Curated OER
Lincoln, Patriotism and Protest
Eleventh graders explore arguments surrounding Abraham Lincoln's opposition to the Mexican War. They compare the arguments surrounding Lincoln's opposition to war with those surrounding war protestors during the Persian Gulf War in 1991.
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The Revolt of Juan "Cheno" Cortina
Tenth graders examine the social and cultural impact of immigrant groups and the oppression of ethnic minorities with a focus on the role of Juan Cortina in Mexico. In small groups they discuss what a revolutionary is, read and discuss...
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Cultural Corner- "Mexico"
Young scholars use print and electronic resources to gather information about Mexico. They present a mini-museum to share with students, parents, and other interested classes around the district. They present their information in a video...
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The Huichol Community of Mexico: Communicating with Symbols
Learners study the Huichol Indians. In this Huichol lesson plan, students red The Journey of Tunuri and the Blue Deer, design a visual story using symbols, and make a painting using large paper shapes. A class mural project is also...
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Mexican Independence Day
Pupils realize that countries have celebrations unique to them and demonstrate their understanding of the concept of tradition. They identify a family tradition that is important to each of them and demonstrate their understanding of the...
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Lucha Music
Middle schoolers listen to four styles of Mexican music, and create percussion instruments which they use to play each style. Additionally, learners create Lucha Libre masks which are also a part of the colorful culture of Mexico. These...
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The Eagle Has Landed: Aztecs Find a Home
Pupils examine the Aztec civilization in what is now Mexico. Using a map, they locate the empire and explain the legend of the founding of Tenochtitlan. They explore the symbols on various Mexican flags and what they meant to the Aztec...
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Hidalgo's Fight for the Independence of Mexico
Tenth graders study and examine the life of Miguel Hidalgo while working to identify major themes. Small groups create sequence of event chains, analyze and label maps of Hidalgo's travels, and work together to create giant chalk maps...
The Alamo
A Lesson in Citizenship
What does it mean to be an American citizen? Lieutenant Colonel Commander William Barret Travis believed that it meant honor to country first—even above one's own life. Middle and high schoolers read his final letters from the Alamo that...
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Migration and the Spirits of Life
Students study the Mexican traditions for the Day of the Dead. In this Mexican traditions lesson, students study monarch butterflies and learn about the role that the mariposa plays in the Day of the Dead. Students learn about migration,...
Council for Economic Education
Trade in Colonial America / NAFTA
Learners learn the how trade impacted the colonial economy. They analyze the the benefits of NAFTA and learn the advantages to both the United States and Mexico.
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Ofelia Romero The Maya Culture and Civilization
Fifth graders investigate the Mayan culture, number system, alphabet, hieroglyphics, history, civilization, artistry, and sports in this series of lessons.
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Immigration and Identity
Students will analyze four historical events: The Annexation of U.S. Southwest, The Mexican Revolution, The Great Depression, and World War II. They determine how each event affected immigration to the U.S. from Mexico and Central...
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Manifest Destiny Lesson Plan
Learners examine how Americans justified Westward Expansion. In this American history lesson, your historians will watch a Manifest Destiny Powerpoint presentation and discuss each slide then participate in a class discussion about...
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The Alamo
Students study the Battle of the Alamo in depth. In this research skills lesson, students visit the Alamo de Parras website to examine issues related to the battle that took place in 1836. Students analyze comment strands on issues in...
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Fabric Poncho
Students create a fabric poncho to celebrate Cinco de Mayo. They sample food and drink from Mexico and follow instructions to make the ponhco. They also discover the history of the holiday.
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Border Teatro
Students analyze elements unique to the Chicano art form of the teatro (theater) and examine history connected to the form, namely the farm workers' movement of the 1960's.
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Creating an Embossed Bird Design
Young scholars research the role silver plays in the artwork of Mexico. They describe symbols used in Mexican artwork and create their own designs of birds in an embossed style.
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What's Your Brand?
Students explore the history of branding livestock and discover it began as early as 2000 BC. They discuss reasons for branding and then design their own brand from pipe cleaners. Students dip their brand into paint and print it on...
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Creating a Self Portrait painting With Decorative Frame
Sixth graders view a large image of a painting and discuss the history and its role in past and current culture in Mexico. Student list the symbols portrayed in the work and explain their significance. Students use elements of art to...
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Esperanza Rising
Students explore foreign cultures by reading a story in class. In this Hispanic history lesson, students read the story Radio Man by Arthur Dorros and identify the times discrimination is used in the story. Students discuss labor...
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Entering the World Stage
In this American imperialism worksheet, students review a chapter as they define 5 vocabulary terms in their own words, eliminate 4 false statements, and identify 2 themes from this era of growth and challenge in America.
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Cinco De Mayo
Learners investigate the historical background of the holiday of Cinco de Mayo. They complete a word search, explore various websites, and create a pinata that is papered with facts about the holiday.
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Aztec Floating Gardens
Aztecs created amazing hydroponic gardens called Chinampas, to grow their crops. Learners in grades k-7 engage in four mini-experiments to understand just how amazing floating gardens are. Tip: A perfect way to bring science into your...