This lesson is based on travel in and study of 12 of Mexico's states and visiting Mexico's cities, schools, universities, and communities. Finding many parallels between Mexico and the Mariana Islands, the lesson focuses on providing a historical overview of both countries and on describing modern variations in social life, land area, politics,…

This curriculum unit, intended for students in grade 6, covers the Mayas, Mayan history, and ancient civilizations. The unit was developed using Roger Taylor's collaborative team model "Connecting the Curriculum: Using an Integrated, Interdisciplinary, Thematic Approach." The unit addresses multiple intelligences, brain research,…

This curriculum unit focuses on the contributions of the ancient Mayan people and how these contributions have been interwoven with contemporary society. The unit is divided into the following sections: (1) "Preface"; (2) "Mayan Civilization" (geography); (3) "Mayan Contributions" (written language); (4) "Mayan…

Describes the recent history, chemistry, and educational uses of the Orange Juice Clock demonstration in which a galvanic cell is made from the combination of a magnesium strip, a copper strip, and juice in a beaker. Discusses the chemistry basics, extensions for more advanced students, questions for student/teacher workshop participants, and…

Discusses how to incorporate conflict resolution into history focusing on the Conflict Resolution in History project. Provides a case study depicting how to use conflict resolution by presenting a lesson plan exploring the 1846 War between the United States and Mexico. (CMK)

This curriculum unit focuses on the Aztec settlement in Mesoamerica comparing it with present-day Mexico. The unit is oriented to teach basic communicative skills to beginning English language learners in small groups of approximately five students. It helps Mexican Spanish-speaking students embrace their own culture and build on their prior…

Tension has existed between the legislative and the executive branches of the U.S. government over war powers since the United States Constitution simultaneously vested Congress with the power to declare war and the President with the power of Commander in Chief. When Texas declared its independence and claimed additional territory to the Rio…

This packet shares general impressions and interpretations of Mexico offered by a participant in a 5-week Fulbright-Hays Seminar. Included are suggestions on how to use this information to open up communication between the school and Mexican students and their parents. In addition to the background information and statistics, the material also has…

These lessons on Mexico have been taught in an integrated fashion within a sixth grade language arts and social studies classroom. Lessons are intended to be easy to pick up and use by any teacher. The material includes: (1) Rationale; (2) "Lesson 1 - I'll Bet You Can Map the Western Hemisphere in a Minute!"; (3) "Lesson 2 -…

Social studies and foreign language teachers can use these two units to teach sixth-grade students about the cultures of Canada and Mexico. The units focus on the traditions, customs, and languages of the two countries. Each unit includes a rationale statement and description, a listing of goals and objectives, learning activities, addresses to…

This two-part curriculum unit includes 20 slides depicting Days of the Dead in Mexico and the United States. The unit is designed to help middle school students compare customs and practices associated with death throughout the world in a way that promotes understanding of the values and needs that produce and are reinforced by death rituals and…

This curriculum unit, incorporating an art specialist's experience and knowledge gained in Mexico as a participant in the Fulbright-Hays Summer Seminars Abroad Program, focuses on the creation of a ceramic shrine by 75 fifth graders. The ceramic shrine described in the unit uses clay, paint, varnish, collage materials, and tin for…

This social studies curriculum integrates the study of geographic, economic, historic, political and social features of nations in the Western Hemisphere with the development of key concepts and skills. While this curriculum focuses on the geographic and economic features of countries in the Western Hemisphere, it gives equal weight to the history…

This curriculum guide is intended: (1) to expose students to the people and customs of Michoacan, Mexico; (2) to explore the meaning of traditional Day of the Dead customs through hands-on experiences; and (3) to build the self-esteem of second language learners of Mexican descent. During the study, students whose primary language is Spanish read…

The workbook is designed to accompany a textbook, "The Story of California," a Spanish-English bilingual history and geography of the state intended for classroom use by limited-English-proficient, native Spanish-speaking students in California's urban middle schools. The teacher's edition, presented here, consists of reproductions of 51…