Defining "little" cultural traditions as those customs, behaviors and attitudes of ordinary people involved in the day-to-day problems of living and survival, this article traces the origins, historic influences and general characteristics of Hispanic culture and of its Mexican, Puerto Rican and Cuban subcultures. (DS)

This article reports on the relationships between ecocultural features of 18 Latina/o families and their children's motivation to read. Five ecocultural features emerged as salient in families' daily living: immigration; culture and language; nurturance; instrumental; and workload. Ecocultural features were examined in relation to children's…

Urges writing teachers to cultivate the students' own expression of diverse or alien ideas, not just accept these diversities. Stresses that educators cannot expect young students of Hispanic or other cultures to initiate an open, creative exploration of themselves without an atmosphere of complete acceptance. (MG)

Recommends a three-part writing process of prewriting, writing, and postwriting activities that uses the cultural world students bring with them to the classroom to stimulate writing improvement. (JL)

Contemporary Mexican Americans have a multi-faceted character. Twentieth century Mexican Americans are no longer Mexicans but neither are they Anglo American. The strength of their Mexican traditions and cultural values and the forces of dilution to which these are exposed depend on various combined factors. Contributing to their multi-faceted…

The comprehensive report of the activities of the 1953 interdisciplinary seminar in language and culture held at Ann Arbor, Michigan appears here with the working bibliography compiled at the time of the seminar. The report discusses existing text materials, general perspectives, popular conceptions of nationality, objective criteria,…

Argues that public schools often ignore the strategic and cultural resources, termed funds of knowledge, that Mexican-American households contain. These funds are a key to understanding the cultural systems of Mexican-American children and can be useful assets in the classroom. (SLD)

Intended to assist students and faculty members in locating materials on the life and culture of Mexican Americans or Chicanos found in the Library at the University of California at Santa Barbara, this guide cites 772 books, curriculum development guides, and government publications, published between 1917 and 1970. The guide does not cite the…

This workbook comprises eight lessons designed to enhance the self-esteem of Latino students, grades 5 through 8, through the exploration of family, family traditions and values, and the affirmation of family strengths. Each lesson begins with an illustration that reflects the content of the lesson and an introductory page. Each introductory page…

This teaching guide comprises eight lessons designed to enhance the self-esteem of Latino students, grades 5 through 8, through the exploration of family, family traditions and values, and the affirmation of family strengths. Student objectives include the following: (1) define family; (2) describe similarities and differences among Latino…