Diego Rivera:
HIS WORLD AND OURS
A RIF GUIDE FOR EDUCATORS
Themes: Art, Social Activism, Mexican History
Book Brief: This book tells the story of Diego Rivera,
one of the most famous painters of the 1900s. He
painted the history and culture of Mexican people on
murals across Mexico and throughout the world.
Author and
Illustrator:
Duncan Tonatiuh
Content Connections::
Social Studies, Art, Writing,
riti g, M
Math
th
TIME TO READ!
BEFORE WE READ,
LET’S LOOK AT…
The Cover: What do you
see on the cover? What are
the people on the cover
doing? What does the title
tell you about this story? What do you think the story
is about?
The Pictures: Take a brief picture walk. What do you
notice about the illustrations? What are people doing
in the pictures?
Prior Knowledge: What do students already know
about Diego Rivera? Does anyone know where he is
from? When did he live? Explain that Diego Rivera
painted scenes of everyday life in Mexico. Many of his
works were murals. Have students ever seen a mural
in the community or around town? What do murals
usually show?
Vocabulary: classical, cubism, mural, ruins
Purpose for Reading: “As we
read, think about the different
scenes Diego painted and
what story they tell about
people’s lives. How does
Diego show people living
together and caring for
each other in their homes
and communities?”
WHILE WE READ
MONITORING COMPREHENSION
◆ Why does Diego paint ancient Mexican culture?
◆ How does Diego learn how to paint?
◆ What does Diego want people to learn through
◆ Who asks Diego to return to Mexico? Why?
his art?
LET’S THINK ABOUT
Our Purpose: What different scenes did Diego paint? What did he show people doing? What would Diego paint
about life today? Can you think of any ideas the author didn’t mention?
Extending Our Thinking: If you were a muralist, what would you paint? What would you want to teach others with
your painting? What makes a mural different from other kinds of artwork? Are murals easier for everyone to see
and enjoy than other kinds of art? Why or why not? What do you think Diego would say? Explain.
NOTE TO EDUCATORS
◆ Extension Activities for Educators also available.
◆ Vocabulary Scaffolding Sheet also available.
Diego Rivera:
HIS WORLD AND OURS
RIF EXTENSION ACTIVITIES FOR EDUCATORS
THINK-TAC-TOE ACTIVITY OPTIONS
◆ Individual students can choose an activity to complete.
◆ Student pairs or cooperative groups can work together on a choice of their own.
◆ Educator can assign an activity for an individual, pairs, or groups.
MURALS IN AMERICA
MURAL MATH
A PORTRAIT OF THE ARTIST
Find 2-4 walls outside your school or
home where you could paint a mural.
Measure the length and width to find
the perimeter and area of each wall.
What is the total area? With string
or tape, frame the perimeter of each
wall on the ground outside. How
many people lying down can fit inside
each frame?
Diego was married to Frida Kahlo,
another important Mexican artist.
Frida was famous for her selfportraits. Draw your own self-portrait.
On a separate sheet of paper, make
a “written self-portrait” by writing a
paragraph about yourself. How would
you describe yourself if you were a
character in a book?
Technology, Art, Math, Social Studies
Math
Art, Writing
FLORA AND FAUNA
DEAR DIARY
MOBILITY
One of Diego’s most famous paintings is The Flower Seller. Look up the
painting. Imagine the girl in the
painting is a real person. What’s her
story? Who is she? Why is she
selling flowers? How long has she
been working? Is she tired? Write a
journal entry about a day in the life
of the flower seller.
To design a virtual mobile, visit
www.nga.gov/kids/zone/mobile.htm.
Look up pictures of some of his
works. Can you recreate them
virtually? Think about how a mobile
works. What would be the challenges
in designing one in real life?
Science, Social Studies, Writing
Art, Writing, Social Studies
Technology, Engineering, Art
SHAPE UP
ART HISTORY
WORTH A THOUSAND
WORDS
Diego painted some murals in the
USA. Research where these murals
are located and if they are still
around. Make a PowerPoint showing
some of your favorite murals, the
stories they tell, and the history
behind them. Include a map. How
far apart are the murals?
In his murals, Diego painted plants
and animals important to life in
Mexico. Which plants and animals
would you include in a mural about
your community, town, or state?
Make a list of at least 5 plants and 5
animals. Explain your choices. Why
are they important? How do they
affect daily life?
Diego explored cubism before
finding his own style of art. Look at
some of his cubist paintings: www.
nga.gov/exhibitions/2004/rivera/
image-list.shtm. Which of his styles
do you like better? Make a chart to
compare them. Then, make your
own cubist drawing. Use geometric
shapes to draw a person or scene.
Art, Math, Social Studies, Writing
In the early 1900s, most famous
artists were men. Why? Research to
find at least 5 women artists from
that time. For each one, find out:
where and when she lived, what kind
of art she made, and what people
thought of her art. Include pictures
of each artist’s work. Share your
findings with a poster or PowerPoint.
Art, Social Studies
STEAM-THEMED: SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING, ART, MATH
Diego Rivera painted stories from his
native Mexico. Visit www.diegorivera.
org to see his work. Pick a painting
or mural and write the story you think
Diego is trying to tell through the
painting. Who are the people? What
are they doing? How do they feel?
Your story should explain what’s
happening in the painting.
Art, Writing, Social Studies
Diego Rivera:
HIS WORLD AND OURS
A RIF GUIDE FOR PARENTS AND FAMILIES
Themes: Art, Social Activism, Mexican History
Book Brief: This book tells the story of Diego Rivera,
one of the most famous painters of the 1900s. He
painted the history and culture of Mexican people on
murals across Mexico and throughout the world.
Author and
Illustrator:
Duncan Tonatiuh
TIME TO READ!
Before reading, build
background knowledge:
A mural is a large picture
painted on a wall. Are there
any murals in your neighborhood or town? What do
murals show about a community?
While reading, make comparisons: What are the
people in Diego’s paintings doing? How are the
people in his murals like you and your family?
After reading, ask questions:
◆ Why did Diego paint his ancestors and their
traditions?
◆ How did he teach people about Mexican history
and culture?
◆ What would you paint if you were a muralist?
◆ How would you show your family and community
life in your murals?
RELATED ACTIVITIES
CUBIST CUISINE
BACK TO THE FUTURE
Ingredients: cheese, vegetables (cherry tomatoes,
green peppers, carrots, etc.)
Materials: paper, pencil, crayons or markers
Cut the vegetables and cheese into slices and shapes.
Use the vegetable and cheese shapes to make a
design or “paint” a picture on your plate. Is it easy to
“paint” with food? Is your delicious picture cubism?
CHALK IT UP
Materials: sidewalk chalk
Draw a mural on your sidewalk or driveway (make
sure there are no cars around!). Use sidewalk chalk to
draw pictures of your community or family’s daily life.
Your mural should include things that are important
to your family or community.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
OTHER BOOKS BY THIS AUTHOR
Separate Is Never Equal (2014)
Pancho Rabbit and the Coyote (2013)
Dear Primo (2010)
The author tries to imagine what Diego would paint
if he were around today. Imagine you were born 1886,
the year Diego was born. Then one morning, you
wake up…and it’s 2014! Write a story or draw a comic
strip about your first day in the future. What surprises
you about the way people dress and act? Are you
scared of cars? What do you think about these weird
talking boxes called “cell phones”?
TECHNOLOGY LINK
Unleash your inner artist at www.nga.gov/content/
ngaweb/education/kids.html.
Diego Rivera:
HIS WORLD AND OURS
A RIF VOCABULARY SCAFFOLD
ancient: very old or
not around anymore
mural: art that is
painted on a wall
capital city: the
most important city
in a country or state;
the city where the
government is
ruins: broken pieces
of a building or
thing that has been
destroyed or isn’t
there anymore
cubism: a style of art
that uses geometric
shapes and lots of
points of view
struggle: something
that is hard to do;
something that takes
a lot of work or effort
experiment: to test
out a guess to see if
you are right; to use
the scientific method
to test out a guess
or hypothesis
vendor: someone
who sells something
Diego Rivera:
HIS WORLD AND OURS
A RIF GUIDE FOR COMMUNITY COORDINATORS
Themes: Art, Social Activism, Mexican History
Book Brief: This book tells the story of Diego Rivera,
one of the most famous painters of the 1900s. He
painted the history and culture of Mexican people on
murals across Mexico and throughout the world.
Author and
Illustrator:
Duncan Tonatiuh
TIME TO READ!
Before reading: Show students the cover and read the title. Ask what they think this
book is about. Have they heard of Diego Rivera? What do they notice about the
pictures on the cover?
RELATED ACTIVITIES
COMMUNITY MURAL (AGES 7-12)
Materials: graph paper, billboard or butcher paper
In small groups, kids can brainstorm ideas for a
community mural at their community center, school,
or around town. Where would they paint the mural?
What would the mural show? Have groups sketch
their mural design on graph paper and then practice
scaling it to butcher paper or another large surface.
(For more information on scaling, visit www.murals.
com/scaling.html.)
BACK TO THE FUTURE (AGES 6-12)
The author of the book imagines what Diego would
paint about if he were around today. Have the group
write a round-robin story based on the following
prompt: Imagine you lived in 1900. One day, you wake
up…and it’s 2014! In a round-robin story, kids take
turns adding to the story a few sentences at a time.
Tell kids to think about what would be new, confusing,
or even frightening in 2014. Would people look and
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
OTHER BOOKS BY THIS AUTHOR
Separate Is Never Equal (2014)
Pancho Rabbit and the Coyote (2013)
Dear Primo (2010)
act different? What new technology is there? How
would you get home to 1900?
MIX AND MATCH (AGES 5-12)
Materials: red, yellow, and blue paint; paper plates;
brushes; paper
Red, yellow, and blue are primary colors; you can
make any color in the rainbow by mixing those three
colors together. Encourage kids to experiment with
mixing the paint. Then, have kids use the colors they
created to paint a picture that shows something
about their family or community lives. Once paintings
are dry, display them on one wall of the community
center. Older children should write a brief explanation
or story to go with their paintings.
TECHNOLOGY LINK
Let children unleash their inner artists at
www.nga.gov/content/ngaweb/education/kids.html.