carefully.

4.  INDEPENDENT PRACTICE:
We will play BINGO using the Spanish words learned early in class and listed on the handout.  When a student completes a "BINGO" I will ask them to pronounce the five words that made them a winner.  The students will then use the computer encyclopedia program the school offers to find information on what the children in Mexico do for fun and games.

DAY 3

1.  SPONGE ACTIVITY:
I will have the students fill out a worksheet on our Independence Day(July 4).  They will do a semantic web with the Fourth of July as the center.

2.  OPENING ACTIVITY:
We will talk about the topic of comparison and contrast, and what they mean.  We will then take different topics with the comparison and contrast charts.  We will use the topics of historical characters and historical events.  We will write these on a big chart that we will keep up in the classroom throughout the whole unit.  The students can add to the chart at anytime during the unit if they discover a aspect of the Mexican culture that fits in the chart.

3.  GUIDED PRACTICE:
The students will color in the Mexican flag and using their comparison and contrast the charts they will write a summary using at least four facts.  I will have a site set on the computer in which students can see the flag in different forms and different places.  This will give them a more realistic picture.

4.  INDEPENDENT PRACTICE:
The students will get in groups of four and they will create a short history of a pretend country.  They will be asked to include all aspects that we have discussed and then we will share them with the class.  They will then draw a picture of the shape of their country and color it with their choice of materials(many will be offered).

MATERIALS:
Independence worksheet
Flag handout
Semantic web handout
Colored pencils, paint, watercolors, markers, crayons

DAY 4

1.  SPONGE ACTIVITY:
There will be tortillas set on the table for the children to taste.

2.  OPENING ACTIVITY:
I will discuss some of the authentic foods of Mexico.  I will bring some samples of other foods associate with the Mexican traditions.

3.  GUIDED PRACTICE:
The students will encounter hands on experience with making tortillas.  This will allow them to see how hard it was to prepare food by hand and how the tortillas were invented.  After this, we will look up one the Internet to see if we can find a recipe there for the tortillas or any other authentic Mexican food.  The students will be observing and putting their input in on how they think we should find a site.

4.  INDEPENDENT ACTIVITY:
The students will eat their tortillas in groups.  They will then write an evaluation on their opinion of making tortillas.  They will also include how the Internet helped us make the wonderful food we are eating.

MATERIALS:
Directions for making tortillas
Ingredients
Chips and Salsa
Refried Beans
Rice

DAY 5

1.  SPONGE ACTIVITY:
I will have many books set out on the table for children to look at quietly.  They will be dealing with the Aztec and Mexican religions.

2.  OPENING ACTIVITY:
We will discuss the gods and practices of the ancient Aztec religion.  We will briefly talk about the legends of the ancient Aztec religion.  We will also briefly touch on the Aztec calendar and the influence religion had on it.

3.  GUIDED PRACTICE:
The students in groups of four will make up their own "leader" and rules to go along with it.  This will be more to add to their pretend country.  They will draw a picture of what their leader looks like and make a list of rules the country needs to follow.

4.  INDEPENDENT PRACTICE:
We will discuss how the different groups all had different pictures and rules.  I will then apply the concept of accepting different cultures other than our own.  We will then use our National Geographic site to read more about the religion and history and to see pictures.

MATERIALS:
Books
Colored pencils

DAY 6

1.  SPONGE ACTIVITY:
The students will read the handout that compares Mexico City and Los Angeles.  This will reinforce the lesson on comparison and contrast.

2.  OPENING ACTIVITY:
I will discuss the importance of technology an the way it is used today.  I will inform them of the many different uses the Internet offers.  We will explore just a few of the many ways computers are able to help us in today’s world.

3.  GUIDED PRACTICE:
In the computer lab I will have the website of the National Geographic (http://www.nationalgeographic.com/features/96/mexico/index.html) on each of the screens.  I will have already shown the students how I got there on the computer in our classroom.  I will already have the site in order to save time.  The students will complete a group work assignment and a worksheet.  The group work will be an exploratory assignment that asks the students to describe interesting facts they discovered.

4.  INDEPENDENT PRACTICE:
The students will complete the group work and worksheet.  We will then have the different groups talk about what they found and their opinion on the Internet.

5.  EVALUATION:
I will use the Internet worksheet as assessment.  This will be used as a sub element of everything that was done.

MATERIALS:
Computers
Handouts for Internet assignment
Mexico City/Los Angeles handout

INTERNET WORKSHEET

We will be at the site: http://www.nationalgeographic.com/features/96/mexico/index.html

Look at the picture under the title Discovering Mexico.  Go to the bottom of the page.
Go to the button that says Learn More and click on it.

Click on Mexico City.
List three facts that are stated in the writing:
1.
 
 
 
 

2.
 
 
 
 

3.

Now click on the Mexico map.

What two major bodies of water surround Mexico?

1.

2.
 

Now push the Back button.

Now click on Heartland.

Go to the last paragraph.  What do people have here?
 
 
 
 
 

Click on the Rodeo picture.

What is the Spanish word for Mexican cowboys?
 

Push Back.
 

Go to other Web Sites.
Choose on you find interesting.  Stay there until I see the site you discovered.  After I have checked your website please write down a few sentences about the site you found on your own.

DAY 7

1.  SPONGE ACTIVITY:
The students will have a paper grocery bag that they will be able to decorate with a number of different materials in order to make a poncho.

2.  OPENING ACTIVITY:
The students will develop an understanding of the Mexican home life and be able to compare their way of living with his/her own.  They will be introduced to the different attitudes of Mexico.

3.  GUIDED PRACTICE:
  We will then read and discuss the handout on city life, village life, and family life.  We will then look at the pictures and I will ask the class for discussion.   We will have a guest speaker who is from the Mexican culture to come in and share with us his/her experiences with the class.

4.  INDEPENDENT PRACTICE:
The students will finish their ponchos they started at the beginning of class.  They will then write a paragraph on the speaker we had and what they thought was most interesting.

5.  EVALUATION:
I will handout a short answer quiz that students will answer with information from the handouts.

MATERIALS:
Grocery bags
Art materials
Life handouts
Quiz

DAY 8

1.  SPONGE ACTIVITY:
There will be a mini-market set up in a corner of the room.  There will also be pamphlets of Mexico from a travel agency for the students to browse through.  This will give them a better sense of the different places in the country of Mexico.

2.  OPENING ACTIVITY:
The students will be able to know the parts of a culture, understand the parts of a culture, be able to explain parts of Mexico’s culture and sing a Mexican song.

3.  GUIDED PRACTICE:
We will look at the handouts on parts of a culture.  We will look at each picture and discuss how our culture fits into each square and then we will discuss how the Mexican culture fits into each square.  I will have a book with many different pictures of the many historical places in Mexico that helps make their culture.  The students will be able to observe these to gain a deeper understanding of what it is like in Mexico.

4.  INDEPENDENT PRACTICE:
We will sing the elephant counting song to review the Spanish numbers.  I will then have the students at their tables something that may be different about the culture they are from or a part of their culture they find most interesting.  We will then have each group pick one story and share it with the class orally.

MATERIALS:
Mini-market
Pamphlets
Culture handout
Elephant counting song

DAY 9

1.  SPONGE ACTIVITY:
I will have sombreros on each table along with some mariachi instruments.  I will also have some music playing in the background with these instruments.  I will also have colorful, festive place mats.

2.  OPENING ACTIVITY:
The students will be able to understand why Cinco de Mayo is celebrated.  They will read the article and find out many interesting facts about this holiday.

3.  GUIDED PRACTICE:
The students will make place mats for the fiesta tomorrow, similar to the ones on their tables.
We will watch a video on Cinco de Mayo.  I will then ask the children if we have any similar holidays, what they are, and what others may think of our holidays.
4.  INDEPENDENT PRACTICE:
The students will answer the questions on Cinco de Mayo after reading the handout and seeing the video.  They will then get into groups and compare their answers and discuss why they were different or the same and how this could happen because of the backgrounds they come from.

MATERIALS:
Sombreros
Mariachis
Colored paper
Cinco de Mayo handout

DAY 10

1.  SPONGE ACTIVITY:
The students will sit at their tables and write down the five most interesting facts they learned about the country of Mexico.

2.  OPENING ACTIVITY:
The students will be in their groups and be able to go to the different centers set up around the room.  They can choose to visit the market center, the center with the different cultural objects, the food center, and the art center.

3.  GUIDED PRACTICE:
The students will discuss each center as a group with a summary of each one, and a project from the art center.

4.  INDEPENDENT PRACTICE:
We will have a pinata for the ending of the lesson.  We will have discussed the importance of one of these in the Mexican culture.

CLOSURE:
We will review briefly the important facts learned during this unit.  We will discuss the location of Mexico in reference to us.  We will continue to wait for the pen pal responses.  We will count the numbers 1-10 again with our elephant counting song.  If time allows we will have a final Spanish BINGO game.  We will review the history and religion of the Aztecs.  We will review the different aspects of Mexican home life.  We will review the different parts of culture, including Cinco de Mayo.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

1.  Birnbaum, Alexandra Mayes.  Mexico.  New York: Harper Perennial, 1995.

2.  Clark, David.  Sunset Mexican Cookbook.  Menlo Park: Lane Publishing company, 1978.

3.  Flags of the World 4-9-98.  http://flags.cesi.it/flags/index.html (April 13, 1998).

4.  National Geographic: Discovering Mexico1996.
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/features/96/mexico/index.html (April 13, 1998).

5.  Poster Education 1996.http://www.ioa.com/home/poster_ed/ (April 13, 1998).

Created April 16, 1998

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