Notes
1. For more information about identity and/or culture, refer to my curriculum unit titled "Hispanic Heritage Month: What are We Celebrating, Anyway? (Examining the Role that Culture Plays in Forming Identity)." The Teacher Resources section has a list of many useful books, articles, and websites for further study of identity and culture, as well as various Hispanic issues.
2. For basic information (which is available from a large number of sources), I consulted several books and websites. Unless otherwise cited, I obtained facts primarily from the following authors' books, whose works are cited in the Teacher Resources section: Kattán-Ibarra, Ochoa, and Pierce. I gathered information from the following websites as well: www.education-world.com, www.factmonster.com, and www.infoplease.com.
3. Frida Kahlo was a Mexican painter who lived in the first part of the twentieth century and was, for a time, married to the Mexican muralist Diego Rivera. Kahlo is famous for her self-portraits which often express pain and are sometimes quite graphic. Because of the graphic nature of some of Kahlo's work, I would recommend that you choose images to share with your class that are appropriate. Several biographies and art books have been written about Kahlo, and many of her works are widely accessible on the internet.
4. Carmen Lomas Garza is a Mexican-American artist and children's book author. Many of her works are about Mexican and Mexican-American families and customs. Several of her books are listed in the Resources section. For more information about her and examples of her work, visit her official website, http://www.carmenlomasgarza.com.
5. For information and instructions on how to make papel picado, I suggest the following websites: http://www.art.unt.edu/ntieva/news/vol_7/issue3/96falp11.htm and http://www.dltk-kids.com/world/Mexico/mpapel_picado.htm. Carmen Lomas Garza also wrote a set of books about papel picado, listed in the Resources section. I have found that it is a good idea to have a few different patterns for the students to choose from, as some children need a more structured assignment. Students who prefer to be creative do not have to use patterns, but can use their own designs. Also, I recommend that teachers collect individual pieces and attach them to the string (these are fragile and you don't want students handling them any more than is necessary).
Comments: