Again this lesson could be used for CAPT. Students will explore the story more in depth in this lesson. They will also learn how to navigate through some of the difficult aspects of life. Many teenagers feel they cannot relate to older generations and that they are misunderstood. Some tend not to think of their elders as “real” people, with a past youth. Hopefully for those who do have either a generational gap or a cultural gap, or both, this lesson will make the communication lines easier to open.
Story: “The Horned Toad” by Gerald Haslam
Objectives: Students will. . .
1. Examine Haslam’s life and how his own experiences were similar to the narrator’s in the story.
2. Utilize their knowledge of Latino history to describe the struggle that many children undergo living between cultures.
3. Make connections between the generational/cultural gap in their own lives and those they know to the one in the story.
4. Interact in small groups discussing these comparisons.
Procedures:
1. Students will take notes on Haslam’s childhood and life.
2. Students will then infer why Haslam would write a story like this and how it relates to his own life, through discussion.
3. They will then relate this generational/cultural gap to the history of Latinos, which they’ve already explored. We will discuss the difficulties that often arise from this gap. One student will write the difficulties on the board as they are raised in class.
4. In small groups, students will discuss their own experiences with a generational gap and/or a cultural gap in their lives. They will collectively write down one story from each student. They will then share their stories with the class.
5. For homework: Students will write down suggestions for healthy ways other students can break through these generational/cultural gaps, to have better relationships with those they love. They must write down at least three suggestions in a paragraph for each.
