Middle

In this lesson plan, students will explore the genre of music known as Son Jarocho from the state of Vercruz in Mexico. Students will listen to the music's beats, words and lyrics in order to get to know the culture of Mexico. Purchases of music from Smithsonian Folkways must be made in order to have music to play for students unless you are able to find the music samples online for free. A great way to expose students to some of the music found in Mexico that heavily influences cultures and values.

This guide provides information regarding Mayan Calendars and activities that help facilitate understanding of the use of Mayan calendars. Within you'll find an overview of Maya calendars, the 2012 phenomenon, enrich activities for 4-5th and 6th-7th grades, as well as recommended web links for further extension on the topic. An excerpt from the book "Mysteries of the Maya Calendar Museum" is included at the end and is used to help youth understand the start of a new Maya calendar. Images are included towards the end of the document showing different figures represented on Maya calendars. For access to the document email our Outreach Coordinator Clea Conlin at cconlin@email.arizona.edu.

Students will learn about retablos, which are small and portable homemade alters, in order to analyze their significance in Hispanic cultures. Using inspiration from original Peruvian and Mexican retablos, they will design paper retablos that signify what is important and meaningful in their own lives. Students will carefully decorate the paper retablos, creating a symmetrical design on the doors, inside and outside. This is a great way to immerse students in art within Hispanic culture and students will be able to make connections about the importance of art in Hispanic culture.

This activity will guide students in learning how to make traditional Mexican Paper flowers. This is a great way to immerse students in Mexican art and culture.

Learn to make Bunuelos, a type of desert that can be found throughout Latin America and are served year round but are typically served as a side dish during holidays with syrup.

This activity allows students to become acquainted with Haiti's basic foods and Haitian meal patterns by making and trying some Haitian dishes. A fun way to immerse student's in the Haitian culture.

This unit contains a total of three lesson plans, which focus on marimba music of indigenous people to Guatemala. Activities include attentive, engaged listening experiences, which lay the groundwork for actually performing an arrangement of the listening example. Note: Music used in this lesson needs to be purchased on Smithsonian Folkways website.

This lesson plan provides an overall introduction to the country of Guatemala, which is borders the southern part of Mexico. Guatemala is a par of Central America and this lesson plan provides lessons in mathematics, social studies and more.

This lesson plan covers a variety of age groups ranging from 3rd grade to 12th grade and can be adapted to fit a variety of age groups. This lesson focuses on the Brazilian dances of Samba and Carimbo. Students will learn basic steps and dance along with the music while comparing the dances to our forms such as jazz and swing, found in the United States.You will need to purchase audio from Smithsonian Folkways or find audio on Youtube that will match the lesson.

A hands on an fun activity to help students understand the challenging journey of crossing the US-Mexico border.