1. Celebrating Mexico Through the Arts Tammie Jacob Teaching Critical Thinking Strategies in the Classroom Through Aesthetic Experiences

2. Unit Objectives The students will: Look at art collections from the Minneapolis Institute of Art that display Mexico’s Heritage. Take a virtual trip to Mexico (using YouTube video of Mexico City, photos of the beach from mexperience.com and photos of markets from bing photo gallery) from which they will dictate or write a travel booklet highlighting their favorite part of the trip. Discuss musical instruments of Mexico and make rain sticks and maracas. Learn about clothing of Mexico and make construction paper sombreros and serapes using white butcher paper. Learn some basic Spanish words and numbers through reading/listening to stories about Mexico. Learn the Mexican Hat Dance also named “La Raspa.” Learn about the celebration “Cinco de Mayo” and we will create/reenact a “Cinco De Mayo” celebration. We will make cheese quesadillas, wear our costumes as we dance the Mexican Hat Dance.

3. Click on this link to get to my online presentation. Once there, click on “Present Set.” http://www.artsconnected.org/resource/122048/mexico-2

4. Day 1 Make a K-W-L chart activating student’s prior knowledge of Mexico. Have children choose a Spanish name as teacher gives choices aloud for the duration of the unit to decorate on little sombrero name cards Read and discuss Off We Go to Mexico Pretend trip to Mexico ( I line the chairs up like an airplane and we pretend to fly to Mexico)

5. Mexican Symbols The white sombrero is one the students will decorate with their Spanish name on it. Children choose their own name from a verbal list and they are name tags during the unit.

6. Day 2 Read story Mexico ABC’s: People and Places of Mexico Discuss story Go to the beach, the market, and the big city of Mexico City After visiting the beach, make rain sticks using paper towel tubes, rice, and colored masking tape. Make travel booklets sharing the student’s favorite landmark that was visited. Make Mexican flags out of paper and construction paper.

7. A Trip to Mexico City http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mwbVryvVpE4 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x65GM2yg6MQ

8. Mexican Flags After visiting Mexico City, students will make a Mexican Flag.

9. Mexican Beach of Huatulco Taken from www,mexperience.com/inmexico/photos/9 huatulco.htm

10. Beach continued Taken from www,mexperience.com/inmexico/photos/9 huatulco.htm

11. Rain Sticks Paper towel tubes are decorated with colored masking tape and filled with rice to complete the rain stick.

12. Mexican Markets http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=Mexican+Market+pics&FORM=IGRE&qpvt=Mexican+Market+pics#

13. MexicanMarkets Continued http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=Mexican+Market+pics&FORM=IGRE&qpvt=Mexican+Market+pics#

14. Travel Booklets After visiting Mexico City, the beach and the market, students choose favorite landmark to write about.

15. Day 3 Read the story What Color Is It? Que color estees? Teach children colors and numbers in Spanish Complete Spanish colors book Using Spanish numbers, count to 10 by putting beans into plastic cups. Do this procedure three times. Tape two plastic cups together and tape in the center. Decorate the plastic cups using Sharpie permanent markers in a variety of colors to make the maracas.

16. Spanish Color Book and Marracas

17. Day 4 Read Look What Came From Mexico. Discuss clothing of Mexico Make sombreros out of construction paper Make serapes out of white butcher paper Teach students the Mexican Hat Dance

18. Sombreros and Serapes Students are taught the steps for the Mexican Hat Dance and will wear their costumes during the Cinco De Mayo Celebration.

19. Day 5 Read Cinco De Mayo Make cheese quesadillas or tacos in a bag Re-enact “Cinco De Mayo” celebration Wear costumes and dance the Mexican Hat Dance

20. Assessment Rubric

21. Resources Art Connect. (2010, July 16). Retrieved July 26, 2010, from Minnesota Institute of Art: http://www.artsconnected.org/resource/122069/mexico-2 Ash1210. (2006, October 14). Mexico City. Retrieved August 2, 2010, from YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mwbVryvVpE4 Dictionaries, E. o. (2001). What Color is It? Que Color Es Este? In E. o. Dictionaries, What Color is It? Que Color Es Este? (p. 4). Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Eastman, P. (1982). Perro Grande, PerroPequeno, Big Dog Little Dog. In P. Eastman, Perro Grande, PerroPequeno, Big Dog Little Dog (p. 32). Random House. Harvey, M. (1999). Look What Came From Mexico. In M. Harvey, Look What Came From Mexico (p. 32). Conneticut: Children's Press. Heiman, S. (2004). Mexico ABC's: A Book About the People and Places of Mexico. In S. Heiman, Mexico ABC's: A Book About the People and Places of Mexico (p. 32). Picture Window Books. Hill, S. (1999). Celebrating Cinco De Mayo: Fiesta Time. In S. Hill, Celebrating Cinco De Mayo: Fiesta Time (p. 16). Creative Teaching Press. Krebs, L. (2008). Off We Go To Mexico. In L. Krebs, Off We Go To Mexico (p. 32). Houston: Barefoot Books. Mary, W., & Vargas, N. (2003). Cinco De Mayo. In M. Wade, & N. Vargas, Cinco De Mayo (p. 32). Conneticut: Children's Press. Mexperience. (2002). Retrieved August 2, 2010, from Photo Gallery of Huatulco: http://www.mexperience.com/inmexico/photos/9huatulco.htm Moore, D. (2005, December 17). Mexican Market pics. Retrieved August 2, 2010, from wikepedia: http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=mexican+markets+pics&FORM=IGRE&qpvt=mexican+markets+pics# Ual602. (2010,June 29).Take Off From Mexico City. Retrieved August 4, 2010, from YouTube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x65GM2yg6MQ Slideshare. http://www.slideshare.net/

22. Reflection This project incorporates many different learning styles and allows students many hands-on experiences which is vital in the kindergarten classroom. Art allows students to be successful no matter what level they are at, it allows them to express themselves and it encourages creativity.