One of the biggest misconceptions that my students bring into the Spanish classroom is that Mexico's Independence Day is Cinco de Mayo. In my on-going quest to rid them of that idea, I decided years ago to try to not just tell them "No, you're wrong!" but to try to replace their mistake with the truth. Therefore, in September my Spanish I, II, and III students all explore Mexico's Independence Day with a variety of activities. (Spanish IV focuses on Spain and this year did not do any of these exercises.)
1. Wordsearch: a nice simple activity that reminds students of important names and terms related to Mexico's Independence Day. A good exercise for students who get done with the main activity more quickly.
2. Venn diagram: comparison of the US and Mexico's Independence stories and days of celebration. This year we did it as an individual warm up and then created a class one on the board.
3. Reading in Spanish with questions: currently this is a handout that I found. However, with increased Internet access in schools, you could easily find some authentic sources on the web and design related questions. (You could even find two or three sources with different levels of difficulty and align them to your students' needs.)
4. Cartoon strip: after learning about Mexico's independence story and celebrations, have your students retell the story in cartoon format. My level II kids did this and then those who wished posted their cartoons in my room. My level III students then looked at the comic strips and voted on their favorites.
at work
Cartoons waiting for the vote
The story: ring the bells to gather everyone, farmers joining the fight, Father Hidalgo is executed, more fighting until independence, today's celebrating
5. Role-playing: Each year my level II students have a "visitor" come speak with them about Mexico's drive for independence. I got the idea from one of the best in-service days ever. The speaker used a book produced by Jan Herrera and printed by the Bureau of Education & Research. I start class in my regular clothes, say I need to step out for just a minute, and re-enter dressed in a black robe. From there I pretend that I am a nun from the time of the beginning of Mexico's fight for independence. My character is made up but she knows the facts about the day and tells her story which is also the story of the Mexican people. The students take notes as she speaks. Later they will use these notes to answer questions or other related activities. (I also have a reading available to be used by those who missed something in the story-telling.) Last year's group really liked this activity; this year's students were less enthusiastic but still attentive.
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