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Folklife Resources for Educators

Materials Related to Mexican Americans

There are 8 titles in this list.

 

American Sabor: Latinos in U.S. Popular Music
by Costa-Kim, Patricia
http://americansabor.org/classroom

Classroom curriculum and educator resources for middle and high school students focused on Latino music and culture found in Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Antonio, Miami, and New York City. Topics include the social and cultural history of Latino music, Latino music's impact on American popular culture, the vocabulary and styles of Latino music, and Latino musicians. Although created to accompany an exhibition of the same name, the educational materials can stand alone. The site includes lessons, activities, and word games, video and audio recordings, biographical information on Latino musicians, interpretive maps, and bilingual accompanying resources. Most of the materials on the site can be found in both Spanish and English and in PDF-format.

Grade Level: 3-5; 6-8; 9-12 Curriculum: Music; Language Arts; History and Social Studies; Geography; Art and Culture
Resource Type: Video recordings; Primary sources; Lesson plans; Activities; Audio recordings Language: English; Spanish
Subjects: United States--Social life and customs; Maps in education; Puerto Ricans; Mexican Americans; Hispanic Americans; Music; Popular music; New York (N.Y.)--Social life and customs; Miami (Fla.)--Social life and customs; San Antonio (Tex.)--Social life and customs; San Francisco (Calif.)--Social life and customs; History; Hip hop; Salsa (Music); Rap (Music); Dance music; Dance; Immigrants; Cuban Americans; Merengue (Dance)
Geographic locations: United States; Texas; New York (N.Y.); Florida; California

Sponsoring Organization:
Experience Music Project
325 5th Avenue N
Seattle WA 98109
(206) 770-2776
http://www.empmuseum.org/index.asp

Other Organizations:
Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES)
470 L'Enfant Plaza, SW, Suite 7103
Washington DC 22024
(202) 633-3168
http://www.sites.si.edu/


The Colonia Mexicana of Bethlehem Steel
by Historical Society of Pennsylvania
http://www.hsp.org/default.aspx?id=922

Lesson plan with activities related to the influx of Mexican immigrant workers employed by Bethlehem Steel during the early 20th century and history in Pennsylvania. The unit is geared to the middle and high school classroom for use in the curriculum areas of history, geography, and the arts and humanities. The unit focuses on Bethlehem Steel's recruitment of workers from Mexico, beginning in 1923, with student activities centering on the analysis of a Mexican corrido and newspaper articles from the time. Background materials include a glossary, resources for teachers and students, and links to primary source materials, including photographs and oral histories, drawn from the collections of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania and other materials. The lesson plan is correlated to the Pennsylvania Department of Education Standards for Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening, History, Geography, and Arts and Humanities.

Grade Level: 6-8; 9-12 Curriculum: Geography; Performing Arts; Music; Language Arts; History and Social Studies; Art and Culture
Resource Type: Primary sources; Lesson plans; Audio recordings; Activities Language: English; Spanish
Subjects: Industrialization; Cultural geography; Steel industry and trade; Immigrant labor; Iron and steel workers; Mexico--Social life and customs; Ballads; Labor history; Immigrants; Pennsylvania--Social life and customs; Mexican Americans; Music; Corridos
Geographic locations: Pennsylvania; Mexico

Sponsoring Organization:
Historical Society of Pennsylvania
1300 Locust Street
Philadelphia PA 19107
(215) 732-6200
http://www.hsp.org/default.aspx?id=1


Corridos sin Fronteras: A New World Ballad Tradition
by Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES)
http://www.corridos.org/main2.asp?language=E

Bilingual (Spanish and English) interactive educational website for elementary, middle, and high school teachers and students. Site introduces students to the historical and cultural importance of the corrido, a popular narrative poem or ballad found in Spanish-speaking areas of the Americas. The site includes lesson plans and historical and contextual background on the development of the corrido, including its use in expressions of social justice and the telling of stories of oppression and history. Examples of corridos are presented through video and audio recordings on the site and students are encouraged to create their own corridos. Subject areas covered include music, the performing arts, history, language arts, and Spanish-language traditions of Mexico and the United States.

Grade Level: 3-5; 6-8; 9-12 Curriculum: Performing Arts; Music; Language Arts; History and Social Studies; Art and Culture
Resource Type: Video recordings; Primary sources; Audio recordings; Activities Language: English; Spanish
Subjects: Music; Storytelling; Texas--Social life and customs; Mexico--Social life and customs; Corridos; Ballads; Songwriting; Mexican Americans
Geographic locations: United States; Texas; Mexico

Sponsoring Organization:
Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES)
470 L'Enfant Plaza, SW, Suite 7103
Washington DC 20024
(202) 633-3168
http://www.sites.si.edu/


Folk Artists: New Roots
by Institute for Cultural Partnerships
http://www.culturalpartnerships.org/fan/

Educational web pages designed for use with students in grades 5-8 which provide activities and primary source materials about recent immigrant and refugee communities in Pennsylvania. A 12-page teacher's guide, "Using the Folk Arts of Newcomers in Your Classroom," offers curriculum suggestions and activities for exploring traditional forms of culture found in the Ahikskan Turk, Bosnian, Chinese, East Indian, Mexican, Puerto Rican, Sudanese, and Vietnamese communities in Pennsylvania. Accompanying the guide are stories and videos, some in Spanish, of individual Puerto Rican, Chinese, and Mexican individuals, representing dance, foodways, and other cultural and artistic traditions. The guide correlates with Pennsylvania Academic Standards for Reading, Writing, Speaking, Listening, and the Arts and Humanities.

Grade Level: 3-5; 6-8 Curriculum: Language Arts; History and Social Studies; Art and Culture
Resource Type: Lesson plans; Activities; Video recordings; Primary sources Language: English; Spanish
Subjects: Crafts; Foodways; Vietnamese Americans; Bosnian Americans; Ethnic arts; Dance; Hispanic Americans; Chinese Americans; Puerto Ricans; Immigrants; Refugees; Folk artists; Pennsylvania--Social life and customs; Ethnic groups; Ethnic folklore; Sudanese Americans; East Indian Americans; Mexican Americans; Asian Americans; Ahiskan Turks; Decorative arts
Geographic locations: Pennsylvania

Sponsoring Organization:
Institute for Cultural Partnerships
3211 North Front Street
Harrisburg PA 17110-1342
(717) 238-1770
http://www.culturalpartnerships.org/


Iowa Folklife: Our People, Communities, and Traditions
by Iowa Arts Council
http://www.uni.edu/iowaonline/folklife/intro/index.htm

Learning guide for middle and high school students plus elders in senior centers based on field documentation of Iowa traditional culture, communities, and groups done in preparation for the Festival of American Folklife and the Festival of Iowa Folklife, both held in 1996. The guide includes lesson plans with objectives, background, conceptual and hands-on activities, and handouts, arranged by subject matter: Social Studies, Language Arts, Music, and Art. Accompanying the lesson plans are activities with guidance on developing a community research archive, collecting field recordings, and creating exhibitions, festivals, and publications based on fieldwork done by students. On the site are two streamed videos for classroom viewing, streamed audio of a CD exemplifying a variety of Iowa traditional musical styles, and "Inherit Iowa," a senior citizen activity guide.

Grade Level: All ages; 6-8; 9-12 Curriculum: Music; Language Arts; History and Social Studies; Art and Culture
Resource Type: Video recordings; Lesson plans; Audio recordings; Activities Language: English
Subjects: European Americans; Scandinavian Americans; Crafts; Iowa--Social life and customs; Ethnic folklore; Festivals; Folklore--Fieldwork; Inquiry-based learning; Folk artists; Music; Foodways; Community life; Fieldwork (Educational method); Immigrants; Folk music; Holidays; German Americans; Czech Americans; Hmong Americans; African Americans; Mexican Americans; Occupations--Folklore; Material culture; Fishing; Maritime culture; Quilting; Decorative arts
Geographic locations: Iowa

Sponsoring Organization:
Folk & Traditional Arts Program
Iowa Arts Council
Des Moines IA 50319-0290
(515) 242-6195
http://www.iowaartscouncil.org/programs/folk-and-traditional-arts/resources.shtml

Other Organizations:
Iowa Arts Council
600 E. Locust Street
Des Moines IA 50319-0290
(515) 281-6412
http://www.iowaartscouncil.org/


Mexican-American Corona Maker: Eva Castellanoz
by Local Learning: The National Network for Folk Arts in Education
http://locallearningnetwork.org/guest-artist/eva-castellanoz/

K-12 curriculum ideas for studying the life and artistry of 1987 NEA National Heritage Fellow Eva Castellanoz, master corona maker and healer, who has been making paper and wax flower bouquets and coronas, or crowns, in the Mexican-American community for over fifty years. These resources can be used in the curriculum areas of language arts, geography, social studies, and the visual arts. Includes an activity for making paper and wax flowers, background on her Mexican-American culture, her life in Oregon,including her role as a community curandera, or healer, and additional resources for background research.

Grade Level: K-2; 3-5; 6-8; 9-12 Curriculum: Language Arts; History and Social Studies; Geography; Art and Culture
Resource Type: Activities Language: English
Subjects: Mexican Americans; Healers; Paper flowers; Paper work; Oregon--Social life and customs; Migrant agricultural laborers
Geographic locations: Oregon; Mexico

Sponsoring Organization:
Local Learning: The National Network for Folk Arts in Education
c/o City Lore
72 East First Street
New York NY 10003
http://locallearningnetwork.org/


Teacher's Guide for Nevada Folk Arts Roster
by Nevada Arts Council
http://nevadaculture.org/nac/dmdocuments/RosterTeacherGuide.pdf

Folk arts education guide created to accompany the Nevada Folk Arts Roster program and to provide an overview of the traditional arts and folklife of ethnic communities in Nevada. Includes lesson plans for the general study of folklife and also lessons on Mexican, African, Asian, Western and Eastern European, Hawaiian, and Native American cultures in Nevada, plus information on individual traditional artists working in the state. Accompanying worksheets and activities provide guidance in doing fieldwork. Lessons are designed for 4th and 7th grade students, but may be adapted for other age groups or skill levels. Correlated to Nevada Standards for Education for the areas of History, Social Studies, Geography, Library, Music, Physical Education, Visual Arts, and English Language Arts. (46 p. PDF)

Grade Level: 3-5; 6-8; 9-12 Curriculum: Geography; Sports and Recreation; Performing Arts; Music; Language Arts; History and Social Studies; Art and Culture
Resource Type: Lesson plans; Activities Language: English
Subjects: Crafts; Basket making; Mariachi music; Ukrainian Americans; Ethnic arts; Musicians; Family--Folklore; European Americans; Nevada--Social life and customs; Folklore--Fieldwork; Folklore; Folk art; Folk artists; African Americans; Asian Americans; Hawaiians; Indians of North America; Mexican Americans; Cowboys--Poetry; Cowboys--Songs and music; Irish Americans; Ranch life; Pysanky; Duck decoys
Geographic locations: Nevada; General

Sponsoring Organization:
Nevada Arts Council - Folklife Program
716 North Carson Street, Suite A
Carson City NV 89701-4079
(775) 687-6680
http://nevadaculture.org/nac/


Tradition: Tennessee Lives and Legacies Teacher's Guide
by Dana Everts-Boehm
http://www.arts.state.tn.us/resources/tradition_teachers_guide.pdf

Teacher’s guide designed for grades 3-12 which enhances the understanding of Tennessee’s folklife heritage. Originally developed to prepare students for visiting an exhibition of the same name, the guide can stand on its own as an educational resource. The materials include profiles of Tennessee folk artists from a variety of regional and ethnic backgrounds, representing Cumberland Plateau old-time fiddling, Middle Tennessee buck dancing, African American blues, Choctaw beadwork, the making of Mennonite sorghum, and Mexican needlework. The guide also introduces students to the basic concepts of folklife, tradition, folk group, family folklife, tradition bearer, folk artist, and fieldwork. Accompanying forms and guidelines on interviewing family members and presenting findings in the classroom are included. The materials conform to Tennessee State Curriculum Standards for Art, Social Studies, Modern History, and Science. (24 pp. PDF) For a DVD of photographs of Tennessee traditional artists, including those in the teacher's guide, contact: dana.everts-boehm@tn.gov

Grade Level: 3-5; 6-8; 9-12 Curriculum: Language Arts; History and Social Studies; Art and Culture; Science
Resource Type: Primary sources; Lesson plans; Activities Language: English
Subjects: Family--Folklore; Inquiry-based learning; Mennonites; Beadwork; Needlework; Folk music; Interviewing; Dance; Music; Folklore; Tennessee--Social life and customs; Artisans; Fiddlers; Folk artists; Musicians; Foodways; African Americans; Mexican Americans; Choctaw Indians; Basket making; Fieldwork (Educational method)
Geographic locations: Tennessee

Sponsoring Organization:
Tennessee Arts Commission Folklife Program
401 Charlotte Avenue
Nashville TN 37243-0780
(615) 741-1701
http://www.tn.gov/arts/folklife.htm

Other Organizations:
Tennesee Arts Commission


http://www.arts.state.tn.us/


 

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