| Educational Activities | ||||||||
Lesson 3: Targeted Grade Level: 7-12 Lesson objective: To engage students in an on-going national discussion around issues of identity, cultural and unity through the first-person narratives of Charros and Charras. National History Standards
and [1] Objectives: This lesson addresses the
following national standards. Please adapt them to align with your local
standards. Key Terms: Begin this lesson with a free writing session followed by a class discussion. Post the following questions. • The goal of e-pluribus unum has been an ideal of the United States
since it’s inception, yet how do Americans maintain both a sense of a
national identity and cultural identities? Are these necessarily separate
identities? Ask students to free-write their responses to this question for several minutes. Have them share their responses with a partner and/or report out to the class. Exploring group and national identities in the Lienzo Tales of Lienzos provides an opportunity for us to explore the idea of e-pluribus unum through the experiences of high school and college students, doctors, and professionals in other settings who are also Charros and Charras. The Charros and Charras depicted in this virtual exhibition are active participants in their larger communities and maintain a rich cultural tradition through the practice of Charrería. In their lived experiences, perhaps they embody how being “American” means moving within and between multiple cultural settings and identities. It is this idea that we would like you to consider in this lesson. Scroll through the Lienzo on the first page of the exhibit and listen to the voices of the Charros and Charras. Consider the following questions: • How do you hear them expressing family/cultural identity? Using 3 sources (2 should be primary sources) within the exhibit and 2 outside sources (e.g. newspaper articles, interviews, and book excerpts) as evidence, respond to the following question: • In a country as diverse as the United States, how can we honor the roots of the many cultural groups in this country while maintaining a sense of national unity? The following excerpts may help you guide your students through this
exercise. We have it, like I mentioned before, in our blood. You are just born with that tradition, which is authentic to Mexico. Our families (and us) feel very proud that on this side of the border, because of the love that our parents instilled in us for this sport [charreria], we can continue to conserve it in the United States. And now we pass it on to our children. -Laura Rodriguez-Verbera It is very difficult being a man or woman who practices charrería in the United States. One faces criticism, jokes... I live in a community where our tradition is unknown, much less the existence of charros, and they laugh at you due to ignorance. When I was a girl, I was ashamed to dress as an Adelita; I didn’t want to be Mexican. But my parents insisted that I not lose my roots and customs, since these are the foundation of our identity. Now I thank them for their persistence. (excerpt from, Charro in the US)
[1] Excerpted from National Center for History in the Schools, National Standards for History. www.sscnet.ucla.edu/nchs/standards |