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| Suggested resources: »Cisneros, Sandra, The House On Mango Street, 1991. »Menchu, Rigoberta, I, Rigoberta Menchu: An Indian Woman in Guatemala, 1984. »The film El Norte. |
Identity, Migration and Community:
This unit will encourage students to reflect upon the changes occurring within their own community, including migration and immigration to the area. Along with newcomers and change come conflicts and questions concerning economics, identity and politics. Students can gain a global perspective by comparing similar experiences in other communities. Looking at Latin America should help to emphasize the commonalities among peoples of the Americas and break down some of the stereotypes that result in isolation and prejudice.
Who are we? Why did we come here?
Students will explore the themes of identity and migration. They will interview each other and family members to find out why people move, how moving affects them, what difficulties people may have when moving into a new community, and conversely, how the influx of newcomers has affected long standing communities.
Using reading materials and interviews, students can compare the experiences of people throughout the Americas, who migrate to the U.S. for various reasons — economic, political, voluntary or forced. Through literature, art and poetry they can compare their own self-concepts with those of teenagers in Latin America. Students could write essays, poems, plays and short non-fiction pieces on these themes, and use e-mail to share perspectives with students in Mexico and Latin America. Students will answer the questions, "Who am I?," "How/Why did I come here?," and "How has moving affected me?."
Themes and Topics:
Isolation; Religious or language differences; Cooperation; Marginalization; Participation; Assimilation; Acculturation; Migration; Immigration; Economic Impact; Competition; Identity
Class Interviews - Objectives:
Skills:
Writing, Peer review, Interview techniques
Procedures:
First, explain the purpose of an introduction, as when you introduce a friend to your parents. You cannot introduce a person or a subject properly if you know nothing about it. Explain that the migration, identity and community will be the focus of these interviews. Ask for a show of hands of students who have moved in the past five years. Ask for a show of hands of students whose parents were born here. Pair newcomers with old-timers, explaining that partners will interview each other.
Before beginning the interviews, take students through basic interviewing techniques, note taking, developing questions beforehand, making sure that they are not 'yes' or 'no' questions. Model nonverbal responses such as head nodding, leaning forward, and eye contact to keep the person at ease and forthcoming with anecdotal information.
Give students time to prepare a minimum of 10 good interview questions. Then allow students 20 minutes to interview their partner. At the end of the 20 minutes, ask students how successful their questions and techniques were. Switch roles.
The next day, review the writing process of brainstorming, rough draft and revision. Using their interview notes, students write a paragraph with a thesis statement about their interview subject. When the drafts are complete, students exchange the paragraphs with their partners who will provide written feedback for improvement. Students can then revise and edit. Bring a camera to class and have partners photograph each other.
When the introductions are complete, divide class into groups of six. Have each group elect a recorder and a reporter. Have groups list all the different reasons for moving that they heard, and to discuss the effects of moving into a new community and the effects of newcomers on an established community. Reporters will then share results with class while recorders add their findings to a chart on a piece of butcher paper. When all groups have reported, ask students to group reasons under categories such as: economic, political, personal. Ask students if they know of anyone else who has had to move for any of those reasons.Ask them what reasons Latin Americans might have for moving to the United States.
Post the introductory paragraphs and photographs on the bulletin board. Keep the chart with reasons for moving and effects in a visible spot. Hang a blank world map on the wall and record the trail of migration/ immigration for each student.
Follow-up Activities:
Follow-up with another interview done with a parent or older family member, asking whether the family has ever moved, what they miss about where they came from, how they hope to fit into the community, or whether they plan to move again and why. Or in the case of a family member who has lived there for several-generations, how the community has changed, what they miss about how things used to be, what they think of the newcomers, why do they think people are coming here and whether they plan to move themselves. Students will find that most people have migrated for economic, personal or quality of life reasons, or some even for political reasons.
For extended lesson plan, see http://ladb.unm.edu/retanet/plans.
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