Personal Hispanic American
Anthology
Written by
Janice Wallenstein and
Sarah Blount
Edited by
Barbara Brown
1
Introduction
Back in 1995, I (Janice) was involved in a Portland Public Schools immersion program in
Puebla, Mexico. When I returned I was inspired to create this unit, and with some guidance from
PPS TAG specialist Kara Mortimer I have revised and expanded it over the years. Originally, I
used Breaking Through by Francisco Jimenez as the unit text, then moved on to using literary
circles as the unit’s foundation, and currently use personal anthologies as the culminating
assessment. Some books from the current unit include When the Garcia Girls Lost Their
Accents, Bless Me Ultima, Always Running, and Experanza Rising. I am still looking for the
perfect book.
There are few core books widely used in the district that are written by Hispanic authors. There
is a growing body of work in the United States by Hispanic authors who are U.S. citizens who
honor their cultural roots and backgrounds with a peppering of Spanish in their English work.
These are not works translated from Spanish. We would like to provide more exposure to these
authors in PPS classrooms. By providing an authentic culminating activity, students will have the
opportunity to not only read multiple works, but to relate to these authors and find meaningful
connections in their own lives.
For the revised edition of this unit we have revisited the culminating activity and included new
resources for students to read, model, and include in their personal anthology. The unit can now
stand alone without or be used in conjunction with a text or literature circles.
This unit contains fifteen lessons that address the following topics:







Introducing the Theme and Essential Questions
Introducing the Purposes of Anthologies and the Roles of Literature Circles
Memoirs Writing and Reading
Poetry Writing and Reading
Fiction Writing and Reading
Visual Components
Creating and Sharing the Anthology
The focus in on giving students to skills to read critically, while at the same time developing
their own abilities to write in the forms they are reading. We hope that this will be a rewarding
and enriching unit for you and your students to explore.
2
Unit Template: The Hispanic American Literature Anthology
Priority Standards:
Reading
11.02 Analyze an author’s unstated ideas and meanings and analyzing evidence that
supports those unstated ideas. (11.6.4)*
11.03 Draw conclusions about the author’s purpose, basic beliefs, perspectives, and
philosophical assumptions. (11.7.1)
Literature
11.07 Use textual evidence to develop/support an interpretation of a work from U.S.
literature. (11.9.3)*
11.12 Analyze the way in which a work of U.S. literature is related to the themes, issues,
political movements, and events of its historical period. (11.10.17)*
Writing
11.13.1 Adjust tone and style as necessary to engage the interest of the reader. (11.12.1)
11.15.6 Draw supported inferences about the effects of a literary work on its audience.*
Speaking/Listening/Viewing
11.16 Volunteer contributions and clarify, illustrate or expand on a response. (11.16.5) ,
(11.16.6)
11.17 Identify, analyze, and discuss the purposes of media (11.18.2): information,
entertainment, persuasion, interpretation of events, transmission of culture*
*These standards are incorporated in the pre- and post-assessments
Understandings:
Students will understand that…
There is an increasing and increasingly
important body of work in American
literature representing the experiences of
Hispanic Americans.
This literature, while directly reflecting
certain cultures, says much about the
immigration experience, which has been
shared by virtually all U.S. families.
Artwork can express theme, tone, and point
of view.
Anthologies are collections of work
selected and organized for particular
purposes.
Essential Questions:
What is the immigrant experience?
What is Hispanic American literature?
What themes or concepts are common to
Hispanic American literature?
How does Hispanic American literature
reflect and inform the American
experience?
How does literature allow readers common
experiences and understandings?
How can readers relate to this literature
through personal writing and expression?
How does the presentation of literature
affect the readers’ experience?
How does a connection between word and
image effect meaning?
How can anthologies help clarify an idea or
themes?
3
Students will know:
Students will be able to:
Facts about the immigration experience
Themes that are common in Hispanic
American literature
Names and works of prominent Hispanic
American authors
Arrangement and presentation of literature
and art can enhance a reader’s experience
Identify key ideas and themes in literature
and images
Identify a unifying theme in a collection of
works
Write about the ways techniques in
literature and art create effects
Write a poem or other personal piece that
reflects aspects of relevant themes
Create a portfolio of images and literary
works with and write about the collection
in ways that are:
 Reflective
 Analytical
 Interpretive
Stage 2: Assessment Evidence
Culminating Assessment – Hispanic
American Writers Anthology
Other Evidence:
Students will identify literary selections
and images that illustrate chosen themes or
points of view. These, along with several
short written responses and a longer
analysis of the collection, will be presented
together as an anthology.
Research notes
Pre-assessment
Journal responses
Class discussion
Weekly writing from literature circles
Critical analysis of writings and images
Creative writing including poetry, memoir,
and character sketches
District Resources: Cited in this unit:
Holt Elements of Literature, Course 3, 4 and 5
Holt Multicultural Reader, Course 3 and 4
Hear My Voice – Multicultural Anthology
Access Literature
4
Learning Plan: Personal Hispanic Anthology
Activity/Title
Lesson 1
Introduction to
Essential
Questions:
Strangers in Our
Own Land
Priority Standards
11.02 Analyze an author’s unstated ideas and meanings and
analyzing evidence that supports those unstated ideas.
11.03 Draw conclusions about the author’s purpose, basic beliefs,
perspectives, and philosophical assumptions.
11.07 Use textual evidence to develop/support an interpretation of
a work from U.S. literature.
11.12 Analyze the way in which a work of U.S. literature is
related to the themes, issues, political movements, and events of
its historical period.
11.16 Volunteer contributions and clarify, illustrate or expand on
a response.
Page
10
Lesson 2 PreAssessment:
Pictures + Words
11.02 Analyze an author’s unstated ideas and meanings and
analyzing evidence that supports those unstated ideas.
11.07 Use textual evidence to develop/support an interpretation of
a work from U.S. literature.
11.13.1 Adjust tone and style as necessary to engage the interest
of the reader.
11.15.6 Draw supported inferences about the effects of a literary
work on its audience.*
11.16 Volunteer contributions and clarify, illustrate or expand on
a response.
11.17 Identify, analyze, and discuss the purposes of media
(11.18.2) information, entertainment, persuasion, interpretation
of events, transmission of culture*
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Lesson 3
Anthology
Overview
11.03 Draw conclusions about the author’s purpose, basic beliefs,
perspectives, and philosophical assumptions.
11.07 Use textual evidence to develop/support an interpretation of
a work from U.S. literature.
11.12 Analyze the way in which a work of U.S. literature is
related to the themes, issues, political movements, and events of
its historical period.
11.17 Identify, analyze, and discuss the purposes of media
36
Lesson 4: Reading
Art Part One
11.02 Analyze an author’s unstated ideas and meanings and
analyzing evidence that supports those unstated ideas.
11.03 Draw conclusions about the author’s purpose, basic beliefs,
perspectives, and philosophical assumptions.
40
Lesson #5
Introduction to
Literature
11.02 Analyze an author’s unstated ideas and meanings and
analyzing evidence that supports those unstated ideas.
11.03 Draw conclusions about the author’s purpose, basic beliefs,
50
5
Activity/Title
Circles/Reading
Plan
Priority Standards
perspectives, and philosophical assumptions.
11.07 Use textual evidence to develop/support an interpretation of
a work from U.S. literature.
11.12 Analyze the way in which a work of U.S. literature is
related to the themes, issues, political movements, and events of
its historical period.
11.13.1 Adjust tone and style as necessary to engage the interest
of the reader.
11.15.6 Draw supported inferences about the effects of a literary
work on its audience.*
11.16 Volunteer contributions and clarify, illustrate or expand on
a response.
Page
Lesson 6
Introduction to
Themes of
Hispanic
American
Literature/Begin
Memoir Reading
11.02 Analyze an author’s unstated ideas and meanings and
analyzing evidence that supports those unstated ideas.
11.03 Draw conclusions about the author’s purpose, basic beliefs,
perspectives, and philosophical assumptions.
11.12 Analyze the way in which a work of U.S. literature is
related to the themes, issues, political movements, and events of
its historical period.
11.13.1 Adjust tone and style as necessary to engage the interest
of the reader.
56
11.12 Analyze the way in which a work of U.S. literature is
related to the themes, issues, political movements, and events of
its historical period.
11.13.1 Adjust tone and style as necessary to engage the interest
of the reader.
11.15.6 Draw supported inferences about the effects of a literary
work on its audience.*
63
Lesson 8 Theme
and Structure on
Poetry/Beginning
Poetry Reading
11.02 Analyze an author’s unstated ideas and meanings and
analyzing evidence that supports those unstated ideas.
11.03 Draw conclusions about the author’s purpose, basic beliefs,
perspectives, and philosophical assumptions.
11.07 Use textual evidence to develop/support an interpretation of
a work from U.S. literature.
65
Lesson 9 Writer’s
Workshop #2 Poetry
11.02 Analyze an author’s unstated ideas and meanings and
analyzing evidence that supports those unstated ideas.
11.03 Draw conclusions about the author’s purpose, basic beliefs,
perspectives, and philosophical assumptions.
11.07 Use textual evidence to develop/support an interpretation of
a work from U.S. literature.
68
Lesson 7 Writer’s
Workshop #1 Memoir
6
Activity/Title
Priority Standards
11.12 Analyze the way in which a work of U.S. literature is
related to the themes, issues, political movements, and events of
its historical period.
11.13.1 Adjust tone and style as necessary to engage the interest
of the reader.
11.15.6 Draw supported inferences about the effects of a literary
work on its audience.*
11.16 Volunteer contributions and clarify, illustrate or expand on
a response.
11.17 Identify, analyze, and discuss the purposes of media
(11.18.2) information, entertainment, persuasion, interpretation
of events, transmission of culture*
Lesson 10
Characterization/
Beginning Fiction
Reading
11.02 Analyze an author’s unstated ideas and meanings and
analyzing evidence that supports those unstated ideas.
11.03 Draw conclusions about the author’s purpose, basic beliefs,
perspectives, and philosophical assumptions.
11.07 Use textual evidence to develop/support an interpretation of
a work from U.S. literature.
Lesson 11 Writer’s 11.12 Analyze the way in which a work of U.S. literature is
related to the themes, issues, political movements, and events of
Workshop #3 its historical period.
Fiction
11.13.1 Adjust tone and style as necessary to engage the interest
of the reader.
Page
72
74
Lesson 12 Reading
Art Part Two
11.02 Analyze an author’s unstated ideas and meanings and
analyzing evidence that supports those unstated ideas.
11.03 Draw conclusions about the author’s purpose
76
Lesson 13
Culminating
Assessment –
Beginning the
Anthology
11.02 Analyze an author’s unstated ideas and meanings and
analyzing evidence that supports those unstated ideas.
11.03 Draw conclusions about the author’s purpose, basic beliefs,
perspectives, and philosophical assumptions.
11.07 Use textual evidence to develop/support an interpretation of
a work from U.S. literature.
11.12 Analyze the way in which a work of U.S. literature is
related to the themes, issues, political movements, and events of
its historical period.
11.13.1 Adjust tone and style as necessary to engage the interest
of the reader.
11.15.6 Draw supported inferences about the effects of a literary
work on its audience.*
80
7
Activity/Title
Lesson 14 Writing
the Anthology
Introduction
Priority Standards
11.02 Analyze an author’s unstated ideas and meanings and
analyzing evidence that supports those unstated ideas.
11.03 Draw conclusions about the author’s purpose, basic beliefs,
perspectives, and philosophical assumptions.
11.07 Use textual evidence to develop/support an interpretation of
a work from U.S. literature.
11.12 Analyze the way in which a work of U.S. literature is
related to the themes, issues, political movements, and events of
its historical period.
11.13.1 Adjust tone and style as necessary to engage the interest
of the reader.
11.15.6 Draw supported inferences about the effects of a literary
work on its audience.*
Page
85
Lesson 15 Unit
Reflection
11.02 Analyze an author’s unstated ideas and meanings and
analyzing evidence that supports those unstated ideas.
11.03 Draw conclusions about the author’s purpose, basic beliefs,
perspectives, and philosophical assumptions.
87
8
Vocabulary for the Hispanic American Anthology Unit
Essential Vocabulary
Assimilation
Barrio
Chicano
Diaspora
Hispanic American Literature
Immigrant
Immigration -Voluntary
Immigration -Involuntary
Latin America
Latino/Latina
Migrant
Refugee
Voluntary Immigration
Academic Vocabulary
Analysis
Anthology
Characterization
Design
Diaspora
Diction
Graphic Design
Graphics
Imagery
Memoir
Metaphor
Reflection
Repetition
Theme
Thesis
Visual literacy
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Lesson # 1: Introduction to Unit and Essential Questions – Strangers in Our Own
Lands
Duration: 100 – 180 minutes
Priority Standards: Reading: 11.02, 11.03; Speaking/Listening Viewing: 11.16
Brief overview of lesson:
This lesson, the unit opener, addresses both abstract and more concrete aspects of immigration
issues. To open, students try to define some key vocabulary. After correct definitions are
provided, students will read and jigsaw current articles about immigration. Students prepare for
the second day by completing one of three activities – family and friend interviews, or research
on a Library of Congress website – as homework; the information they gather serves as an
introduction for the day’s lesson and the unit overall. After a discussion of the students’ findings,
the class will listen to or view “City of Immigrants” by Steve Earle and identify ome of the
song’s themes.
Materials needed:
 Overhead – Vocabulary definitions
 Computer/Projector
 Access to YouTube video, “Cityof Immigrants”:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nWnGctWs4JM
 Overhead – Vocabulary definitions
 Copies of articles – have as many viewpoints as possible. Samples included here are
Articles, “Immigration facts, figures — and thoughts” from the 7/26/2010 L.A. Times,
“The Radicalism of the Anti-Arizona Suit” from The National Review, and an editorial
from The Washington Times.
 Handouts for homework,
 Words to “City of Immigrants”
 Highlighters
 Chart paper
 Folders for student work
Key vocabulary:
Barrio
Immigrant
Immigration
Latino/Latina
Migrant
Refugee
Addressing essential questions:
What is the immigrant experience?
How does it reflect and inform the American experience?
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Hook/anticipatory set:
List vocabulary words on the board and ask students to write definitions to at least five. After a
few minutes, briefly share: put up the overhead and allow students to write definitions of the
words they don’t know.
Steps:
1. Day One: Tell students the articles they are about to read will give them more
information about the ways immigration is presented in the media today. If you use the
articles presented here or similar, remind students of the difference between editorial and
news writing. Ask students to highlight:
 Key ideas
 Vocabulary words from list
 Words they don’t know
After students have read, check for understanding then ask them to share the key ideas
with a student who has read a different article.
2. Lead the class in a Socratic discussion focusing on issues and opinions on immigrants
and immigration. This is a provocative topic, so remind students to judge ideas, not
people.
3. Give out folders for students to keep their work in – lots of paper will be generated in this
unit.
4. Assign homework for the next class, handing out one of the following three to each
student. Please keep in mind that for a number of your students, their families came to
this country not by choice, but by force, through slavery and or indentured servitude. Be
sure that you acknowledge this reality thoroughly with students before letting them start
on the Family Immigration Report.
 Family Immigration Report
 Alien Interviews
 Reviews – Immigrant Stories
5. Day Two: Have students get with others who had the same assignment. Each group
should plan a brief presentation to the class on their collective data. As groups present,
draw the class out with questions like:
 How many countries of origin do we represent as a class?
 What is it like to be “a stranger?”
 What would the U.S. be like if there were no immigrants?
 What makes people “real Americans?”
 Other questions designed to reflect the unit’s essential questions
6. Students should write in their journals to the following prompt:
What could be good about being an immigrant? What could be hard?
7. Day 3: Ask students to share some of what they wrote in their journals.
8. Play the Earle song on YouTube, and then distribute the lyrics. Tell the students to read
the lyrics and highlight them in two colors:

Phrases or words that show the speakers’ attitudes or feelings

Literary devices or techniques like diction, repetition, metaphor, or imagery
9. Lead a brief class discussion on the poem, asking students to make connections between
what they see as the speaker’s attitude and the techniques he uses to convey these. Ask
11
students what they think themes might be. Record these on the board, overhead, or chart
paper for reference.
10. Ask the students to write a one-page response to the poem, focusing on the e theme as
they see it (stated as a thesis) and including evidence from the poem that support their
ideas. Tell them they will be sharing with one other student, but that the writing may
later be refined for part of an upcoming project.
Closure:
Students exchange papers and use highlighters to mark their partner’s paper. They should use
one color for thesis (statement of the theme) and a second color for evidence, or quoted material
that supports the thesis. If there is time, readers should write a quick note with two things they
think the writer is doing well and one point she might work on.
Strategies for ELL students:
Work individually with students who need clarification.
Strategies for TAG students:
Students could use the Internet to further explore the subject of immigration.
Modifications for students with special needs:
Place students in mixed-ability pairs.
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Unit Vocabulary
Assimilation: Act of one’s original culture being absorbed by a
dominant culture
Barrio: Section of town where Spanish is spoken
Chicano/Chicana : Male/Female of Mexican descent
Diaspora: The scattering of people from a homeland, often involuntary
or in response to disaster
Hispanic American Literature: Work written primarily in English by
those whose original culture is Spanish-speaking
Immigrant: Person born in one country who moves to another to live
Immigration – Voluntary - Deciding on one’s own to immigrate
Immigration – Involuntary - Immigrating taken by force or against
one’s will
Latin America: South of the U.S., nations in North, Central and South
America where romance languages are primarily spoken
Latino/Latina: A male/female native of Latin America
Migrant: Person who moves from one to another country
Refugee: One who must leave for safety
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Family Immigration Report
In the unit we are starting, we will be closely looking at the art and experiences of Hispanic
American authors. As we do, we will be thinking about the immigration experience more
broadly, because immigrant status is something almost all of us share in our family histories. We
will be thinking about what it feels like to be an “outsider,” another experience we will almost all
have multiple times, and we will thinking about what it means to be a nation of current and
former “newcomers.”
Your assignment is to interview your family members – parents are fine, older relatives are better
– to collect data on your family’s immigration history. You will share your information with a
group for a presentation to the class:
Source 1(Name) __________________________________ (Relation) ___________________
Source 2(Name) __________________________________ (Relation) ___________________
Source 3(Name) __________________________________ (Relation) _____________________
The first people in my mother’s family to come to the United States were:
He/she came in (approximate date):
From:
First home in the United States:
He/she spoke (native language):
Reason she/he came:
Career/job/work:
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The first people in my father’s family to come to the United States were:
He/she came in (approximate date):
From:
First home in the United States:
He/she spoke: (native language)
Reason she/he came:
Career/job/work:
15
Alien Interviews
In the unit we are starting, we will be closely looking at the art and experiences of Hispanic
American authors. As we do, we will be thinking about the immigration experience more
broadly, because immigrant status is something almost all of us share in our family histories. We
will also be thinking about what it feels like to be an “outsider,” another experience we will
almost all have multiple times, and we will thinking about what it means to be a nation of current
and former “newcomers.”
Your assignment is to briefly interview at least four students (you may include yourself) to
determine times when they felt like outsiders or aliens. You will be sharing your interviews. To
jog memories, here are some possible situations:
Being a new student
First day of high school
Meeting a step family
First day on a new sports team
Going to a new church, mosque, or
synagogue
Joining a club
Starting a new job
Moving to a new place
Subject #1 ________________________________________________________
Time/Place subject was new:
Differences between self and others:
Feelings (awkward, shy, superior, etc):
Subject felt at home in group when:
Subject #2 ________________________________________________________
Time/Place subject was new:
Differences between self and others:
Feelings (awkward, shy, superior, etc):
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Subject felt at home in group when:
Subject #3 ________________________________________________________
Time/Place subject was new:
Differences between self and others:
Feelings (awkward, shy, superior, etc):
Subject felt at home in group when:
Subject #4 ________________________________________________________
Time/Place subject was new:
Differences between self and others:
Feelings (awkward, shy, superior, etc):
Subject felt at home in group when:
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Reviews – Immigrant Stories
In the unit we are starting, we will be closely looking at the art and experiences of Hispanic
American authors. As we do, we will be thinking about the immigration experience more
broadly, because immigrant status is something almost all of us share in our family histories. We
will be thinking about what it feels like to be an “outsider,” another experience we will almost all
have multiple times, and we will thinking about what it means to be a nation of current and
former “newcomers.”
Your assignment is to go to this Library of Congress website:
http://www.loc.gov/teachers/classroommaterials/presentationsandactivities/presentations/immigr
ation/interv/toc.php.
While there, read some of the interviews done by other high school students with immigrants
from all over the world. The site is very easy to navigate. First, select the region you are
interested in, then from the list, one of the reviews. (Remember that Mexico is part of North
America.) Read as many as you like, but please record information about two of the interviews
on the chart below. You will be sharing your findings with a group and with the class.
#1: Interviewer name/grade:
Interviewee:
Relationship:
Date/place of interview:
Interviewee native of:
Entered U.S. at:
Age at immigration:
Year of Immigration:
Why this individual came to the U.S.:
Ideas this individual has about the U.S.:
Ideas/Experiences/Feelings I share with this individual:
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#2: Interviewer name/grade:
Interviewee:
Relationship:
Date/place of interview:
Interviewee native of:
Entered U.S. at:
Age at immigration:
Year of Immigration:
Why this individual came to the U.S.:
Ideas this individual has about the U.S.:
Ideas/Experiences/Feelings I share with this individual:
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Immigration facts, figures — and thoughts
Illegal immigration has actually fallen in the last few years. So why
all the heated rhetoric today?
July 26, 2010|Gregory Rodriguez
With the immigration debate heating up — and a federal court case over Arizona's SB 1070
brewing — you'd think that the U.S. was besieged by growing numbers of illegal immigrants.
But you'd be wrong.
Despite the heightened rhetoric and the bloodcurdling vitriol surrounding the issue, illegal
immigration has actually declined significantly over the last few years. While journalists like to
characterize the anger over immigration as a response to facts on the ground — i.e. people are
inundated and incensed — the numbers don't bear them out.
In fact, the opposite is true. According to a February report by the Department of Homeland
Security, the number of illegal immigrants living in the U.S. actually dropped by a whopping 1
million between 2008 and 2009, which amounts to the sharpest decrease in 30 years. It was the
second year of declining numbers.
Likewise, the Border Patrol reports that apprehensions are down by more than 60% since 2000,
to 550,000 last year, the lowest number in 35 years, even though the border is more tightly
controlled than ever. As William Finnegan wrote in last week's New Yorker, "The southern
border, far from being 'unsecured,' is in better shape than it has been for years — better managed
and less porous."
And there's more. Despite the drumbeat about hordes of undocumented Mexicans who have
come north to take our jobs, consider this: According to the Pew Hispanic Center, between 2005
and 2008, the number of Mexican migrants arriving in the U.S. actually declined by 40%.
It's not only the number of Mexican illegal immigrants that has dropped. The fact that the U.S.
economy is struggling has discouraged high-skilled immigrants from around the globe from
looking for jobs in America, and the flow of applicants for H1-B visas, or work permits, has
slowed. Before the recession, the entire 85,000 H1-B annual quota would be filled within days of
the application date on the first of April. For fiscal year 2010, the quota wasn't reached until
December 2009.
Finally, the Census Bureau's American Community Survey last fall revealed a historic decline in
the percentage of U.S. residents who are foreign-born — from 12.6% in 2007 to 12.5% in 2008.
That represents only about 40,000 people numerically, but it is the first time since the 1970
census — 40 years ago — that the foreign-born percentage of the U.S. population has gone
down.
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So, in the face of all this data showing that legal and illegal immigration is down dramatically,
what's all the fuss about? Why has the debate turned so nasty? Why does it seem worse than it
did in 1994, during the debate over Proposition 187, California's anti-immigrant ballot measure?
The easy answer, of course, is that the economy is tough and historically people have looked for
targets to blame for their feelings of impotence.
But today I think there are other contributing factors. The political discourse overall is pretty
horrific, and while immigration has always brought out the worst in people, today's polarized
climate only makes matters worse.
Furthermore, the right wing, where much of the anti-immigrant frenzy comes from, no longer
has an authoritative voice of reason pressing for decency on the issue. Four years ago, after
President George W. Bush unsuccessfully launched his own effort at comprehensive immigration
reform, he warned against "harsh, ugly rhetoric." Today, Bush is hardly heard from and the right
has an "open borders" policy on over-the-top rhetoric.
Struggling newspapers seeking to engage readers at any cost are also part of the problem.
Whereas racist rants were once confined to marginal websites, today many papers — including
this one — have opened their online comments section to, well, complete nut-jobs. Allowing
vitriolic racial rhetoric to remain on a mainstream website is to give it a level of acceptability.
Just last week, in response to my column on the so-called burka ban in France, a rabid
commenter proposed that all those crossing the U.S.- Mexico border without papers should be
shot on sight. Nice. Such "dialogue" not only pushes out reasonable people, it emboldens the
unreasonable ones. By allowing it to be posted, newspapers are presiding over the mainstreaming
of anti-immigrant hate speech.
There may be those who see hatred as a justifiable means to an end. Perhaps they hope that all
this harsh rhetoric will keep even more illegal immigrants at home. But they'd be silly to think
that such invective only makes life harder for immigrants. Unfortunately, it also actively
degrades our culture, our public square and our democracy.
[email protected]
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July 15, 2010 – The National Review OnLine
The Radicalism of the Anti-Arizona Suit The state’s immigration law is reasonable; the suit against it isn't.
If nothing else, the state of Arizona has smoked out the Obama administration.
To make the case that the Arizona immigration law conflicts with, and therefore is preempted by,
federal law, the Justice Department has to make an extraordinary claim — that the federal laws
as written don’t matter so much.
The drafters of the Arizona statute, S.B. 1070, were careful to mimic specific federal laws, but
that’s not good enough. The state’s law would pass constitutional muster only if it tracked
exactly with the executive’s enforcement priorities. As the suit puts it, “S.B. 1070’s mandatory
enforcement scheme will conflict with and undermine the federal government’s careful balance
of immigration enforcement priorities and objectives.”
In other words, such mandatory enforcement of the law conflicts with the executive’s
discretionary enforcement of the law. If Arizona’s statute is in keeping with the letter of the laws
as passed by Congress, so what? The executive can selectively pick and choose which elements
of those laws to honor, and then on that basis quash state statues even if they mirror the
handiwork of Congress.
It’s as if Congress is merely an advisory body in this area, and the administration wants to lift the
power over immigration policy out of Article 1 of the Constitution and deposit it in Article 2.
The administration is forced into this sweeping argument out of its desperation to overturn the
Arizona law and its limited grounds to do so on any common-sense basis.
The courts have upheld the ability of state law enforcement to check on a person’s immigration
status, ask for his documents, and confirm his status with the federal government. And it’s
simply not the case that any state statute regarding immigration is preempted by federal law. In
1976, the Supreme Court unanimously upheld a California law prohibiting employers from
hiring illegal aliens against a preemption challenge.
By any reasonable standard, Arizona is assisting the federal government. The state is identifying
people that Congress has deemed to be in the country unlawfully and bringing them to the
attention of the feds. Why would the federal government even want to cry foul?
It all comes back to that delicate balance. The suit says, “S.B. 1070 conflicts with and otherwise
stands as an obstacle to Congress’s demand that federal immigration policy accommodate the
competing interests of immigration control, national security and public safety, humanitarian
concerns, and foreign relations.”
22
And all that amounts to an indirect way of saying that the Obama administration is willing to
tolerate the presence of millions of illegal aliens in this country, and that, as far as it’s concerned,
this preference constitutes the unalloyed law of the land.
There would be an unassailable method for the federal government to push back against Arizona.
Congress could repeal 8 USC 1304(e) and 1306(a), the provisions in the federal code invoked in
the Arizona statute (they make it illegal for aliens not to carry registration documents and for
aliens to fail to register). Then, Congress could pass an immediate amnesty, relieving the current
population of illegal aliens of the burdens of their unlawful presence.
Simple and clean. But not easy, since it would require the assent of democratically accountable
legislators. The Obama administration prefers to rely on the sheer assertion of administrative
authority. Its suit against Arizona posits a kind of virtual amnesty. If its claims pass muster in the
courts, the most aggrieved institution shouldn’t be the state of Arizona, but the United States
Congress.
— Rich Lowry is editor of National Review.
23
EDITORIAL: Judicial activism against Arizona
Judge bucks precedent to keep immigration floodgates open
U.S. District Judge Susan R. Bolton miscalculated when she blocked critical aspects of Arizona's
immigration enforcement law. Her decision will further intensify efforts by states to find
solutions to problems posed by the Obama administration's unwillingness to take command of
this pressing issue.
The decision is certain to inflame the illegal immigration debate, and it doesn't bode well for the
president or his party. According to a recent Quinnipiac poll, 55 percent of Americans back the
Arizona law and 58 percent disapprove of Obama immigration policies. A Pew Research Center
poll shows 63 percent think immigration reform is very important, and only 36 percent back the
Justice Department's suit against Arizona. The presumed political benefits of the administration's
stance are not materializing. According to Gallup, President Obama's approval ratings among
Hispanics have dropped from 68 percent in April to 55 percent in the latest weekly poll.
Judge Bolton ruled, "It is not in the public interest for Arizona to enforce preempted laws," but
this is a deceptive statement. If Arizona had passed a law that defined U.S. citizenship, as
Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. has disingenuously suggested, federal supremacy would
apply. However, the case at hand doesn't deal with pre-emptive law but with parallel
enforcement. Arizona's law does not define who has broken immigration laws; it deals with what
to do when police apprehend these criminals.
The relevant precedent is in Gonzales v. City of Peoria (1983), in which the U.S. Court of
Appeals for the 9th Circuit - which includes Arizona - held that "although the regulation of
immigration is unquestionably an exclusive federal power, it is clear that this power does not
preempt every state activity affecting aliens." The court stated flatly that "federal law does not
preclude local enforcement of the criminal provisions" of federal immigration law, and that
"concurrent enforcement is authorized" when they "do not impair federal regulatory interests."
In the same case, the court noted that federal injunctions against state law enforcement actions
should be undertaken only in the most extreme circumstances and should generally exercise
restraint "based on principles of equity, comity and federalism" and "consistent with these
principles, federal courts may not intervene in state enforcement activities absent extraordinary
circumstances that threaten immediate and irreparable injury." The notion that the federal
government would be immediately and irreparably harmed by Arizona identifying previously
detained illegals is unsustainable.
24
Rep. Luis V. Gutierrez, Illinois Democrat, hailed Judge Bolton's decision, saying, "Arresting
people based on their appearance and holding them until you can investigate their immigration
status is patently un-American and unconstitutional." This is a willful misrepresentation of the
Arizona law but typical of the race-baiting politics of the left.
In 2005, the Supreme Court ruled in Muehler v. Mena that police could question suspects
detained for other crimes about their immigration status even if they had no reason to believe
they were illegals. In this, the court specifically overturned a ruling by the 9th Circuit Court that
such questioning constituted a violation of the Fourth Amendment. The high court rejected as a
"faulty" premise that police even needed reasonable suspicion to ask questions about
immigration status, and countered citing previous precedent that "even when officers have no
basis for suspecting a particular individual, they may generally ask questions of that individual."
Under the logic in Mena, Arizona doesn't even need a special law for state and local police to
make inquiries regarding immigration status.
Judge Bolton's judicial activism is out of step with the law, out of step with politics and out of
step with the good of the country.
© Copyright 2010 The Washington Times, LLC. Click here for reprint permission.
25
All of us are immigrants
Every daughter, every son
Everyone is everyone
All of us are immigrants - everyone
Livin’ in a city of immigrants
River flows out and the sea rolls in
Washin’ away nearly all of my sins
Livin’ in a city of immigrants
City of Immigrants
Livin’ in a city of immigrants
I don’t need to go travelin’
Open my door and the world walks in
Livin’ in a city of immigrants
Livin’ in a city that never sleeps
My heart keepin’ time to a thousand beats
Singin’ in languages I don’t speak
Livin’ in a city of immigrants
City of black
City of white
City of light
Livin’ in a city of immigrants
City of sweat
City of tears
City of prayers
Livin’ in a city of immigrants
City of black
City of white
City of light
City of innocents
City of sweat
City of tears
City of prayers
City of immigrants
City of stone
City of steel
City of wheels
Livin’ in a city of immigrants
Livin’ in a city where the dreams of men
Reach up to touch the sky and then
Tumble back down to earth again
Livin’ in a city that never quits
Livin’ in a city where the streets are paved
With good intentions and a people’s faith
In the sacred promise a statue made
Livin’ in a city of immigrants
City of bone
City of skin
City of pain
City of immigrants
All of us are immigrants
Steve Earle
City of stone
City of steel
City of wheels
Constantly spinnin’
City of bone
City of skin
City of pain
City of immigrants
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Lesson 2: Pre-Assessment “Pictures + Words”
Duration: 100-120 minutes
Priority Standards: Reading: 11.02; Literature: 11.07, 11.12; Writing: 11.13.1, 11.15.6;
Speaking/Listening/Viewing:11.17
Brief overview of lesson:
Students will choose, from among a selection of poems, one poem to write about, and from a
collection of images, one to accompany the poem. Students will write a brief essay interpreting
and analyzing the poem and the images and supporting his or her choice of the pairing.
Materials needed:
 Handout, “Pictures + Words” project descriptor
 Pre-Assessment Rubric [Note: Consider printing the descriptor and rubric on the same
page.]
 Several poems (multiple copies of each) reflecting aspects and cultures comprising
Hispanic Americans and/or immigrants
 Several images to post around room
Suggested poems:
“Exile” by Julia Alvarez, Holt Third Course, 306
“Folding Won Tons In” by Abraham Chong, Holt Third Course, 509
“Internment” by Juliet S. Kono, Holt Third Course, 513
“The Tropics in New York” by Claude Mckay, Holt Third Course, 627
“The Legend” by Garrett Hongo, Holt Fourth Course, 552
“The Negro Speaks of Rivers” by Langston Hughes, Holt Fifth Course, 833
“The Latin Deli” by Judith Ortiz Cofer, Holt Fifth Course, 1175
Key vocabulary:
Assimilation
Immigrant
Immigration
Latino/Latina
Migrant
Refugee
Analysis
Characterization
Design
Diction
Imagery
Metaphor
Repetition
Theme
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Addressing essential questions:
What is the immigrant experience?
What is Hispanic American literature?
What themes or concepts are common to Hispanic American literature?
How does Hispanic American literature reflect and inform the American experience?
How does literature allow readers common experiences and understandings?
How can readers relate to this literature through personal writing and expression?
How does the presentation of literature affect the readers’ experience?
How does a connection between word and image effect meaning?
Hook/anticipatory set:
Have students do a quick-write answering this prompt:
Of these two sayings, which do you think is most accurate? Why?
 The pen is mightier than the sword
 A picture is worth a thousand words
After the students have written, share in pairs, then as a class. After a brief discussion, ask the
students how they think words and pictures together work in creating and conveying meaning.
Steps/procedures:
1. Explain that as the class is starting on a new unit, this activity will help you (the teacher)
understand the current skills of students so that they can each work at their own levels on
the upcoming project.
2. Hand out the descriptor “Pictures + Words” and go over it with the class
3. Hand out the rubric and go over it with the class.
4. If there are no questions, briefly introduce the poems and allow the students to choose
one. Tell them that while they are choosing, you will be putting up several images.
5. Put up images or hand them out; after students have chosen a poem, they may silently
view the images in order to choose the one they feel best fits.
6. Allow students time to complete the pre-assessment in class.
Closure:
Students popcorn share about the poems and images they chose and what they noticed while
reading, looking at images and writing.
Strategies for ELL students:
·
Some poems may need to be shorter and less difficult
·
If possible, offer poems in different languages to represent population
·
If translation is available, allow students to work in first language
Modifications for students with special needs:
·
Some poems may need to be shorter and less difficult
·
If necessary, allow extra time for writing or shorten requirements
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Pictures + Words: A Pre-assessment
Steps in this assignment:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Choose a poem from those that have been provided.
Choose an image that you think complements the poem or gives it deeper meaning.
Now, you will write brief (3-5 paragraphs) that answers three questions:
 The Poem: What can you infer about the experiences or attitude of the speaker in the
poem? What are some of the techniques the author uses to convey his or her
meaning?
 The Image: what are some of the techniques the artist uses to convey his or her
meaning? How does the image express the American Experience?
 The Image and the Poem: What connections can you make to this poem and image?
How do the picture and words work together?
Be sure that your essay includes all the necessary parts and is carefully edited.
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IMAGES FOR PRE-ASSESSMENT
IMAGE #1
IMAGE #2
IMAGE #3
IMAGE #4
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IMAGE #5
IMAGE #6
IMAGE #7
IMAGE #8
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IMAGE #9
IMAGE #10
IMAGE #11
IMAGE #12
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Pre-Assessment Rubric
Standard
Reading
11.02 Analyze an author’s unstated ideas
and meanings and analyzing evidence
that supports those unstated ideas.
Literature
11.07 Use textual evidence to
develop/support an interpretation of a
work from U.S. literature.
11.12 Analyze the way in which a work
of U.S. literature is related to the themes,
issues, political movements, and events
of its historical period.
Writing
11.13.1 Adjust tone and style as
necessary to engage the interest of the
reader.
11.15.6 Draw supported inferences about
the effects of a literary work on its
audience.
Speaking/Listening/Viewing
11.17 Identify, analyze, and discuss the
purposes of media ): information,
entertainment, persuasion, interpretation
of events, transmission of culture
Exceeds
Writer develops an insightful
interpretation of both the poem and the
image selected based on inferences
Meets
Writer develops a reasonable
interpretation of both the poem and the
image selected based on inferences
Does Not Meet
There is a weak interpretation of either
the image, poem, or both
Writer clearly identifies techniques the
writer and artist use in the works and
skillfully shows how they convey
meaning to the reader
Writer identifies at least a few techniques
the writer and artist use in the works and
is able to show how they convey
meaning to the reader
Writer struggles to identify techniques
used by writer, artist, or both
Writer conveys a clear understanding of
some themes, issues, political
movements, and events that the poem
and image reflect
Writer’s style (word choice, syntax) is
academic but also personal, creating a
warm, inviting tone suitable to reflective
nature of the writing
Writer conveys a clear understanding of
some themes, issues, political
movements, and events that the poem
and image reflect
Writer’s style (word choice, syntax) is
academic; tone may be overly formal
Writer is able to convincingly discuss the
effects of both the poem and image
using vocabulary that reflects a solid
understanding of technique
Writer shows a sophisticated
understanding of the ways images and
words can work together to enhance the
meaning of both
Writer is able to discuss the effects of
both the poem and image, using some
vocabulary that reflects an understanding
of technique
Writer shows an emerging understanding
of the ways images and words can work
together to enhance the meaning of both
Writer is limited in his or her ability to
discuss the effects of either the poem or
image or both. Limited understanding of
technique
Writer shows a limited understanding of
the effects words and images combined
might have on meaning
Writer is able to identify feelings evoked
by the works and powerfully conveys his
or her response to them.
Writer is able to identify feelings evoked
by the works and clearly conveys his or
her response to them.
Writer is limited in his or her ability to
identify feelings evoked by the works
35
There is a limited understanding of
relevant themes, issues, political
movements, and events that the poem
and image reflect
Writer’s style is not academic
Lesson # 3: Anthology Overview: Concept + Design
Duration: 100- 120 minutes
Priority Standards:
Reading: 11.03; Literature: 11.12; Writing: 11.15.6, Speaking/Listening/Viewing: 11.17
Brief overview of lesson:
The purpose of this lesson is to introduce the concept of an anthology to students and to begin
preparing them to create their own anthologies. After a brief look at the Elements of Literature,
5th Course, students will look review, with partners, other anthologies with the goals of seeing
how an editor chooses the content, frames her or his selections (in the introductions) as well as
how designers create a product that has visual and aesthetic appeal. It might be most convenient
to start this activity in the classroom, or wherever a full class set of the anthologies can be found,
and then to move to the library to have access to as many anthologies as possible. Alternatively,
you might bring a cart of anthologies to the classroom. Try to have many books with multiple
design elements – art and illustrations – and to have a variety of types of anthologies. This
activity would work well for pairs of students.
Materials needed:
Handout, “Anthology Review”
Class set of literature anthologies
Other literary anthologies, preferable some featuring Hispanic American and other multicultural
literature
Key vocabulary:
Anthology
Design
Diction
Graphic Design
Graphics
Hispanic American Literature
Reflection
Theme
Addressing essential questions:
How can readers relate to… literature through personal writing and expression?
How does the presentation of literature affect the readers’ experience?
How does a connection between word and image effect meaning?
How can anthologies help clarify an idea or a theme?
Hook/anticipatory set:
Explain that anthologies have many purposes, and that the ones used in the classrooms reflect
selections that are meant to provide an overview of literature. Give each student a copy of the
Holt anthology and ask them to select one of the “Collections” listed in the Table of Contents,
36
pages A4 to A19. Each collection (comprising a significant time period or literary movement)
has a multi-page introduction. Have students choose a collection then quickly review the
introduction to the collection – each is about 18-20 pages. Have them jot down responses to the
following:
 3 things I noticed about the contents of the introduction
 3 things I noticed about the way the introduction is written, including tone, voice, and
style
 3 things I notice about the way the introduction looks including observations on
illustrations, art, and design
After students complete their observations, share a few with the class.
Steps/procedures:
1. After the previous activity, students will move on to looking at anthologies of their own.
Before they do so, distribute and go over the “Concept + Design” handouts. These will
explain this assignment and also help them begin to think about their own anthologies.
2. Go over the handout with students.
3. Students should begin selecting anthologies for study: they should spend one-to-two minutes
each just reviewing what’s available, and then focus more intently on one or two collections.
In their review, remind them to think about the purpose behind each anthology.
4. Each student should fill out two handouts for two anthologies.
Closure:
Back in the classroom, have students write exit notes on what they learned in the course of the
activity, and to include the names of any anthologies they would recommend as being good
models.
Strategies for ELL students:
 Try to have selections in multiple languages
 Allow students to work in pairs
37
CONCEPT + DESIGN
Loosely defined, an anthology is a collection of pieces by a variety of writers. Every anthology has an editorial
purpose: to teach students about American Literature, to feature the stories or poems on a particular theme such
as love or war, to publish writers who have something in common, and so forth. Besides editorial content, each
anthology, like all books, also has a graphic design. This can be seen in the size and shape of the pages, size
and style of type and page layout. But many also include other visual elements like art, photography, and other
illustrations. As editors assemble anthologies, they try to create the most meaningful work they can for its
readers, bringing words and images together in a way that enhances both. Most editors also include an
introduction to the collection, to explain their purpose in creating and presenting an anthology.
In this unit, you will be assembling an anthology including works by Hispanic American authors, your own
written responses to these works, creative writing of your own, and illustrations, either original or reproduced.
Today’s assignment will help you prepare for it. From all of those provided, you will be selecting two
anthologies to study and analyze. Record your findings on this sheet.
Anthology #1 (title): ____________________________
Design Notes:
Size/Shape:
Type:
White Space:
Types and amount of art:
My review of this design:
Content Notes:
Types of pieces included:
Unifying idea or themes:
38
Introduction Notes: This should cover ideas like why the editor(s) picked these pieces, why the anthology was
put together, and what the intent is. Note what the editor(s) has/have to say about personal connections to the
selections, as well as the writing style and tone. Is it formal, informal, humorous, academic?
Anthology #2 (title): ________________________________
Design Notes:
Size/Shape:
Type:
White Space:
Types and amount of art:
My review of this design:
Content Notes:
Types of pieces included:
Unifying idea or themes:
Introduction Notes: This should cover ideas like why the editor(s) picked these pieces, why the anthology was
put together, and what the intent is. Note what the editor(s) has/have to say about personal connections to the
selections, as well as the writing style and tone. Is it formal, informal, humorous, academic?
SUMMARY: what did you learn about anthologies from this activity? What are the essential parts?
39
Lesson 4: Reading Art Part One
Duration: 50-minute class period
Priority Standards 11:03, 11:12, 11:15.6
Brief overview of lesson:
Students will learn how to “read” images and articulate what these images say about a particular theme.
This will serve as a model for when students choose illustrations for their own thematic anthologies.
Materials needed:
Bring in hard copies of images OR
PowerPoint slideshow of paintings, photographs, and other images (see below for samples)
Essential vocabulary:
• Visual literacy is the ability to interpret, negotiate, and make meaning from information presented in
the form of an image.
• Visual literacy is based on the idea that pictures can be “read” and that meaning can be communicated
through a process of reading.
Addressing essential questions:
How can people relate to this work through personal writing and expression?
How can anthologies help clarify an idea or a theme?
Hook/anticipatory set:
Display an iconic, possibly controversial image as students enter the room. Students do quick write
response about the image.
Steps/procedures:
1. Class discussion of initial image and student response - what does the image say to you? Negative?
Positive? Neutral? What feelings, if any, does it evoke in you?
2. Ask students if they can identify a theme in the image.
3. Lead into discussion about visual literacy - define and explain this term to students on board or
overhead, projector, etc.
4. Project series of images and lead class discussion with students - ask them to use the skill of visual
literacy to “read” each image and articulate its meaning. Use the ones that follow or others.
5. Next, Begin by asking students what they know about art. How many students are artists, how many
have been to an art museum, why do humans create art, etc.?
6. Read through the page with the students on reading art. Have them look through the process of
reading a artwork.
7. Start with one piece of art (return to the ones from the pre-assessment or see suggestions) and work
through the graphic organizer as a class, though allowing each student their own interpretations. Be
sure that they have an opportunity to write a paragraph that “puts it all together.”
8. Ask students how images could express some of the unit’s essential questions? How can people
relate to certain images through personal writing and expression? How can including illustrations in
an anthology help clarify an idea or theme?
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Closure: Student assignment is to create or compile at least two images (illustration, photo, painting,
drawing, etc.) for their own anthology with at least a 100-word reflection saying:
Why the student chose this image
What meaning or message could be communicated through this image
How the student can relate to this image
How/why this image fits into their personal anthology
Proper MLA citation - Include URLs or creator of image in reflection
Strategies for ELL students:
Provide handouts of visual literacy definition.
Provide a frame example for images.
Strategies for TAG students:
Students could choose more than two illustrations for their anthology or conduct further research of
imagery,
Modifications for students with special needs:
Provide handouts of visual literacy definition.
Provide a frame example for images.
41
:
A Pathway to Look at Art
Art is often a very personal and highly subjective form of expression. Two people, looking at the same artwork, may
come to two totally different interpretations of what the artist is trying to communicate. And the artist, him or herself,
may have an entirely different interpretation as well.
But this does not mean that there is no overall meaning to an art piece or that there is no point in trying to determine
this meaning. What it does mean is that you, as a viewer and reader of art, need to consider many elements of the
piece before rushing to judgement or interpretation. Whenever you are looking at a piece of artwork for the first time,
run through the following process as a way to begin making meaning out of it. You’ll find that reading art is not that
much different from reading, say, a poem or a play.

First Impressions: Scan the piece slowly for at least ten seconds. What strikes you first as you look at the piece? What do
you like, find interesting, strange or odd? Do you like it or not? Does it immediately remind you of something? These
comments are you initial feelings about the piece and should not necessarily be interpretations of the work. These are gutlevel responses.

Looking Closer: Return to the piece and carefully examine the one element that strikes you most. It might be a candle in the
background, a smile on the subject’s face, an interesting brush stroke, etc. Describe just that one part in detail. Carefully note
everything relevant about that one element of the piece.

Asking Questions: Imagine that you could ask the artist specific interpretive (Level II) questions about this piece. Write
down at least three such questions. These questions might deal with why certain elements were included/excluded from the
piece, why a particular color was used, what the symbols represent, etc.

Artistic Technique: What do you notice about what the artist has done to create this piece? You may want to examine the
colors, the medium, the lighting, etc. Why do you think the artist chose these particular elements?

Subject Matter: What is going on in this piece? Who are the characters and/or what is the setting and time period? Is there a
plot of some kind? What historical background do you know or need to know about to understand this piece?
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43
44
45
46
47
48
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Lesson 5: Introduction to and Beginning Literature Activities/Circles
Duration: Approximately three weeks ongoing
Priority Standards:
Reading: 11.02, 11.03, Literature: 11.07, 11.12, Writing: 11.15.6,
Speaking/Listening/Viewing: 11.16
Brief Overview of Lesson:
Over the next several classes, students will be reading, discussing, sharing, and writing about works by Hispanic
American authors as well as doing creative writing of their own. In the course of these activities, students will
begin choosing pieces for inclusion in their anthologies. We propose a week on memoir, a week on poetry, and
a third week for fiction or drama. Activities (presented in the following pages as individual lessons, #5 -10) can
either be done as a class or in literature circles, but here we will make suggestions for circles with the idea that
teachers can adapt as needed. Most days’ activities will call for some quick, informal writing, but we also
propose one longer , creative writing exercise each week. As one of the chief goals of this unit is to have
students identify and choose pieces with personal relevance, we have included the broadest possible range of
selections using as many sources as possible from PPS core and adapted materials, including the Elements of
Literature anthologies for the 9th, 10th, and 11th grade; the Holt Multicultural Reader for 9th and 10th grade, Hear
My Voice, and the 12th grade anthology Access Literature. The resource list included in this lesson – which
includes about sixty pieces – lists genre to help in making selections.
Materials Needed:
Handouts, “Resources for the Hispanic American Anthology Unit,” “Literature Circle Discussion Planner,” and
“Literature Circle Schedule”
KeyVocabulary:
Assimilation
Barrio
Chicano
Diaspora
Hispanic American Literature
Immigrant
Immigration – Voluntary
Immigration - Involuntary
Latino/Latina
Migrant
Refugee
Analysis
Diction
Imagery
Memoir
Metaphor
Reflection
Repetition
Theme
Thesis
Addressing Essential Questions:
What is the immigrant experience?
What is Hispanic American literature?
What themes or concepts are common to Hispanic American literature?
How does Hispanic American literature reflect and inform the American experience?
How does literature allow readers common experiences and understandings?
How can readers relate to this literature through personal writing and expression?
50
Hook/Anticipatory Set:
Have students list, in their journals, the five best things about group work and the five worst things. After a
couple of minutes, lead a quick class discussion. As students introduce their “best” and “worst,” ask how many
others agree: list those with the biggest consensus. This should prove as a reminder of how a strong group
should function. Tell the students they will be working in groups over the next few weeks and remind them of
expectations.
Steps:
1. If you are going to use literature circles, establish groups. There are many ways to group students:
considering your classroom goals for the unit, you may opt for homogenous ability groups to
differentiate with literature choices. You may also want to mix groups up each week so students have
an opportunity to work with many others and to avoid “group rut.”
2. For the first day, begin Lesson 5, which introduces memoir.
3. The basic structure for the weeks will be:
a. Day 1 – A shared class reading with a brief activity focusing on a literary genre and technique.
Students choose a selection to prepare for the group. Homework is to read the selection and
prepare it for group discussion.
b. Day 2 – Students share the selections they have chosen; leave 10-15 minutes for journaling and 5
– 10 minutes to select a piece for the next day.
c. Day 3 – Students share the selections they have chosen; leave 10-15 minutes for journaling.
d. Day 4 – Writing Workshop. Activity focuses on genre of the week.
4. Students should have at two-three journal entries per week that can later be developed for inclusion in
the anthology.
5. Students who are not having a productive group experience can work independently reading and writing.
Strategies for ELL Students:
When possible, poems should be available in translation
Many literary selections are not difficult to read
Strategies for TAG students:
Many selections, particularly those from Access Literature are challenging and would be good choices for a
strong group.
51
Resources for the Hispanic-American Anthology Unit – Readings
Elements of Literature, Third Course
Title
Author
Genre Page
Comments
My Father is a Simple Man
Snow
Liberty
Exile
Papa Who Wakes Up Tired in the Dark
The Grandfather
Starfish
Tiburon
Legal Alien/Extranjera legal
How to Eat a Mango
The Tropics in New York
Salvador Late and Early
American History
Volar
Luis Omar Salinas
Julia Alvarez
Julia Alvarez
Julia Alvarez
Sandra Cisneros
Gary Soto
Lorna Dee Cervantes
Martin Espada
Pat Mora
Esmerelda Santiago
Claude McKay
Sandra Cisneros
Judith Ortiz Cofer
Judith Ortiz Cofer
Poem
Story
Story
Poem
Poem
Essay
Poem
Poem
Poem
Essay
Poem
Story
Story
Essay
74
240
296-301
306-7
328
431
476
506
549
623
627
638
640
669
Elements of Literature, Holt Multicultural Reader, Third Course
The One Who Watches
Hunger of Memory
All American Girl
Three Wise Guys
The Habit of Movement
Judith Ortiz Cofer
Richard Rodriguez
Julia Alvarez
Sandra Cisneros
Judith Ortiz Cofer
Story
Essay
Poem
Story
Poem
49
94
103
128
215
Elements of Literature, Fourth Course
Catch the Moon
Coming of Age Latino Style
I Am Offering this Poem
Geraldo No Last Name
Judith Ortiz Cofer
Cindy Rodriguez
Jimmy Santiago Baca
Sandra Cisneros
Story
Article
Poem
Story
281
487
562
650
My Friend Lucy Who Smells Like Corn
Sandra Cisneros
Story
702
Elements of Literature, Holt Multicultural Reader, Fourth Course
Tony Went to the Bodega but He Didn’t
Buy Anything
Golden Glass
Martin Espada
Poem
5
Alma Luz Villanueva
Story
74
Poem
Poem
Poem
Story
Essay
Poem
Poem
408
437
576
994
1120
1174
1324
Elements of Literature, Fifth Course
In the Season of Change
Who Understands Me but Me
Now and Then, Ameica
Daughter of Invention
Straw Into Gold
The Latin Deli: An Ars Poetica
How I Learned to Sweep
Teresa Palomo Acosta
Jimmy Santiago Baca
Pat Mora
Julia Alvarez
Sandra Cisneros
Judith Ortiz Cofer
Julia Alvarez
52
In English and Spanish
Very short
Resources for the Hispanic-American Anthology Unit – Readings, Page 2
Hear My Voice: A multicultural anthology of literature from the United States
Title
Author
Genre Page
Comments
Fillmore/Filtros
Sonrisa
Anniversary
The Pieces/Fragmentos
When Your Eyes Speak/Quando Hablan
Tus Ojos
Ancestor
Scribbles
This is the Land
Ending Poem
Freeway 280
Choices
In the Beginning
The Latest Latin Dance Craze
Carlos de Oxnard
The English Lesson
Eric Rangel
Pat Mora
Judith Ortiz Cofer
Angela de Hoyos
Angela de Hoyos
Poem
Poem
Poem
Poem
Poem
xiii
62
115
122
123
Jimmy Santiago Baca
Pedro Juan Soto
Carlos Cortez
Rosario Morales and Aurora
Levins Morales
Lorna Dee Cervantes
Jimmy Santiago Baca
Sandra Maria Estevez
Victor Hernandez Cruz
Javier Barales Pacheco
Nicholasa Mohr
Poem
Story
Poem
Poem
141
153
272
282
Poem
Poem
Poem
Poem
Poem
Story
284
336
361
363
364
377
Juan Diaz
Judith Ortiz Cofer
Story
Essay
297
588
Pat Mora
Martin Espada
Claribel Alegria
Ana Castillo
Alberto Alvaro Rios
Tato LaViera
Ana Castillo
Ana Castillo
Judith Ortiz Cofer
Renee H. Shea
Poem
Poem
Poem
Poem
Poem
Poem
Poem
Poem
Essay
Essay
630
632
670
705
781
812
854
854
888
891
Regie Cabico
Poem
901
Tato LaViera
Miguel Algarin
Poem
Poem
904
906
Claribel Alegria
Editors
Luiz Valzdez
Milcha Sanchez-Scott
Poem
Essay
Play
Play
936
1372
1373
1406
Student Poem
In English and Spanish
In English and Spanish
In two voices
Access Literature
Fiesta, 1980
My Father in the Navy: A Childhood
Memory
Curandera
Who Burns for the Perfection of Paper
I Am Mirror
In My Country
Nani
AmeRican
Ixtacihuatl Died in Vain
Our Tongue Was Nahuatl
Tales Told Under the Mango Tree
No Silence for This Dreamer: The Stories
of Ana Castillo
tribute: the poet is shiva isis mothermary
neffertiti & judy garland
boricua
Tato – Reading at the Nuyoricans Poets’
Café
Documentary
El Teatro Campesino
Los Vendidos
The Cuban Swimmer
53
Challenge
Literary Criticism
Overview of company history
Literature Circle Discussion Planner
Your homework is to read and study a selection and prepare to present it to your group. Follow these steps:
1. Read and annotate the selection. Mark ideas you find interesting, things that confuse or surprise you,
words you don’t understand, and any techniques you notice, such as effective imagery, strong
metaphors, or intriguing diction. Think of some discussion questions for your group.
2. Fill out the sections below.
3. Practice reading your selection (or the part you will share).
Title:
Author:
Genre:
Why I chose this piece:
Questions for the group: (These should be open-ended, not fact-based questions)
What I noticed about this writer’s technique:
What I think the writer’s theme is:
54
Literature Circle Schedule
Date
Activity
Introduction to Memoir
Due
In class: journal
Writers Workshop - Memoir
Homework: Discussion Planner – Memoir
Choice #1
In class: journal
Homework: Discussion Planner – Memoir
Choice #2
In class: journal
In class – begin memoir
Introduction to Poetry
In class: journal
Poetry Choice #1
Writers Workshop - Poetry
Homework: Discussion Planner – Poetry
Choice #1
In class: journal
Homework: Discussion Planner – Poetry
Choice #2
In class: journal
In class – begin poem
Introduction to Fiction/Drama
In class: journal
Fiction/Drama Choice #1
Homework: Discussion Planner –
Fiction/Drama Choice #1
In class: journal
Homework: Discussion Planner –
Fiction/Drama Choice #2
In class: journal
In class – begin character sketch
Memoir Choice #1
Memoir Choice #2
Poetry Choice #2
Fiction/Drama Choice #2
Writers Workshop – Fiction/Drama
55
Lesson 6: Identifying Traditional Hispanic American Themes and Introduction to
Memoir
Duration: 50 -60 minute class period
Priority Standards
Reading: 11.02, 11:03; Literature: 11.07, 11.12; Writing 11.15.6
Brief overview of lesson:
Students will take notes on Hispanic American literature from an overhead, then read a memoir
by Sandra Cisneros, “Straw into Gold, the Metamorphosis of the Everyday,” looking for the
relevant themes in the piece.
Materials needed:
 Overhead , “Notes from ‘Hispanic American Literature: Divergence and Commonality’”
 Copies of “Straw into Gold, the Metamorphosis of the Everyday,” by Sandra Cisneros or
class set of Elements of Literature, Fifth Course. The piece is introduced on pages 1119
and 1120, and begins on 1121.
 Student journals
 Sticky notes in strips
Key vocabulary:
Assimilation
Chicano
Hispanic American Literature
Immigrant
Immigration
Involuntary Immigration
Latino/Latina
Theme
Migrant
Refugee
Voluntary Immigration
Imagery
Memoir
Metaphor
Reflection
Addressing essential questions:
What is the immigrant experience?
What themes or concepts are common to Hispanic American literature?
How does Hispanic American literature reflect and inform the American experience?
How does literature allow readers common experiences and understandings?
How can readers relate to this literature through personal writing and expression?
Hook/anticipatory set:
Ask students to brainstorm what they think important thematic ideas of Hispanic American
literature might be. After you have recorded their ideas on the board, put up the overhead. Have
them take notes.
Steps/procedures:
1. Remind students of what memoir is.
2. Distribute copies of the memoir or have students locate it in the anthology. Either read the
piece or have a read around: students should mark or place stick notes in places where they
notice one of the listed themes.
56
3. Have students discuss their findings in pairs.
4. Share out responses
5. Tell students they will be writing in their journals almost daily, and that several of the pieces
they begin in their journals will ultimately be polished for inclusion in the anthology.
6. Have students write in their journals to the following prompts:



Of the themes listed, which two do you find most interesting?
Of the themes listed, choose two that you noticed in this memoir, and write about
how they were included.
What would be interesting and appropriate visuals to accompany these texts?
Why?
Closure:
From among the memoirs available, students should choose one to prepare for the next class,
using the discussion preparation form.
Strategies for ELL students:
Provide theme graphic organizer.
TAG Extensions:
The actual article by Virgil Suarez is included in these materials for those who might need more
depth than the notes of the article provide.
57
Notes from “Hispanic American Literature: Divergence and
Commonality”
Virgil Suarez, in his article, “Hispanic American Literature: Divergence and
Commonality,” describes Hispanic American literature as “being forged in
English, by people who live and work in the United States.” He adds later that
Hispanic American literature “mainly concerns itself with life in the United
States,” as it is experienced by those whose heritage is from one of a number of
Latin countries or areas including:
 Puerto Rico
 Mexico
 Cuba
 Dominican Republic
 Columbia
 Guatemala
In the article, he mentions several recurring themes:
 Identity
 Cultural heritage and need for cultural survival
 Assimilation
 Artistic expression
 Bilingualism and use of both languages
 Ties to the land
 Barrio (inner city) life
 Indigenous vs.Christian beliefs
 Coming of age
 Traditional family relationships
 Pursuit of the American dream
Virgil Suarez is a Cuban American novelist and a professor of English at Florida
State University in Tallahassee. His article appeared in U.S. Society and Values,
February 2000.
58
HISPANIC AMERICAN LITERATURE: DIVERGENCE AND
COMMONALITY
By Virgil Suarez
In an autobiographical sketch written in 1986, the respected Chicano American novelist Rudolfo
Anaya observed that "if I am to be a writer, it is the ancestral voices of...[my]... people who will
form a part of my quest, my search."
Ancestral voices are very much a part of Hispanic American literature today, a tradition harking
back more than three centuries that has witnessed a dramatic renascence in the past generation.
As the Hispanic experience in the United States continues to confront issues of identity,
assimilation, cultural heritage and artistic expression, the works of Hispanic American writers
are read with a great deal of interest and passion.
In a sense, the literature functions as a mirror, a reflection of the way Hispanic Americans are
viewed by the mainstream culture -- but not always the majority. Readers and critics alike tend to
celebrate this literature. It is rich, diverse, constantly growing, blending the history that infuses it
with a impassioned feeling of contemporaneity.
In essence, the boom in the literature today is being forged in English, by people who live and
work in the United States -- not in Spanish, as was the case with writers of generations and
centuries past. This is a key difference, and a point of departure.
True, there are still some very real issues and problems facing Hispanic American writers in
terms of finding outlets and venues for their work, as there are for other multicultural artists and,
to be sure, writers in general. Although more work is being issued each year by major publishing
houses, most of the interesting and engaging literature comes from small, independent presses
that rely upon U.S. Government, private and university grants for stability. Literary journals and
reviews always have been an outlet for Hispanic American voices, and some of the best work is
coming from such sources. Increasingly, though, with the recognition associated with the nation's
most prestigious literary awards -- the Before Columbus Foundation Award, the National Book
Award and the Pulitzer Prize -- Hispanic American authors are being courted by the publishing
establishment.
Much of the attention of recent times, justifiably, is owed to the groundbreaking work of the
Chicano Arts movement of the late 1960s and early 1970s and the emergence of Hispanic
American poets such as Rodolfo Gonzales and Luis Alberto Urista ("Alurista,") and other writers
who chronicled the social and political history of the movement. The campaign was propelled by
grassroots activists such as Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta who played key roles in the
unionization of migrant workers achieved through huelgas (strikes and boycotts). As invariably
59
has happened throughout history, paralleling political issues in one country or another, the plight
of the migrant workers and their struggle for recognition were directly reflected in the arts. A
prime example was the work of Luis Valdez and Teatro Campesino, his theater troupe, which
played a pivotal role in creating solidarity and new social consciousness. During the strikes,
Teatro Campesino performed from the back of flatbed trucks using striking migrant workers as
performers -- theater for the people and by the people. One of his plays, Zoot Suit, went from
rudimentary stagings to workshops to successful productions in Los Angeles and New York,
eventually becoming a film.
In referring to Hispanic American literature, definitions are important. In this context, we are
speaking about the literature written in English, and which mainly concerns itself with life in the
United States. An early classic of this type is exemplified by the publication in 1959 of Jose
Antonio Villareal's Pocho, a novel about a youth whose parents migrate to the United States
from Mexico, in Depression-era America, to better their lives.
Hispanic American literature contains, within its tent, writings from different countries and
cultures. Villareal represents one of the major Hispanic groups to contribute -- Mexican
Americans. (A word of definition is in order. Mexican Americans are distinguished from
Chicanos in that the former feel more of a national identity with Mexico; Chicanos, on the other
hand, are more culturally allied with the United States and particularly with Native Americans.)
To a great extent, their literary tradition owes a debt to the corridos, the popular ballads of the
mid-19th century that recounted heroic exploits. These corridos were also precursors to Chicano
poetry of the 20th century, laying the foundation for a poetics that fuses the oral and the written,
music and word. In the corrido we begin to see the mixing of the Spanish with the English, thus
creating a new language with which to express a new reality.
Today, Chicano American writers have made an impression with such classic works as Rudolfo
Anaya's Bless Me, Ultima (1972), Sandra Cisneros' The House on Mango Street (1985), Denise
Chavez's The Last of the Menu Girls (1986), Tomas Rivera's And the Earth Did Not Devour Him
(1987), and the poetry of Jimmy Santiago Baca, Loma Dee Cervantes and Leroy V. Quintana.
They represent the heartbeat of the Chicano American community -- the living, breathing record
of these people in the United States.
Puerto Ricans are the next largest contributors to the canon of Hispanic American literature with
works such as Judith Ortiz Cofer's The Line of the Sun (1989), Piri Thomas' Down These Mean
Streets (1967), Ed Vega's Casualty Report (1991), and the poetry of Victor Hernandez Cruz,
Miguel Algarin and Sandra Maria Estevez. They reflect the rhythms of their island that have
been transported to New York City, San Francisco and other U.S. urban centers.
The next largest group to be represented are the Cuban Americans, making recent additions to
bookshelves and college syllabi with works such as Roberto G. Fernandez' Raining Backwards
(1988), Elias Miguel Munoz's The Greatest Performance (1991), Cristina Garcia's Dreaming in
Cuban (1992), Oscar Hijuelos' The Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love (1989), along with the
poetry of Gustavo Perez Firmat, Ricardo Pau-Llosa and Carolina Hospital. Their literary
motivation, for the most part, is rooted in the reality of exile.
Students of Hispanic American literature and casual readers alike can gain fresh insights into the
60
diversity of this literature through a number of anthologies. These collections gather both the
established and emerging voices from among the main Hispanic American groups in the United
States, as well as new voices emerging from the Dominican, Colombian and Guatemalan
communities, currently represented by the work of Julia Alvarez, author of How the Garcia Girls
Lost Their Accents (1991) and other novels, and books such as Jaime Manrique's Twilight at the
Equator (1997), Francisco Goldman's The Long Night of the White Chickens (1992), and Junot
Diaz's Drown (1996). Each of these writers is bringing along a piece of a homeland that most
likely is unfamiliar to the general readership.
With this impressive diversity of voices goes a caveat. Teachers, editors and readers more than
ever have to be sensitive to issues of factionalism along national lines, which is only natural,
since the grouping of these distinct and separate cultures under one term, Hispanic American,
can seem forced. Yet one can argue that bringing all these cultures together under the one term
may be comparable to the tension of sharing a meal with distant relatives -- there is a separate
history and experience, yet there exists a bond of recognition, a family camaraderie.
The central point of unity among Hispanic American writers is language. While they may speak
with different accents and use different expressions, they all share the experience of
bilingualism. The ability to communicate in two languages, and more important, to think and feel
in two languages, at times brings with it the phenomenon of being unable to express oneself fully
in only one. Linguists term this "interference," and generally view it as a negative trait, or
shortcoming. Still, Hispanic American writers and readers of Hispanic American literature assert
that the intermingling of the two languages is an effective means of communicating what
otherwise could not be expressed. Thus, many Hispanic American writers use Spanish in their
work because it is an integral part of their experience.
Indeed, many Hispanic American authors believe that in the lives of their characters Spanish is
not a "foreign" language, but rather a vital part of everyday speech and as such should not be
emphasized with the use of italics. They emphasize the importance of Spanish by doing this. So
many of the writers express themselves in English -- the language of the mainstream (whatever
that may mean) -- but are resisting the destruction of their culture and thus preserve their identity
by using Hispanic American expressions, points of reference and experiences. Hopefully this
will become accepted not as "exotic," but rather part of the redefined mainstream in the arts.
Again, this is a clear distinction between Hispanic American literature and Latin American
literature, which exists solely in Spanish and in translation in the United States, written by
writers who do not live and work in this country.
A second facet that all Hispanic American cultures share is the need for cultural survival. This is
a controversial issue among Hispanic Americans, especially writers of literature, since it deals
with the question of assimilation. How much of their culture should Hispanic Americans be
willing to lose or suppress in order to participate in mainstream society? The answers to this
important question vary, yet it is an issue that all Hispanic American writers tackle either directly
61
or in more subtle ways. There are worlds of difference, for instance, between a novel like Bless
Me, Ultima by Rudolfo Anaya, and Sandra Cisneros' The House on Mango Street. Bless Me,
Ultima has at its core a timeless bond with the earth and nature, and an aura reflecting a
traditional spiritual heritage. Cisneros' story cycle is more urban and pragmatic, and
contemporary and assimilated in its stance on gender. But that's the beauty of so many voices
adding to the canon.
The differences, which can be significant, at times may not be obvious to a general readership in
the United States and elsewhere. We have touched upon the rural peasant or campesino tradition,
the strong ties to the land, with which the writings of Mexican Americans are interwoven. Puerto
Rican, Dominican and Cuban Americans, being islanders, have strong ties to water, reflected in
the writings of the poets from those heritages, such as Firmat and Cofer. Urban life in the United
States has given rise to a new tradition in Hispanic American literature, that of the barrio, the
inner city. While for Mexican Americans the barrio is likely to be in California, the southwestern
U.S. or Chicago, for the Puerto Rican the barrio is in New York City, evident chiefly in the work
of Thomas and Vega. Cuban Americans are preoccupied with the dilemmas and frustrations of
political exile.
Their characters often feel a yearning and sense of loss for a homeland to which they cannot
return. This is most obvious in nostalgic literature set in the idyllic Cuba of the past, as well as
those speculating on the Cuba of the future, as in the novels of Roberto G. Fernandez and
Cristina Garcia.
To a degree, the differences in religion enter the literature, from the Catholicism unique to
various Latin American countries to the African santeria influence in Cuba, the Dominican
Republic and Puerto Rico. Chicana American novelist Ana Castillo, in So Far From God (1993),
presents a Catholic perspective that does not lose sight of the indigenous Indian belief system.
By the same token, Cuban American poets Adrian Castro and Sandra Castillo work santeria into
their poetry.
As we have seen, the Hispanic American experience has many points of divergence from that of
the mainstream, so it follows that the literature does too. However, there are common
experiences that we all share as human beings, experiences that transcend cultures and find
expression in art, making it universal and timeless. Coming of age, traditional family
relationships, assimilation and the pursuit of the American dream are among the themes explored
again and again. With the particular perspective Hispanic American writers bring to their work, it
has a unique quality that, today, more and more, is finding an appreciative readership in the
United States.
62
Lesson 7: Writing Workshop – Memoir
Duration: 50-60 minutes
Priority Standards: Writing 11.13.1, 11.13.2, 11.13.4, 11.13.5, 11.15.8
Brief overview of lesson:
Students will read back over the journal entries they have written this week to see which
thematic elements have made the biggest impression on them. After brainstorming briefly, they
will begin a memoir of their own using one or more of the identified unit themes.
Materials needed:
Student journals
Handout, “Brainstorming – Themes of My Life”
Key Vocabulary:
Diction
Imagery
Memoir
Metaphor
Reflection
Repetition
Theme
Addressing essential questions:
How does literature allow readers common experiences and understandings?
How can readers relate to this literature through personal writing and expression?
Hook/anticipatory set:
Ask students to look back at their journal entries from the beginning of the week and to share
which themes they found most intriguing then. Ask if this has changed over the week’s reading,
and if so, how. Tell them they’re going to have a chance to explore these themes in their own
writing.
Steps/procedures:
1. Distribute brainstorming handout. Tell students they have five minutes to write in as
many of the boxes as they want to, but they have to spend at least five minutes jotting
down their ideas. They should use names, places, memories, songs, any idea, object or
concept that might help them tell their stories.
2. In groups of three, students discuss possible ideas for their memoir.
3. Have students start writing about one of their ideas that reflects one or more of the
themes
4. Ask students to draw or find images that they think might work well to accompany their
writing.
Closure:
Remind students that this piece may later be finished and polished to put into their anthologies.
63
Brainstorming – Themes of My Life
Identity – Who I Am
Honoring and Preserving My Cultural
Heritage/Assimilation
My American Dream
My Connection to the City
Personal/Artistic Expression
The Languages I Speak (Multilingualism)
My Connection to Nature
My Spirituality
Growing Up – Becoming a Woman or a Man
The Traditions of My Family
64
Lesson 8: Discovering Theme and Structure in Poetry
Duration: 50-60 minutes
Priority Standards: Reading: 11.02, 11.03; Literature: 11.07, 11.10, 11.12;
Speaking/Listening/Viewing: 11.16, 11.17, 11.18
Brief overview of lesson:
Students will read and respond to the poems, “Legal Alien” by Pat Mora and “Child of the
Americas” by Aurora Levins Morales. Students will identify important themes (ideas) the poet
presents and compare the effects of the poems’ structures.
Materials needed:
Copies of the poems
Highlighter
Chart paper
Key vocabulary:
Imagery
Diction
Repetition
Metaphor
Addressing essential questions:
What is the immigrant experience?
What themes or concepts are common to Hispanic American literature?
How does Hispanic American literature reflect and inform the American experience?
How does literature allow readers common experiences and understandings?
How can readers relate to this literature through personal writing and expression?
Steps:
1. Distribute the poems and a highlighter to each student.
2. Ask students to listen, as the poems are read, for examples of repetition.
3. Read, or have volunteers read, a poem. Give students time to mark, and then discuss
what techniques they have noticed. Focus on repetition, but encourage all other relevant
observations.
4. Briefly discuss theme: students should notice ideas that relate to the essential questions.
5. Repeat with the second poem.
6. Have them write to one of these prompts:
 What do you think to writer’s key idea, or theme, is from either of these works?
Explain your position, using evidence
 Do these poems share a common idea? Explain and use evidence.
 Does either of these poems hold special meaning to you? Why?
 What artwork or images might accompany one of these pieces? Describe.
Closure: Tell students for homework they are to read a poem of their choice (from those
available) and fill out the “Discussion Planner” handout for the next day. Allow them to choose
their poems.
65
Child of the Americas
I am a child of the Americas,
a light-skinned mestiza of the Caribbean,
a child of many diaspora, born into this continent at a crossroads.
I am a U.S. Puerto Rican Jew,
a product of the ghettos of New York I have never known.
An immigrant and the daughter and granddaughter of immigrants.
I speak English with passion: it’s the tongue of my consciousness,
a flashing knife blade of crystal, my tool, my craft.
I am Caribeña, island grown. Spanish is my flesh,
Ripples from my tongue, lodges in my hips:
the language of garlic and mangoes,
the singing of poetry, the flying gestures of my hands.
I am of Latinoamerica, rooted in the history of my continent:
I speak from that body.
I am not African. Africa is in me, but I cannot return.
I am not taína. Taíno is in me, but there is no way back.
I am not European. Europe lives in me, but I have no home there.
I am new. History made me. My first language was spanglish.
I was born at the crossroads
and I am whole.
Aurora Levins Morales
Mestixa: female of mixed heritage
Diaspora: Spread throughout the world of a people with a common heritage
Caribeña: female from Carribean
Taíno: Pre-Columbian, Caribbean female
66
Legal Alien
Bi-lingual, Bi-cultural,
able to slip from "How's life?"
to "Me'stan volviendo loca,"
able to sit in a paneled office
drafting memos in smooth English,
able to order in fluent Spanish
at a Mexican restaurant,
American by hyphenated,
viewed by Anglos as perhaps exotic,
perhaps inferior, definitely different,
viewed by Mexicans as alien,
(their eyes say, "You may speak
Spanish but you're not like me")
an American to Mexicans
a Mexican to Americans
a handy token
sliding back and forth
between the fringes of both worlds
by smiling
by masking the discomfort
of being prejudged
Bi-laterally.
By Pat Mora
Me'stan volviendo loca – They’re driving me crazy
67
Lesson 9: Writing Workshop – Poetry
Duration: 50-60 minutes
Priority Standards
Reading: 11.02, 11.03; Literature: 11.07, 11.10, 11.12; Writing:
11.13.1, Speaking/Listening/Viewing 11.16, 11.17, 11.18
Brief overview of lesson:
Using student models of the Ana Castillo’s poem “We Would Like You to Know,” create a
poem that “talks back” to people who stereotype them.
Materials needed:
Computer and projector
Access to YouTube video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nY3WZBJ4WWY
(This is a student performance of the abbreviated poem)
Overhead copies of two student-made poems from the website of Literacy for All of Us, a group
working with the youth of Chicago.
(http://www.literatureforallofus.org/programs/poems_2.html)
Chart paper or board
Student journals
Key vocabulary:
Diction
Imagery
Metaphor
Repetition
Addressing essential questions:
What is the immigrant experience?
What is Hispanic American literature?
What themes or concepts are common to Hispanic American literature?
How does literature allow readers common experiences and understandings?
How can readers relate to this literature through personal writing and expression?
Hook/anticipatory set:
1. Students write in their journals a reflection about the following questions:
What are some of the assumptions you think people make about you? Do you agree?
Disagree? Why?
Why do you think people make these assumptions about you?
How do these assumptions make you feel?
What would you like to tell them in response to their assumptions?
What would you like people to know about you?
2. Students share journal with a partner.
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Steps:
1. Tell students that they will be looking at student work written in response to the poem,
“We Would Like You to Know” which addresses many of the assumptions and biases some
people hold about others. (If students are not familiar with the original, you could read it to
them: it is widely available on the internet.)
2. Ask students to listen for assumptions as they view the YouTube video, then play the
video and discuss assumptions.
3. Explain that the poems they will read next were written by young people who were
inspired by the same poem. Use one or both of the written student samples, and again, lead
students through a discussion about assumptions.
4. Students return to their journals and select one of the ways in which they have been
stereotyped.
5. Using the journal and the model, students craft their own poem and create or locate an
image that might accompany it with an explanation of how it fits.
Closure:
During another class period students share their poems with the class and may place them in their
anthology.
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We Would Like You to Know
We would like you to know,
because tears are always falling
down our faces,
that doesn't mean we will soon have
rivers in our houses.
We would like you to know,
even though our hearts are
always being broken by
the ones we love,
that doesn't mean our hearts
are going to stop beating.
We would like you to know
that every beat down we receive,
at the end our heads are high,
and our eyes are shining, with
purple all around them.
We would like you to know
that if you would stop mistreating us,
you wouldn't end up lonely somewhere,
and you would know
what pain is.
— Susan Ramirez, Age 18
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We Would Like You to Know
We would like you to know
that we do not gangbang
just for the heck of it.
We want you to know,
a lot of times humans are forced
to do things they don’t want to do.
We weren’t born with a future
planned out, a future that said
when we were older,
we were going to Harvard.
We want you to know,
we aren’t the worst people in society.
We want you to know
we have feelings too,
and we do get all the
doors shut in our faces.
We do not see a way out.
We would like you to know
we did have dreams once,
and because we made a mistake or two,
we didn’t get another chance.
We want you to know
our parents died when we were small.
We want you to know
we got raped at twelve.
We want love from someone.
We never knew what it was like,
having someone to call mom or dad.
We want you to know
we would have loved
to have someone who cared
what time we came home.
We want you to know
our bad influences
are our only company.
Monserrat Mondragón, age 18
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Lesson 10: Introducing Fiction - Characterization
Duration: 50-60 minutes
Priority Standards
Reading: 11.02, 11.03; Literature: 11.07, 11.09, 11.12
Brief overview of lesson:
Students will be introduced to the idea of characterization through reading and annotating a piece
of short fiction. After finishing the class activity, students can begin preparing for the next day.
Materials needed:
Copies of the anthology, Hear My Voice, or of the story, “Scribble” by Pedro Juan Soto
Copies of the STEAL handout
Student journals
Key vocabulary:
Assimilation
Barrio
Characterization
Immigrant
Immigration -Voluntary
Latin America
Latino/Latina
Migrant
Addressing essential questions:
What is the immigrant experience?
What is Hispanic American literature?
What themes or concepts are common to Hispanic American literature?
How does literature allow readers common experiences and understandings?
Hook/anticipatory set:
Ask students to choose a partner, and, with that partner to pick a character from a movie or
television show. Once they have a character, they should quickly list as many characteristics or
other defining qualities as they can. Ask one or two pairs to share characteristics, and as they list
them, ask how they know that the character is that way. For example, “I know Harry Potter is
brave because he fights the Deatheaters.” Remind them that authors and directors usually don’t
tell us about character; instead they show us.
Steps/procedures:
1. Distribute the STEAL handout and go over it with the students. Tell them to keep it in
mind as you read the story together
2. Read the story
3. Have students fill out the chart, possible with a partner
4. Discuss the character and the story and possible images that might accompany.
Closure:
Students should write about the story in their journals, and should also begin to prepare their
fiction selection for the next day.
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Characterization - STEAL
Three of the most important elements of any story are plot, setting, and character.
Characterization is the word we use for the way writers create characters. In a story, we might
read that a character is brave, but we believe it when she actually does something that could be
threatening or dangerous. When you analyze a fictional character, you are considering his or her
characterization. Many readers use the acronym, STEAL, to help them think about the way
character is created. Use the chart below to help look at characterization.
Says: What a character says and how he or she says it. May or may not mean what is said
Thoughts: One of the best ways to understand a character, because thoughts are mostly true
Effect on others: Seeing how others react to your character can be very revealing
Actions: What a character does can show more than what she says
Looks: This could cover things like age, size, race, clothing, way of walking, facial expressions
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Lesson 11: Writers Workshop – Character Sketch
Duration: 50-60 minutes
Priority Standards Literature: 11.12; Writing 11.13.1
Brief overview of lesson:
Students will do a brief brainstorming activity, and then have a chance to create a fictional
character (possibly using STEAL). This may lead into a fictional piece.
Materials needed:
Student journals
Plain paper
Essential vocabulary:
Characterization
Addressing essential questions:
What is the immigrant experience?
What is Hispanic American literature?
What themes or concepts are common to Hispanic American literature?
How does literature allow readers common experiences and understandings?
How can readers relate to this literature through personal writing and expression?
Hook/anticipatory set:
Quickly review STEAL to make sure students remember key aspects of characterization. Ask
one or two to give examples of characterization from the week’s reading, then tell them they will
be creating characters of their own.
Steps: (Note – at any or all points, you may wish to have students share with partners or
the class.)
1. Brainstorming: Give each student a piece of plain paper and have them divide it into
quarters.
2. Tell them to put a name in each quadrant. They may NOT use friend’s names. (1-2
minutes)
3. For at least 3 of the possible characters, have them do a brief physical description,
including what he or she is wearing. (5- 10 minutes)
4. For at least 2 of the possible characters, they must list where and when she or he lives
(setting) one thing he or she cares about/hopes for/wants/loves (to show motive); one
thing she fears/dreads/hates (to show conflict) (5-10 minutes)
5. Now, have the students locate their notes from the lesson on themes in Hispanic
American literature, and, for at least one character, put down at least two themes that
could connect to her or him.
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6. Tell students they are going to write a brief sketch about one of their characters; give
them a chance to talk a character and their ideas over with a partner.
7. For the rest of the class, students should work on a piece: this may be the beginning of a
story, or just a short description of the individual. In either case, students should consider
STEAL, and remember that they should show, not tell, about the character.
Closure:
If there is time, students can share the beginning of their work.
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Lesson # 12: Reading Art: Part Two
Duration: 40 minutes
Materials:
sheets that follow, various paintings that deal with Hispanic American issues,
historical background articles
Overview:
This lesson will further develop students’ abilities to understand and interpret art
Steps:
1. Remind students about the process that they used for looking at artwork from earlier in
the unit. Perhaps they can re-examine some of the pieces that they studied previously.
2. Read with your students the sheet that follows on “Reading Art: Part Two” and use an
example piece to reinforce the art terminology.
3. As a class, examine the piece “Untitled (History of the Black People” by JeanMichel Basquiat, or a similar piece. Have students gather their first impressions and
interpretive questions. Work through the terminology together and stop before you get to
subject matter. Ask students to read the attached article from Wikipedia” and then to complete
the sections on subject matter and putting it all together.
4. As a closure activity, ask students to think about what Basquiat was trying to persuade
his audience to do, know, or understand. How effective is art as social protest and persuasion?
5. Continue the same process with other similar pieces..
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From Wikipedia
Basquiat’s 1983 painting "Untitled (History of the Black People)", according to
Andrea Frohne, "reclaims Egyptians as African and subverts the concept of
ancient Egypt as the cradle of Western Civilization".[12] At the center of the
painting he depicts an Egyptian boat being guided down the Nile by Osiris, the
Egyptian god of the dead [13]. On the right panel of the painting appear the words
“Esclave, Slave, Esclave”. Two letters of the word "Nile" are crossed out and
Frohne suggests that, "The letters that are wiped out and scribbled over perhaps
reflect the acts of historians who have conveniently forgotten that Egyptians were
black and blacks were enslaved."[13] On the left panel of the painting Basquiat
has illustrated two Nubian style masks. Historically, the Nubians that were darker
in skin color were considered to be slaves by the Egyptian people [14].
Throughout the rest of the painting, images of the Atlantic slave trade are
juxtaposed with images of the Egyptian slave trade centuries before. The sickle
in the center panel is a direct reference to the slave trade in the United States
and slave labor under the plantation system. The word “salt” that appears on the
right panel of the work refers to the Atlantic Slave Trade, as salt was another
important commodity to be traded at this time [14].
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Reading Art: Part Two
Composition: this is the way that the artist has organized his or her artwork, and what the artist
has decided to include or exclude from the piece. You should examine the lines that are created
within the work. Are there a lot of vertical and horizontal lines that create a sense of order and
stability? Are the lines curved and rounded, creating a sense of softness and comfort? Are there a
lot of diagonals that create dramatic tension and movement? Are the lines apparently random and
chaotic for a disordered effect?
Space: this is the view – or perspective-- that the artist has created for you to look at the work. A
question to ask yourself is: where are you in relation to the subject in the artwork? Are you above
or below the subject? Is it a realistic view of the subject? In other words, if it is a landscape, is
there an accurate vanishing point and everything in natural perspective? Or are you in the realm
of imaginative space? Are there multiple perspectives of the subject (Picasso’s cubism, for
example)? Is the space disorienting and confusing? After you describe the space, you should
consider WHY the artist created this type of space?
Form: this is the way to describe how an artist has tried to make the piece seem three
dimensional and, therefore, more life-like or animated. A question to consider is what does the
artist do in order for you to get a sense of aliveness of the subjects? Are there some parts to the
piece that seem more three-dimensional than others? Why is this?
Tone: this is the use of contrasting light and darkness within an artwork. Sometimes this can
create a mood or atmosphere, it can create a particular feeling or emotion, and among other
things, it can help an artist to focus the viewer’s attention on a key element.
Color: like tone, color can be used by an artist for a multiple of purposes. Things that you might
want to consider about the color in an artwork are whether the colors seem realistic, exaggerated,
or imaginative. Are the colors complementary to each other or do they stand in contrast to each
other? Colors can be used to call attention to a particular part of the artwork, to create a
particular emotion or a sense of confusion, or to subtly suggest something to the viewer.
Subject Matter: After you have experienced the painting for its artistic side, you should now
consider what is happening within the painting and any historical cultural information about the
artist and his or her time period. What is the action or plot of the artwork? Are there any
religious, mythological, literary, or historical references? What do you know about this artist and
his or her time period? How might this have affected the piece you are examining?
source: Learning to Look at Paintings by Mary Acton
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Reading Art: Part Two
Title: ________________ Artist: _________________ Medium: ________________
First Impressions:
Ask Questions:
Composition:
Space:
Form:
Tone:
Color:
Subject Matter:
Putting It All Together:
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Lesson 13: Culminating Assessment - Beginning the Anthology
Duration: 50-60 minutes
Priority Standards
Literature: 11.06, 11.09, 11.10, 11.12; Writing 11.13.1, 11.13.2,
11.13.4, 11.15.1, 11.15.6
Brief overview of lesson:
Students consider a theme for the anthology. Teacher presents the descriptor for the anthology
and students begin to work on pieces they will include.
Materials needed:
Anthology Review sheets from Lesson 3
Handout - Anthology Descriptor
Culminating Assessment rubric
Student journals
Anthologies
Copies of poems, stories, and memoir
Student’s own writing folders
Key vocabulary:
Analysis
Anthology
Design
Graphic Design
Graphics
Hispanic American Literature
Reflection
Theme
Addressing essential questions:
What is Hispanic American literature?
What themes or concepts are common to Hispanic American literature?
How does literature allow readers common experiences and understandings?
How can readers relate to this literature through personal writing and expression?
How does the presentation of literature affect the readers’ experience?
How can anthologies help clarify an idea or a theme?
Hook/anticipatory set:
Have the students refer once again to the page in their journal where the themes for Hispanic
American literature are listed. Ask them to consider the pieces they have enjoyed most –
including both reading and writing – and to write briefly in their journals as to which themes
from the list appear most often in them. Have a few students share.
80
Steps:
1.
2.
3.
4.
As a refresher, have students look over the Anthology Review sheets from Lesson 3
Hand out the descriptor and go over it with the class.
Hand out and review the rubric.
Tell students that the pieces included in the anthology should be, to the greatest extent
possible, related by theme. This theme can be one off of the list or another theme that
they themselves identify. (They should check these with you to make sure they’re on the
right track.)
5. Students should read back over their journal entries, highlighting names of pieces they
might want to include in their anthology.
6. Students should look through their folders to find pieces of writing they might want to
polish for inclusion in the anthology.
7. If there is time, they might begin to work on editing pieces.
Closure:
Tell students they will continue this work the next day, and that you will be going over the
introduction to the anthology with them then.
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The Hispanic American Anthology Descriptor
Your final project for this unit is an anthology put together in a notebook or presentation binder. It will include your own work, copies
of pieces you read, images, and an introduction to the anthology. The chart will help you organize the project.
Collection Pieces (pieces you have found):
Required – Copies of TWO literary selections from TWO different genres (poetry, fiction, drama, or memoir)
Required – Two images, original or reproduced
Optional – Other pieces
The pieces you choose for your anthology should have special meaning to you and MUST be united by one of the main themes we
have been discussing. Note below that you will be writing analyses of these pieces, so choose your pieces wisely.
Original Pieces (pieces you have created)
Required - Analytical responses to the two pieces of literature
Required - Analytical response to one of the visuals, focusing specifically on how the visuals relate to the themes and the texts.
Required – One of your own pieces that you created during Writer’s Workshop in this unit. It could be a poem, a memoir, or a
piece of fiction.
Required – Introduction to Anthology
Your analytical pieces should focus on effects such as theme, characterization, tone, etc. In the essays, discuss the techniques the
writer or artist uses to create these effects, using the academic vocabulary we have been working with. Be sure that you have a peer
look at each of your drafts.
Your introduction (covered in more detail on a separate handout) is a personal piece that explains your view for the anthology, makes
personal connections, and refers to the pieces chosen.
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Anthology Tracking Sheet
Use this sheet to help you monitor the pieces that you have written and the pieces you have found:
Original Pieces
Title/Topic
Draft?
Peer/Adult Review
Name and Date
Final Draft?
In Folder?
Copied?
In Folder?
Introduction
Writing about literature #1
Writing about literature #2
Writing about image
Table of Contents
Works Cited Page
Your own piece
Found Pieces
Title/Author/Artist
Literary Selection #1
In Works Cited?
Literary Selection #2
Image #1
Image #2
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Culminating Assessment Rubric
Standard
Reading
11.02 Analyze an author’s unstated
ideas and meanings and analyzing
evidence that supports those unstated
ideas.
Literature
11.07 Use textual evidence to
develop/support an interpretation of a
work from U.S. literature.
11.12 Analyze the way in which a work
of U.S. literature is related to the
themes, issues, political movements,
and events of its historical period.
Writing
11.13.1 Adjust tone and style as
necessary to engage the interest of the
reader.
11.15.6 Draw supported inferences
about the effects of a literary work on
its audience.
Speaking/Listening/Viewing
11.17 Identify, analyze, and discuss the
purposes of media ): information,
entertainment, persuasion,
interpretation of events, transmission of
culture
Exceeds
Writer develops insightful
interpretations of both the literature
and the images selected based on
inferences
Meets
Writer develops a reasonable
interpretation of both both the
literature and the images selected
based on inferences
Does Not Meet
There is a weak interpretation of
either the images, literature, or both
Writer clearly identifies techniques
the writers and artists use in the
works and skillfully shows how they
convey meaning to the reader
Writer identifies at least a few
techniques the writers and artists use
in the works and is able to show how
they convey meaning to the reader
Writer struggles to identify
techniques used by writers, artist,s or
both
Writer conveys a clear understanding
of some themes, issues, political
movements, and events that the
literature and images reflect
Writer’s style (word choice, syntax)
is academic but also personal,
creating a warm, inviting tone
suitable to reflective nature of the
writing
Writer conveys a clear understanding
of some themes, issues, political
movements, and events that the
literature and images reflect
Writer’s style (word choice, syntax)
is academic; tone may be overly
formal
Writer is able to convincingly discuss
the effects of both the literature and
images using vocabulary that reflects
a solid understanding of technique
Writer shows a sophisticated
understanding of the ways images
and words can work together to
enhance the meaning of both
Writer is able to discuss the effects of
both the literature and images, using
some vocabulary that reflects an
understanding of technique
Writer shows an emerging
understanding of the ways images
and words can work together to
enhance the meaning of both
Writer is able to identify feelings
evoked by the works and powerfully
conveys his or her response to them.
Writer is able to identify feelings
evoked by the works and clearly
conveys his or her response to them.
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There is a limited understanding of
relevant themes, issues, political
movements, and events that the
literature and images reflect
Writer’s style is not academic
Writer is limited in his or her ability
to discuss the effects of either the
literature or images or both. Limited
understanding of technique
Writer shows a limited understanding
of the effects words and images
combined might have on meaning
Writer is limited in his or her ability
to identify feelings evoked by the
works
Lesson 14: Writing the Anthology Introduction
Duration: 50-60 minutes
Priority Standards : Reading 11.03; Literature: 11.06, 11.10, 11.12; Writing 11.13.1,
11.13.2, 11.13.4, 11.13.5, 11.14, 11.15.6
Brief overview of lesson:
Teacher presents the descriptor for the introduction to the anthology. Students may begin work
on this or continue work from previous day.
Materials needed:
Anthology Review sheets from Lesson 3
Handout – Introduction Descriptor
Student journals
Student’s own writing folders
Key vocabulary:
Any from list
Addressing essential questions:
What is the immigrant experience?
What is Hispanic American literature?
What themes or concepts are common to Hispanic American literature?
How does Hispanic American literature reflect and inform the American experience?
How does literature allow readers common experiences and understandings?
How can readers relate to this literature through personal writing and expression?
How does the presentation of literature affect the readers’ experience?
How does a connection between word and image effect meaning?
How can anthologies help clarify an idea or a theme?
Hook/anticipatory set:
Have the students review, possibly with partners, what they had written about other authors’
introductions on their Anthology Reviews.
Steps:
1. Hand out the descriptor and go over it with the class.
2. Review tone.
3. Remind students that the Introduction is the most important piece in the collection, and
will both set the tone and frame the collection for the reader.
4. Answer and questions the students may have then allow them to begin work on the
introduction. They can use the descriptor as a planner.
Closure:
Set up the work schedule with students so that they have time to work on and complete their
anthologies by your set due date.
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Anthology Introduction
Your introduction should be 2-3 pages, double-spaced. You may choose your font, as it will be
part of your design, but please make sure that it is easily readable.
Your introduction will cover may aspects of the lessons of the past several weeks, and will be
written from a first-person perspective, as it is based entirely on your own opinions and views.
Basically, it will introduce your anthology and answer the following questions:

What have you learned about the immigrant experience and Hispanic American
literature?

What are the important themes of Hispanic American literature and which are reflected
in the anthology?

How do you think Hispanic American literature reflects the American experience?

What experiences of your own can you connect to the literature we’ve read together?

Which pieces have you chosen and why? Which theme do they best illustrate?

What would you like readers to get from your anthology?
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Lesson 15: Unit Reflection/Celebration
Duration: 50-60 minutes
Priority Standards Reading: 11.03; Speaking/Listening/Viewing: 11.16
Brief overview of lesson:
Students will review standards for the unit in small groups, as a class. Students will share
anthologies in small groups then compose a short written reflection.
Materials needed:
Copies of unit standards cut in strips with one standard per strip
Student Anthologies
Key vocabulary:
Reflection
Addressing essential questions:
How does the presentation of literature affect the readers’ experience?
How can anthologies help clarify an idea or a theme?
Hook/anticipatory set:
Give each student a standard: have them find a partner with the same standard and together
decide on a unit activity that met that standard. Share as a class.
Steps:
1. Ask students to put their anthologies on their desks, and give a few minutes for a gallery
walk.
2. Have students share their anthologies in smaller groups. We recommend that students
choose two paragraphs of their introductions and one other short piece to share.
Closure:
Have student write an exit note for the unit, answering the following:
 What did you learn in the course of this unit?
 Which parts were the most valuable? Why?
 What did you like the most? Why?
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Priority Standards for Hispanic American Anthology Unit
Reading: 11.02 Analyze an author’s unstated ideas and meanings and analyzing evidence that
supports those unstated ideas.
Reading: 11.03 Draw conclusions about the author’s purpose, basic beliefs, perspectives, and
philosophical assumptions.
Literature: 11.07 Use textual evidence to develop/support an interpretation of a work from
U.S. literature.
Literature: 11.12 Analyze the way in which a work of U.S. literature is related to the themes,
issues, political movements, and events of its historical period.
Writing: 11.13.1 Adjust tone and style as necessary to engage the interest of the reader.
Writing: 11.15.6 Draw supported inferences about the effects of a literary work on its audience.
Speaking/Listening/Viewing: 11.16 Volunteer contributions and clarify, illustrate or expand
on a response.
Speaking/Listening/Viewing 11.17 Identify, analyze, and discuss the purposes of media
information, entertainment, persuasion, interpretation of events, transmission of culture
88