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As children are growing up, many do not realize that their decisions are actually influenced by the past. For instance, students will learn why a moment of silence occurs on 9/11 each year. Additionally, they may learn the origins of holidays and the names of prominent people who helped lead positive changes. One more vital topic to teach is how separate is never equal. Yes, this means that students will learn that people were once separated due to skin color. This is so important for students to learn when they are young. When this happens, it helps ensure that students realize the importance of treating everyone with respect and kindness. Thankfully, the Hispanic Heritage Separate is Never Equal Picture Book Unit teaches an essential topic in a student-friendly format.
Separate is Never Equal: Sylvia Mendez and Her Family’s Fight for Desegregation by Duncan Tonatiuh
After moving to Westminster, California, little Sylvia Mendez was excited to enroll in school. However, she and her brothers were told they could not attend the school they wanted to. Instead, they had to attend a Mexican school despite being American citizens and speaking perfect English. After school they would not tell them why they could not go there, the Mendez family fought back. They organized a lawsuit to bring awareness to what was happening. In the end, the Mendez family helped end segregated schooling in California. Seven years later, Brown v. The Board of Education officially ended segregation in schools across America.
Hispanic Heritage Separate is Never Equal Picture Book Unit
Oftentimes, school segregation is taught with examples of schools for African Americans and schools for Caucasian people. Or, many think that school desegregation started with Brown v. The Board of Education. However, this leaves out so many individuals who were directly impacted by school segregation. Thus, the Mendez family will show how they were denied access to a school but fought to earn a spot.
Comprehension: In order to ensure students understand why school segregation was so harmful, several comprehension activities are included. For example, students will answer questions about the Mendez family and their fight for equality.
Additionally, they will complete multiple compare and contrast graphic organizers in order to truly focus on all details. Furthermore, students will also complete interactive journal pages to build text connections and track the story plot. Since comprehension is so important in this story, students will also identify the main idea and sequence the events!
Character Education: In order for students to learn more about themselves and others, character education is important to embed into lessons. Here, students will analyze historical photos and answer a variety of guiding questions. Hence, this is a powerful way for students to express how they feel based upon what they see.
Grammar: Whenever grammar is involved in units, it is much more powerful than in isolation. Therefore, this unit involves verb tenses and irregular verbs. There are multiple interactive pages in order to ensure students truly understand the material. Even better, there is a board game included that will allow the students to practice with a small group. Likewise, this provides great feedback before administering the included assessment.
Vocabulary: In order to understand the true meaning of the story, it is important to understand important vocabulary words. Thankfully, there is a list included and a variety of activities. For example, students will discuss important words, such as inferior and injustice. Additionally, they complete a Word Splash, KIM chart, matching game, and even have a choice board for their own picks. Truly, there are so many options in order to ensure students grasp the full meaning of the unit!
As Hispanic Heritage Month approaches, it is the perfect time to raise awareness of what has happened in the past. However, it will truly work at any point in the school year! No matter when it is used, it is packed full of activities. Thus, it will help students learn about a huge movement in history while involving key academic skills.
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