Overview
Rationale
Unit Goals
Standards
Objectives
Strategies
Classroom Activities
Rubrics and Criteria lists used in Curriculum Unit
Bibliography/Resources

Teachers need to help students understand their own cultures and to contribute to intercultural understanding. Students are biased by their own cultures as they read and evaluate literature. Language Arts teachers, therefore, play an important role in the creation of an all encompassing classroom. When multicultural literature becomes a part of the curriculum and teachers guide students through it, classrooms can become forums of open exchange. Literature and the following discussion permit students to read, think, and become actively engaged with the texts. At that time, it should be easier for students to cross cultural borders. Students should, then, be able to empathize with others and their problems.

The fastest growing minority in the United States today is Hispanic. Economic and political reasons have forced many Hispanic people to come to the United States in search of a better life. Many Hispanics have been here since before the Pilgrims landed at Pilgrim rock. More Hispanics have immigrated to the United States than Europeans did when they came through Ellis Island. Many settled lands in the Southwest in the infancy of this country. Open borders allowed people to come into the United States and then return home as they willed. Hispanics have now gained a voice in government and have careers that have elevated them to the middle class. However, as the United States placed immigration controls on the number of people entering, many people entered the country as illegal aliens. These people work in domestic, factory, and farm work. In the sixth grade Communications curriculum of the Pittsburgh Public Schools, students are required to read the novel, Lupita Manana. This novel permits students to put a face on the issue of illegal immigration. Complex issues such as illegal immigration, which seem to, at first, have simple solutions, become clouded as students are confronted with sensitively developed characters. It is valuable for students to see commonalties across cultures as an avenue to establish lines of communication with people of diverse cultures.

This unit is a collaborative work that will include the Communications and Social Studies curriculums of the Pittsburgh Public Schools. Students will learn the history, geography, economics, and culture of Latin America in the Social Studies classroom. In Communications, students will complete portfolio requirements using the themes from the novel. The portfolio requirements that this curriculum unit will complete are writing a response to Literature and to informational texts, writing a report, writing a persuasive essay with the emphasis on problem-solution technique, oral speaking, as well as, reading the novel to increase the number of books toward their reading 25 books requirement. Group discussion, both small group and large group, will engage in accountable talk.

The Pittsburgh Public Schools curriculum is a standard based curriculum. The standards identify the knowledge and skills that students must have in order to graduate from high school. My curriculum unit is based on the following standards.

1. All students use effective research and information management skills including locating primary and secondary sources of information with traditional and emerging library technologies.

2. All students read and use a variety of methods to make sense of various kinds of complex texts.

3. All students respond orally and in writing to information and ideas gained by reading narrative and informational texts and use the information and ideas to make decisions and solve problems.

4. All students write for a variety of purposes, including to narrate, inform, and persuade in all subject areas.

5. All students analyze and make critical judgments about all forms of communications, separating fact from opinion, recognizing propaganda, stereotypes and statements of bias, recognizing inconsistencies and judging the validity of evidence.

6. All students exchange information orally, including understanding and giving spoken instructions, asking and answering questions appropriately, and promoting effective group communications.

7. All students listen to and understand complex oral messages and identify their purpose, structure, and use.

8. All students compose and make oral presentations for each academic area of study that are designed to persuade, inform, or describe.

9. All students situations communicate appropriately in business, work, and other applied

5. All students develop and defend a position on current issues, confronting the United States and other nations, conducting research, analyzing alternatives, organizing evidence and arguments, and making oral presentations.

6. All students explain basic economic concepts and the development and operation of the economic systems in the United States and other nations, and make informal decisions about economic issues.

7. All students demonstrate their skills of communication, negotiation, and cooperation with others.

8. All students demonstrate that they can work effectively with others.

9. All students demonstrate an understanding of the history and nature of prejudice and relate their knowledge to current issues facing communities, the United States, and other nations.

10. All students demonstrate an understanding of the various roles they can play as citizens through participating in a community service project.

All students converse, at a minimum level of "Intermediate low", as defined in the oral proficiency guidelines developed by the American council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages, in at least on language other than English, including the native language, if other than English.

1. Students will begin to empathize with the people of Latin America.

2. Students will empathize with people who must do anything they can to meet their families’ needs.

1. Students will be able to read the novel, Lupita Manana, with Teacher guidance, in a large group setting, small group setting, and independently.

2. Students will be able to write reports, using texts from the library, Encarta Encyclopedia and the Internet, on the various aspects of the novel. The report must include at least three sources.

3. Students will be able to use the report as a guide for oral presentations, as well as, power point presentations.

4. Students will be able to use accountable talk when discussing the aspects of the novel in small groups.

5. Students will be able to write a "Response to Literature" essay on the novel, Lupita Manana.

6. Students will be able to write a persuasive essay on the topic of illegal immigration.

7. Students will be able to recognize Spanish language terms.

8. Students will be able to converse in Spanish in simple greetings and questions.

9. Students will be able to write poetry in Spanish.

10. Students will be able to write friendly letters to the children of Pittsburgh’s Sister City of Managua.

11. Students will be able to view the film, "El Norte".

12. Students will be able to use storyboards to chart the parallel courses of the novel, Lupita Manana, and the film, El Norte.

13. Students will read related fictional short stories about Latino children who live in the United States.

14. Students will write personal narratives about times when they have had similar experiences as the children in the short stories.

15. Students will participate in a culminating "fiesta"at the end of the unit.

Lupita Manana by Patricia Beatty is a story of desperate people who will do anything to provide for the simple necessities of their families. After the death of the father of the family, the oldest children, Lupita and Salvador, try to get work to provide for their family in a small fishing village in the Baja Peninsula of Mexico. They are unsuccessful in obtaining employment and decide to cross the border into the United States to find work. They encounter many hardships on the way, including being chased by la migra-the immigration police. Their initial dreams of life in the United States are contrasted by the menial jobs and farm life in the U.S. that is offered to them. America is not the land of opportunity that they had hoped. However, Lupita always has hope for a better manana-tomorrow.

Review with the class what they have learned about Latin America, especially Mexico. Present to class criteria list to use in small groups. In each small group, students will appoint a secretary who will write down the group’s ideas on large newsprint and then present them to the whole class. A criteria checklist will be given to each group that will help them to make lists of the positive and negative aspects of first, living in Mexico, and, then, the United States. The students will also be given a rubric for small group discussion that will help them to evaluate their own work in the group. Groups share with the whole class their lists of Mexico and the United States. Hang them in the classroom. Explain to students that the conditions that force people to come to the United States are called "push factors", because they "push" people to leave their homes. The Mexican economy cannot provide enough jobs for the fast growing population. More and more people are finding it very difficult to make ends meet. So, many people, even though they love their country, feel they have no choice but to leave. The number of jobs in the United States and the better way of life are called "pull" factors, because they "pull" people to the United States. Illegal aliens face very hard times when they arrive in the United States.

Begin the introduction of the book with a discussion of the title. Students should recognize the language as Spanish and be able to make predictions about the book after the title is translated for them. Read with the class a short biography of the author, Patricia Beatty. Give a short synopsis of the book. Discuss how people care for others especially for those in their own families. Brainstorm methods of taking care of a family. Discuss this topic while reviewing the group lists from the small groups. Discuss how people in a family decide to take care of each other’s needs when basic necessities are needed, or, in some cases, their lives are in danger. The reading of the novel will be conducted in a systematic way. New vocabulary words will be defined before reading certain passages. The reading of the novel will be done differently at each interval. I will begin reading the novel myself with students following along silently. Then, we will read aloud orally as a whole group. There will be times when students will read in a small group, with another student or they will read silently. Worksheets made by the teacher will be used for comprehension with both multiple choice and essay questioning. Students will write in their journals on a specific topic after reading a selection from the novel. There will be a final test on the novel that will include vocabulary, multiple choice answering, and essay writing.

Students will choose a report topic from a list of topics provided by the teacher. Topics for the report: Patricia Beatty, Yucatan Peninsula, Tijuana, Texas, migrant workers, illegal immigration, border patrol, Mexican food, or migrant workers. A criteria checklist will be given to the students. This checklist will help the student to write the report. A rubric for writing the report will be given to the students. This rubric will explain how the report will be evaluated and how they can make their report better. Students will use the library as a traditional site for information. They will be instructed on where to look for the correct information; and, then how to compile a list of texts for a bibliography that will be included in the report.

The class will make use of the computer lab at three different times. Each student will be given a disc on which to keep his or her report. The first time that the class visits the computer lab, they will use Encarta Encyclopedia to research their topic. They will use Encarta to make an outline for their report and to gain additional information for their reports. The second visit to the computer lab will be to use the internet for information. Students will be given definite sites that they can visit. They will not be permitted to browse the web. The progression of the report will be: rough draft, conference with teacher, revision, and then final copy. When all final copies are finished, the third trip to the computer lab will entail typing their reports on the computer, copying and pasting pictures from Encarta and the internet into the text, and then using Clip art and WordArt to create a cover page. The Encarta Encyclopedia reference and the internet sites will be used in the bibliography.

Students will use their reports to make oral presentations. A rubric will be given to students to acquaint them with what makes a great oral presentation. Presentations should be given in a clear audible voice. The speaker should make eye contact with the audience. The report should be clear and concise. The speaker should be able to take questions at the end of the presentation and answer them correctly. They may make overhead transparencies, posters, etc. for visual aids.

Students will go to the computer lab to create power point presentations. They will use their bibliographies and report to help create their presentations. A rubric will be given to assist the students in creating their power point presentations.

Students will be divided into small discussion groups. They will choose a secretary who will record their ideas and then report back to the large group. These groups will use a criteria checklist to follow directions for the lesson and a rubric to help evaluate themselves. Students will discuss the main characters Salvador and Lupita. They will discuss the actions of the characters in certain sections of the novel. They will then come back to the large group and compare and contrast the two characters. Emphasize the optimistic outlook of Lupita.

Students will write a Response to Literature essay. A rubric will be given to enable the students to write better essays. The theme of the essay will be on the ability to stay hopeful when everything else seems to be lost. The character of Lupita in the novel, Lupita Manana, always remains hopeful that tomorrow will be a better day. The essay will include a short description, using examples from the novel, of Lupita’s hopefulness, a time in the student’s life when he or she remained hopeful or was not able to remain hopeful in a difficult time, and a critique of the author’s use of Lupita to bring hope to a difficult topic, and what would they change in the novel, if they could. This essay will have a rough draft and final copy. Students will share their responses in small groups and then in the large group. Students will engage in accountable talk in the small and large group setting.

Read the afterword to the novel by Lucas Guttentag, Director of the Immigrants" Right Project, American Civil Liberties Union. Discuss the afterword with students. Students will write persuasive essays addressed to the United States Office of Immigration. Review the format of a friendly letter with the class. The students will be given a rubric for the essay. They will state the problem of illegal aliens and then give a possible solution. They will include the information that they have just read from the novel, Lupita Manana, and the information that they have gathered to write their reports. They will politely ask for a solution to the problem in their letter. These letters will be sent as a group.

During the reading of the novel, for about fifteen minutes of each 90 minute class, I will teach the students some basic Spanish. I will begin with the basic greetings and simple dialogue, the numbers, the colors, foods, days of the week, and items of clothing. The verb, gustar, will be introduced so that students can begin dialogues with each other. Students will write simple dialogues with peers to read for the class. Simple poetry can be written by students using the vocabulary lists. Pictures of items in the poetry will accompany it to decorate it.

Sombrero corbata    uno doce                             Amarillo                  Lunes

zapatos                    dos trece                             Azul                          Martes

pantalones            tres catorce                  Anaranjado                  Miercoles

camisa                   cuatro quince                     Blanco                            Jueves

chaqueta            cinco dieciseis                      Gris                          Viernes

blusa                          seis          diecisiete                    Morado                         Sabado

sueter                   siete dieciocho                     Negro                         Domingo

botas                  ocho diecenueve                      Rojo

vestido                   nueve veinte                    Rosado

abrigo                   diez                                    Verde

falda                           once

The verb gustar-to like will be taught using the following vocabulary:

bicycleta

beisbol

futbol

escuela

bailar

jugar al tennis

hablar espanol

esquiar

huevos                        frijoles

panqueques               maiz

pan tosado                papa

ensalada                      tomate

sopa                              habichuelas

queso

hamburgesa

pollo

arroz

Hola                            Como se llama usted?

Buenas dias               Me llamo

Como estas?            Se llama

Bueno                      Adios

Bien Hasta luego

enferma

The city of Pittsburgh has a sister city in Latin America. This sister city is Managua, Nicaragua. My students will reach out to these students by first, sending letters to introduce themselves. Hopefully, an exchange of letters will continue between my students and the children of Managua. The students will start by explaining about their school, their favorite things to do, etc. The students will brainstorm what they think should be put into the letter and what questions to ask with the teacher’s guidance.

The students will view the movie, El Norte. This movie has parallel story lines to the novel, Lupita Manana. Students will be given directions to take notes while watching the movie when they see similarities between the film and the novel. At the end of watching the film, the class will work in small groups comparing their notes. They will use a criteria checklist and rubric for evaluation. The large group will discuss the groups’ findings. The students and teacher will create storyboards on newsprint for both the movie and novel and compare the two stories. The students should see that it’s the same story for many people who try to come to this country to make a better place for themselves.

Students will read short stories by different Latino writers. These stories can be found in the Elements of Literature book used in the Communications curriculum. The first short story," La Bamba" by Gary Soto is about a Mexican-American family. The son decides to pantomime the song," La Bamba", at a talent show in school. His dreams of fame dissolve when the record starts to skip. However, the audience thinks that this is a part of the act and applauds loudly for him. The second story, "Eleven" by Lilliana Valenzuela, is written in both Spanish and English in the book. This story is about a girl’s eleventh birthday and her revelation that although you might be eleven, you still have the feelings of all the other years as well. She believes that you are somewhere inside still one, two, three, four, five,…….eleven. The next story, "Field Work" by Rose Del Castillo Guilbalt, is about a young girl and her mother. Their family lives in the United States but they are from Mexico and they are homesick. The mother and daughter want to visit their family in Mexico. Unfortunately, they do not have the money to make the trip. So, they decide to pick crops in order to earn the money for the trip. The father is very much against the fact that his wife and daughter would have to pick crops. They pick crops, which turns out to be very hard work, and earn enough money to make the trip.

At the conclusion of reading these stories, students will write personal narratives about times that they have had similar experiences as the children in these stories. From the story," La Bamba", they could write about a time when they had to perform in front of an audience. From the story," Eleven", they could write about a particular birthday that was memorable for them. From the story," Field Work", they could write about a time when they had to work hard for something that they really wanted. A rubric will be given to the students to enable them to create better essays and how to improve their writing when making revisions. Share these essays with the class.

At the end of this unit, the students with the help of the teacher, will plan a culminating "fiesta". Students will invite their parents and the community. They will present their power point presentations, and poetry. There will be a Latin band, food, and dancing.

Persuasive Essay

Criteria Checklist

1. Who are you writing to about the problem?

2. State the problem in the first sentence.

3. Why is this problem important to you?

4. Give at least 4 or 5 detail sentences in which you give solutions to the problem. Try to persuade the reader to think as you do. Support your statements by giving facts and examples.

5. Good ending sentence in which you thank your reader for their attention and ask for a reply.

4 Advanced States the problem clearly. Offers evidence that the problem exists and it is serious. Makes certain everything in the essay relates to the topic. Uses carefully detailed arguments supported by explicit evidence. Proposes one or more solutions to the problem. Has few or no errors in spelling, grammar, usage, or mechanics.

3 Proficient Adequately identifies the problem. Arranges ideas in a simple way. Provides some supportive evidence for reasons. Proposes a somewhat reasonable solution to the problem. Has occasional errors.

2 Basic The problem to be solved is weak. Offers little convincing evidence that the problem exists. Presents a simple organization of thoughts. Gives a weak solution to the problem. Repeats errors that begin to interfere with the reader’s understanding.

1 Below Basic Does not identify the problem. Does not provide evidence that a problem exists. Shows little arrangement of ideas. Proposes impractical solutions. Frequent errors that make the paper difficult to understand.

Please sign your name under the rating that describes your participation in the group today.

3 Proficient Student is actively listening to others. Student is participating in the discussion with good solutions to the problem. Student helps with the completion of the group worksheet.

Signatures:

2 Basic Students listens to group but doesn’t concentrate on what others say. Student gives one solution.

Signatures:

1 Non-Scorable Student does not listen to others. Student does not give solutions.

Signatures:

1. Choose one topic from the list.

2. Information for report must include sources from Encarta Encyclopedia, three books from the library, and the internet.

3. Create an outline.

4. Write a rough draft.

5. Conference with teacher and one fellow student to edit.

6. Revise rough draft-concentrate on making ideas clear.

7. Write a final copy.

8. Report is to be typed using Microsoft Word-include graphics in report (photos, maps, etc.)

9. A typed bibliography including all sources used must be included.

10. Create a coversheet for report using Word Art and Clip Art.

www.nationalgeographic.com

www.altavista.com

www.yahooligans.com

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What information did you obtain from this source?_____

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4 Advanced Provides a dynamic beginning. Organizes and connects all ideas in the report. Has an authoritative tone. Provides a depth of information. Includes information from at least four sources. Has a clear understanding of the content.

3 Proficient Presents information that has been gathered in a clear way. Has a somewhat authoritative tone. Presents a lot of general information. Includes information from at least three sources. Has occasional errors.

2 Basic Presents information that has been presented in an inconsistent way. The report is weak on centering the report on a main idea. Has a weak authoritative tone. Includes information from two sources. Repeats errors that begin to interfere with the reader’s understanding.

1 Below Basic Presents information that is disorganized and unclear. Has an unconvincing tone. Includes information from only one source. There are frequent errors that make the paper difficult to read.

4-Advanced

3-Proficient

2-Basic

1-Non-Scorable

1. Prepared(notes ready) 1 2 3 4

2. Sharp and clear focus 1 2 3 4

3. Information is specific to the topic 1 2 3 4

4. Volume 1 2 3 4

5. Eye Contact 1 2 3 4

6. Knowledge of topic 1 2 3 4

(student questioning)

Overall score______________

4 Advanced Thoroughly understands the text. Can explain the literal and deeper meaning of the text. May discuss the author’s purpose. May challenge the author’s conclusions. Can make connections to personal experiences. Can make connections to other texts.

3 Proficient Understands the text. Can retell or rephrase parts of the text. Can make connection to personal experiences. May identify the author’s purpose.

2 Basic Can write a somewhat sketchy interpretation of the text. Is confused by the ideas in the text. Makes claims but does not back them up.

1 Below Basic Does not have a basic understanding of the text. May list bits of isolated information.

4 Advanced Focuses the paper on a single incident. Makes the people, places, and events seem real. Uses interesting dialogue. Conveys the importance of the incident. Organizes story clearly. Presents a logical ending. Has few errors.

3 Proficient Focuses the paper on a single incident. Includes some details that make people, places, and events to seem real. Uses some dialogue. Has a clear beginning, middle, and end. Has occasional errors.

2 Basic Is vague on focusing on one incident. Supplies little information. Uses little dialogue. Has a mechanical and flat voice. Repeats errors making it difficult for the reader to understand.

1 Below Basic Lacks focus on a single incident. Is not clear on the importance of the incident. Uses short, simple sentences. Has frequent errors that make the paper difficult to understand.

Winn, Peter, Americas: The Changing Face of Latin America and the Caribbean. Berkeley: University of California Press. 1992

Alvarez, Julia, How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents. New York: Dutton Signet. 1992

Barnet, Miguel, W. Nick(translator), Biography of a Runaway SlaveConnecticut: Curbstone Press. 1994

Pozas, Ricardo, Juan the Chamula: an Ethnological Recreation of the Life of a Mexican. Berkeley: University of California Press. 1982

Marquez, Gabreil Garcia, Innocent Erendira and Other Stories. New York: Harper Collins. 1979

Fuentes, Carlos and Ortega, Julio(editors), The Vintage Book of Latin American Stories. New bury Park: Vintage Books 2000

Beatty, Patricia, Lupita Manana, New York: Beech Tree Books, 1981

Soto, Gary, "La Bamba", Elements of Literature, Austin: Holt Rinehart, and Winston, 1997

Valenzuela, Lilliana, "Eleven", Elements of Literature, Austin: Holt, Rinehart, and Winston, 1997

Del Castillo Guilbault, Rose, "Field Work", Elements of Literature, Austin: Holt, Rinehart, and Winston. 1997

El Norte