Unit for the Instruction of When
I Was a Puerto Rican
Aaron Bennett
Ed 440
Unit Project
11-29-‘00
Aaron Bennett
Ed 440
Cover Letter
11-29-‘00
I plan on showcasing the differences in cultures through teaching this memoir. I will also use it to show a coming to America narrative. I feel that is part of showing the different cultures. What better viewpoint into the cultural differences than someone who has experienced both of them firsthand. This story provides an interesting view since Puerto Rico is technically part of the United States. To start off, I will have the students list on the board everything they can thing of that signifies “American” to them. I will then have the kids read a short story written by a Puerto Rican author. This would be my segue into talking about the differences and similarities between our two cultures. I think that the students will need a good grasp of the complexities of our nation for American Literature which they will take next year.
This group of students are the typical High School Freshmen. There are 29 kids with a fair mix of ethnicities. A few of the students are immigrants to this country. That will come in handy when we are talking about Negi’s journey to New York. It will be interesting to note the differences the students have in what they think of as American. The foreign born students might have completely different views from what the kids whose families have been here for years may think. It may be difficult for some to understand that all of the things presented can be viewed as American. Some of the kids have the standard view of baseball and apple pie type America. We were talking once about Middle East Food Day. One of the kids remarked that he only ate American food. Most of the things he mentioned (pizza, French fries, hamburgers) are not specifically American foods. I commented that I could bring in some Pemmican if he wanted real American food. He did not like that idea much. They do have open minds on the whole though. We had the food day and all but one girl ate the food. I think as freshmen they are still open and curious like kids but they are capable of having an adult attitude about it. They can explain why they like something not just that it is icky. Even the boy who only ate “American food” tried it. The kids are very active physically and can be quick to get off topic if you let them. I have incorporated many different fun activities to keep their mind on task and have fun learning at the same time.
This unit incorporates many of the content standards set forth by NCTE. The standards are taken from the NCTE website at http://cdp.mde.state.mi.us/MCF/ContentStandards/EnglishLanguageArts/
Standard 5. Literature
All students will read and analyze a wide variety of classic and contemporary literature and other texts to seek information, ideas, enjoyment, and understanding of their individuality, our common heritage and common humanity, and the rich diversity of our society.
One of my goals in teaching this unit is to have the students explore and question the nature of what constitutes “American”. They will bring in their own notions of what that means. The book will provide a window into another realm they might not have thought of as American, even though by law it is. We will discuss and examine this relationship throughout the memoir using the different places and experiences of Negi compared to the students’ own.
Standard 6. Voice
All students will learn to communicate information accurately and effectively and demonstrate their expressive abilities by creating oral, written, and visual texts that enlighten and engage an audience.
The students will have to create a few different kinds of texts. One of the activities is to create and explain a drawing of a scene in the book. The final project for this unit is a skit. These kids are very physically active learners so I want to exploit that. They love to act out things and draw pictures. They think they are wasting class time, little do they know I’m getting them to learn at the same time. It also keep them interested in the book which will help them to read.
Standard 10. Ideas in Action
All students will apply knowledge, ideas, and issues drawn from texts to their lives and the lives of others.
Throughout the book, the students will be doing activities that will relate their own experiences of growing up to Negi’s. Since some of my students have come from other countries, their emigration stories might be interesting for the class to hear. How are their stories similar? How are they different? How are the students’ ideas about what is American different from what Santiago thinks? Are the notions held by the students before the reading of this book altered in some way? How?
There are other standards that will also come into play in this unit. The students will of course have to read and understand the text. They will have to be able to write grammatically correct sentences. I will assume from my previous experience with this class that they are able to do this without having to teach a grammar lesson. I meant this unit as more of a literature unit and not as a tool to teach good grammar, but grammar will improve and be strengthened from the reading and writing that they will do.
I have included many different types of activities to try and work in a few more of the different types of intelligences. There are many hands-on types of activities that will keep this class motivated and interested. They have a real problem with not reading the assigned texts for class. I have spread out the reading so it is in manageable chunks. I have placed little quizzes throughout the unit to hold the students accountable for reading. These kids seem to only read when they are graded on it. The quizzes provide a definite reason that they can see to read the assigned sections. I include food days so that the students will be able to relate to what the food mentioned in the book really looks and tastes like. These also keep the students interested in the book. I have them draw pictures illustrating the book. This works in the fact that many of the students are very creative but cannot write that well. This way they get a grasp of the memoir and can explain it in a way more comfortable to them. This is a great way for students to get into the reading and learn for their own.
