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Table of Contents

Frank Angel                                                      99-04-01
The Traditions, Culture and Family of New Mexico

Susan Callaway                                              99-04-02
Political Systems of New Mexico: An Authentic Middle School Portrayal

Aaron Chavez                                                      99-04-03
Living and Learning in the South Valley: A Path to Self-Identity

Alexis Chavez                                                      99-04-04
Changing Lives with Language: Navigation of Proper Political Channels
A Language Arts/Literature Curriculum Unit

Hadar Dubowsky                                                99-04-05
How do people make change?
Writing Bills for the New Mexico Legislature
Grade 8 Humanities Curriculum

Charles Kappus                                                  99-04-06
An interdisciplinary unit for middle school students

 Albuquerque Teachers' Institute Seminar, 1999

The Political Cultures of New Mexico

Felipe Gonzales
Department of Sociology Social Sciences Bldg. 1103
Phone: 505-277-3465
e-mail gonzales@unm.edu

Seminar Description

The casinos, the Oate controversy, the Hispanic Culture Center, the land grants issue, the proposal for a Holocaust memorial, bilingual education, protests over WIPP, the Johnson- Sanchez-Aragon show .... Perhaps our state is no different from many others, but cursory attention to the news will tell anyone that some pretty interesting politics happen in New Mexico.

The issues mentioned stem from the special conditions of political culture that arise in New Mexico's pluralistic society. "Politics" generally means any organized effort by a collectivity to compete for or meet the interests of its members. "Culture" generally means the customs, norms, identities, and understandings that groups develop as their members work together and compete with others. This seminar will explore some of the principal arenas of political culture in New Mexico, seeking to clarify the various meanings of the concept "political culture."

We will begin by inquiring into the pockets of culture that can arise within the conventional electoral and governing system of the state. Governor Toney Anaya once called New Mexico a "banana republic" for its way of doing politics. We will try to determine whether New Mexico does indeed have a distinctive way of being political. It is true that localities and sub-regions within the state exhibit their own cultural ways of doing things? The seminars will go on to trace the contributions made by various ethnic groups, examining such matters as the distribution of participation at different levels of power and the ways that cultural diversity contributes to New Mexico's identity as a state in both public relations and policy formation. We shall seek to define the Indian reservation, the Hispanic land grant, and even the public school system and the school itself as sites of political intrigue and relations. Outside speakers, special readings, reference to current events, and a field trip or two will enhance our discussions.

1. New Mexico: The Setting.
2. Defining "politics," "culture," and "political culture." The History of New Mexico politics.
3. Understanding New Mexico's Government. Does Governor Johnson have a cultural style?
4. What kinds of cultural style can we detect in New Mexico's legislature?
5. The public school system and the public school as political entities.
6. Bilingual education: How is politics involved?
7. The bilingual education lawsuit against APS
8. The Land Grant as a political unit. Guest speaker.
9. The Hispanic political community in New Mexico
10. The Indian Reservation as a political unit.
    

The Traditions, Culture and Family of New Mexico

The importance of being connected to your family, culture and history as the basis of your identity is sometimes hard to explain and understand. In this poem the author, Sabine Ulibarri, explores these issues. It is a powerful poem in which the author explains the importance of making and maintaining connections with your history, family, and community. Through the course of this unit, it is my intention that the students in my classroom make these connections to their families, communities, and histories.

The making of connections to native communities and traditions is the objective of this unit. The majority of our students are the direct descendants of the Indo-Hispano settlers who came up from Mexico over 400 years ago to establish settlements on the fringes of the Spanish Empire. This unit will allow them to make connections to their history and will help them see that their history is part of who they are as individuals and as members of a community.

For the next activity the students will conduct an interview with a family member. The interview will focus on the individual’s experiences while growing up, the place of origin and the family’s traditions and customs.

This unit will assist the students in making connections to their past. In doing this, hopefully they will gain a greater sense of time and place. It will also help make affirmations of who they are and develop their self-esteem. In addition, it will create a greater sense of self and help the students related to their community and history. Hopefully all this will lead to further success in school and life.

On the last day of this activity the students will create a collage to represent the themes presented in this book. The students will select one of the texts presented to them. The students will then write this down on a piece of construction paper. From there the students will create a collage using pictures from magazines or their own personal drawing to illustrate the selection that they have chosen. The students will be encouraged to use their imaginations to detail what was going on as the text was written, or to express what the text means to themselves.

Part two: Family interview

As the students become more familiar with the history and the culture of New Mexico they will proceed to the next activity, the family interviews. The interview will be a way for the students to learn more about their families and the communities from which they come. And in turn, to make connections to the history, traditions and culture of New Mexico. The students will be required to interview a family member, preferably the eldest living family member. The students will be required to record this interview for their personal use, using a tape recorder or a video camera. Perhaps some of the students may not have access to a family member; in such cases a neighbor or a relative of a friend may be used. This activity will be assigned in advance so the students can prepare for the interview and make the necessary arrangements.

Prior to the interview, we will have a couple of activities to help prepare the student for the interview. I will bring in a volunteer from the community and I will interview them in front of the class. This demonstration will help give the students an idea of how to conduct an interview. The students will then be required to turn in the list of questions that they will be asking their interviewee. To begin with the students will ask basic biographical questions such as the interviewee’s name, where they are from, mother and father’s name, where they are from, the names of their siblings, etc. The students will then proceed to ask more specific questions relating to their childhood, their experiences in school, and the traditions of their community. They will also be encouraged to inquire about any stories or legends that they may have remembered.

Next the students will compile the information presented to the class. Each student will present their interview. Photos or other artifacts are encouraged to be used during the presentation. They will talk about the person that they interviewed and what they have learned from them. The students will also be asked to compare and contrast their own personal experiences with the experiences of their interviewee.

Part three: La herencia del norte

The third activity that the students will participate in will be a short research paper, one to one and a half pages, and presentation based on a topic or theme found in La herencia del norte. La herencia del norte is a locally published magazine that focuses on New Mexico history, culture and traditions. The students will use the CD-ROM and the web site to gather their information. The students will also use a word processing program to present their research. It will be a weeklong activity, with the first two days to do the research, the next two to compile, and the last day to present it.

They will select a topic or theme that interests them. From there the students will use the CD-ROM and the web site to look for information. The CD-ROM is the compilation of volumes 1 through 20. It is not organized according to topic or author so it may be difficult to use. To facilitate this activity the students will visit the web site in order to find articles related to their topic. At the web site the students can search for a specific topic or author and find out the volume and page number of a specific article. They will then go to the CD-ROM, look up the article and prepare it for the class. Also at this site is a list of links related to New Mexico history and culture. The students will be encouraged to explore these links for more information, photos and graphics to be used in the paper and presentation. Hopefully the previous two activities will have created an interest in the students for expanding their knowledge on certain topics or themes in New Mexico’s history and its culture.

The last activity that will be part of this unit will be related to the land grants in New Mexico. The land grants were established and regulated by the Spanish crown under the Laws of the Indies to populate their imperial claims. At times they were rewards for service rendered to the crown, the private land grant. Other times, as in the community grant, a group of families were deeded individual plots for homes and gardens and were to allow equal access to the communal lands. In the communal land, all had equal access to lands for grazing, hunting and wood gathering.

This unit and its activities take the students on a journey exploring the history, traditions, customs, and people of New Mexico. All these components intertwine to create the New Mexico experience. It is my intention, through the course of this unit, that these students make connections to the history, traditons and people of New Mexico, so they are able to construct who they are and where they come from. To gain a sense of time and place. To give them firm ground upon which to construct their identities. An affirmation of who they are as people, where they come from and idea of where they are going. To promote a sense of self esteem that will guide them through success in school and in life. And to hopefully prevent them from being, as the poem states, "…solo…en el mundo, perdido en la niebla blanca" (alone in the world, lost in the haze).

Website for La herencia. http://www.herencia.com
Website for the Chicano! series. http://www.pbs.org/chicano

Videos.
Chicano! The Quest for a Homeland. Ex. Prod. Jose Luis Ruiz. Los Angles, CA: National Latino Communication Center, 1996.
Tierra o muerte. Writ. and prod. by Carolyn Hales. Denver, CO: KBDI television, 1991.
Una lucha por mi pueblo. Prod. Federico A. Reade. Albuquerque, NM: Corazon de Aztaln Productions, 1992.

 Political Systems of New Mexico: An Authentic Middle School Portrayal

In New Mexico, all seventh grade students are required to take New Mexico history for one semester. This history class is generally taught within a social studies class or as part of a humanities curriculum which would include both social studies and language arts. In several school districts across the state, the history of New Mexico is taught in a ‘family’ or block setting. Most schools with families include two to five teachers who integrate four or more core subjects such as language arts, social studies, math, and science. Teaching in a family setting with two or more hours of blocked time allows teachers to create units of projects which span all subjects. This integration helps students to realize the interconnectedness across subject matter.

The state provides the following scope and sequence for the curriculum in New Mexico history. The guidelines are:
"Learners exhibit an understanding of the ways human beings view themselves in and over time.
Describe how language arts, literature, the arts, architecture and other artifacts, traditions, beliefs, values, religion…and behaviors contribute to the development of New Mexico.
Identify formal and informal leaders from New Mexico’s diverse past and present
Articulate the implications of cultural diversity as well as cohesion within and across groups in New Mexico.
Relate the role of transportation, communication, manufacturing, natural resources, and technology to the economic development of New Mexico." (1)
It is evident that these guidelines are broad and open to interpretation. In a traditional middle school or junior high setting, where social studies is taught as a separate class, the study of New Mexico history might seem somewhat limited and possibly even dry. In a family setting, however, where core subjects are integrated through themes or units, there is a greater potential for New Mexico history to take on genuine meaning for students. Through integrated, in-depth, hands-on units, students can make numerous connections concerning history and their present-day lives. This interdisciplinary approach has been shown to increase students’ understanding of a given topic. Though it is very time intensive for the team members implementing the instruction, it helps students to master content at a deeper, more meaningful level. It also allows students to implement synthesis and evaluation, the highest levels of Bloom’s taxonomy. For example, students who study political cultures in the state can examine New Mexico’s life zones and its arid climate (science); the annual rainfall for the past five years (math); the continual struggle for control of ditches or acequias in small communities (social studies); and the literature which has arisen from this ditch controversy, such as the Milagro Beanfield War (language arts).

This semester-long unit is designed for fifty to sixty seventh grade regular education students in a family setting with two teachers where all core subjects except math are integrated. The region is a large school district within a Southwest metropolitan setting. There are approximately 100,000 students in the district. The school itself has nearly one thousand students. Demographics of the school range from lower, fixed income to middle and upper middle incomes: 55% of the student population is Anglo; 38% is Hispanic; 5% is Native American; 2% is African-American. Thirty –three percent of the student body receives free or reduced breakfast and lunch.

This middle school is also a Coalition School, which means it is a member of Brown University’s Coalition of Essential Schools. This fact is significant because the philosophy of the entire school centers around Theodore Sizer’s Ten Essential Educational Principles. These principles are:

1. Focus – Schools help all students to use their minds well.
2. Simple goals – Less is more. Schools must have in-depth study.
3. Universal goals – School practice should be tailor-made to meet the needs of every group or class of adolescents
4. Personalization – Smaller class size allows teachers to know students.
5. Student-as-Worker – Student is engaged in his/her learning; no sage-on-stage imparting knowledge.
6. Demonstration of Mastery – Students exhibit their mastery and understanding of subject matter.
7. Tone – Tone of a school should be safe; child-centered.
8. Teacher-as-Generalist – Teacher acts as facilitator or counselor.
9. Budget – Budget is the concern of the administration.
10. Cultural diversity – Students and staff recognize and respect diversity. (2)

Because of its involvement with the Coalition of Essential schools, this middle school has become more student-centered. Students are encouraged to master the materials they study rather than simply ‘cover’ chapters and take a test at the end. At the completion of each nine weeks, students involved in projects or units normally present some form of Demonstration of Mastery of their nine weeks study. This demonstration might be a band or chorus concert or students might perform a play based on their area of study. Students studying New Mexico could present an entire New Mexico Day where students present their research, sing songs of New Mexico, perform traditional dances, and serve food of the region.

This unit in Political Cultures of New Mexico will include materials and lessons for language arts, literature, social studies, and science. In the unit, students will have the opportunity for genuine, hands-on learning, self-paced research, and immersion into the study of New Mexico history and the process of the state government in New Mexico through the simulation of legislative session within the classroom.

Through hands-on activities and self-paced research into New Mexico, students will gain a deeper understanding of their subject matter. Students will not learn all there is to know about New Mexico, but they will be able to present and defend opinions through their judgments about the information and the validity of the ideas they have studied.

This semester-long unit will be divided into two sections. Each section will last approximately nine weeks. The first section will involve student-conducted research into New Mexico history. In social studies and in language arts classes, students will conduct group research into significant periods of New Mexico’s history. These periods will include: the Pueblo people and their ancestors; Spanish/Mexican Settlement; Territorial period; early statehood to the end of the Depression; and the Manhattan project. The research will culminate in New Mexico Day; this will be the students’ Demonstration of Mastery. The second section of the unit will be a legislative session simulation. Class members will be divided into sections which represent five regions in New Mexico. Elected representatives will then create and chair committees designed to examine school and student-based issues in the school community.

For those teachers implementing this unit, an abridged history of New Mexico is included in these plans. Also included is a very brief explanation of the structure of the state government. It is hoped this information will assist teachers in their understanding and ultimately, the teaching of this unit.

New Mexico is a state of unsurpassed diversity, both geographically and culturally. Geographically, New Mexico measures 121,666 square miles; it is the fifth largest state with one of the smallest overall populations at 1.58 million people.(3) New Mexico is also a remarkable natural wonder: It contains six of the seven life zones which exist in North America. These zones include the lower Sonoran, upper Sonoran, Transitional, Canadian, Hudsonian, and Arctic/Alpine. Culturally, the state boasts many distinctive groups, but predominant among these are Hispanics, Native Americans, and Anglos. The vastness of the land combined with the wide range of cultures sets the stage for rather interesting politics throughout the state.

Examining New Mexico’s history from its earliest inhabitants helps lay the foundations for many of the political intrigues of today. Scientists speculate that New Mexico’s first inhabitants were nomadic tribes who crossed the Bering Strait land bridge some thirty thousand years ago. These prehistoric people moved into the southwestern and northwestern part of what is now the state. These nomadic tribes were the early ancestors of New Mexico’s first cultures: Basketweavers I and II, the Hohokam, and the Anasazi cultures. These residents lived thousands of years after their Bering Strait relatives came into the Southwest. These indigenous peoples developed ingenious methods of irrigation and agriculture. Corn and squash were staples in their diet. They traded with other tribes. They created beautiful works of rock art. Descendants of these early cultures now inhabit the nineteen pueblos of twentieth century New Mexico.

Hundreds of years later, nomadic Athabascan tribes from the North migrated into the region of the Southwest. Their descendants are the Navajo and Apache tribes. Navajos living in the Four Corners area of the state comprise the largest Indian nation in the country.

New Mexico’s indigenous people continued to thrive for hundreds of years. Drought or disease might have caused a shift of location within the region, but the native cultures individually continued to survive. All this began to change, however, after 1539. During the late fifteenth and sixteenth century, Spain was a world power intent on expanding its land holdings in the New World. From its viceregal government in Mexico City, Spain sent out Franciscan friar, Marco de Niza and his guide, Estevan. These two men conducted some of the first recorded explorations of the Southwest. For the next forty years, explorers and friars, including Francisco Vasquez Coronado and Brother Agustin Rodriguez, traveled east and west along the Rio Grande valley hoping to increase Spain’s buffer territories. In 1598, Don Juan de Onate led a small group of soldiers and several families into the Rio Grande valley. Onate’s mission: Create la Provincia de la Nueva Mexico for the Spanish crown. Onate established the first mixed cultural capital in San Juan de Los Caballeros, near present-day Espanola. With Onate’s settlement came New Mexico’s first system of provincial government, which included a governor, a vice-governor, a military leader, and a religious leader. (4)

The arrival of the Spanish was most difficult upon the indigenous people.

The Spanish policy of subjugation, indoctrination, and assimilation proved devastating and deadly. Prior to the arrival of the Spanish, the pueblos in New Mexico numbered over thirty. Within several hundred years, this number would be reduced by almost half. Many Indians were slaughtered outright; others succumbed to European diseases to which they had no immunity. New Mexico remained under continuous Spanish rule until 1680, when the Pueblo Indians, led by a San Juan Indian, Pope, revolted. Many Spanish were killed or banished down river to El Paso. The governor of the area was murdered. Pueblo Indians spent twelve years free of Spanish rule. In 1692, however, with the leadership of Don Diego de Vargas, the Spanish again took control of New Mexico. Historians refer to this as the Bloodless Reconquest of New Mexico. Under de Vargas came a more judicial form of government. Based on the model found in California and Texas, New Mexico’s structure was designed as a colony of Spain. Unfortunately, isolation and a hostile environment made survival in the territory a struggle. When Mexico won its independence from Spain in 1821, very little changed in the region. In 1824, the Mexican Constitution was adopted and New Mexico became a territory of Mexico ruled by a governor, legislature, local mayors, and a town council.

Anglo-Americans had begun to filter into the New Mexico territory as early as 1821. Several events, however, increased their numbers to the area. The first was war. War broke out between Mexico and the United States in 1846. This brought Anglo troops into the region. Additionally, trade along the Santa Fe Trail drew many enterprising Anglos. The United States began to recognize the potential of the territory and sent out troops to protect its interests. General Stephen Kearny rode into Santa Fe in August of 1846 and took it over with little resistance. New Mexico became a part of the United States with the signing of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in 1848. The Gadsden Purchase of 1853 added southwestern New Mexico and parts of Arizona to the United States’ own buffer zone.

For the Native Americans in the Southwest region, the years between 1840 and 1880’s were marked by displacement, starvation, violence, and suffering. As more Anglo-Americans moved into the territory, tribes of Comanche, Apache, Navajo, Chiricahua and others were one by one subdued and silenced. In 1868, the Navajos were force marched to Fort Sumner on what has come to be known as the ‘Long Walk.’ During the trip to Fort Sumner, men, women, and children walked hundreds of miles with no food or water and little more than the clothes on their backs. Many died on the way. Others perished upon arrival at the wretched camps created to house them.(5)

With the Indians now safely placed upon government controlled reservations, New Mexico’s lands seemed wide open and available. Unfortunately for all involved, this was not the case. Many Hispanic ranchers had lived and worked and owned property throughout the state. These ranchers were quickly displaced by land-grabbing Anglos. Additionally, both the Mexican and the Spanish governments donated lands to families or to military leaders such as conquistadores who had been particularly loyal to the government or the crown. Land grants were given both to individuals to manage and to large groups of multiple families to manage communally. Substantial land grants were also given to Native Americans. Boundary specifications of many land grants, however, were vague by Anglo-American standards. Numerous land grant recipients found themselves in a legal conundrum. Taxes were levied in these properties, often without the inhabitants even realizing a tax had been imposed. When taxes were not paid, the property would come up for sale. Clever, unscrupulous Anglo-American attorneys, territorial officials, land speculators, and other investors purchased the land at rock bottom prices. "The fact that great plots of land were taken over by Anglo-Americans, often through illegal means, only exacerbated the conflict between the Spanish-American and the Anglo-American in northern New Mexico."(6) Racial tensions felt in various regions of New Mexico today have roots in a tumultuous history that spans over one hundred years.

The mixture of Hispanic, Anglo-American, and Native American has provided New Mexico with intriguing political cultures. In areas of original Mexican or Spanish settlement, such as northern or central New Mexico, the control of local political institutions has remained unchanged for over three hundred years. The people tend to vote liberally on social and economic issues; yet cautiously on others. Another political culture exists on the east side of the state. This region of New Mexico is tied to Texas and Oklahoma; or, in other words: it is an area of conservative Democrats and Republicans. The northwest portion of the state has the majority of New Mexico’s Native American population. Because of their own tribal governments and council, participation by Native Americans in the state’s political affairs is limited. Native American legislative representation has increased, though, over the past thirty years.

The largest populated county, Bernalillo, is fairly representative of the entire state as a political culture. There is a mixture of Hispanic, Native American, African-American, and Anglo cultures along with ranchers, miners, industrial-scientific workers, and educators. There is a balance of liberal and conservative in the county.

New Mexico was Republican-based until FDR and the New Deal back in 1930’s. From that point on, New Mexico followed national trends. Locally, New Mexico remains Democratic. At the state and congressional level, however, there is a growing trend toward more Republican representation.(7)

In 1912, when New Mexico became a state, it implemented a fragmented executive system along with its state constitution. Through this executive system, the governor’s office has supreme executive powers. Despite many political power plays and attempts at reform, this system remains in place. New Mexico also has numerous other elected offices, including the treasurer and the attorney general. Other significant elected political offices are described in the constitution and each is designated with its own organizational administration as well as a sizable budget.

New Mexico’s legislature is a powerful force with the ability to impact the environment, raise taxes, and forever affect the lives of its citizens. Similar to the federal government, it is a bicameral legislature, which means it has two houses as a legislative body. New Mexico has a House of Representatives, comprised of seventy members, and a Senate, made up of forty-two senators. Representatives are elected to two-year terms; senators are elected to four-year terms.

The legislature convenes in Santa Fe at noon each year on the third day of January. In even numbered years, the legislature meets in its short session for thirty days. In odd numbered years, the legislature meets in its long session for sixty days. The governor has the power to call special sessions. The primary function of the legislature is to enact laws. However, as most Americans probably realize, the path from bill to law is fraught with near insurmountable obstacles.

Each year, more than two thousand bills are brought before the legislature. Because of this, the majority of work in the legislature is performed within committees. There are twenty-four standing committees between the House and the Senate. The House has fifteen committees: twelve committees consider legislation and report bills to the floor for a vote. These are called substantive committees. Three other committees are procedural. The Senate has nine standing committees. All of the Senate’s committees are substantive committees.

Appointments to all legislative committees are based upon the long-standing seniority rule in Santa Fe. Only senior, more experienced House and Senate members may serve on committees and only the most senior members may serve as committee chairs. Though this appears a sound procedure in terms of providing experienced House and Senate members for committees, the results are often negative. For example, the appointment of senior members does not necessarily mean these same members are supportive or even familiar with their particular committee issues. The Committees Committee appoints senate committee members. This committee consists of the president pro tem, or the President of the Senate; the majority and minority floor leaders; the majority and minority whips; five members of the majority party; and one member of the minority party.

In order for a bill to become law, it must first be supported by a legislator and presented in committee. A league of writers who are available for the committee’s use actually pen the documents and prepare them for presentation on the floor of the House. The sponsoring representative then presents the bill to the floor of the House or Senate. Both House and Senate must vote upon and pass the bill in exactly the same form. The bill then goes to the governor to be signed into law or vetoed. If vetoed by the governor, a bill might return to the committee where it originated for additional work or revision. Generally, though, most bills simply die. Because of legislative time restraints and busy dockets, hundreds of bills never even make it out of committee and on to the floor for consideration by either the House or the Senate.

In literature, students will first be asked to read orally the Dine creation story. This story tells of the four worlds the Dine passed through to reach the fourth world or present-day world. At the end of the story, the protagonist, Begochiddy, explains to the people how they must now live peacefully with each other. Students will be asked to write the words which Begochiddy might have spoken to his people, then they will present it orally. This is a quick one to two-day assignment.

Students will be assigned the following books to read during the first nine weeks.

Rio Grande Stories, by Carolyn Meyer
Miracles and Mysteries of New Mexico, by Jack Kutz
Turtle Dreams, by Gerald Hausman
Sing Down the Moon, by Scott O’Dell
The assignment for one of these stories is included:

This fiction book is a collection of stories and folktales from around New Mexico. The topic of each story in the book differs. One story tells the tale of an African-American in New Mexico; another story discusses the little-known history of Jews in the state; yet another story focuses upon a young Navaho boy’s life on the reservation.

For your assignment, you are to interview your grandmother or grandfather, or great aunt or uncle. The interviewee must be two generations removed from you. If you do not have any relatives two generations removed from you, you may interview a family friend or perhaps even a neighbor. Your interview may be conducted in person; it might be conducted over the phone, or you could even use e-mail to interview your subject.

In this interview, you will ask questions concerning folk legends or tales that which your subject can remember from childhood. For example, perhaps your interviewee can remember from childhood the story of Llorona. Or perhaps your subject has tales of escaping from Nazi Germany during the start of WWII. Whatever their story is, you must listen carefully to discover all the important details.

Next, your job is to write down this story. Take notes first about the story, then turn those notes into a narrative or retelling of the story.

Your narrative must be at least two pages long, typed, double spaced in 14-point (or smaller; nothing bigger!) serif font. At the beginning of the paper, write a brief paragraph which introduces your subject and answers the following questions:

1. What is the name of this person and what is their relationship to you?
2. Where and when did the interview take place?
3. Where and when was this person born?
4. What places has this person lived? Where have they lived the longest?
5. As this person was growing up, what were the lessons their parents taught them about life or dealing with other people? What sort of advice did they receive from their parents?
6. After asking this preliminary information, ask your interviewee to tell you a folk story they can remember. While you are listening to this story, you should take notes. Or, you may want to tape record your interview. A tape recording would be a great way to make certain you have all the details of their story.

After the interview, you must spend some time writing this story. Be certain to make your writing as interesting as possible: Use lots of adjectives!

The criteria for grading is as follows:

In science, students will first study the flora and fauna of New Mexico. This lesson will be introduced through a field trip to Shady Lakes. Students will be asked to collect water samples in a small jar. Students will also attempt to identify and illustrate five life forms they see at Shady Lakes. Back in the classroom, students will examine the pond water under a microscope and identify the microorganisms.

This first nine weeks, students will also study the six life zones found in New Mexico. These life zones, again, are lower Sonoran, upper Sonoran, transitional, Canadian, Hudsonian, Acrtic/alpine. For this assignment, students will work in groups to create a learning poster on butcher paper. Their poster must include the locations of their life zones, the flora and the fauna within their life zone. They will be asked to collect or create samples of the flora. Students must also conduct research into any environmental problems or issues which might affect their particular zone. Resources available to students include the Roberts New Mexico History text, as well as numerous field guides located in the classroom.

The final project in science, which will take approximately seven to nine weeks, will be a New Mexico Field Guide. Requirements for the field guide are:

As a Demonstration of Mastery for seventh grade science, all students will be required to created an annotated, illustrated field guide of native New Mexican flora and fauna.

A field guide is a book which provides pertinent, yet brief information on the plants and animals of a particular region. It is called a ‘field guide’ because it is often carried out in the field by hikers or nature enthusiasts to help identify plants and animals. The guide has photos or illustrations of plants or animals. It provides the Latin names of the plants and animals, as well as the common name. The book will provide information concerning the zone where this species lives. It might also provide information concerning the life cycle of the plant or animal.

YOUR field guide must have a total minimum of THIRTY ITEMS with at least three items from each of the Life Zones found in New Mexico:

• Ten trees
• Ten plants (wild flowers/weeds/grasses)
• Ten birds or animals
• Scientific or Latin name and common name of each item
• A minimum FIVE-sentence paragraph about EACH item in your book.
• Color illustration, photo, or computer graphic of each item.

You may, of course, choose to include MORE items in your book. This would improve your grade tremendously!
The text of your field guide must be typed. Illustrations may be imported graphics, imported photos, actual photos, or hand drawn.
Use the books provided in class for this assignment or use the school or local library.
This assignment is worth FOUR grades in science and language arts so DO YOUR VERY BEST WORK!

Students will study New Mexico history for approximately six weeks. Students will be randomly assigned to their research groups. The historical periods to be studied are, again: Pueblo People and their Ancestors; Spanish/Mexican Settlement; Territorial Period; Early Statehood to the end of the Depression; and the Manhattan Project. Of course, teachers may choose any period from New Mexico history with which they are familiar or think students should know. Resources available for student consumption include the school library; the public library; the computer lab with numerous encyclopaedia CD’s as well as Internet access; classroom set of the Robert’s New Mexico History text; numerous historical atlases; multiple copies of New Mexico Magazine. There are also dozens of other texts available such as New Mexico Government by Garcia and Hain and Ellis’ book, New Mexico History Past and Present. The rubric for the assignment is as follows:

______________ Research Paper – 100 points

_____________ Bibliography – 50 points

Minimum three-item bibliography in proper form. Typed. 14 point serif font

As evidenced by the rubric, several skills will be taught to prepare students for this assignment. Some of these skills include:

1. Research techniques: how to use both the public and school library; how to use Internet; how to look info up on microfiche; how to look up info on a CD ROM; how to scan materials for main idea.
2. Writing skills: how to take notes; how to brainstorm and organize thoughts; how to create sentences and paragraphs from notes; how to paraphrase; review five-paragraph essay
3. Review use of word processor
4. Proper bibliography form
5. New computer skill to be taught: PowerPoint 

In the course of this project, as students work and research, there will be benchmarks for each area of the rubric to help all class members stay on task. The first benchmark will be due the first week of the assignment. By the end of the first week, students must bring in two books they are using for research. By the end of the second week, students will be responsible for a two-page, double-spaced, handwritten rough draft of the history portion of their paper. Students need to show that at least they have begun some preliminary research on their topic. This is required of each student, not each group.

The culmination of the history research will be New Mexico Day presented in the school’s Great Room. Students will create areas in the room which represent their time period. They will prepare brief speeches which summarize each portion of their research. There will be music, dancing, and food! Other classes will be invited to visit. This will be the students’ Demonstration of Mastery for the nine weeks.

Following the study of New Mexico history, students will proceed to examine the structure of the state government. This portion of the lesson will take approximately two to three weeks. Introduction of this lesson will begin with a trip to Santa Fe to visit the capital building and the legislature.

Next, a guest speaker will discuss how the legislature functions. The guest speaker will be a judge or a county commissioner or an attorney from Albuquerque. Students will learn about the bicameral nature of the New Mexico legislature. They will learn about the House and the Senate and how those members are chosen. They will learn about the Speaker of the House and President Pro Tem. Other information concerning the legislature will be presented through lecture, discussion, and role playing in class. Students will also visit district court during this period.

Students will read about political parties in Scholastic Scope, (1990) and will be asked to discuss the platforms and agendas of the nation’s two largest political parties: Democrat and Republican. They will be asked to consider the need for political parties. Students will also be asked to consider if political parties are adequate. Do they represent the ideologies of all citizens in the country and if not, why not. Students will then create their political parties. Their political party creation will require the following information:

          1. Name, logo, motto for political party

          2. Party song/Party handshake

After filming is complete, students will begin the legislative simulation. This portion of the lesson will take six to seven weeks. Students will randomly divide up the class according to regions in the state. These regions will be Central, Northwest, Northeast, Southwest, and Southeast. Based on information students have gleaned from the history reports and creating their field guides, vital information about each region will be written down and posted on large butcher paper around the room. This vital information will include: 1. Three to five large cities in the region and approximate populations, 2. Significant natural resources; 3. Reservations or pueblos in the regions; 4. Tourist attractions in the region (Carlsbad Caverns, Elephant Butte, etc.); 5. Possible significant issues for their region; and 6. Political points of view in the region.

After students have divided up into regions and completed their mini-research into each region, they will be asked to consider representatives to represent their region in the legislature. All students will be asked to write a campaign speech in which they discuss the following information: 1. Name and length of time candidate has been a New Mexico resident; 2. Employment history (Babysitting? Yard work for dad?); 3. Their political party (the one they created); 4. Significant political or social issues (school issues) in which the candidate has been involved (Did they help get the school’s skateboard rule passed? Are they their class president?); 6. Rationale (Why?) for seeking political office. How will they be a good representative? Speech must be at least two pages long. It may be handwritten neatly in ink.

All students will be asked to present their campaign speeches before the class. Class will choose the top ten speakers, two for each region. Their choice will be based upon their candidate’s ability to speak well in public and their candidate’s ability to discuss the required issues previously listed.

Following the presentations of the campaign speeches, the ten chosen candidates will use the students assigned to their region to act as volunteers for their campaigns. There will be approximately five students per candidate to work on campaigns. Within these groups of volunteers, the students will decide on three to five work groups which will be needed for a successful campaign. One work group might be in charge of creating posters, flyers, and mailings. Another group might be in charge of television spots for their candidate. Still another group might be responsible for radio ads.

Candidates will have one week to campaign throughout school. They may make announcements over the intercom in the morning; they can also show their campaign ads on the local in-school TV newsmagazine. Computers will be used to create campaign posters and flyers. Early the next week, students will vote for the candidate of their choice. Even though students may have worked with one particular candidate, they are free to vote for whomever they choose.

All students will fill out the Bernalillo county form for voter registration. Student volunteers will compile a class list of eligible voters. The county clerk’s office will deliver a voting machine to any classroom or school free of charge. Students running for office will have their names placed in the voting machine. On a Tuesday, students will go to their voting district set up in the classroom (Central, Southwest, Northwest, Southeast, and Northeast) and give their name to the student clerk, and go vote. Clerk will cross off the name. Students will then vote in the voting booth!

After a winner from each district has been elected, the next order of business is to meet in the first legislative session and elect the president of legislature. In the interest of time and the desperate need for the teacher to remain sane, the classroom legislature will not be divided into House and Senate. There will be only the ‘legislature’. This will be discussed and explained to the students.

Next, regional students will meet with their respective representatives to suggest an issue for a committee to evaluate and study. Their representative will appoint the members of the region part of the committee. The chairperson of the committee will be chosen by seniority based on birth dates. When students canvass their fellow classmates, they will be assigned classes based upon school ‘regions’ : Southeast corner classes; Southwest corner classes, etc. Committee chairs, along with the Committee members, will then canvass the school and determine what their constituency feels are significant issues for the school. This will take place through surveys in the first period homeroom class and by questions asked during lunch. Several days will be devoted to gathering information. Students will then discuss their findings in class. With teacher guidance, each committee (region) will come up with an issue and turn it into a bill. The bill will ultimately be discussed on the floor of the classroom legislature.

The committee will then research their issue. One significant issue at school is crossing guards on the main street. Currently, there are no crossing guards. Teachers have acted as crossing guards and risked their lives getting students safely across the street. This issue is of tremendous concern because seven students have been hit by cars in the crosswalk over the past five years. Students, teachers, and parents are aware of the problem and danger. If the issue is a crossing guard, students will generate a list of people they might speak to concerning this situation. They could question students about the degree of danger they feel crossing the road; they could speak to the principal about past attempts to get a crossing guard; they could question the on-campus police officer about his/her opinion and APD’s (Albuquerque Police Department) rationale for not providing crossing guards to middle schools. Finally, students could ask teachers about past incidents and accidents in the crosswalk.

Once committee members have compiled their research on their school topic, they will regroup in their committees to discuss their findings. They will discuss what they need in terms of a bill or law; what would they like to see happen? During this process, students will have a mini-lesson from a legislator on bill writing and the elements needed to create an excellent bill. Students will have several days to draft their bill.

The regular session of the in-class legislature will meet. Committee chairs will be called upon to present their issue and their bill. Chairs will provide history of their issue, present the results of their research, and then present their bill. All members of the legislature will vote yea or nay on the bill. Those bills that are approved will next be presented by committee chairs to the school’s SRC, or School Restructuring Committee. This committee is responsible for all major changes which occur throughout the school. The bills will also be presented to the Parent-Teacher-Student group known as the PTSO.

The success of this lesson is based upon the teacher’s ability to lead their students toward self-guided work. Students must always be encouraged to be self-directed learners, collaborative workers, quality producers, and complex thinkers. These are the qualities necessary to become life-long learners.

Notes

Aaron Chávez

Introduction

Who am I? What do I believe and why? Where do I come from? What defines that place? Who are my parents? What do they stand for? What do I stand for?

As adults we have constructed our individual identities by asking ourselves these questions as they apply to our political, psychological, familial, social, and neighborhood cultures. The information that is gathered then becomes integral structural matter for what ideally will be an accurate self-identity and awareness. For an eighth-grade student in the throes of forming an identity, beginning such an odyssey only further plunges them into not one, but layered abysses of confusion rather than singular clarity. Add components of poverty, socio-political issues, and ethnic and geographic isolation into the mix, and deeper difficulties present themselves.

Most educators would agree that an important goal of teaching is to help students become independent and confident learners. One strategy for accomplishing this is to encourage students to value education; to feel that school is where they belong. But rarely does education succeed in filling the gaps left as adolescents pull away from parental structures of support and identity in order to create their own. Instead, they find the sense of belonging they crave in sports, friends, the mall, video games, or less fortunately in more negative "support" structures like gangs. Public education is not geared toward attracting student belonging. Such failure is caused by an inadequate focus on the psychological process of self-discovery that is at the core of adolescent development. This unit will focus on facilitating the development of individual, cultural, and political awareness of my eighth-grade students by providing them the means for a self-directed inquiry into the conditions, ideas, and issues that shape their communities, families, and lives.

Student Background

The students of Ernie Pyle Middle School are affected by poverty, a singular ethnicity, high mobility (movement in and out of the school's district), and low achievement. Eighty-five percent of students qualify for free or reduced lunch, 90 percent are Hispanic, 33 percent of those who begin middle school at Ernie Pyle do not complete the eighth grade there, and test scores are the second-lowest of all Albuquerque middle schools. Many students come from broken homes and extended families with members who are incarcerated, drug users, absent, or dead. Ironically, it is precisely these family structures that pervade the South Valley, on which students have come to rely, and through which they construct a web of emotional, psychological, and intellectual support. I hope to exploit this reliance and provide students with methods to delve into their families, learn from them, and eventually create stronger, deeper, and more lasting ties.

In fact, familial associations are the first avenues through which students connect with the social and political communities around them. The sense of community is very strong in the South Valley of Albuquerque, New Mexico. Students aren't complete members of this community, but they often demonstrate a strong sense of it, for example, when they identify with the South Valley as opposed to the Heights and other, predominantly Anglo, parts of town. Only after students were told that they represent the South Valley and that the rest of the city was looking at them, did standardized test scores go up 31% in one year.¹ When being interviewed, residents often speak of particular ideals associated with the place, people, and culture of the South Valley: "What brings people together in the Valley? The want to be there; the happiness to be there (Tom Chávez, in the NMEH South Valley Oral History Project, 1995-1996)."

Life in the South Valley is often distinctly separate from life in the city proper.² This disconnection stems from several perceived and concrete factors that exist in the relationship. Such geographical, political, socio-economic, cultural, and psychological boundaries create in the South Valley identifiable cultures and ways of thinking that exist in many ways outside of the mainstream belief system of greater Albuquerque. Such an environment allows the valley to retain a very strong and vibrant individuality.

Bordered on the south by Interstate 25, on the east by Interstate 25 and the Rio Grande, on the north by Interstate 40, and on the west by the volcanic cliffs of the West Mesa, the South Valley is geographically isolated from the city.³ Most residents live in a rural setting on 1/2 acre of land or more in houses their families may have occupied for several years, if not generations (Gonzales, 1993). Farm animals such as horses, llamas, and even peacocks are not an uncommon sight. These facets of life are part of what defines the valley and the state of mind of those who live here; a state of mind that is rural rather than urban, relaxed rather than stressed, and familial rather than individual. Students at Ernie Pyle are necessarily shaped and influenced by these surroundings and local cultural systems.

Content, Strategies, and Goals

1. This curriculum unit is designed to assist students from the South Valley with their first forays into "self-hood" by allowing them to investigate their connections with their families, communities, and state. The unit's goals are to provide students with: I. a knowledge of long-standing and recent political issues in the South Valley and New Mexico;
2. a knowledge of past and current local and state governmental institutions;
3. an examination of the history of social, political, and cultural involvement of their families;
4. self-awareness through individual explorations of their own participation in political and cultural discussions; and
5. the ability to research information.

Phases I and II of the unit are closely linked and designed, when combined with phase V, to provide students with sufficient background information for them to complete the more personal aspects of phases III and IV. Though created for this specific group of kids, parts of the unit can easily be modified for all students based on their places of residence.

I & II: New Mexico and South Valley Politics and Institutions

In New Mexico, historic and current political themes are rife with issues that directly affect life in the South Valley. Land grants, water rights and contamination, and social and cultural identity all affect the way people live now and have lived for many years. Increased knowledge of subjects that are important to the state, their community, and their family will allow students to be more precise in identifying the issues that are important to them. Instruction in this part of the unit includes readings and guest speakers on specific issues as well as a field trip to the Atrisco Land Grant on which some of my students live (Gonzales, 1993; Hain, Garcia, St. Clair, 1994).⁴

Land grants have been and continue to be important in New Mexico and national politics (there are two bills now before the U.S. Congress, one of which would create a committee to study the issue). Commonly, legal heirs to land claims have had their land taken from them illegally or extra-legally (Ebright, 1994). Topics to explore include property rights, cultural identity, ideas of place, Native American concerns, and a history of oppression. In one lesson, students will examine the "first come, first served" argument put forth by some heirs seeking recognition and restitution of their grants (See Example Lesson #1). Another analysis of place will center on an examination of recent ballot initiatives that, if passed, would have created out of the South Valley a new county (The Bureau, 1996).

Contamination of water is of paramount concern in Albuquerque's South Valley. Water pollution in the Albuquerque area has two causes: industrial and residential. Industrial contamination was created by an Air Force plant operated by General Electric and activities associated with Kirtland Air Force Base in the 1950's. These included dumping heavy metals, petroleum products, and other materials into the watershed of the aquifer under the city of Albuquerque. This site was designated an EPA superfund site and will take about 60 years to clean up. The areas affected include the Mountain View and San Jose neighborhoods of the South Valley (Western Water Consultants, 1985). Contamination of ground water due to widespread use of private wells and septic systems in the South Valley is less common. However, as water resources become strained and septic systems outdated, the problem could intensify (Keller and Gallaher, 1987).

Another factor in the discussion of water rights and contamination involves Isleta Pueblo, which borders the South Valley on the South. The people of Isleta routinely bathe in the Rio Grande as part of religious ceremonies. Because of this, federal courts have determined that the city of Albuquerque must help maintain the water quality of the river at a high enough level to allow residents of Isleta Pueblo to continue practicing their customs. Exploration of this topic will involve a review of the above publications. Connections will be made with the Science curriculum with a review of specific contaminants and the problems with each.

Finally, the topic of water in general will be introduced with a simple brainstorming activity on the roles and importance of irrigation ditches, which students experience in their daily lives. These canals were first created by pueblo peoples and then were enhanced by Spaniards seeking to establish farm- and ranch-based communities along the Rio Grande. The acequias are taken for granted in the valley: kids play or walk along them; people fish in the larger ones; and in the past (before contamination) it was common to swim in them. Much of the land in the South Valley is still tied to the irrigation system in the form of water rights granted by Spain. These cannot be separated from the land. Another inroad into this information could be provided by a guest speaker from the Middle Rio Grande Conservancy District, the government agency that oversees the irrigation systems.

It is possible that many of the above issues will create a negative image of the South Valley as historically inferior, subjugated, and oppressed. For this reason, much of the instruction will be designed to highlight the fact that the people of the South Valley have persevered and thrived despite their hardships. And, mentioned above and elsewhere in this unit, emphasis will also be given to the many positive attributes of this community. It is important to keep in mind the goal of teaching students about themselves in a way that allows them to have pride in who they are and where they come from.

In order to understand the role of community in their lives, students will investigate state and local agencies, their functions, and how they fit into more neighborhood-oriented institutions like health clinics, community centers, churches, etc. Study of these issues and institutions will begin with texts (Hain and Garcia, 1994) and pamphlets from local service providers. Once informed of some public services and policies, students will hear more detail from two guest speakers about functions and purposes of those policies. Also, students will examine their or their families' experiences with one of these agencies. Experiences could range from dealings with the courts or police, working at a job, to going to a health clinic. Experiences for each class will be compiled into giant webs showing the overall structure of local government and community institutions and their connections to each other. Students will analyze their experience with the institutions of community in expository form and will then begin to describe their experiences with the cultures of the community.

III & IV: Student and Family Political Involvement, Ideology, and Culture

Knowledge of New Mexico and South Valley politics will allow students to delve into the next aspect of the unit--exploration of the political and cultural history of their families. Families in the South Valley are most often deeply-rooted, close-knit, non-nuclear, and extended. Grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins are a common presence in the lives, and often households, of many students. For many children, grandparents or aunts and uncles are the only caregivers because of absent parents. In other cases, extended families assist with childcare after school if the parents work nights or have two jobs. Such close contact with past generations provides the students of the valley with a unique opportunity to delve into the beliefs held by their families, the history of these beliefs, and how they fit into the paradigms of the South Valley, Albuquerque, and the larger world. Such perspectives are in constant interaction with one another and help create the cultural and political expressions of communities. It will also be emphasized that these communities have existed for hundreds of years and were originally settled in the Spanish and Mexican periods long before New Mexico became a territory of the United States in 1848.

A community’s cultural expressions are nearly boundless. Art, music, the look of a neighborhood, food, religion, attitudes, and other factors all help bring those boundaries into focus. Students will choose one aspect of their culture to observe and then participate in. Before this, they will create a list of questions to ask themselves as they are experiencing this event. Answers to these questions will help guide them in producing a narrative of the experience, which, along with the expository piece mentioned above, will later be expanded and integrated into the culminating project.

In addition to this self-selected topic, students will read poems (Vergara, 1975; Anaya, 1987), folk tales (Hayes, 1992; Ulibarri, 1977), and a short story ("The Birthday Party," Sedillo, Michelle; in Anaya, 1987). We will analyze standard elements of fiction such as tone, voice, setting, narration, etc. However, another important focus of their analyses will be the students' ability to identify social, political, and cultural elements of each piece and how these and their interpretations affect meaning (See Example Lesson # 2). Helping students see the cultural and political themes in their own narratives described above will be integral to this lesson.

The fundamental project of this segment of the unit involves two interviews of grandparents and other family members about their social, religious, and political beliefs and activities (See Example Lessons # 3 and # 4). How and why were they created? How and why have they changed? What are they now? In addition to hearing a guest speaker on the process of interviewing, each class will observe a realistic in-class interview. Students also will read excerpts of interviews from magazines and newspapers (Ritchie, 1995). Historic narratives and products of interviews of New Mexicans will also be used to give students an idea of how to let their subjects tell a story (Elasser, MacKenzie, and Tixier y Vigil, 1980; Griego, 1985). These interviews will provide a broad base of information from which the students can explore in more detail not only the political and cultural experiences of their families but also their own. Students will also use information they discover to describe aspects of their specific family culture and will write a narrative depicting a cultural experience important to one member of their family. Examples include matanzas, quinceñeras,⁵ fiestas, music, weddings, food, language, etc. Students will also respond to the social and political content of their interviews by providing their own opinions of these matters in written form as addenda to the interviews.

After exploration of these specific events, students will define a cultural category their event fits into (food, art, dance, etc.). They will then extend their narratives into more detailed research of the cultural milieu they've identified. Students will then connect their individual experiences with the agencies, issues, and cultural foundations that are integral to their, indeed any, community.

V: Research

During this phase, students will employ research strategies using the internet, school and public libraries, and community resources. Planned as a fourth-quarter unit, students will have had much practice in these skills. Also, prior to creating and giving interviews, students will have instruction and practice making and doing them. A professional interviewer, perhaps a journalist or social science ethnographer (Carlos Vasquez, director of the NMEH South Valley Oral History Project, for example), will be utilized as a guest speaker, and any students working on the school newspaper can give pointers. Interviews of family and community members will then become primary sources of information which students can add to related secondary sources. By sharing available school- and student-owned tape-recorders, students will be able to perform accurate and professional work. Investigation of that which is close and important to them will supply inherent self-motivation for students to construct specific, intelligent, and creative interviews of their families (Ritchie, 1995).

Timeline

The length of time for the whole unit will be six to seven weeks. Parts one and two will last seven to ten days depending on the knowledge students bring to the class. Because New Mexico History is required in seventh grade and most students have grown up in the South Valley, it is assumed that prior knowledge will be significant. At 13 to 15 days, parts three and four will take the bulk of time in the unit. This will be needed for students to write narratives, interviews, and final projects and also so students can schedule time with interviewees. The research phase will take no more than three days, including a guest speaker on interviewing. As a fourth-quarter unit, much time will have been spent over the year on how to search for, find, use, and cite information.

Final Unit Project

In keeping with the self-directed nature of this unit, the student's own interests and creativity will help determine the selection of format for the final project. Examples of formats include making a comic book, magazine, or newspaper, performing an original play or a group of poems, rewriting or fictionalizing historic events, and even a standard research paper. In a sense, students will be creating a historical fiction; a fiction not about some distant and possibly meaningless event, but one about themselves and their families.

The culminating activity will be a presentation to the class by each student that integrates all other products of the unit. Presentations will be designed to teach the class about the one issue/agency/topic that has been the focus of each student's work. Audience members will be required to ask intelligent questions about each presentation. Likewise, presenters will be expected to be prepared to answer these questions appropriately. Using their work, students will then educate each other about their belief systems and those of their families.

This project requires students to use their relatively new knowledge of New Mexico and the South Valley to focus inquiries into the social, political, and cultural histories of their families. From this information, students will narrow their focus onto themselves and decide what some of their opinions are about current and past political issues, their families, neighborhoods and cultures. Such self-examination will lead to an awareness grounded in many different contexts that will provide a broad scope of knowledge but also feed into the narrow purpose of self-definition.

Example Lesson # 1: Land Grants: first come, first served?

Objective
To expand student knowledge of New Mexico land grants and the complex issues surrounding them.

Background

This lesson is based on the idea that there have been two colonizations of New Mexico. The first began in the late 1500's with the arrival of Spanish Conquistadores who settled New Mexico as a territory of Spain. Included in this settlement was an imposition of social and political structures on Indians who lived here. The second period of colonization began in the 1800's with an influx of Anglo settlers. Since many of the political and social systems had already been Europeanized by the Spaniards, Anglos focused on acquiring political power and capital in the form of land. The effects of both periods permeate the issues surrounding land grants (Ebright, 1994).

Preparation # 1

Divide students into three groups representing Anglo Settlers, Spanish/Mexican Settlers, and Native Americans. Give each group a posterboard map of New Mexico that is colored to indicate fertile and arid lands. Tell each group they can have approximately one-third of the land and they get to choose it. Using ten pieces of construction paper (these can be identical or of differing shapes) and thumbtacks, each group marks off the land they want. Each piece of paper represents an area of land. To make the lesson more meaningful/emotional for the students, each piece of paper also represents two Hershey's Kisses.

Presentation and Discussion

Each group will present its map and explain why it chose its land and what it plans to do with it. Discussion of fertile vs. arid land, water sources, climate, and animal food sources will help define issues involving land and what makes it desirable, not only as a resource, but as a place to inhabit.

Preparation # 2

After presentations and discussion, students will return to their groups. The Spanish/Mexican group will be given a small amount of fake guns and money in secret (in the hall) and will be told in private that they are to use these to acquire three pieces of construction paper from the Native American group. The Anglo group will be given a large amount of fake guns and money in secret and will be told in private that they are to use these to acquire nine pieces of construction paper from the Spanish/Mexican group and four from the Native American group. The Spanish/Mexican group will be told in private that they will be asked questions by the Anglo group and that they are only allowed to say 'yes' or 'OK.' The Native American group will be told that they will be asked questions by both of the other groups and that they are only allowed to say 'yes' or 'OK.'

Colonization

Once all groups are reassembled in the classroom, the Spanish/Mexican group will take land away from the Native American group. This will be followed by the Anglo group, which will take land from both of the other groups. All newly-acquired pieces of "land" will be added to that group's map. Groups that have had land taken away cannot rearrange their pieces. Finally, according to how many pieces of land each group has, Hershey's Kisses will be distributed.

Discussion/Assessment

After a pause allowing for the activities to sink in, the teacher will lead a discussion focusing on the feelings and thoughts of those who have conquered and those who have been defeated. Why do things like this happen continually in world history? How is what you are feeling, particularly the conquerors, related to why domination continues? What can be done to end these ways of behavior or prevent them from occurring? Can you compare this experience to similar situations in the world that have happened or that are happening now? Examination of these questions and the emotions and thoughts they analyze will be done in a journal due the next day.

Example Lesson # 2: Identifying social, cultural, and political aspects of poetry, folk tales, and short stories.

Objective

Students will create personal connections with their culture through analysis of Chicano literature.

Brainstorming

What are those things that define society, politics, and culture? How do your narratives of experiences with public agencies deal with culture and politics? How has art you have seen in public (murals, paintings, etc.) included elements of politics and culture?

As these questions are posed and others arise, the teacher writes responses on the board or overhead. The teacher then groups these into categories which are labeled by the students.

Discussion

The above process and its product will be discussed to further enumerate any hidden nuances.

Reading

Read aloud a poem or very short story to the students. This piece should have overt political and cultural content so students can start off well while easing themselves into a new way of thinking about art. Perhaps begin with "Heart of the Great Southwest," "Immigrant," or "Acoma (1610)" (Vergara, 1975) or "Once A Man Knew His Name," "Grito With Hope," or "Grand Slam" (Anaya, 1987).

Discussion

With the categories and listing on the board, have students identify aspects of politics and culture in the piece. As they do this, check off those that are included. Once this is done, press students to extract meaning from their analysis. It is less important to know what aspects of politics and culture may be included in a work of art than it is to be able to articulate what that presence means to the piece. Questions such as What does it mean that Vergara used 1610 in the title? What happened then? and Why does Vasquez switch from Spanish to English to Spanish? may aid students. An important aspect of this and similar lessons is imparting a sense of respect for multiple languages, including Spanish.

Activity

Students will produce their own work of art and include several cultural and political elements that are important to them. These will be exchanged in groups and group members will try to identify the cultural and political elements in these works.

Assessment

Assessment will be limited to observing how well students can include identified cultural and political elements into their art and how well they identify it in the works of others. Creating a worksheet which students could use when analyzing other's work might be useful

Example Lesson # 3: How to interview a subject (a close relative): A Handout of General Guidelines for Students, adapted from Ritchie, 1995.

• Introduce yourself and explain why you are interviewing them and what it will be used for.
• Ask open-ended questions. What it was like when you went to school? instead of Where did you go to school?
• Your purpose is to gather stories, memories, and impressions.
• Start with general questions to allow the subject to become more comfortable. Once this is achieved, you can begin to ask more specific and detailed questions. But keep in mind, you are there to hear their stories.
• Ask questions about what they've told you; this is a good way to add detail. It will also make the interview seem more natural than if you just read questions off a script.
• Try to put subjects at ease--they probably feel just as nervous as you.
• Be attentive to the subject's needs. Are they uncomfortable? Are they only giving short answers?
• Be patient in letting the subject give complete responses. A pause may be just to catch their breath.
• As you interview, look for that key question that might get your subject to really open up and be comfortable with you.⁶
• Keep an eye on the tape. Don't let it run out!
• If you think the subject is comfortable with you but may be running out of things to say, ask to see any photographs they may have. These may spark their memory and lead to more information.
• Your interview shouldn't last more than an hour and a half.
• At the end of the interview, tell subjects that they were helpful and appreciated and they will be given a transcript of the interview.

Example Lesson #4: Brainstorming to create a list of questions all students will ask in the interview. Note: this will be added to students' individual question lists.

Objective

To create a baseline of information which can be looked at in scientific terms regarding individual interviews at a certain time and a broad scope of interviews over a long period of time.

Background Information

Remind students of the scope of the project and that their work could become part of a long-term historical document. Discuss scientific information-gathering procedures and the importance of being able to cross-reference different responses over a period of several years. In light of this and once students have begun to view the project more broadly, go on to the next step.

Preparation Questions

What information do we need to know? What is important about living here? Write down all responses and help select appropriate groups of questions. Possible questions include: How have traditional Mexican and Hispanic cultures changed? What are the primary differences now compared with 20 or 40 years ago? What is the role of grandparents in your lives? Who are and were the important community leaders?

Work

Students will be given 10-15 minutes to write down three to five questions for a common list of questions. If there is enough time, the list will be compiled on the same day. Otherwise, this will be their homework and the list will be compiled and distributed in the days following.

Assessment

A simple pass/fail determined by observation of whether they completed the assignment.

Unit Overview

Week One

• Information on the overall unit, the assignments, and how they fit together. Brainstorming and discussion of several key concepts of the unit: land and water rights, community and cultural identity, aspects of culture and politics, and family.
• Readings related to land grants (Ebright, 1994) and Indian, Chicano, and Anglo perspectives of them (Hain, Garcia, and St. Clair, pp. 187-205).
• First come, first served lesson on land grants (see Example Lesson # 1).
• Field trip to Atrisco Land Grant in the South Valley with a talk by heirs.
• Readings on other issues related to South Valley: new county proposals (The Bureau, 1996)and wastewater contamination (Keller and Gallaher, 1987). Journal writing: what does it mean to live in the South Valley?

Week Two

• Discussion of students’ experience with local government and private service providers. Handout of an outline of the structure of New Mexico government, based on Hain, Garcia, and St. Clair, 1994. Readings of pamphlets from health clinics, community centers, churches, police stations, etc.
• Students have a family member discuss an experience with one of the above community institutions. With notes from "interview," write an expository piece based on the experience.
• Continue expository writing. Discussion of experiences with interviewing such as note-taking, listening skills, comfort of both participants, major problems etc.

Week Three

• Students create a list of questions to ask themselves about a cultural item/event (food, religion, art, etc.). They experience this event and afterwards use these questions to write a narrative of their experience.
• Continue writing narrative and peer editing of narrative.
• Read poems, short stories and folk tales. Analyze standard elements of fiction.
• Read poems, short stories and folk tales. Analyze cultural, political, and social elements of fiction (see Example Lesson # 2).
• Analyze cultural, political, and social elements of student narratives. Students begin to schedule their interviews of family members for the end of Week Four. Interviews must be completed by Wednesday of Week Five. Interviews will be tape-recorded.

Week Four

• Review problems associated with "interviews" of family members during Week One. Provide handout "How to Interview a Close Relative" from Ritchie, 1995, and discuss. Read interviews and historic narratives based on interviews (Elasser, MacKenzie, and Tixier y Vigil, 1980; Griego, 1985).
• Brainstorming: since we want to know about the social, religious, and political beliefs and activities of family members, what kinds of questions do we need to ask? Use this time and handout to help students learn appropriate questioning strategies. Watch a video of interviews.
• Students come in with a list of five questions and expand it to 20. In groups, students read their questions to each other to check for appropriateness and quality.
• Guest speaker on the process of interviewing and a mock interview for the students to observe.
• Students come in with second set of five questions for second interview and expand it to 20 questions.

Week Five

• Instruction in the format of writing an interview. Begin transcribing and responding to interviews and writing narrative of a cultural experience important to a family member (due Friday).
• Continue work on transcribing and responding to interviews and writing cultural experience narrative.
• Continue writing as above. Read aloud to students "White Mice" (Author?) in eighth-grade literature textbook. Interviews due.
• Continue writing as above and include peer editing of narrative. Define cultural category (food, dance, art, politics, etc.) of family experience narrative. Begin research of that category (paper due Friday of Week Six with three drafts).
• Continue writing and editing as above. Continue research of cultural theme using library, internet, and student interviews of family as sources. Narratives due with one peer edit.

Week Six

• (All Week) Continue research and writing of cultural theme paper. Paper should be typed, but not required. Must have correct bibliographic information, even when citing your own interview as a source.
• Paper due Friday along with: expository piece about a family experience with institutions of community; questions about a cultural event and a narrative based on that experience; a narrative based on the cultural experience of a family member; and transcribed interviews of two family members. Note: although students have turned all these in previously save the research paper, I find having them compile several assignments so they can be turned in as one large work gives students a sense of pride in what they've accomplished.

Week Seven

• Presentations to class and discussion about each presentation.

Conclusion

It is hoped that this unit will empower my students by giving them access to their community. This access will provide ways in which they can create positive images of their lives which are not readily available from the media. Indeed, negative perceptions of the South Valley and the people who live there are held by most residents of Albuquerque, teachers in valley schools, and by South Valley communities themselves. These long-held perceptions serve to maintain the status quo of poverty and underdevelopment in valley communities and powerlessness, apathy, and underachievement in students of these communities. Only by changing the students’ perceptions of themselves will they be able to change the perceptions of others. Helping students create positive self-identities will go a long way to accomplishing this. More importantly, a more positive self-image will begin to open students' minds to the possibilities before them and the wondrous things they can achieve.

Notes

1. Students in New Mexico are required to take the Terra Nova, a standardized test, in the sixth, eighth, and 10th grades. Students at Ernie Pyle received a percentile score of 24.5 in 1998. In 1999, their score was 31. A score at the 50th percentile puts one at the national average.

2. In fact, much of the South Valley is not part of the city, never having been incorporated and left out of annexations of other old, suburban, mostly Chicano and Hispanic neighborhoods in 1948 and 1949 (Gonzales, p. 158). Efforts as recent as 1996 have failed to pass ballot initiatives in favor of making the South Valley into a new county.

3. For local flavor in distinguishing these boundaries, the manuscripts of the NMEH (New Mexico Endowment for the Humanities) South Valley Oral History Project have been helpful as well as entertaining. Transcripts of interviews reveal many varying viewpoints of South Valley boundaries, but all seem to have very specific ideas of exactly where the valley ends and the rest of the world, here represented by Albuquerque, begins.

4. Land grants have sporadically become hot topics in various areas of New Mexico, including the South Valley. Land originally given to Spanish and Mexican colonists by the King of Spain was legitimized with the signing of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in 1848 by the U.S. and Mexican governments. Many feel this treaty has not been honored and that land has been unjustly taken away from heirs of original land grant recipients.

5. A matanza is a spring-time celebration in which a family butchers a pig, goat, or both, often cooking them over several days in a pit dug in the ground and filled with coals. Its literal meaning is killing or slaughter. A quinceñera is a rite-of-passage celebration for girls who have just turned 15. It marks the movement away from childhood into womanhood.

6. This is modeled on the "home run question" attributed to Studs Terkel and his interviewing technique by Ritchie, 1995, p. 69.

Bibliography

Achor, Shirley. Mexican Americans in a Dallas Barrio. Tucson: University of Arizona Press. 1978.

Anaya, Rudolfo. Editor. Voces: An Anthology of Nuevo Mexicano Writers. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press. 1988.

Anaya, Rudolfo and Marquez, Antonio. Editors. Cuentos Chicanos: A Short Story Anthology. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press. 1984.

Crawford, Stanley. Mayordomo: Chronicle of an Acequia in Northern New Mexico. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press. 1988.

DeMark, Judith Boyce. Editor. Essays in 20th Century New Mexico History. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press. 1994.

Ebright, Malcolm. Land Grants and Lawsuits in Northern New Mexico. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press. 1994

Elsasser, Nan, MacKenzie, Kyle, and Tixier y Vigil, Yvonne. Editors. Las Mujeres: Conversations From a Hispanic Community. Old Westbury, New York. The Feminist Press. 1980.

Etulain, Richard W. Editor. Contemporary New Mexico: 1940-1990. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press. 1994

Gonzales, Phillip B. 1993. "Historical Poverty, Restructuring Effects, and Integrative Ties: Mexican American Neighborhoods in a Peripheral Sunbelt Economy." In Joan Moore and Raquel Pinderhughes, editors. In the Barrios: Latinos and the Underclass Debate. New York: Russell Sage Foundation. 1993.

Griego, Alfonso. Voices of the Territory of New Mexico: An oral history of people of Spanish descent and early settlers born during the Territorial days. Albuquerque: Alfonso Griego. 1985.

Hain, Paul L., Garcia, F. Chris, and St. Clair, Gilbert K. Editors. New Mexico Government: Third Edition. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press. 1994.

Hayes, Joe. Everyone Knows Gato Pinto: More Tales From Spanish New Mexico. Santa Fe: Mariposa Publishing. 1992.

Hayes, Joe. Audiocassette. Everyone Knows Gato Pinto: More Tales From Spanish New Mexico. Santa Fe: Trails West Publishing. 1992.

Keller, Natalie S. and Gallaher, B.M. Ground-water Quality in the Albuquerque South Valley, Albuquerque, New Mexico. Santa Fe: New Mexico Health and Environment Department. 1987.

McMahan, Eva M. and Rogers, Kim Lacy. Editors. Interactive Oral History Interviewing. Hillsdale, New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. 1994.

NMEH South Valley Oral History Project, Center for Southwest Research, General Library, University of New Mexico. 1995-1996.

Ritchie, Donald A. Doing Oral History: Practical Advice and Reasonable Explanations for Anyone. New York: Twayne Publishers. 1995.

Roberts, Calvin A. and Roberts, Susan A. A History of New Mexico: Revised Edition. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press. 1991.

Sanchez, Joseph P. Don Fernando Duran y Chaves's Land and Legacy. Albuquerque: Spanish Colonial Research Center, National Park Service. 1998.

Sedillo, Michelle. 1987. "The Birthday Party." in Anaya, Rudolfo. Voces: An Anthology of Nuevo Mexicano Writers. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press. 1988.

Serrano, Rudolfo G. Los Bareleños: A Photographic Essay. Bakersfield, California: Sierra Printers. 1976.

Serrano, Rudolfo G. Ethnography of a Contemporary Chicano Community. Albuquerque: Barelas Community Project Records, Center For Southwest Research, General Library, University of New Mexico. 1877-1985.

Simmons, Marc. Albuquerque: A Narrative History. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press. 1982.

Ulibarri, Sabine R. My Grandma Smoked Cigars and Other Stories of Tierra Amarilla. Berkeley: Quinto Sol Publications. 1977.

University of New Mexico. Bureau of Business and Economic Research. Fiscal Analysis of the Proposed New County in the South Valley Unincorporated Areas of Bernalillo County. Albuquerque: The Bureau. 1996.

Vergara, Lautaro. Dos Caminos: Two Pathways And Other Poems of The Southwest. Wichita Falls: Nortex Press. 1975.

Vogel, Albert W. Barelas, Arenal, and Los Lunas: A Photographic Essay on Poverty in New Mexico. Albuquerque: Division of Research, Department of Political Science, University of New Mexico. 1967.

Waggoner, Laura. San Jose: A Study in Urbanization. Albuquerque: Waggoner. 1941.

Student Reading List

Acuna, Rudolph, The Story of Mexican Americans: The Men and the Land, New York: American Book Company, 1969

Beck, Warren A. and Haase, Ynez D., Historical Atlas of New Mexico, Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1969

Brayer, Garnet, M, ed. Land of Enchantment: Memoirs of Marian Russell along the Santa Fe Trail, revised ed., Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, 1993

Dodge, Natt N., Flowers of the Southwest Deserts, Phoenix: McGraw Publising Co., 1961

Garcia,Chris F., Hain, Paul L., Rhodes, Harold V., State and Local Government in New Mexico, Albuquerque, University of New Mexico Press, 1979

Hausman, Gerald, Turtle Dreams, Santa Fe: Mariposa Printing and Pub. Co., 1989

Hobbs, Will, The Big Wander, New York: Avon Books, 1994

Ivey, Robert DeWitt, Flowering Plants of New Mexico, Albuquerque: Robert DeWitt Ivey, 1983

Jenkins, Mary Ellen and Schroeder, Albert H., A Brief History of New Mexico, Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, 1974

Kutz, Jack, Miracles and Mysteries of New Mexico: A Guidebook to the Genuinely Bizarre in the Land of Enchantment, Corrales, NM: Rhombus Pub. Com., 1989

Lavash, Donald R. A Journey Through New Mexico History, revised ed., Bishop Publishing Co., 1980

Pearce, T. M., Ed., New Mexico Place Names: A Geographical Dictionary, Albuquerque: University Press, 1965

Poe, Sophie A., Buckboard Days, Albuquerque: University of New Mexico, 1981

Meyer, Carolyn, Rio Grande Stories, New York: Harcourt Brace & Company, 1994

O’Dell, Scott, Sing Down the Moon, New York: Bantam, Double day, Dell Publishing Group, 1970

Roberts, Calvin A. and Roberts, Susan A., A History of New Mexico, revised ed., Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, 1991

Vigil, Arnold, Ed., Day Trip Discoveries: Selected New Mexico Excursions, Santa Fe: New Mexico Magazine, 1993

Yue, Charlotte and David Yue, The Pueblo, New York: Houghton Mifflin, 1986

Bibliography

Beck, Warren A. and Haase, Ynez D., Historical Atlas of New Mexico, Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1969

Brayer, Garnet, M, ed. Land of Enchantment: Memoirs of Marian Russell Along the Santa Fe Trail, revised ed., Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, 1993

Brown, Dee, Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee, New York: Holt, Reinhart & Winston, Inc., 1971

Coulter, Catherine A. and Rebecca Maldonado Crooks, eds., Indian Perspectives in New Mexico History, New Mexico Indian Education Association, 1991

Ebright, Malcolm, Land Grants and Lawsuits in Northern New Mexico, Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, 1994

Ellis, Richard N., New Mexico History Past and Present: A Historical Reader, Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, 1971

Hain, Paul F, F. Chris Garcia and Gilbert L. St Clair, eds., New Mexico Government, Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, 1994

Jenkins, Mary Ellen and Albert H. Schroeder, A Brief History of New Mexico, Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, 1974

Poe, Sophie A., Buckboard Days, Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, 1981

Roberts, Calvin A. and Roberts, Susan A. A History of New Mexico, revised ed., Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press. 1991

Van Ness, John R. and Christine M. Van Ness, Spanish Land Grants in New Mexico and Colorado, Manhattan, Kansas: Sunflower University Press, 1980

Weber, David J., ed., Foreigners in Their Native Land, Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, 1973
 

Alexis Chavez

The following curriculum unit narrative outlines the overall objectives and strategies of the unit. The unit is intended to develop communication strategies among students in the language arts areas of reading, writing, listening, and speaking, and to provide background experience with various literary forms. A further goal is to facilitate the opportunities to discover, and the abilities to construct, students’ own communicative strategies in a manner that encourages overall balanced literacy.

Educational Pedagogy in the Development of Literacy

Literacy is achieved by adopting a combined "top-down/bottom-up" theory for the development of language strategies. Language comes from the "top-down" when we expose children to a wide variety of examples of and experiences with language and its uses. This exposure is most effective when the examples and experiences provided are meaningful, relevant, and geared to the interests of the student group. "Bottom-up" literacy consists of teaching specific content in grammar and usage, mechanics, composition, vocabulary and spelling, as well as decoding strategies for faster and more effective reading and retention. This form of direct instruction is most effective when a need for these strategies presents itself to students in order that they may accomplish a given objective, and when the instruction is individualized to meet the specific needs of each student. As with the need for the relevancy of resources utilized during "top-down" language development, tasks assigned to students to encourage opportunities for "bottom-up" tutorials with the teacher must also be student-centered, and may even be tailored to the interests of each particular child. Applebee (1991) suggests the importance of this concept as follows: "In writing, opportunities for ownership occur when topics call for students to explore their own experiences and opinions, or to elaborate upon a point of view." ₁ (See notes on final page.)

Harrison Middle School: 7th Grade Language Arts/Literature

Curriculum Standards and Benchmarks

What follow are the curricular goals for the school's literacy program for seventh grade students in the 1999-2000 school year. This information is provided in order that the reader may recognize the connection between these more general objectives and the specific behavioral objectives outlined in the unit's lesson plans.

Standard: The student demonstrates the ability to read, applying a wide range of critical thinking strategies to printed texts and electronic media, using English and the primary or home language.

Benchmark A: The student demonstrates the ability to read a variety of printed texts and electronic media for a purpose.

Objectives--The students will:

1. select developmentally appropriate materials and determine the purpose of selection.
2. read a variety of material independently for a sustained period of time.
3. read complex material for information, inference, discussion, main idea, detail, and pleasure.
4. read and discuss various types of printed texts (e.g. newspaper articles, magazines, electronic media, books.)
5. read, listen to, and respond to a variety of literary genre (e.g. mystery, poetry, fiction, nonfiction) including culturally diverse literature.
6. build vocabulary through reading a wide range of appropriate material.

Benchmark B: The student analyzes, synthesizes, and evaluates a wide variety of printed texts and electronic media, and applies knowledge for multiple purposes.

Objectives--The students will:

1.apply reading strategies to acquire literal and implied meaning from complex material.
2. find information using table of contents, heading, indexes, menus, glossaries, bibliographies, and appendices.
3. identify specific questions and seek to answer them through literature.
4. form opinions with supporting evidence about what has been read.
5. understand and accept differing responses to literature.
6. understand how literature reflects time and culture in which it was written.
7. appreciate, recognize, and apply literary elements to analyze and interpret literature.
8. use reading to gain information about the world.
9. appreciate a wide variety of appropriate literature.
10. identify genres and recurrent themes in literature.

Standard: The student demonstrates the ability to write meaningfully, displays knowledge of writing processes, purposes for writing, potential audiences and conventions of writing.

Benchmark A: The student selects an audience, topic, purpose, and genre for writing.
Objectives--The students will:

1. write a research paper utilizing a minimum of three sources.
2. write a formal compare and contrast essay.
3. use the five elements of fiction in writing.
4. use dialogue to develop creative writing.
5. write business and friendly letters.
6. convey personal and reflective feelings in detail.
7. write a persuasive essay.

Benchmark B: The student plans and composes writing with awareness of audience, purpose, and form; edits for mechanics on a sophisticated level; and edits for style.

Objectives--The students will:

Benchmark C: The student uses appropriate grammar, vocabulary, punctuation, standard spelling, figures of speech, and multiple paragraph structure to enhance meaning.

Objectives--The students will:

1. use appropriate punctuation, capitalization, and standard spelling.
2. make appropriate choices of vocabulary, modifiers, and figurative language to enhance meaning and interest.
3. compose compound and complex sentences.
4. evaluate own and peer writing of proper grammar and conventions.
5. identify, describe, and correctly use the eight parts of speech.
6. differentiate and use figures of speech (e.g. simile, metaphor, alliteration, onomatopoeia, idiom, hyperbole.)
7. use topic, supporting, and concluding sentences within a paragraph.
8. use editing symbols.
9. apply keyboarding skills.

Standard: The student demonstrates active listening in a variety of settings, including the ability to understand and evaluate verbal and non-verbal cues.

Benchmark A: The student consistently applies active listening skills and strategies as well as the conventions of courtesy in listening and viewing.

Objectives--The students will:

1. make appropriate eye contact with the speaker, respecting cultural norms.
2. wait to respond until speaker completes a thought or pauses.
3. acknowledge speaker's message by formulating opinions and responses based on prior knowledge and new evidence.
4. seek additional information to clarify understanding.
5. demonstrate appropriate audience behavior.
6. use recall strategies to remember information (e.g. visualization, grouping, association.)
7. derive specific information from oral messages in the form of key words, concepts, or ideas.
8. organize oral information through note-taking and/or outlining.
9. efficiently shift focus of attention to important oral messages and return to task.

Benchmark B: The student recognizes and analyzes verbal and visual messages.

Objectives--The students will:

1. consistently organize oral information and begin to critically analyze it.
2. relate spoken and visual messages to prior knowledge and experiences.
3. interpret verbal and nonverbal cues.
4. recognize various types of persuasive language and their purposes.

Benchmark C: The student applies knowledge of culture to aid comprehension in listening and viewing situations.

Objectives--The students will:

1. acknowledge and respect cultural differences in a variety of situations.
2. seek clarification and supplemental information.
3. make an effort to understand unfamiliar accents and syntax.
4. ask encouraging questions and provide positive feedback.
5. listen politely to speakers, including those with unfamiliar dialects.

Benchmark A: The student understands and applies effective techniques which appeal to logic, emotions, and speaker credibility, using primary and/or home language.

Objectives--The students will:

1. use feedback to clarify thoughts.
2. keep to the topic.
3. present ideas in logical sequence.
4. use vocal tone and inflection to convey emotional emphasis and credibility.
5. use persuasive techniques.

Benchmark B: The student applies knowledge of situation, audience, and purpose when presenting or responding orally in formal or informal discussion.

Objectives--The students will:

1. select and organize information for a purpose in group discussions.
2. respond appropriately to ideas and opinions of others in group discussions.
3. learn techniques to facilitate small group discussions.

Benchmark C: The student plans, prepares, and delivers oral presentations using clear reasoning, coherent sequence of thought, and suitable vocabulary.

Objectives--The students will:

1. speak clearly and coherently to accomplish a variety of tasks.
2. evaluate the effectiveness of own communication and make appropriate revisions.
3. recognize and control non-verbal cues when speaking.

Relationship of the Unit to the Overall Balanced Literacy Curriculum

Harrison Middle School is part of the Albuquerque Public Schools, and is located in a semi-rural section of the city of Albuquerque, New Mexico, known as the "South Valley." The student population is primarily Hispanic (90%). The community served by Harrison Middle School comprises the lower end of the socio-economic scale. Eighty-three percent of all students enrolled receive free or reduced-price lunch, which is the prevailing determiner of the economic composition of the population. This factor creates a community of students who can be defined as "at-risk," insofar as emotional, social, and economic support systems within the family may be lacking. Thus, in light of these special needs, the school assumes many roles in addition to the education of students. The need for creating high-interest, relevant content in lesson planning must be balanced with the demand for providing consistency and structure that may be absent in other facets of the students' lives. The struggle my school community has had and continues to have in developing literacy for all students which meets or exceeds national averages derives from many influences and has impacts which are cyclic in nature. Single-parent and blended families, teen pregnancy, limited meaningful interaction of children with adults during the critical early childhood stage of development, students acquiring English as a second language and those with limited English proficiency, and limited economic resources within the family structure all inhibit a child's opportunities for the expansion of background experience and the progression of language acquisition.

A program of balanced literacy strategies for approaching these challenges is in the process of being developed specifically for students in the Rio Grande school cluster, of which Harrison Middle School is a part. The lesson plans outlined within this unit must utilize these strategies in a manner in which the level of student literacy is measurably elevated. In response to a perceived need for improvements in literacy education, the promotion of literacy has been assigned a distinctive and proportionately large time-block (86 minutes) devoted to the uninterrupted development of balanced literacy for all sixth through eighth grade students enrolled at the school.

My teaching assignment in the 1999-2000 school year will involve eleven- and twelve-year-old seventh grade students, those in the chronological center of the middle school experience. Many of these students will be those enrolled in my sixth grade language arts and math classes of the previous year. Teacher accountability for student achievement is a primary focus of educational reform, and said achievement is measured through concrete statistics such as students' scores on standardized achievement tests and the school drop-out rate. New methods of raising the competency levels of students and bolstering their interest in educational endeavors are continuously being sought by members of the educational establishment and the community at large. This cooperative effort between the University of New Mexico and the Albuquerque Public Schools to engage teachers in meaningful dialogue connected with developing teaching techniques designed to best reach and teach students, as well as to expand the experiences of teachers with the seminar topic subject matter, will serve to enhance all aspects of the public educational experience.

Relationship of the Curriculum Unit to the Political Culture of New Mexico

The notion that all politics is local is one that can be readily communicated to students. The relationships between effective communication, literacy, and political culture are basic ones in which particular nuances in the use of language are specific to certain forums in which political communication takes place. Powerful and persuasive communication can and does reinforce or alter the cultural and political landscape according to the objectives, wishes, desires, and skills of the communicator.

If the primary purpose of politics is to improve the societal well-being of communities and individuals, effective communication is the means through which such enhancement occurs. If management and control of societal conflict are also political goals, appropriate and proper use of language is a substantial tool in achieving this end.

During the process of early language acquisition, infants begin to explore their influence on their environment through effective communication. Advocating and protecting one's interests in order to survive and flourish is the first of life's lessons. Is the exercise of these powers of persuasion and influence "political" in nature? Indeed, it is. The adolescent developmental stage, also, is one in which the need for potent communicative ability asserts itself in the lives of our young citizens. Political interest expands from concerns of the self to those of the family, peer group, school, and community. With this expansion of the social and cultural world comes the need for the student to be able to comprehend and construct language and apply it in these diversified contexts. Discussion among students of New Mexico's political culture can further amplify the message that students must communicate capably in order to induce positive change in their own lives, families, and communities.

Goals of the Curriculum Unit

My expectations for student achievement throughout the course of study encompassed by this unit are as follows:

These educational objectives are quite general; and more specific, behavioral objectives for student mastery will be included in the distinctive lessons which follow.

The Lessons

*Each behavioral objective will be met with 100% accuracy, or mastery learning.

I. Behavioral objectives

A. The students will view and listen to a video presentation.
B. The students will discuss their responses to the video presentation in expository, narrative form.
C. The students will demonstrate knowledge of the four-step writing process by responding in writing to a teacher prompt.

A. pencils
B. red pens
C. college-ruled paper
D. video entitled, "Success through Education: 'A Salute to Hispanic Excellence 1995' "
E. TV/VCR

The teacher will say, "Raise a quiet hand if you like school. Why is it important for you to come to school?" Students will respond, and the teacher will encourage all responses. The teacher will say, "Sometimes it is difficult to stay focused on our goals, and to understand the importance of obtaining a good education. What are some of your most important responsibilities in life?" Students will respond, and the teacher will write their responses on the board. The teacher will ask students to number these responsibilities in order of importance. The teacher will say, "Understanding the importance of education doesn't always come naturally, but today we'll see if we can find out why it should be near the top of our list of priorities."

The teacher will say, "You will watch a video that explores how other young people like yourselves have come to value their educational opportunities. Then you will discuss your thoughts on the presentation and write about it."

V. Procedure
A. Guided Practice

1. The teacher will say, "This video is entitled, 'Success through Education: A Salute to Hispanic Excellence 1995."
2. The teacher will present the video to the students.
3. The teacher will divide the students into groups of three or four.
4. The teacher will say, "One way we take advantage of our educational opportunities is by learning to speak and write effectively. Speak to me! Tell me how the students in the film were able to capitalize on their education." Students will respond. The teacher will record the responses on the board, as one student in each group writes them on paper.
5. The teacher will say, "Work with your group to come up with ten things a good education can do for you. This part of writing is called brainstorming, and is part of the prewriting stage of the writing process. You could also cluster your ideas (teacher demonstrates on board) or free write, which means just writing whatever words come into your mind without thinking about them too much. You will share these ideas with the class in 5 minutes." The teacher will circulate, encouraging students and expanding their ideas. Groups will choose a speaker to present to the class.

B. Independent Practice

Main Idea

II. Materials

III. Motivation

The teacher will say, "How can you tell whether or not someone is trustworthy?" (Students respond.) "Is it more important to listen to what someone says or to observe his or her actions?" (Students respond.) "Tell me of a time when you thought you could trust someone and later discovered that you couldn't, or a time when you had suspicions of someone's untrustworthiness which later proved to be unfounded."

IV. Anticipatory Set

The teacher will say, "Have you ever heard anyone say, 'The moral of the story is........?' Today you will read a Southwestern tale that has a moral. The moral of this story is also the story's main idea. The moral of a story, and in this case the main idea of the story, is the message that the author intends for the reader to derive from it. This story deals with one of the six pillars of Character Counts--trustworthiness."

1. The teacher will hand out copies of the story in both Spanish and English. The teacher will say, "I will read this tale to you in both English and Spanish. Please follow along as I read it, and see if you can find the author's intended message. I'll give you a hint: it has to do with determining whether or not a person is trustworthy."
2. The teacher will read the story in both languages as students follow along.
3. The teacher will guide students to respond to the story in class discussion and to identify the moral/main idea as a person's trustworthiness can be determined by observing his generosity or greed.

B. Independent Practice

1. The teacher will give the students the following writing prompt: "I know a person is trustworthy when....."
2. The students will complete this thought, and will be instructed to write a 5-sentence paragraph centered on this main idea.
3. Each paragraph must have at least four sentences which contain supporting details for the stated main idea. These details must be organized in chronological order, and should center on an anecdote from each child's experience.

IV. Evaluation

The students will read their paragraphs aloud to the class. Classmates will evaluate the paragraphs in accordance with the degree to which they meet the criteria of a standard writer's rubric.

VII. Remediation/Extension

The students will role-play the events in the story, and/or the examples and details derived from their own writings, and present their skits to the class.

I. Behavioral Objectives

A. The students will orally demonstrate an understanding of the importance of effective communication in advancing one's perspective on a given topic.

B. The students will utilize the writing process to construct a 3-paragraph essay with the intent to persuade the reader to adopt a particular point of view.

C. The students will demonstrate an understanding, through their writing, of the introduction, body, and conclusion parts of a cohesive and persuasive essay.

II. Materials

A. video excerpt from the television news-magazine program "Hardball" hosted by Chris Matthews on the subject of posting the Ten Commandments in public schools

B. college-ruled writing paper

C. pencils or pens

III. Motivation

The teacher will say, "On a scale of one to ten, how important is it to you to get what you want?" (Students respond.) "How do babies let adults know when they want something? Toddlers? Small children? Older children? Teenagers? Adults?" Students will offer responses at appropriate intervals, and the teacher will encourage, accept, validate, and expand student responses. The teacher will say, "It's important to know different ways of communicating, so that we can achieve the best for ourselves, our families, our communities, and our society as a whole."

IV. Anticipatory Set

The teacher will say, "Today you will do two things. First, you will watch two people discuss a topic that is in the news and that affects you and your school. The topic involves whether or not the United States Congress will sign into law a bill which will allow the Ten Commandments to be posted in public schools. The two debaters are members of Congress, they have different opinions, and each will attempt to convince the other that his point of view is the right one. Next, you will choose one side or the other of this argument, and you will write a 3-paragraph essay to convince me, the reader, that you are right."

A. Guided Practice

1. The teacher will say, "As you watch the video, write down three main points that each speaker gives in support of his opinion."

2. The teacher will play the videotaped excerpt.

3. The students will vote by secret ballot on whether or not they think public school should be permitted to post the Ten Commandments.

4.The class will discuss the results of the vote.

B. Independent Practice

1. Each student will create three cluster-diagrams, one for each paragraph of the essay, labeled introduction, body, and conclusion.
2. The teacher will provide a model for the manner in which the cluster-diagrams should be constructed.
3. The students will write a topic outline from the cluster diagrams.
4. The students will organize their ideas into complete sentences and paragraphs.

VI. Evaluation

The teacher will edit the compositions using proofreader's marks and return to the students for revision, with an attached standard evaluation rubric and comments.

Writing a Business Letter

A. pencils
B. paper
C. telephone access
D. computer access/word processing program
E. appointment-setting book
F. postage, envelopes, address labels
G. the New Mexico Government Handbook

III. Motivation

The teacher will say, "In our state of New Mexico, who decides how much money schools can spend on students and programs? Who decides whether or not your parents can use a school voucher to change your school? Who decides if you can, or must pray in school? Who decides how many kids can be placed in a given classroom? Who decides whether or not you have to wear a uniform to school? Who decides whether or not you can be SPANKED at school? Would you like to know who is responsible for making some--not all, but some--of these decisions which may affect your own life and those of members of your family?"

The teacher will say, "Today we will discuss the answers to some of these questions. There are several parts of our government in this state which take part in making these decisions. We will also learn to write business letters to some of these people to invite them to come here and speak to our class about these issues. After we send our letters, we'll call them to see who's coming, and when?"

V. Procedure

A. Guided Practice

1. The teacher will give handouts which exemplify a model business letter. The handouts will identify the letter's six parts, including the heading, inside address, salutation, body, closing, and signature.
2. The teacher will ask students to read the sample business letter aloud, verbally identifying the six parts.

B. Independent Practice

1. The students will utilize the four-step writing process to formulate ideas to include in the bodies of their letters.
2. Each student will write a rough draft of his or her letter, and the teacher will edit them, conferring with each student individually to narrow content and perfect form.
3. The students will visit the computer lab to word process their final drafts of their letters, printing two copies (one to keep), as well as address labels.
4. The teacher will mail the letters.
5. Five days after the letters have been mailed, students will make individual follow-up phone calls to the offices of government officials, and will set appointments in an appointment book to arrange for guest speakers to visit our classroom. They will record the speaker's name, position, and subject matter to be discussed.

VI. Evaluation

The students will discuss in a large-group setting the results of their phone contacts. Each student will have an opportunity to share his experience with this initial foray into the realm of local government.

The students will work in groups to prepare a list of questions for their speakers, since only some students will be successful in arranging appointments. The questions will be typed in the computer lab, with copies distributed to each member of the group. The speakers will come, they will speak, and the students will engage the speakers in discussions of the various topics.

A. chalk and chalkboard
B. official platforms for the Democratic, Republican, and Reform parties
C. pencils, paper, and word processing access
D. video camera and videotape
E. secret ballots, or a voting machine (optional)
F. Overhead projector
G. Transparencies listing the main points of the three party platforms

1. The teacher will draw a horizontal line on the board and divide it in half. On the right side he will write the word Republican, and on the left side the word Democrat. The word Independent will be written in the center above the line.

2. The teacher will present the platforms for the three parties on the overhead projector, pointing out that very few people in any of the parties are in complete and total agreement with every item on their party's platform. The teacher will say, "People choose their political parties based on which party most closely agrees with their own ideas. True Republicans are also known as conservatives, and are said to be on the 'far-right' of issues." {The teacher will write these terms.} "True Democrats are also known as liberals, and are said to be on the 'far-left' of issues. Independents say they are neither liberal nor conservative, but that they decide what's correct based on what they think about each issue. Which of these are you? Let's see!"

3. The teacher will present the three party platform lists on the overhead projector. Students will keep a tally for each item of each platform to identify which party most suits them on each issue. They will move into groups with other like-minded people. Each party will nominate eight people to run for the legislature, and one person to run for governor.

4. The students will view video of several campaign speeches by accomplished and not-so-accomplished orators. Nixon vs. Kennedy and Reagan vs. Carter could be used, or whatever is available to the individual teacher.

5. The students will discuss en masse the strengths and weaknesses of each speech and speaker. The teacher will mention that while they do provide input, Presidential candidates rarely write their own speeches.

6. The students will write one-page campaign speeches for each candidate as a group. The teacher will guide the groups through the writing process.

B. Independent Practice

VI. Evaluation

The students will discuss in a large group the outcome of the election. They will determine who is in power, and will evaluate the way in which power may or may not be balanced between the governor and the legislature. They will view the recorded speeches again, and determine whether they were influenced more by the words of the candidate or their own and the candidate's party affiliation. The teacher will ask what other factors they may have considered in deciding for whom they would vote.

Each student will write a short paragraph exploring the importance of participating in the legislative process for all citizens. The teacher will provide the students with the party statistics for the New Mexico State Legislature and the United States Congress, and the students will compare the make-up of their own classroom government to those of these larger governmental entities.

Culminating Activity

The students will attend a field trip to the state legislature to observe the political process in action. They will sit in on a legislative session and, hopefully, visit the governor's office and speak with representatives. A guided tour is preferable. The students will take detailed notes of their observations, and will write a narrative essay of their experience.

Concluding Remarks

The Albuquerque Teacher's Institute seminar entitled " The Political Culture of New Mexico" explored various topics and subject matter outside the realm of this particular curricular unit. In order to conform to the constraints of time and space defined by the unit's requirements, this vast quantity of material has been narrowed to those subjects best suited to become a vehicle for teaching language arts and literature to seventh-grade students. The possibilities for constructing other curricular units with varying themes is quite extensive. Topics covered in the seminar, but not explored herein, include New Mexico's land grant issue, Native American culture, Hispanic art, and the politicism of education itself.

Participation in this seminar was an extraordinarily enriching experience for me, and was well-suited to my teacher-as-learner philosophy of educational professional development. The opportunity to engage teachers from other schools in our community in discourse regarding educational philosophies and concerns was invaluable, as well. In particular, the insightful comments, both written and verbal, of our seminar facilitator, Dr. Felipe Gonzales, were essential in supporting the development of the unit. I am confident that the one-hundred students enrolled in my class in the coming school year will profit measurably from my participation in this unique experience.

APPENDIX

The following rubric is to be used for evaluation of all writing assignments and activities contained within the unit. ₂ (See notes.)

NOTES

1. As quoted by Applebee, 1991. Writing Instruction in the Intermediate Grades: What Is Said, What Is Done, What Is Understood by Robin Bright, p. 12.

  2. Table as outlined by Joyce C. Fine, 1997. Alternatives to Grading Student Writing; Stephen Tchudi, Editor, p. 95.

SOURCES

Bright, Robin, Writing Instruction in the Intermediate Grades: What Is Said, What Is Done, What Is Understood, Newark, Delaware, International Reading Association, 1995.

Greigo y Maestas, Jose and Rudolfo A. Anaya, Cuentos: Tales from the Hispanic Southwest, Santa Fe, The Museum of New Mexico Press, 1980.

Tchudi, Stephen, Alternatives to Grading Student Writing, Urbana, Illinois, National Council of Teachers of English, 1997.

Warriner, Jonathan E. and Francis Griffith, Warriner's English Grammar and Composition: Complete Course, New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Atlanta, Dallas, Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, Inc., 1973.

Grade 8 Humanities Curriculum

Hadar H. Dubowsky

OVERVIEW: My School and Students

I teach 8th grade Humanities in a public middle school in Albuquerque, Now Mexico. Humanities is taught as an integrated block covering Language Arts, Literature and Social Studies, As mandated by the state curriculum, the 8th grade Social Studies focuses on American History. My Humanities curriculum uses American History as the core contextual focus. This class is a regular education inclusion classroom, with B level special education students making up an average of 4% of the class.

Because the school in which I teach is part of the Coalition of Essential Schools, based on the Ted Sizer and Deborah Meier philosophies of education, I am able to focus my curriculum as I wish, following the motto "less is more." This approach allows my students to delve deep into several topics or themes in American History, for weeks or months at a time, rather than follow a chronological survey of American History. This approach allows me to write a curriculum that could be used over the course of several months, in a blocked schedule, integrating the use of language arts, literature, and social studies, as well as art, music, debate, and government.

The student body at this school is relatively diverse. I do not have the school-

wide statistics, but this year, ethnically, my students were 44% white/Anglo, 35%

Hispanic, 8% Native American, 71% African American, 5% Asian American. However, most of my students are of mixed race and often identify with two ethnic groups. Economically, the school draws from a diverse zone--from wealthy and upper middle class single family houses, to lower income apartments and shelters. 33% of the school receives free lunches. 37% of my students had access to a computer outside of school.

Other statistics include: this year 3% of my students lived in foster care, 45% were living with both biological parents, and the majority lived with a single parent/ joint custody or other relatives. 15% were suspended at some point in the year, 7% stopped coming to school at all and one student (2%) was admitted to the alternative middle school. 24% of the students transferred to my classes during the school year, and 19% transferred out before the school year was over. From my observations, I would say that this class mix was a typical representation of the school's regular education programs.

As a political activist who has been involved in movements for social change for over a decade, I am obliged to teach my students -- who are mostly people of color -- about the critical role that the solidarity of marginalized people has always played in shaping our current governing system. As a person who grew up feeling marginalized and invisible, I believe it is important that my students learn of the true diversity of American history. Not only do my students need to feel proud of their rich histories and the role people of color have played but they must understand their role in continuing to be active participants in shaping the future. I want my students to be proud of their ancestries and unique identities and be proud to be a part of shaping the future of a more fair society.

Curriculum Overview: Background and Curriculum Context

This unit/curriculum is part of a larger year-long curriculum which centers around the essential question: How do people make change? At the beginning of the year the question is put forth, and it is examined throughout the year-long study of American History.

As the school year opens, students study the colonial times and look at incidents of discrimination--against Native Americans, Africans, Quakers, poor people and women. Specifically, they examine the cases of Mary Dyer and Anne Hutchinson, and then the Salem Witch Trials. Through these studies we establish a critical lens to look at how people and systems can be unfair, and make comparisons to today.

In the fall, we study the Patriots and the Sons and Daughters of Liberty, looking at how they worked to change laws they found unfair, and then later worked to change their system of government as a whole. While examining such a topic, essential questions include: What different strategies did they use to make change? What pushed them to want to make change? What were the difficulties and risks? How were they successful and how were they unsuccessful?

Following the chronology of American History, we continue to look at examples of unfair or oppressive systems and how people worked together to make change, emphasizing the latter. We look at slavery and the Underground Railroad, the abolitionists, and slave rebellions. We look at the Civil War and the Confederate movement. By the time we reach this specific curriculum unit, we have already examined westward expansion, the industrial revolution, immigration and some of the major social change movements of the 19^th century and the early-mid 20th century.

In this background, as we study the American Revolution, post-Revolution and the Constitution, students will have learned the basic structure of the Federal government and the legislative process. Before starting this new unit we will review the democratic process on the national level and teach the parallel state processes.

This unit focuses on a more personal look at the essential question, "How do people make change?" It examines how students themselves can make change in their society. The unit begins by brainstorming with the students and exposing them to possible topics of interest or concern to them. Students select topics and small groups in which they will write hypothetical bills to be submitted to the NM State legislature. Students will research their topics, write the bill and other supplementary materials (photo essay, personal narrative, letters), and then present their bills to the class. Mini-lessons will focus on learning the structure of New Mexico state government, methods of making political changes, and specific skill development (outlining, note-taking, etc.). Literature will be connected to themes of change and social movements.

Main Objectives:

1. Objective: Student empowerment

Rationale: I believe that the goal of education should be to help students become actors in history, rather than passive observers. This empowerment will, in turn, help lead to a positive transformation of society. As Brazilian educator Paulo Freire writes "While individual empowerment, the feeling of being changed, is not enough concerning the transformation of the whole society, it is absolutely necessary for the process of social transformation." (Freire, p. 109-110)

I believe that learning about and being a part of the political processes can be a means of empowerment. It has been my experience that many, if not most, of my students feel disconnected from the larger political system; they feel that their opinions and voices do not matter. Upon asking my students, I have found that the majority of them have parents who do not vote. This year, none of my students have been to a political protest.

I try to break that cycle by creating a classroom of respect and exploration, teaching about the powers and systems that oppress, control and influence us, exposing students to the history of movements for social and political change, and encouraging students to find and use their voices. Due in part to the ethnic diversity of my students, we look at many different movements--Red Power, African-Americans, Chicano movement, women's rights, gay/lesbian rights, Asian Americans. I believe that it is essential for students to see themselves, their families, and their communities reflected in their studies. By studying the diversity of American history, having resources which reflect this diversity and discussing issues such as conflicts over class, race, religion and culture, students can find personal links to the larger notions of history, the American people and politics. By comparing and contrasting different ways different groups in American history have struggled to make change, students not only find a connection to themselves but can see connections between their history and the history and experiences of other groups.

2. Objective: Self Expression

Rationale: Students at this age are in a very egocentric stage of development. One of their major developmental tasks is identity formation, which includes a strong preoccupation with self and peers. Teachers can help students in this task by giving them opportunities to ask themselves key questions: Who am I? What do I believe? What will I stand up for? What is important to me? Providing the opportunities to express their developing ideas and identities is essential for this program.

Due in part to their socioeconomic conditions, family situations, or second language issues, many of my students feel that their voices are not heard. Much of my educational program --- through Socratic seminars, discussions, journal writing and conversations ---focuses on their thoughts, feelings, ideas and opinions. In these types of activities, students are not assessed or judged by grammar, spelling, punctuation, pronunciation, or reading ability. Instead, we are engaged, together as a group or mentor-student, in trying to understand each other’s ideas. This time, with a focus on listening to each other without the pressure of academic achievement, builds respect, self-confidence as well as communication skills.

Furthermore, by understanding and using their developmental issues rather than battling them, a successful teaming experience will emerge. As writer and educator Nancy Atwell writes:

By working with the students instead of against them, together we create a productive community classroom.

3. Objective: Critical Thinking

Rationale: At this stage in their cognitive development, 8^th graders are entering the formal operations stage in which, as Piaget observed, adolescents are able to "think about their thoughts, to construct ideals and to reason realistically about the future" as well as "reason about contrary to fact propositions."(Elkind, p. 24) They are now beginning to be able to see two sides of an issue, and logically follow an argument to its completion. The activities in this curriculum encourage this emerging critical thought by including all of Bloom's levels of thinking: knowledge, comprehension, application, synthesis, and evaluation.

By framing the curriculum around an essential question, students are engaged in critical thinking. Discussions, writing, Socratic seminars and literature connections repeatedly return students back to the question: How do people make change? As they work on the "hands-on" activity of creating a bill and media campaign, they have new insights to bring to the discussion. The "real life" task makes the work meaningful, authentic and interesting; the framework of critical thinking makes it challenging, relevant and stimulating.

This curriculum requires student work in many different forms. Students must use a variety of skills and expressions using their multiple intelligences. This experience allows all students to shine in at least one area, and also work on developing a weaker area. It also allows students who, due to family situations or socioeconomic conditions, may not be able to do homework or have access to many supplies, the chance in school to engage in a variety of activities. It allows for success for all, at least in a few areas.

4. Objective: Skill Building

Rationale: The curriculum also reflects opportunities for students to practice and learn specific skills necessary for their success in the academic world of high school and beyond. One criticism of progressive education, noted by many advocates for children of color, is that sometimes, in the open liberal classroom, the focus on skills is replaced by the focus on critical thinking and creative expression. I agree with educator Lisa Delpit when she writes about children who are not part of the "culture of power," that the schools need to provide students with "discourse patterns, interactional styles and spoken and written language codes that will allow them success in the larger society." (Delpit, p. 28-29) 1 have found that integrating specific skill development, i.e. vocabulary, outlining, grammar, into larger projects makes the tasks more interesting and meaningful. Both skill development and critical thinking and creative expression can co-exist in this curriculum.

5. Objective: Content Knowledge:

Rationale: The state mandated curriculum for 8th grade social studies is American History, including an understanding of the American democratic legislative process.

Due in part to the make-up of my students and my own personal interests, I tend to focus on groups who have made positive social or political changes. By using a lens that is familiar to my students --- Chicano movement, immigrant's rights, Native American land struggles, immigrants rights etc,--students have easier access to the larger concepts of American democracy. In fact, mass mobilization has been a major force of change in American history, leading to our current rules of government, politics and social institutions.

From this experience, students should walk away with an understanding of the American democratic process on both the national and state levels. They should understand how laws are created and agreed upon. They should understand the legislative process and the process of writing a bill. They should be knowledgeable of their topic of research and the legal issues and cases surrounding it. They should have an understanding of the history of some of the social change movements in the United States of the 20th century.

6. Objective: Building a respectful community of learners

Rationale: This curriculum requires that students work together in small groups. Small groups encourage the sharing of ideas, promote tolerance and cooperation, and allow students with different abilities and strengths to support one another. I have found that my B level and LEP students benefit tremendously from the sharing that occurs in small-group work. High level students are also challenged to express and explain their ideas, develop leadership skills, and have patience with others.

By working together in small groups, and then again with the class as a whole, students are learning social skills such as negotiation, tolerance, compromise and debate, in addition to fulfilling their social needs and desires. By reinforcing and examining these skills through discussion, the class grows more and more, beginning to function as a community and, eventually, a caring community, rather than just individuals thrown together. Not only does this experience teach skills, it can be a calming and supportive antidote to the often harsh world of adolescence, family life, and the school culture, as a whole.

This experience of working in small groups is also a training ground for political activism. Many political movements and organizations rely on small groups as the core of the movement, i.e. the foco tradition of political organizing in Latin America. A small group of committed workers or activists can often be more effective than either an individual working alone, or a large and cumbersome group.

Schools are intended to be places of teaming, but often students have lost the desire to learn by the time they come to the 8'h grade. I try to instill in my classroom, through meaningful teaming experiences, my own enthusiasm and activities geared to build trust and respect, a community atmosphere of sharing, cooperation, caring for the common welfare and a mutual interest in our 'work". If it is not meaningful to the students, I will often change or adapt the plans to keep our work interesting, authentic and meaningful,

In this curriculum, students are evaluated using rubrics. This tool of authentic assessment allows the students to understand the expectations from the beginning, encourages students to self-assess, reinforces internal assessment rather than external, and makes grading more fair and easier for the teacher.

7. Objective: Self-Discovery and Enjoyment

Rationale: After a few years of observation and looking at statistics I realized that, for a percentage of my students - sometimes as high as 25% percent, our 9th grade classrooms would be their last experiences of formal public education. Unfortunately, for many students the classroom is not a safe haven but a place of alienation and rejection. I realized that my curriculum needed to include space for my students' joy and personal fulfillment. We, my students and 1, spend hours together each day---it only made sense that we should enjoy our time together! While maintaining the development of thinking skills and knowledge development, I also try to incorporate a sense of fun and self-discovery into the curriculum to keep it alive and worthwhile. I think that if the classroom is a place of mutual respect, the tasks are engaging and relevant to the students' lives, then nearly all students will find an entryway for themselves. As Caroline Pratt, founder of the City & Country School wrote: "We try not to waste the child, or his energies or his time... a child unhampered does not waste time. He is driven constantly by that little fire burning inside him, to do, to see, to learn." (Pratt, p.3)

Curriculum Outline and Timeline: This timeline is based on seeing my students for at least 2 classes (a block) a day. Integrated into the time are also mini-lessons on related skills and topics.

1. Brainstorming week one and two
2. Exposure week one and two
3. Choosing group/topic by beginning of week three
4. Research week three and four
5. Writing the bill week four and five
6. Writing assignments week four and five
7. Photo essay week four and five
8. Oral presentations week six

Possible Extensions

9. PowerPoint Presentations one week

10. Video campaign commercials one week

11. Presenting to legislature can vary

12. Publishing in newsletter two weeks

LESSON PLANS

Brainstorming

Students will need time and activities to help them brainstorm different topics which they may care about and want to research for their bill. Some possible issues may be connected to race, age, sex, class, religion, access, family, violence, weapons, drugs, sexuality, sports. Possible topics of local interest include: Indian gaming, schools uniforms, vouchers, skateboarding parks, land grants, Indian sovereignty and bilingual educations. These lessons should be interwoven with the exposure lessons.

Examples of Brainstorming Lessons:

1. Drawing a class web and discussion or journal writing: What do they think is unfair in their lives? Unfair in their communities? What would they like to see changed? What would their ideal world look like? What discrimination exists? What would they like to see changed?

2. Writing "If I Took Over the World": Play Jamie Anderson's humorous song "If Cats Took Over the World." Assignment: to write a 2 page creative story about what they would do if they took over the world. This writing may spark some creative bill ideas.

3. Beliefs Game: The four corners of the room are labeled: strongly agree, agree, disagree and strongly disagree. The teacher makes opinion statements such as: "hunting is always murder", "teenagers should be able to get tattoos without parental permission", "racism no longer exists" and students go to the part of the room that reflects their opinion. This game gives students a chance to formulate opinions, become aware of their feelings and beliefs and may spark ideas for bills.

Exposure

Exposure to 20th century struggles for social/ political change will help give them examples of issues and concerns of the past and present. By this point, they will have already looked closely at some of the movements in American History, but this is an opportunity for students to look at more current issues in order to whet their appetite, get them riled up, and get their minds thinking of ideas for their bills.

1. Videos about social/ political change: Pick out one or two based on student interest and availability of video/equipment. It can be followed by a question sheet or Socratic seminar. Some possible videos include: (see bibliography for more)

Eyes on the Prize, PBS Video, 1986--Black Civil Rights movement

Columbus Didn't Discover Us, Turning Tide, 1992--Native American rights

Chicano: History of the Mexican American Civil Rights Movement, National Latino Communication Center, 1996.

How We Got the Vote, Republic Pictures, 1986 --- Women's rights

2. Speakers: Southwest Organizing Project (SWOP) is a grassroots organization involved in, among other issues, organizing around teen empowerment They have a youth group, Jovenes Unidos, and are currently involved, along with the ACLU, in a lawsuit filed against three local malls over issues of false arrest and first amendment rights of teenagers. A speaker from this, or other community organizing groups may be able to inspire the students to take action in their own community/ies and get ideas for potential bills. For more information about SWOP:

Southwest Organizing Project 21 10^th Street SW
Albuquerque NM 87102-2919
(505)247-8832 Fax 247-9972 email: swop@swop.net

3. Internet Search: Students can use the internet to find possible topics of interest. Searching for youth activism can lead to many different sites and types of organizing and issues. Ideally, students should have access to many different topics and problems in order to spark their ideas and meet their many divergent interests. The internet allows for finding this diversity. Some possible links:

www.freethechildren.org children's rights
www.nospank.org youth against corporal punishment
www.neravt.com/left leftist youth organizing
www.peacefire.org world peace
www.earthforce.org environmental concerns
www.positive.org sexual freedom
www.sar.usf.edu animal rights

4. Field Trip to the Legislature: The class will visit the legislature in session and meet one of their own legislators to find out more about writing bills and how the legislative process works. They can identify players who will support their own bills. The legislator will show samples of real bills or suggested bills.

Forming groups and picking topics: Students should choose their own topics and group members. This will create more personal investment in the learning process, make the learning more interesting and enjoyable and encourage peer monitoring of the work process.

Research: Students will use the school library, public library, UNM Law library classroom resources (see bibliography), the phone to call people and ask questions, and the Internet. Groups should try to use all of these resources. Skills developed during research include note-taking, outlining, technology, finding resources, using the telephone, making bibliographies. All of these skills will require mini- review lessons.

Writing the bill: Students will create an outline, a first draft, and a third draft. There will be mini-lessons to review the writing process. Students will need use of the computer lab.

Photo Essay: This is a creative and artistic extension of the project. Students must create a photo essay to accompany their bill. Students will use visual images to reinforce their written and oral arguments, developing their use of symbolism, visual arts and abstract thinking. Grants for cameras and film developing should be pursued

Personal Narrative: This is a language arts connection. Students will use storytelling and anecdotal writing to create a real personal narrative to explain and illustrate why they care about the issue they have chosen. They will work on developing their "voice," bringing passion and personal experience into their writing, and building their persuasive writing skills.

Fictional letters: This is another language arts connection to add to their packet with their bill. They will write letters from fictional people that they have created in support of their bill. This activity helps develop an understanding of point of view, persuasive writing, and letter writing.

Buttons/Stickers: Students will create their own buttons and/or stickers to propagate their ideas. These will be displayed in the room, along with their internet print outs, posters from social change movements and their photo essays.

Presenting the bill to the class: mini-lessons will include oral presentation skills, listening skills, audience participation, debate, media literacy and public speaking skills. More information on media literacy is available from the New Mexico Media Literacy Project at http://www.nmmlp.org/

PowerPoint Presentation: Each group can create a PowerPoint presentation using their photo essays, bill, oral presentation, and writings. This can be done separately from the oral presentation or as part of it.

Video of Key Issues: As a community, we will vote on bills to decide which ones are most likely to make it to NM Legislature. Then groups of students will create videos for these bills, taking a side on each of the issues. These will possibly be aired on school TV or Public Access Television.

Presenting to Legislator: Possibly a bill or two may be feasible to present to an actual NM Legislator. If so, students could meet with the legislator to discuss their bill. Perhaps they will make a real political change!

Newsletter: Students could create or publish their bills in the school or class newsletter.

Literature connections:

In Literature class students will read books about teenagers involved in movements for social and/or political change in America. Some possibilities include:

Ellen Levine's Freedom's Children
Juanita Fights the School Board
Farewell to Manzanar o Poetry and music

Students will deepen their thought about the EQ and their readings through Socratic seminars, reflective writing, creative projects and book reports.

Classroom Décor: Carolyn Pratt, in I Learn From Children, asserts that the classroom is to be used as a student work space, not an office tailored to the needs of the teacher. I agree, and my classroom is decorated with posters and material relevant to the students’ studies or their own work, either in progress or final form. For this curriculum students should be able to display interesting Internet pages or research they have found, their writing, stickers, buttons and photos. This décor also encourages the class as a community to focus on and be engulfed by the issues at hand.

What makes you mad?!?! What do you want to change?!?!

Writing Bills for the New Mexico Legislature

EQ: How do people make change?

When things aren't fair, people have many different ways to try to make change. As we have seen in our studies of American history so far, people have written petitions, held boycotts, wrote letters, used the newspapers, made political cartoons, had rallies, given speeches, had sit-ins, made posters, had marches, sued, made new laws---even abolished the current government!

As we have learned, one way new laws are made is by bills passing through the New Mexico legislature. Think of something you'd like to see changed ... you're going to write your own bill!!

1. Come up with a problem or issue that you really care about. The closer it is to your heart, the more you'll care and the easier the project will be. What would you like to see changed?
2. Find other people in the class who have the same or similar idea! You will need to work in groups of two, three or four. Choose partners with whom you believe you'll be able to negotiate, cooperate and communicate.
3. Once you've chosen your topic and group members, you're ready to go research! You need to find information about your topic. What bills have been passed before on this or related topics? What are the Federal laws about this topic? What do community groups say? Use the internet, books, magazines, oral interviews, movies etc. to gather your information. Each student must have 20 of his/her own notecards! As you research, don't forget the Bibliography. You must have at least 4 sources each.
4. Next, your group will write your bill. As a class we will be looking at sample bills. There is a structured format. You will be receiving a sample format. It must be typed and follow this format.
5. You will be making several creative attachments to add to your bill. These include a photo essay, writing, and buttons or stickers. Assignment sheets will follow to explain these in detail.
6. Lastly, you and your group members will present your bill and attachments to the class! We will act as a mock legislature and decide if your bill has potential to move on!

Notecards (30 points)                                                                                                                             points _______________
    least 25 full cards (6 points) points
    complete information on topic (6 points)
    not plagiarized (6 points)
    accurate information (6 points)
    includes source (6 points)

Bibliography (10 points)                                                                                                                             points_________________
    at least 4 varied sources (4 points)
    follows correct format (6 points)

Photo Essay (25 points) see rubric                                                                                                             points__________________

Personal Narrative (20 points) see rubric                                                                                                    points_________________

Button/Stickers (15 points) see rubric                                                                                                         points_________________

Group Grades: 150 points x number of group members

Bill Outline (15 points)                                                                                                                                points_________________

Bill 1^st draft (20 points)                                                                                                                              points_________________

Bill final draft (20 points)                                                                                                                       points                                  

          Fictional Letters (25 points)                                                                                                                       points_________________  

          Oral Presentation (50 points)                                                                                                                    points_________________

           Group work (20 points)                                                                                                                           points_________________

Group percentage:

Total Points:___________ /250

Bibliography

History/Politics

DeBuys, William. Enchantment and Exploitation. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, 1985..

Harlan, Judith. American Indians Today: Issues and Conflicts. New York: Franklin Watts, 1987.

Goldman, Emma. Living M c. New York: Dover Publications, 1931 y If

Jenkins, Myra Ellen and Shroeder, Albert. A Brief History of New Mexico. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, 1974.

Jordan, June. Technical Difficulties: Selected Political Essays. London: Virago Press, 1993.

Limerick, Patricia Nelson. The Legacy of Conquest: The Unbroken Past of the American West. New York: WW Norton, 1987.

Martinez, Elizabeth. 500 Years of Chicano History in Pictures. Albuquerque NM SouthWest Organizing Project, 199 1.

Nabokov, Peter ed. Native American Testimony: An Anthology of Indian and White Relations. New York: Harper & Row, 1978.

Phelan, Shane. Playing With Fire: Queer Politics, Queer Theories. New York: Routledge,1997.

Schulman, Sarah. My American History: Lesbian and Gay Life During Reagan/Bush Years. New York: Routledge, 1 994,

Simmons, Marc. New Mexico: An Interpretive History . Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, 1 977,

Smith, Paul Chaat and Warrior, Robert Allen. Like A Hurricane: The Indian Movement from Alcatraz to Wounded Knee. New York: The New Press, 1996

Vain Every, Dale. Disinherited: The Lost Birthright of the American Indian. New York: Avon Books, 1966.

Witt, Shirley Hill and Steiner, Stan eds. The Way: An Anthology of American Indian Literature. New York: Vintage Books, 1972.

Pedagogical

Atwell, Nancy. In the Middle: Writing, Reading and Learning, with Adolescents, Portmouth NH: Boynton/Cook Publishers, 1987.

Counts, George. Dare the School Build A New Social Order? Carbondale EL Southern Illinois University Press, 1978.

Dewey, John. Experience and Education. New York: Collier Books, 1938.

Elkind, David. Children and Adolescents: Interpretive Essays on Jean Piaget. New York: Oxford Press, 1981.

Gardner, Howard. The Unschooled Mind: How Children Think & How Schools Should Think. New York: Basic Books, 1991.

Hentoff, Nat. Our Children Are Dying. New York: Viking Press, 1 966.

Ladson-Billings, Gloria. The Dreamkeepers: Successful Teachers of African American Children. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers, 1994.

Meier, Deborah. The Power of Their Ideas. Boston: Beacon Press, 1995

Pratt, Caroline. I Learn From Children. New York: Harper & Row, 1990.

Scher, Linda and Johnson, Mary Oates. Candidates, Campaigns and Elections. New York: Scholastic, 1993.

Shor, Ira and Freire, Paulo. A Pedagogy for Liberation: Dialogues on Transforming Education. New York: Bergin & Garvey, 1987.

Books for the Classroom

These are just some of the books I have accumulated over the years or have found in the public library. There are many new books out there on social change movements and figures.

Dastur, Kathleen ed. Challenges of Our Time: Prejudice and Discrimination. Boston: Allyn& Bacon Press, 1973.

De Garza, Patricia. Chicanos: The Story of Mexican-Americans. New York: Julian Messner, 1973.

Harlan, Judith. American Indians, Today: Issues and Conflicts. New York: Franklin Watts, 1987.

Fritz, Jean. Shh!! We're Writing the Constitution. New York: G.P. Putnam, 1987.

Grimes, Nikki. Great Lives, Malcom X-A Force for Change. New York: Fawcett Columbine, 1992.

Harley, Sharon ed. Voices in African-American History: Civil Rights. Cleveland: Modem Curriculum Press, 1994.

Haskins, Jim. Get on Board: The Story of the Underground Railroad. New York Scholastic, 1993.

Haskins, Jim and Parks, Rosa. Rosa Parks: My Story. New York- Scholastic, 1992,

Haskins, Jim. Your Rights, Past and Present: A Guide for Young People . New York: Hawthorne Books, 1975.

Johnston, Johanna. They the Way: 14 American Women. New York: Scholastic, 1973.

Levine, Ellen. Freedom's Children: Young Civil Rights Activists Tell Their Own Stories. New York: G.P. Putnam, 1993.

Martinez, Elizabeth. 500 Years of Chicano History in Pictures. Albuquerque NM: SouthWest Organizing Project, 1991.

Mason, Lorna ed. America's Past and Promise. Boston: McDougal Littell,1998.

Meltzer, Milton. The American Revolutionaries: A in Their Own Words. New York: Thomas Cromwell, 1987.

Myers, Walter Dean. Now Is Your Time! The African-American Struggle for Freedom. New York: Scholastic, 199 1.

Nabokov, Peter ed. Native American Testimony: An Anthology of Indian and White Relations. New York: Harper & Row, 1978.

Roberts, Calvin and Susan eds. A History of New Mexico. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, 1992.

Sullivan, George. The Day the Women Got the Vote. New York: Scholastic, 1994,

Wakasuki Housten, Jeanne. Farewell to Manzanar. New York: Bantam Books, 1973.

Witt, Shirley Hill and Steiner, Stan eds. The Way: An Anthology of American-Indian Literature. New York: Vintage Books, 1972.

Hispanic Participation in American Politics

Background and justification

As a middle school Language Arts teacher at Ernie Pyle Middle School in Albuquerque’s South Valley, I’m constantly looking for ways to spark the interest of my students, 90 percent of whom are Hispanic. As an educator who believes in interdisciplinary, thematic units, I’m always looking for ways to mesh the objectives of the seventh grade Social Studies curriculum (which includes New Mexico history) with Language Arts skills such as reading, research, and writing. As a person who believes firmly that we have to know our history before we can understand the present and impact the future, I feel that my students would benefit greatly from a unit focusing on Hispanic participation in American politics.

The three-week unit I developed has four goals:

1. To provide a brief review of New Mexico history, with special emphasis on issues impacting the Hispanic community from the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo (1848) to the present. Students will make a timeline, choose an important person from New Mexico history to research, and prepare a written report and oral presentation.
2. To provide a basic understanding of the political spectrum and its vocabulary. Students will become familiar with terms such as "liberal" and "conservative" by placing their family views about government within the framework of the spectrum. Students will interview a family member in an effort to discover the political beliefs and attitudes that may help define a political identity.
3. To make my students aware of the Chicano Movement, presenting this period not only as model of political activism, but as a link to other social movements of the 1960’s and early 1970’s (the Black Civil Rights Movement, The Women’s Movement). Students will view the PBS Series Chicano! and discuss the topics presented, responding both orally and in writing. (Note -- the order of these videos will be re-arranged because the biggest percentage of my students can identify with Cesar Chavez and the broad issue of immigrants’ rights, thus this video will be shown first.) Samples of protest writing and folk songs will be presented as a way of modeling free speech, underscoring First Amendment Rights and defining social commentary
4. To introduce students to ways of accessing the political system. Topics for this final component include the procedures for voting, contacting your elected representative, writing letters, and becoming involved in political and community campaigns.

Although this unit has a wide scope with a variety of topics, I believe all four parts are interdependent. This is important if the students are to come away with a meaningful concept of what Hispanics have accomplished so far -- and what is left to accomplish -- via the political process. The first component is a must if students are to have the information base necessary for an intelligent discussion of history. This overview can be brief, especially if students have already completed the New Mexico History segment of their Social Studies curriculum. The concept and the vocabulary of the political spectrum is also a prerequisite for discussing politics; presenting it within the context of a family interview will hopefully make the terminology more meaningful. The Chicano series will be a powerful way of illustrating how liberal and conservative forces clash, and how Hispanic activists sometimes put their lives in jeopardy in the pursuit of social justice. Finally, guest speakers will invite students to participate themselves. What issues are important to the Hispanic community today? How can you make a difference? It’s my hope that this will be an experience where the whole really is greater than the sum of its parts.

Student Profile

Although this unit would be viable for any middle school setting, I think it is especially appropriate for any middle school with a significant Hispanic population, and for classrooms interested in the social movements of the 1960’s and 1970’s. At the public school where I teach, Ernie Pyle Middle School in Albuquerque, New Mexico, the student population is overwhelmingly Hispanic (90 percent) and a variety of social issues (high teenage pregnancy and dropout rates, for example) play a big part in the lives of the students. A school with this kind of setting desperately needs to provide students with a concept of politics -- how political organizations are organized and what impact they can have -- in order to provide students with an understanding of the democratic process and how it can affect change. In the specific case of Hispanic Americans, there is a real legacy of political involvement and achievement that grew out of the Chicano movement, and I hope to instill in my students a dual sense of historical awareness and hope for the future.

Poverty is a reality at Ernie Pyle Middle School, where 80 percent of all students qualify for free lunch and breakfast. Politics is imbedded in the structure and funding of our school, and students can begin to see these connections at the middle school level. Ernie Pyle has a significant immigrant population from Mexico as well as a significant bilingual (English/Spanish) population. Our students need to know the historical and political implications of immigration and bilingual education simply to understand the way our school works. In the past, there has been friction and polarization between "Mexican" and "Spanish American" groups of students at our school. One possible benefit from this unit might be the awareness of a larger Chicano identity that encompasses both groups with a revolutionary world view. The unit will also expose students to Hispanic success stories and positive role models. Henry Sisneros, for example, narrates the film series and the research activities I’ve planned will allow students to examine the lives of successful Hispanic actors, politicians, and artists.

Because Ernie Pyle Middle School has struggled recently to improve test scores and academic accountability, I will take special care to begin with basic concepts like "politics" and "democracy" before moving on to the more abstract political spectrum. At this point, I want the students to begin to see themselves as participants in the political system, for better or worse. The family interview can help students understand where they are on the right-left (liberal to conservative) continuum. I’m anticipating that many of my students -- and perhaps their families, too -- will define themselves as apolitical, saying "I’m not interested in politics at all." It will be my responsibility to challenge this notion with examples of the ways politics impact our lives. Do you attend a public school? Does it meet your needs? Do you abide by a uniform policy? Are you required to have a work permit? What opportunities do you have to speak in your native language at school? Answering these questions may help the students realize that politics -- and the decisions politicians make -- affect all of us.

Meeting curriculum needs in Language Arts and Social Studies

As a Language Arts teacher, I hope to give my students many opportunities to flex their muscles in the competencies: reading, writing, listening, and speaking. I will also attempt to strike a balance between teacher talk and student talk, sometimes presenting material that will give them a fact base to work from, sometimes allowing for group discussion, and sometimes allowing students to do independent research and present their findings to the class as a whole. I will also strive to incorporate technology into the learning process, asking the students to do on-line research for both individual and group research. I also plan to bring as many viewpoints into the classroom as possible, not only by presenting the Chicano documentary series, but by scheduling guest speakers who will bring an immediate credibility into the classroom (an ingredient often missing in many textbook-dominated Social Studies environments). I plan to schedule at least three guest speakers: one who will discuss the land grant issue, one who will discuss the Chicano Movement, and another who will discuss the political process and citizen participation. The traditional New Mexico history curriculum in seventh grade tends to stop when New Mexico achieves statehood in 1912, whipping through the 20th Century with snapshots of important people (like Governor Bruce King) and places (like Los Alamos, the birthplace of the atomic bomb) without ever addressing the important social issues that have been brewing in this state since the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo (1848) ended the Mexican-American war with a promise to respect the property rights of the Mexican-American population living in what is now the American Southwest. Many of my students unwittingly live on land that is part of the Atrisco land grant, and most have no idea that large sections of land have been disputed and are still in dispute. Issues like land rights in New Mexico, educational inequities in Texas, and immigrant labor in California will expand the focus of our inquiry outward from the home to the school, to the South Valley of Albuquerque to the city as a whole, from New Mexico to the Southwest region, and indeed, to issues of inequality and social justice throughout the nation and the world. Although this unit is designed as a companion to the required New Mexico history curriculum in our school district, other applications are possible.

The Constructivist philosophy of education

Generally speaking, I think there are two schools of thought about how kids learn -- the traditional model and the Constructivist model. The former sees kids as empty vessels that the teacher "fills up" with facts, dates, theories, and other information. Common activities in the traditional classroom are lectures, reading texts and answering questions about content, and doing skill worksheets that present one topic and let children practice that task (i.e. how to correctly write a bibliography entry). Although these skill-and-drill activities have their place in education, they should be balanced with a more challenging, holistic approach. Constructivist teachers see students as more than the receivers of knowledge. Constructivist teachers see the brain functioning primarily as a processing unit (rather than simply seeing it as a storage unit) and are constantly looking for ways that will immerse their students in situations that will allow them to make their own meaning. For example, a lesson on geology that has kids sorting out different kinds of rocks by color and texture and characteristic allows them to discover for themselves rather than memorize these classifications from a textbook. Constructivism is learning "from the inside out," hands-on activities involving more student choice and autonomy.

I’m not using a textbook to teach this unit, nor do I plan to do so. I want to present a body of facts, but I want to do it in a way that will allow students to feel like they are making sense of their world themselves rather than having a teacher or author do it for them. I believe my role as teacher is to create an environment where students can discover truths about themselves and the world they live in. Small group work is an essential part of this process, as students explore this environment in a spirit of mutual respect and joint ownership. Although I believe that traditional methods are sometimes the most practical and efficient way of teaching, my seven years of teaching experience has taught me that Constructivist lessons -- especially for thematic units like this one -- are the ones kids like the best and remember most. It was my intention that the activities contained herein reflect this philosophy.

Progression of Activities

These activities are designed to supplement the standard seventh grade Social Studies and Language Arts curriculum and provide a bridge from the abstract world of politics to the real-world political attitudes that impact everyone’s life. I think that too often Social Studies classes in general and History classes in particular spend far too much time presenting a progression of events and too little time discussing the impact these events have on the lives of the students themselves. I believe my students in the South Valley of Albuquerque are heirs to an important social movement they know nothing about -- the Chicano Movement of the 1960’s and early 1970’s. This remarkable social event was an attempt by Hispanics to reclaim their cultural identity and pride and address important issues of injustice and equality that still exist today (i.e. the Hispanic dropout rate in Albuquerque that has reached epidemic proportions). They also do not know how their parents and grandparents were affected by history and politics in the areas of employment and education.

To address these needs, I will provide a combination of traditional history (dates, events, battles, famous leaders, etc.) and oral history -- the recorded statements revealing the effects these events had on people living during these periods. Throughout the unit, I intend to interweave the data students need to understand events with the human emotions of the "real people" these events affected. For example, after the unit begins with a timeline building activity, the first segment of the video series will graphically illustrate the clash between the disenfranchised farm workers and the growers in California. One particularly strong image is then-governor Ronald Reagan eating grapes on national television in support of the growers, even as the striking workers struggle to survive under threats of violence. The land grant issue provides similar opportunities to mesh documented history with personal experience. After reading about the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo and its guarantees to protect the land rights of peoples living in New Mexico at the conclusion of the Mexican American war, a guest speaker will describe the struggle many current land grant heirs are undertaking to claim their inheritance.

The unit also meshes Social Studies and Language Arts activities in important ways. The students need a vocabulary to discuss politics, and the political spectrum framework will provide terminology for doing so. By transferring this model to their own particular home situation, students will connect terms like "liberal" and "conservative" with real people and real issues. An examination of Chicano Literature and Music will provide important links between events like the Vietnam War and artistic reaction and protest. Finally, a comparison of protest literature and political action of different social movements in the 1960’s and 1970’s will help students see this period in American history for what it was, a stormy time of upheaval and generational and class conflict whereby a nation redefined itself.

This unit has the potential for creating controversy, and teachers should anticipate questions from parents who may misunderstand the intentions of the project. One might remind students that if revolutionary ideologies were never pursued, important social strides in education (like racially integrated schools) and employment (like minimum wage protections) would never have been accomplished. If governments were never challenged, the United States would still be a colony of England. Controversy and conflict are the ball bearings that make democracies work, and a little of both in the classroom provides fertile ground for meaningful class discussions.

Another practical concern regarding these activities is the timing of the lessons themselves and the block or period schedules different schools use. Because I teach a Language Arts/Literature Block (technically two different classes combined), I see my students 70 minutes each day Monday through Friday. The activities for each day should take approximately 70 minutes; teachers working with smaller periods of time may adjust the schedule accordingly. Using a block system, the unit should take three weeks; using a period system of 40 minutes per class, this unit could easily take twice as long. The four video segments run approximately 57 minutes each.

Materials needed: A computer for every student or each team of 2-3 students; Internet access with the following web site bookmarked: (www.pbs.org/Chicano).

Procedure: 1. (Focus) On the blackboard, students are presented with five well-known events from history (Columbus lands in the Americas, The Moon Landing, etc). Students arrange these in order on a timeline next to the list. Discuss how timelines are useful. 2. Each student or team of students gets a time frame and an important person to research. (See Day 1 addendum for list of dates and people students can find more about at the PBS/Chicano web site.). 3. Students research the time period by double clicking on their dates. Students write down significant events from that time period. 4. Students then research their person from history (a person who was mentioned in the Chicano! series) by double-clicking on that name and writing down a short biographical sketch. 5. Students then research these topics independently using a search engine and conducting a search. Whatever further information they can find will improve what they can report to the class on Day Two.

Materials needed: A prominent timeline (1840-1975) ringing the classroom (years displayed should reflect the timeline we research on Day One -- see addendum for actual timeline); A "Cast of Characters" (people mentioned prominently in the Chicano! video series -- see addendum for list) displayed either on the blackboard or posterboard).

Procedure: 1. Students have their research notes from Day One, and today they will share what they’ve found with the class. 2. Give each student (or group of students if they worked in groups on day one) two different colored index cards -- one for their timeline report and one for their historical figure. 3. Give groups 10-15 minutes to prepare a short presentation to the class. Reports are written on the index cards. For each, students must decide what year to place their cards on the timeline. (For example, those reporting on Cesar Chavez might choose to highlight 1975, the year the California Labor Relations Act was passed). 4. Student groups read their reports to the class and place their index cards on the timeline. Classmates take notes at their seats, making a complete timeline of the period and a "Cast of Characters" they can use for an open-notes test at the end of the unit.

Evaluation: Students graded for their oral report to the class and index cards placed on the classroom timeline (20 points).

Day Three: Chicano! Video #2 "The Struggle In The Fields"

Materials needed: Video and worksheet, posters or pictures of Martin Luther King and Cesar Chavez.

Procedure: 1. (Video focus) Divide blackboard into two parts; label one side "Martin Luther King" and the other "Cesar Chavez." Teacher invites students to share what they know about these two leaders, listing items as they are discussed. For example, non-violent protest was a tactic each used to make important advances for their peoples. 2. Ask students if they know who harvested the strawberries we had for breakfast or the lettuce and peaches we had for lunch. Discuss the terms "immigrant" and "migrant worker" and ask students what rights these people should have. 3. Distribute worksheet and view video.

Day Four: Chicano literature and music

Materials needed: A variety of poetry, short essays, and short stories by Hispanic authors. (See Classroom Materials addendum). Copies should be distributed so groups of two or three students have three examples each. Teacher should also have a tape player and some appropriate protest music, perhaps a Spanish corrido and more modern examples like Bob Dylan’s "Blowin’ In The Wind" or Bruce Springsteen’s "Ghost of Tom Joad."

Procedure: 1. (Focus) Teacher points to a list of appropriate vocabulary words on the blackboard and asks students to identify each (examples could include ballad, corrido, ode, protest music, mural, sculpture, etc.). How do these art forms give voice to protest? Teacher then plays an example of protest music; students discuss its tone and theme. 2. Students are divided into pairs. Each pair has three examples of Chicano literature (every example is different). 3. Pairs read their examples and choose one piece to share with the class. 4. Pairs read their selection to the class, with one student reading the piece and the other analyzing its tone, structure, content, and literary devices. 5. While classmates are reading, students at their seats take notes in list form (a three-column chart), writing down the author, title, and analysis for each oral report.

Evaluation: Students will be graded on their oral report (20 points). Notes will be collected and graded (10 points; completion grade) and returned for use on the exam at the end of the unit.

Day Five: The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo and Its Legacy in the Southwest

Materials needed: Large maps illustrating the United States and Mexico before and after the Mexican-American War. A class-sized supply of candy. A guest speaker familiar with Spanish land grants in the Southwest and legal efforts by Hispanics to use the land grants to keep the lands given to their ancestors (in Albuquerque, two such possible speakers could be Jaime Chavez or a representative of the Chilili land grant east of Albuquerque, a viable grant that still maintains the original boundaries of the land parcel apportioned to a group of settlers). Any documentation with references to land grants, such as an Abstract of Title on a piece of property owned by my father-in-law (the lot he lives on was originally part of the Atrisco Land Grant and this thick bundle of documents traces the history of the property back to January 15, 1892), would also be useful.

Procedure: 1. (Focus) The guest speaker will pass out candy to the class, two pieces per student. But before anyone can eat any, the speaker will announce that those with last beginning with letters A-J must give one piece of candy to students whose last names begin with letters K-Z. How did you feel about giving up half your candy? 2. How would a nation feel about giving up half its land? Show the maps of the United States and Mexico before and after the Mexican-American War to illustrate the huge parcel of land that the United States acquired and Mexico lost. 3. Review the key terms of the treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, a document assuring those living in New Mexico, Arizona, and California that their land rights established under Spanish, and later Mexican, rule would be honored. 4. The guest speaker will address the class and students will take notes on key names, dates, and places the speaker mentions. Notes will be used for a "guest speaker" question on the unit exam.

Day Six: Chicano! Video #1 "Quest for a Homeland"

Materials needed: Map and/or other documents illustrating land grants in the Southwest; video and worksheet.

Procedure: 1. (Focus) Teacher will share a map illustrating land grants in New Mexico or a property deed or other documentation showing how grants were apportioned long before New Mexico became a state in 1912. Teacher will ask recall questions dealing with Day Five’s guest speaker. 2. Video worksheets will be distributed. 3. Students view video and answer listening questions and take notes that will prepare them to participate in a class discussion following the video (same evaluation for all four video worksheets).

Materials needed: Blackboard or overhead projector; the political spectrum (see addendum); an assortment of newspaper articles focusing on partisan politics at different levels of government.

Procedure: 1. (Focus) Have a list of prominent political figures (Jesse Jackson, Ted Kennedy, George W. Bush, Rush Limbaugh, etc.) on the board. See if student volunteers can place these figures in columns labeled "Conservative" and "Liberal". 2. Students make a long horizontal line on a sheet of paper, making marks on both ends and in the middle. Word by word, teacher adds terms to this model, defining each as it is added. 3. Layers of information, such as opposing policies on different issues (defense spending, school prayer, economic policy, etc.) can help illustrate the differences between liberals and conservatives and should be added once the basic terms (liberal, conservative, and moderate) are understood. Students save this model for future use and use on the unit exam. 4. Teacher divides class into pairs; each pair gets a different newspaper article to read and report on. 5. Students write the date, headline, and a one-paragraph summary explaining how liberals and conservatives clash over this issue.

Evaluation: Students graded on brief report to the class (10 points).

Day Eight: Interview Assignment

Materials needed: Index cards, list of 25 questions for parent interview.

Procedure: 1. (Focus and review) Teacher will present an incomplete political spectrum on the blackboard; students will fill in the blanks for each level. 2. (Class discussion) What other labels (besides political terms) help identify people and their views? Present students with the following terms on the board: Spanish, Spanish-American, Mexican, Mexican-American, Hispanic, Hispanic, Latino, Chicano. Which term(s) best describe you? Why? Would liberals and conservatives tend to pick different terms to identify themselves? Why? 3. Divide students into pairs. Each pair must write five questions they could ask a parent or family member to discover what kind of political views they have. 4. Teacher announces Q & A interview assignment: Students are to interview a parent (grandparents would be great), relative, or other adult and report their findings to the class (at least 25 Q’s and A’s). Questions should begin with basic information queries and build to more personal probes into values and views. 5. Teacher helps students by giving them the first five or six questions, then asks for volunteers to offer their best question. In this way, students build a list of 25 questions that will be used for their interview (tonight’s homework -- due on Day 10). 6. Teacher offers advice for a successful interview and accurate transcription and gives each student index cards to use for the speech (to help maintain eye-contact with audience). Students should bring in a picture or other visual representing their interviewee (used as an attention getter for their three-minute oral report on Day 10).

Day Nine: Chicano! Video #3 "Taking Back The Schools"

Materials needed: Video and worksheet.

Procedure: 1. (Video Focus) On the blackboard, have a "School Report Card" with the following categories: Condition of School Building; Condition of Books and Supplies; Access to Computers; Quality of Cafeteria Food; Quality of Teachers, Library/Media Center; Gymnasium; After-school programs; Safety of the School; The overall quality of education provided. Students have 5-10 minutes to grade the school. 2. Discuss your school’s report card, then pose the question: How could people use politics to change their school? 3. Students view video and complete worksheet.

Day Ten: Students present family interviews

Materials needed: Homework assignment.

Procedure: 1. Students copy a four-column chart from board (they’ll use this to take notes on their classmates’ presentations); Column headings: Student’s name; Interviewee; Something they did well; Something to improve next time. 2. Teacher models the presentation by giving three to five minute speech about a relative, highlighting his or her values and political beliefs. Students make this their first set of notes for their chart. 3. Students give oral reports while their classmates take notes.

Evaluation: Speech is graded for content and technique (10 points each); notes are completion grade (10 points).

Day 11: Read about and research an important Hispanic person

Materials needed: Individual biographies of famous Hispanics (past and present) -- see Classroom Materials addendum.

Procedure: 1. (Research focus) Have a list of famous Hispanics (who have been written about in biography form) on the board (examples may include Gloria Estevan, Roberto Clemente, Cesar Chavez, Pancho Villa, etc.). Take volunteers to identify these people. 2. Distribute grading rubric for 3-5 page research paper (or have students copy from the board). 3. Dismiss students to where biographies are located (have at least one book per student); students pick a book and sign it out through teacher. This may or may not be the same person they researched on Day 1. (Note: If your school library has adequate resources, you might schedule this day at the library). 4. Students spend the remainder of the period reading their book and taking notes that they will use to write their research paper. (You may want to give students a list of items to find and write down if they have not done many research papers). Paper is due after the unit is completed.

Day 12: Chicano! Video #4 "Fighting for Political Power"

Materials needed: Video and worksheet

Procedure: 1. (Video focus). Give students a hypothetical problem that might have a political solution. For example, what if our school’s air conditioning was out of order and the school claimed it didn’t have the money to fix it. How could political activity change this situation? 2. (Class discussion) What needs to be changed in our community now? How can politics play a part in solving the problem? 3. Students view video and complete worksheet.

Day 13: Guest speaker -- How you can get involved in the political process

Materials needed: Although a person is not material, possible speakers for this day include members of student government (a high school class president would be excellent), an editorial page editor from a local paper, a local activist who played a part in the Chicano movement we’ve been learning about, a representative from a local city council, or a member of The League of Womens Voters.

Procedure: 1. (Introduction of guest speaker) Teacher asks students to name people who "make a difference" via politics (list these names on the blackboard). Today, our class has the honor of a visit from another person making a difference..." 2. Guest speaker addresses class and explains what they do, be it write editorials, make laws, or register people to vote. 3. Students take notes; these will be used on unit exam.

Day 14: Social Movements of the 1960’s and 1970’s

Materials needed: Articles and books about various facets of the many social movements of the late 1960’s and early 1970’s. Topics could include Eldridge Cleaver, Malcolm X, Angela Davis, Brown vs. Board of Education and Thurgood Marshall, Rosa Parks (from the Black Civil Rights Movement); Gloria Steinem, Betty Freidan, and Susan B. Anthony (from the Women’s Movement); Tom Hayden, Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, the Kent State tragedy (from the Anti-Vietnam War Movement); The Brown Panthers, Rodolfo "Corky" Gonzales, Ruben Salazar (from the Chicano Movement).

Procedure: 1. (Research focus) Teacher dresses in 1960’s style and opens the class by playing a rock n’ roll standard like "My Generation" or "Revolution". Teacher summarizes this period in history as one of unusual turbulance, generational conflict, and change. 2. In groups of 2-3, students read about one facet of this time period and prepare a 2-3 minute presentation about what they learned. 3. Students take notes on their classmates’ presentations in chart form; these notes will be used for the unit exam tomorrow.

Day 15: Unit Exam

Materials needed: Unit test will reflect the specific content of the unit. Students should be rewarded for taking good notes, so questions about all student presentations and guest speakers should be included, as well as general questions about the video series. Essay questions should 1) challenge students to summarize what the Chicano Movement was about and how it helped Mexican-Americans make important gains and 2) challenge students to explain what Hispanics still need to accomplish and discuss how participation in the political process might make a difference.

Day 1 Web page information: To do the Internet activities, locate and bookmark the Chicano! web page located within www.pbs.org. Students will use two links on Day One. First, they will go to the Time Line Overview link. There, they will click on one of nine time periods within the overall time range of 1840-1975 to find out what events related to Mexican-American rights happened during that period. (The individual periods are: 1840-1860; 1861-1880; 1881-1900; 1901-1920; 1921-1940; 1941-1960; 1961-1965; 1966-1970; 1971 -1975). Second, they will go to the Biographies link to find out more about a famous person mentioned during the course of the four-part video series and proceed in the same way, clicking on a name (from a list of about 100 names) to call up a short biographical sketch.

Classroom Materials (Day 4 -- Latino Literature and Music)

Baca, Jimmy Santiago. 1986. Black Mesa Poems. New York: New Directions Books.

Gomez, Alma (Editor). 1983. Cuentos: Stories by Latinas. Latham, New York: Kitchen Table Publishers.

Gonzalez, Ray. 1994. Currents from the Dancing River. Contemporary Latino Fiction, Nonfiction, and Poetry. New York: Harcourt Brace.

Sauuageau, Juan. 1989. Stories That Must Not Die. Los Angeles: Pan American Publishing.

Simmen, Edward (Editor). 1992. North of The Rio Grande. The Mexican-American Experience in Short Fiction. New York: Mentor Books.

Sullivan, Charles. 1994. Here is My Kingdom. Hispanic American Literature and Art for Young People. New York: Harry N. Abrams.

West, John O. 1988. Mexican-American Folklore. Little Rock: August House Publishers.

Latino Poetry. 1994. Paramus, New Jersey: Globe Fearon Educational Publishing. (This compilation of various poets includes a teacher’s manual with activities).

Classroom Materials (Day 11 -- Researching Important Hispanic Personalities)

Morey, Janet Nomura, and Dunn. 1996. Famous Hispanic Americans. New York: Cobblehill Books.

de Ruiz, Dana Catherine and Larios, Richard. 1993. La Causa. The Migrant Farmworkers’ Story. New York: Steck-Vaughn.

Shorris, Earl. 1992. Latinos - A Biography of The People. New York: Avon Books.

Hispanic Stories. The Steck-Vaughn Classroom Library. (A collection 15 individual biographies by various authors. Includes teacher’s guide). 1993. New York: Steck-Vaughn.

Hispanic Biographies. (A Collection of 16 individual biographies by various authors). 1989. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Globe Book Company.

Grading rubric: If you use a point system, you may want to grade the unit this way: Timeline/oral report -- 20 points; four video worksheets (20 pts. each) -- 80 points; Chicano Literature oral report -- 20 points; Chicano Literature notes -- 10 points; Newspaper report -- 10 points; Family interview/report 40 points; Family Interview speech notes -- 10 points; Research paper -- 50 points; Unit exam -- 60 points. Unit total -- 300 points.

Name ____________________________________ Period __________

Chicano Video Part One: The Struggle In The Fields

Directions: As you watch the video, listen for important names, dates, and concepts. Write your answers below each question. Prepare to participate in a class discussion following the video.

1. What was the life expectancy of the average farm worker at this time?

2. What did the Bracero Program do?

3. What does the word huelga mean?

4. Where were most California growers from?

5. Write three adjectives to describe the work Mexican Americans and Mexican immigrants performed on farms. Write three more adjectives to describe the leader of the United Farm Workers, Cesar Chavez.

6. What did the strike need to succeed?

7. What are strike breakers?

8. What US Senator took up the cause of the farmworkers?

9. Who was the patron saint of the UFW? Why did this use of religious imagery anger the growers?

10. Why did the Schenley Corporation give in to the demands of the workers?

11. What was the Delano Plan?

12. Why did the growers refer to union leaders as agitators?

13. What other unions supported the UFW?

14. Why were the farmworkers often the most visible participants in the Chicano movement?

15. What did California Governor Ronald Reagan say about the strikers?

For class discussion: What qualities does a labor leader need? Why did the UFW succeed? What other workers use strikes? How was Cesar Chavez like Martin Luther King?

Name ________________________________ Period ________

Chicano Video Part Two: Quest For A Homeland

Directions: As you watch the video, listen for important names, dates, and concepts. Write your answers below each question. Prepare to participate in a class discussion following the video.

1. What did the term "Chicano" originally mean?

2. Who was the leader of the "Alianza" of Northern New Mexicans?

3. How much of its territory did Mexico lose in the Mexican-American War?

4. What treaty, signed at the end of the Mexican-American War, guaranteed land rights for Mexican-Americans living in what is now the US Southwest?

5. According to folklore, what was traded away for the Tierra Amarilla land grant?

6. How did the U.S. Forest Service disrupt the lifestyle of Hispanics living in Northern New Mexico?

7. What federal charges did Reies Tijerina face as a result of his actions?

8. Who did the Alianza want to arrest when they stormed the courthouse in Tijera Amarilla?

9. How did David Cargo, the governor of New Mexico, respond?

10. What is a corrido?

12. Why did many Hispanic parents not talk to their children about the discrimination they experienced?

13. What did President Lyndon B. Johnson do to address discrimination?

14. What poem, written by Corky Gonzales, celebrates Chicano pride and identity?

15. How did Corky Gonzales try to change things through the political process.

For class discussion: What does it mean when Mexican-Americans say "We didn’t cross the border, the border crossed us?" How did issues of gender surface at the Chicano Youth Conference in Denver? How did the Vietnam War divide Hispanic youth and their parents?

Name ______________________________ Period _______

Chicano Video Part Three: Taking Back The Schools

Directions: As you watch the video, listen for important names, dates, and concepts. Write your answers below each question. Prepare to participate in a class discussion following the video.

1. What is a barrio? In the 1960’s. what was the largest barrio in the United States?

2. What is "The American Dream?" What do most parents want for their children?

3. What was the dropout rate in the Los Angeles public schools? What is the dropout rate right now in Albuquerque?

4. Were children allowed to speak Spanish in school? Why?

5. What is "tracking" in education? Does this happen today?

6. What demands did Mexican-American students make to the Los Angeles School Board?

7. What is segregation? Can seperate schools for different groups of students be equal?

8. What was the Chicano Movement? What did it try to accomplish?

9. Who was Sal Castro? How did he try to change the L.A. schools?

10. What did the student walkout accomplish?

11. Who were the Brown Berets? What did they try to accomplish? What tactics did they use?

12. How did the L.A. Police respond to the protests?

13. What "big name" politician supported the students?

14. What positive outcomes came out of the protest and walkout?

15. How did the L.A. Board of Education retaliate against Castro and protest leaders?

For class discussion: What similarities do you see at the school you attend? What are your First Amendment rights? How can you use them to protect yourself?

Name _______________________________ Period _______

Chicano Video Part Four: Fighting For Political Power

1. What new political party formed to meet the needs of Mexican Americans?

2. What was the poll tax? How did it prevent Mexican Americans from gaining political power?

3. How did the Texas Rangers help intimidate Mexican Americans?

4. What does LULAC stand for? What did this organization try to do?

5. What is the American G.I. Forum? Howdid this oganization help a Mexican-American veteran get a proper burial?

6. Why did Mexican Americans support John F. Kennedy in the 1960 election?

7. In 1968, Jose Angel Gutierrez asked Mexican Americans to adopt what kinds of tactics to make change?

8. What Crystal City High School cheerleader refused to accept a policy she felt was unjust?

9. Why were Mexican Americans afraid to vote?

10. Who ran for governor in New Mexico as a member of La Raza Unida party?

11. Give examples of how artwork and literature (poetry and songs) expressed the goals of La Raza Unida?

12. Why did La Raza Unida confront the Democratic Party in California?

13. Why did Willy Velasquez leave La Raza Unida party?

14. What did Rudolfo "Corky" Gonzalez believe about "working within the system"?

15. What does MALDEF stand for? What does MALDEF do to help Hispanics?

For class discussion: Why did La Raza Unida vote to endorse neither Republican Richard Nixon or Democrat George McGovern in 1972? Even though La Raza Unida dissolved in the 1970’s, what did it accomplish? Do you think either major political party (Republican or Democrat) meets the needs of Hispanics today?