This unit is written with the transitional ESL student in mind. While the target group is at 4th grade level, it is flexible enough to be used with various ages of ELL's who are transitioning to total English instruction .Its goal is broad and inclusive; each activity is designed to promote English language skills in the four language arts strands of reading, writing, listening and speaking. In this unit, I chose to introduce my students to the 3 Caribbean islands of Cuba, The Dominican Republic, and Puerto Rico through the reading of the folktales common to each island. While my primary goal was language acquisition, my secondary goal was cultural. My students, all of Mexican extraction, lack information about Hispanic people with whom they share a mother tongue. Because these islands together account for the largest number after Mexico) of migrants in the U.S., I hope to broaden their perspectives about the Hispanic /American immigrant experience and increase their understanding of the Latino presence in the U.S.

(Developed for ESL Transitional, grade 4; recommended for ESL Transitional, grades 4-6)