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Tag: Latino Studies

Unit 1: Identity and Language – Identity Through Stories

Time Frame 

  • 1–2 class periods

Materials

  • Chromebooks
  • Slides
  • Green Card Youth Voices: Immigration Stories from a Minneapolis High School – Alexandra Irrazabal’s story and video
  • Highlighters 
  • Pen/Pencils 
  • Posters / Wall Sticky Notes
  • Markers

 

Connections to the 7 Cs of Ethnic Studies

  • Celebrate: and honor Native People/s of the land and Communities of Color by providing a space to share their stories of struggle and resistance, along with their intellectual and cultural wealth
  • Center: and place high value on pre-colonial, ancestral, indigenous, diasporic, familial, and marginalized knowledge

 

Instruction (ICCR)

 

Day 1 – Ignite: Intro/Warm-Up

Welcome, agenda, announcements, learning target (slide 1)

a. Warm-Up Question: When was the last time you were told a story? What was the story about?

              i. Turn to a neighbor and share (2-4 minutes)
              ii. Share out to the class; pick a few students to share (2-3 minutes)

 

Chunk: Understanding Stories

b. Stories as a sense of self + the world around us (slide 2)

         i. “To know the past is to know the present. To know the present is to know yourself.” —Jason Reynolds + Ibram X. Kendi (Stamped)
         ii. Mental health disclaimer/advisory: “Today’s lesson discusses migration, hardship, identity and experiences from non-dominant communities. Some students may personally connect to these experiences in different ways. Please take care of yourself; participate in ways that feel comfortable.”

 

c. Vocabulary + examples of stories (slide 3)

           i. Vocabulary: Oral Storytelling

      1. What is your definition of oral storytelling? Write down what you think the phrase means! (Give students two minutes to think and write.)
             a. Does your definition match up with the definition on the board? (Call on some students to read the definition and then others to share.)
      2. Definition: the collection and study of historical information using sound recordings of interviews with people having personal knowledge of past events
      3. Let’s make a definition together. (Find commonalities within the definitions and come up with a definition as a class; use that for their notes, if taking.)

 

d. Keeping stories and language alive: Dichos y corridos (slide 4)

            i. Dichos have been used in Mexican and Latino communities for centuries.

      1. They provide a form of expression or advice for all kinds of situations
      2. Example: “El que se lo guarda para alrato, se lo come el gato.” → translates to: “If you save it for later, there’s no guarantee it’ll be there.”
      3. Ask students to shout out “sayings” used in their families (not on slide).
      4. Make a list of all the dichos/sayings → What “themes” do you notice, or what kind of advice do they share? Could we group them into those themes or types of advice? 

 

          ii. Slide 5: w/ evidence of study (ask student to read aloud for class)

    1. The sharing of stories and narratives, dichos (sayings) and consejos (advice) is a prominent experience among families in Mexico as well as among immigrant Mexican families in the United States. An opportunity for entertainment and enjoyment, the retelling of family stories and folktales also serves to build family bonds, share cultural values, and construct identity. The sharing of narratives, particularly narratives of poverty and struggle, is associated with resiliency and empowerment, serving to support parents in their interactions with school and advocacy for their children (Delgado-Gaitan, 2005).

 

         iii. Slide 6: Corridos defined

    1. a ballad in a traditional Mexican style, typically having lyrics that narrate a historical event.
    2. Slide 7: Corridos have been used since the Mexican Revolution, and regained popularity during the colonization of what is now the Mexican-American border and additional southern US lands. 
    3. Corridos were mostly a male-dominated genre, but women have since created subgenres of their own, such as coquette corridos.
    4. Check out or add artist Belinda’s song “300 Noches” or “Cactus,” or even Eydrey’s “X Ti” (both singers talk about women’s perspectives in relationships, gender, and feminist themes).
               a. Write down what you notice from the beat, melody, and even undertones in the sound. Think about what comes across as “feminine.” Next you’ll compare it to “traditional” corridos made by men. 

 

         iv. Slide 8: Popular corridos then and now

    1.   The legend and life of Gregorio Cortez, who bravely fought against American Texas Rangers for the independence of Mexico and Mexican peoples.
    2. Slide 9: “La Jaula de Oro” by Los Tigres del Norte
           a. Explains that the “American” dream is not what it seems, and one ends up feeling more and more isolated from their culture and people while living in America. 
    3. Ask students: What do these corridos have in common with the music from the women artists? What is different about them? Why is it important to have all types of storytellers tell stories through music like corridos? 

 

         v. Student quick work: Ask students to find a song that tells a story about a population of people.

    1. Instructions (slide 10): 
          a. Open Chromebooks.
          b. Find a popular contemporary song that tells a story about a population of people, or tells a historical story (add a six-minute timer).

 

e. Review: “To know the past is to know the present. To know the present is to know yourself.” (slide 11)

    1. “Latin American countries have been telling their stories for centuries through dichos, consejos, corridos and more. 
    2. Sometimes these stories show us hardship, but it can also show us resilience
    3. As a dicho says: “No hay mal que por bien no venga”  → Good can always come out of bad/hard/difficult”

 

 

Day 2 – Chew: How can stories teach us about ourselves and the world around us? (slide 12)

f. Class work time: instructions for students

    1. On your own, read + annotate the GCV story of Alexandra Irrazabal.
    2. Circle words you do not know.
    3. Underline phrases that describe who Alexandra is—what she enjoys, her favorite things, etc.
    4. Highlight words/phrases that demonstrate the world around Alexandra.

g. Poster gallery: Instructions

    1. Write one of the questions below on each poster. 
    2. Groups of three to six students spend 5 minutes on each poster. 
    3. They can add to other’s thoughts, ask questions about other’s thoughts, add their own answer to the question posted, etc. 
    4. Student groups present their poster once full rotation is done, sharing what’s been written.
    5. Gallery questions
    1. Why is it important to share stories of experience?
    2. What do all the stories heard or read today have in common?
    3. How do stories shape the way we think?
    4. Why is it important to highlight stories from non-dominant communities?
    5. Why is it important to acknowledge different forms of storytelling? 
    6. What do we learn from stories?

 

Review (Exit Ticket)

  1. How did today’s lesson deepen your understanding of storytelling?
  2. If you could tell a story about your community, what would it be?

 

Multilingual and ELL Supports

  • Allow students to read Alexandra’s story in home language 
  • Allow students to annotate in home language 
  • Groups can be home language groups or mixed language groups
  • Provide English sentence stems to help students contribute to the conversation during the poster gallery activity
  • Allow students to think about their answers by writing it in their home language first prior to gathering in a group

 

Vocabulary and Definitions

  • Oral storytelling: the practice of passing down history, values, and traditions through spoken words and performance rather than writing
  • Dichos: short, popular sayings or proverbs in Spanish-speaking cultures that offer folk wisdom or life lessons
  • Corridos: traditional Mexican narrative songs or ballads that tell stories of history, social issues, or the lives of everyday heroes
  • Consejos: helpful pieces of advice or cultural wisdom shared by elders to guide younger generations in making good choices
  • Narratives: the specific stories or accounts of events that help people explain their experiences and how they see the world
  • Non-dominant communities: groups of people who have historically had less social, political, or economic power compared to the largest or most influential group in a society

Resource List