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Questions to Initiate and Guide the Dialogue

Descriptive Phase

 Why was Román worried about his brother Lupe? Was he right on being worried?
 Lupe made some important statement to Román. What are some of the things he told him?

Personal Interpretive Phase

 Román cared very much for his older brother Lupe. Are there people for whom you care very much?
 Lupe was able to discover that he enjoyed carving, and became good at it. Is there something you believe you could became passionate about?
 For Lupe his cultural identity became very important. What about your culture is important to you?

Critical/Multicultural/Anti-Bias Phase

 Lupe believed that to love something we need to learn about it and get to understand it well. What is your opinion about this statement?

Creative/ Transformative Phase

 How can you learn more about your culture? Is there anyone who could join you in discovering the richness of your own culture?

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Activities Students Can Do Individually or in Groups

  In New Mexico it is easy to see the fusion of influences from Native Americans and Spanish explorers and pioneers. What are some of these manifestations in other parts of the United States? Students could illustrate this with a collection of images or a mural.

 If at all possible, plan a visit to a museum where students can see manifestations of Latino art. If a physical visit is not possible, plan virtual museum tours. Specific museums could be:
 Washington, DC
Smithsonian Institute, Washington, DC – Latino Center: http://latino.si.edu
 New York
 Museo del Barrio, New York: www.elmuseo.org
 Hispanic Society of America, New York: www.nps.gov/nr/travel/american_latino_heritage/The_Hispanic_Society_of_America.html
 Chicago
 National Museum of Mexican Art: www.nationalmuseumofmexicanart.org
 California
 Los Angeles County Museum of Art LACMA: www.lacma.org/art/collection/latin-american-art
 Mexican Museum, San Francisco: www.mexicanmuseum.org/permanent-collection
 Latino Art Museum, Pomona, CA: www.lamoa.net
 Delaware
 Delaware Art Museum: www.delart.org/exhibits/our-america-the-latino-presence-in-american-art
 New Mexico
 National Hispanic Cultural Center, New Mexico: www.nhccnm.org
 North Carolina
 Levine Museum of the New South, Charlotte, North Caroline: www.museumofthenewsouth.org/exhibits/nuevolution-latinos-and-the-new-south
 Texas
 Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center San Antonio: www.guadalupeculturalarts.org
 San Antonio Museum of Arta: www.samuseum.org/collections/latin-american-art

 On Unit III we suggested students could create a bank of positive adjectives. If you already created such bank, you can refer to it now. Otherwise you can refer to the suggestions on Unit III.
Invite students to identify Latin@s whose names or last names begin with letters existing in the students’ names and last names.
Then, ask them to create an acrostic where they use the names of Latin@s indicating why they admire them:

C         like César Chávez I celebrate justice
A         like Rudolfo Anaya I value my roots
M        like José Martí I value friendship
I           like Isabel Allende I want to be a writer
L          like García Lorca I find poetry in my heart
A         like Antonio Machado I say: “Let’s open our own roads.”

J           like Benito Juárez I believe in peace
U         every one I admire is Unique
A         like Alicia Alonso I love ballet
N         like Pablo Neruda I love poetry

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A Creative Writing Transformative Education Activity

Frequently students do not have models or experiences of the positive transformations that human beings can achieve. Or, when they have been shown these models they refer to people distant in time and space. Yet, having these models can be very valuable.
—-This is why, the best way of carrying on this activity is to model it with an authentic book written by you, for example, the book: I was not always a teacher. This book will let your students appreciate the efforts you have made to become who you are..

 Invite students to create a book of Transformation.

The book we are suggesting for this theme can take many forms, for example: Before and After,  I Used To, A Person Who Inspired Me, An important momento in my life.

We suggest that you look at specific examples on this topic, books written by teachers, students and parents at:
http://authorsintheclassroom.com/5-the-power-of-transformation

On that same website you will find information about Transformative Education and the Authors in the Classroom Process: http://authorsintheclassroom.com

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Related Books

On the Struggle to Achieve Justice

Grades 2-4

On Notable Latinos and Latin Americans

Grades 2-4

César Chávez and Dolores Huerta

Frida Kahlo

Grades 4-8