Judith D. Dixon
Introduction Lesson - Who am I?
The purpose of the "I am" exercise is to have students be able to identify how they see themselves. Usually the first three things people write down are: what dominates their personality. Interestingly when Professor Tatum conducted this exercise with her college students, the white students didn't put that they were white. The reason is that the element of identity is taken for granted by the dominant culture. The dominant culture's inner and outer experience are in harmony with one another, there the attention isn't focused on them in terms of identifying oneself. (Tatum p.21).
Teacher will define the following terms to students: identity, ethnicity, race, culture. Definitions will be placed on poster boards. Students will be given a "I am" worksheet. The students will list five things they see themselves as.
Group Work – Students will divide into groups of three. Each group will be asked to create a list of cultural things they can make a connection to an experience they have had within their culture. Each group will report their information to the teacher. Use a Venn diagram to display the terms culture, foods & celebrations. (Tatum p.20,21)
differences
similarities
differences
Immigration: U.S. & New Haven, CT
The first wave of immigration began in 1815. By 1820 151,000 new immigrants arrived in the U.S. The U.S. population was then approximately 9.6 million. Many Europeans came to the U.S. due to financial struggles in Europe. In 1846 Irish people of all classes came to the U.S. due to the famine in their country. The U.S. population grew again in 1900. There were 75,994,575 people living here. In 1910 the Mexican Revolution forced thousands to the United States seeking employment. The U.S. emerged as a possible world power. Embassies were established in countries all over the world. Immigrants were then able to apply for their visa in their respective countries' American Consulate. There they could fill out the necessary paperwork and have their medical inspections completed. In 1954 massive immigration ended and Ellis Island closed.
As New Haven is general population changes from 1990 to 2000, we're almost the same as national and state trends. The population grew at a higher rate for African Americans, Asians, Latinos, Native Americans, and Pacific Islanders than it did for the population of non-Hispanic Whites. During this time period the African American population decreased by 5.2%. Latinos however had the largest numerical growth than any other group. They now represent 21.4% of the general population in Connecticut. New Haven has the third largest population of Latinos in Connecticut and the seventh largest in New England. On a national scale the Latino group grew between 1990-2000. The largest group is Puerto Ricans (66.9%).
Connecticut had become an industrialized state in the late 19th century. Cities, in particular New Haven, Waterbury and Hartford, were popular places for immigrants to come and begin a new life. People from Italy, Ireland, Poland, and Eastern Europe migrated here. Many Jewish people settled in Connecticut as well. By 1910 immigrants made up 30% of Connecticut's population. By 1941-1945 Connecticut was among the leading states in the manufacture of military equipment. Thus jobs were available through Pratt and Whitney, Cheney factories and Electric Boat submarines. By 1960 Connecticut held the title of highest per capita income in the U.S.
In the 1960's Connecticut became a predominantly suburban, middle class state. During this time many African Americans and Latinos came to live in these major cities. However their living conditions were significantly different than whites. In New Haven there has been an African American community since the seventeenth century. Economically African Americans were limited to the types of jobs they could have and where to live. The better paying jobs went to the immigrants who were Irish, German or Italian. When the immigration era ended, an industrial boom began because of World War II. Many of those jobs went to blacks in the 1940's. The people couldn't live outside of the Newhallville area. The black community in New Haven grew from 5,000 in 1930 to 10,000 in 1950; by 1960 there were 23,000 African American people living in New Haven. Most of the people were from the South; particularly North Carolina. In the 1950's-1960's families continued to settle in the Newhallville area. The neighborhood received its name from George T. Newhall. He owned a Carriage Emporium in 1855. It was the largest manufacturer of carriages in the world. The Olin plant manufactured guns. In 1954 6,500 African Americans were employed through this company. Change was sought through the Civil Rights Movement.
While the overall population declined and people were moving to suburbs; the African American & Latino population continued to grow. In 1980 40,000 African Americans lived in New Haven. In 1997 there were more than 47,000 African American people living in New Haven. In the 1960's an influx of Latinos, mainly from Puerto Rico, came to live in New Haven. Many Latinos were not educated and didn't have any skills. Poverty engulfed the city and in 1980 the federal census found New Haven to be the seventh poorest city in Connecticut and in America.
Lesson #2- History of New Haven
Utilize the KWL instruction strategy: Prior knowledge of the topic; what the student wants to learn; what the student learned from the lesson.
Objective
The students will learn how, who, and when people migrated to New Haven.
Teacher created information worksheets.
Group Work
Shared Guided Reading non-fiction book, Migration to America, by the National Geographic Scholastic Series. Students are divided into three reading groups. Each group reads at the groups own pace.
Oral discussion follows after each chapter.
Students write chapter summaries as a homework assignment.
Lesson #3-Cultural suitcases
Whole Class Instruction
a) Students will revisit the meanings of culture, race and ethnicity. Definitions will be reviewed again in game form.
Team A Divide the class in half Team B
Each team will have the definition of the words written on sentence strips. The words will be scrambled up. (OPTIONAL - You can laminate the strips, cut words up & put velcro on back. Attach them to a felt board up on the blackboard).
Each team has five minutes to match the terms with definitions. The team to complete task first are the winners.
b)Extension/Homework-To be completed with parent(s)
Each student must prepare a cultural suitcase of their family. Use construction paper to make a container for any items needed for presentation purposes.
Students are to gather any information using the following list:
-
1) family recipes
-
2) family traditions related to holidays
-
3) family sayings
-
4) family heritage (examples: something from their native land)
-
5) family pictures/photos
Culminating Activities
Diversity Day – We have different activities, exhibits and foods that are shared with the student body. The ESOL teachers help to put together the various displays according to various nationalities that will be represented on this day. Students help to set up displays and participate in the activities with each class. The classes are scheduled at various times during the day. Depending upon how many displays and activities there are the time could be 15-20 minutes for each class. We use our Library Media Center.
Fashion Show put on by the students, it could be done in the evening in order for parents to participate. The PTO (Parent Teacher Organization) could be in charge of arranging the affair.
Fashion Show
From my class the students will participate on a voluntary basis. Other students from the school can also volunteer as models or helpers. The PTO will be asked to also help with the legwork. The students will model styles of informal/casual wear & formal wear. Students will make comparisons of how clothing's popularity affects students positively or negatively.
Clothing Styles
Prior to the actual show, students will research clothing styles of the late 70's, 80's and 90's. They will investigate if styles were different between Latino Americans and African Americans. Students will present visuals/pictures along with the written information. In their research designer labels will be investigated. How did they begin? What age group
do they serve the most? What clothing labels are the most popular among adolescents?
Music
The music of the generation of my students is Rap & Hip Hop. The latino culture listens to reggaeton, which is Spanish rap with a reggae beat. My students will work in groups of 5. Each group will be responsible for researching music of a particular time. 1975-1980 will be one section, 1980-1990, 1990-2000, 2000-2005 will be the other sections. Using different resources to listen to the music students will make comparisons. The one question to be answered is, has the style of music changed? Is it more instrumental, lyrical or both. The written part of their research will be to find out when these types of musical styles began and when they ended.
"Hair" We Go Again
Students will investigate how and why our hair grows, integrating a science lesson on the human body. Students will differentiate between hair types, textures, color and lengths among the population of students in the class. They will learn how various styles were created, and did the styles stay popular? How often do styles change over time? They will compare past and present styles, how different and/or similar they are. We will graph information about female/male styles. Who changes styles the most?
Family Cultural Values
In early America, women of color experienced oppression within the patriarchal society. However they weren't given the protection and buffering of a patriarchal family as the white women were. As a result their families suffered. Slavery was the country's cheap labor force. Much exploitation occurred in this setting. There wasn't much attention to the slaves' family and community life. It didn't balance out. Many hours were spent by the slaves, who were the major contributors to the productivity of the economy.
Without the support for their families socially, legally and economically, tensions were created and many relationships were strained. The woman's role was to reproduce a higher volume for purposes producing more laborers. Another factor that further made family for slaves was the institutionalized pattern of rape by white men. It was used as a weapon of control and terror to undermine and divide the slave family.
Although the father was allowed to be the head of his family, the sons were named after their fathers and blood relatives as a way of maintaining family ties. In some cases where the family had been disrupted there would be a new slave community that established the type of family and kin ties that later became the example of black family life in the south. There were certain beliefs that were practical and taken seriously, like the importance of marriage being a long term commitment. The American slaves developed a system of kinship ties and obligations that were quite extensive. (Hines p.85,86).
During slavery times, slaves formed their own culture. They told stories, sang songs and It was their way of surviving and communicating with each
other. Music became one of the ways to communicate important information on the Underground Railroad. Music was the thread of life. Black women had an important role during this time. They were involved in the formation of two major music forms. African
music took on a new form when integrated with European instruments and musical idioms. It produced jazz, ragtime, and other music of that era. Another form of music was sacred mixed African rhythms. This combination came to be what we now call spirituals. (Hine & Thompson p.87).
Mexicans were a people who were colonized and Chicanos emerged from the colonization of Mexico; there were several indigenous populations (Maya, Aztec, etc.) & following colonization by the Spanish & northern conquest of Mexico by the U.S., people who were mestizo (mixed) came to be called Chicanos or Mexican Americans. The Chicano population was mostly peasant people.Their life was a daily struggle due to a feudal economy. The patriarchal families were important to community life. The nuclear family units through an elaborate system of a strong kinship and good parenting were closely linked together. The traditional life consisted of hard work and a clearly defined pattern of sex-role segregation. Mexican women were valued for their household qualities. The man's ability to work and provide for his family produced a great sense of pride. Children were included in the work aspect of family life. They were taught to rise early and to discipline themselves. These attributes were highly respected and valued.
Mexican women who lived in the country weren't paid for their labor. They grew and prepared food, made adobes and plastered houses with mud. Clothing was made for the children to wear to school. They taught the children hymns and prayers for church.
(Ore p.217).
World War I caused great changes for Mexicans. The life they had lived as mere country people changed significantly. Families were uprooted, some migrated to California to work on the railroads, mining was another source of work for them. Chicano workers were paid low wages. Many times the entire family had to work. Both African American and Latino women play multiple roles in the lives of their families, as laborers, mothers and wives.
Lesson #4a-Reading/Writing
Objective-
The students will use critical thinking skills to make connections to themselves and one character from the story.
Whole Class
Students will read aloud with teacher the book called
The Skin I'm In
, (Approximate reading time is 1 week)
Group Work
Students will break into groups of five (to be determined by teacher)
Discussion: Questions to be answered,
1) How did the main character handle her dilemma?
2) What would you have done differently?
3) One person from each group will record answers.
4) Twenty minutes to complete task.
5) Class comes together to share responses.
Homework -- connection worksheet; write about one of the characters and how you can relate to them using details from to complete your answers.
Lesson #4b
Objective
The students will use critical thinking skills to make connections to themselves and any particular character from any of the short stories read.
Whole Class
Students will read aloud with the teacher four short stories from the book called
Salsa Stories
.
Group Work
Each student will create their own short story, relating some aspect of their own families. They can also draw pictures to accompany this assignment.
