Alexa Capanna

Cultural Story Box Rationale

Our group consists of Callie, Alexa, and Laura. Laura has 3’s, 4’s and 5’s, Alexa has 3’s and 4’s and Callie has 4’s and 5’s so we are going to direct this project towards 4 year olds. We have Mexico for our story box. Many of the topics that we discussed pertaining to our story box that relate to the standards include geography, structure and formation of the community (roles, rights, responsibilities), and timelines (past, present, future) in terms of tradition. Most of the books were about family or involved family, so we expect that we will teach a lesson on how to understand family structure in their life and in another part of the world.

This relates to the four year olds because they are learning how to be a responsible and contributing member of the classroom community. They need to develop a sense of their surroundings and begin to understand what being part of a community means. They are also expressing what they do and have done when they are communicating and sharing in the classroom, so they should have more practice discussing past, present, and future.

One of our lesson plan ideas was reading My Abuelita about a grandmother and her job. We would discuss family and family roles as they relate to the children and others.

We discussed using the book The Tortilla Factory and having the children complete an activity revolving around tortillas. This would expand upon roles of community members and learning about people from other communities.

What are you doing? is a story about a child learning to read. We wanted to do an activity where children could tell a story, which could help them engage and collaborate with other students in their community to learn about each other.

Another book we discussed using was Loteria. Since the book is about a card game, we would also play the card game with the children by having them match pictures. We thought that the pictures on the cards could help children identify things that are similar and different within their own communities. We could also talk about geography if the things in the pictures are not found locally.

We had planned on reading M is for Mexico and pulling an activity from the section about pyramids. This could help children learn more about geography and different types of communities.

The book What Can you Do with a Rebozo? is about a girl and her family and how they use a rebozo. We could talk to the children about artifacts found in their homes to make connections with other communities.

Week One Unit Plan: Exploring Artifacts
WEEK ONE / MONDAY / TUESDAY / WEDNESDAY / THURSDAY / FRIDAY
LITERACY / Read What Can You Do with a Rebozo? / Read What Can You Do with a Rebozo? / Read What Can You Do with a Rebozo? / Read Playing Loteria / Read Playing Loteria
MATH / We will look at shapes and group them together. / We will have a felt board with shapes. Children will group felt shapes on board. / We will have a felt board with shapes. Children will group felt shapes on board with a partner. / We will pass out Loteria cards and find ones that are the same. / We will count the Loteria Cards and put them in groups so everyone has the same amount.
SCIENCE / We will look at the Loteria vegetable cards and talk about taking care of plants. / We will get a class plant and choose rotations for watering the plant.
WRITING / We will write/draw to answer What do you play with at home? / What is a Rebozo? Lesson plan / We will write about/draw games that we play at home. / We will choose a Loteria card and write any connection to the card.
SOCIAL STUDIES / We will share what we do at home. / We will work in partners to share what we do at home. We will see if there were activities that were the same or different from their partner. / What is a Rebozo? Lesson plan / We will look at the Loteria Cards and talk about where we find some of the items on the cards. / We will pick out cards we see in our homes and communities. We will discuss whether some people picked the same cards.
ART/ DRAMA/ MUSIC / Dramatic play will have rebozo and mirror. / Dramatic play will have rebozo and mirror. / Dramatic play will have rebozo and mirror. / Some Loteria cards are blown up for children to use as coloring pages. / We will think of objects from home that are important to us and create a game card for that object
Week Two Unit Plan: Exploring Artifacts
WEEK ONE / MONDAY / TUESDAY / WEDNESDAY / THURSDAY / FRIDAY
LITERACY / Read Playing Loteria / Read Playing Loteria / Read The Tortilla Factory / Read The Tortilla Factory / Read The Tortilla Factory
MATH / We will count Loteria cards and match them with the pictures on the Loteria board. / We will look at different ways to measure (cups, teaspoons, tablespoons, etc.) / We will measure out objects and add them together. / Making Tortillas Lesson Plan.
SCIENCE / The students will plant their own seeds in pots to keep in the classroom. / We will look at tools and ingredients to make tortillas. / We will mix objects and make predictions about the outcome. / Making Tortillas Lesson Plan.
WRITING / We will write/draw what our favorite foods are. / We will write/draw foods we make with our family.
SOCIAL STUDIES / We will look at Loteria cards with a partner and trade cards. / We will play the game Loteria. / We will look at what foods people eat in the community. / We will talk about where we eat or shop in the community. / We will talk about where tortillas are made and where we can buy them.
ART/ DRAMA/ MUSIC / Dramatic Play Market / Dramatic Play Market / Play dough for tortillas. / We will glue corn kernels on corn picture / Play dough for tortillas.

Arizona Early Learning Standards

(Individual Lesson Plans and Unit Plan)

Social Emotional

-Strand 1: Concept 1: d: shows an awareness of similarities and differences between self and others

Approaches to Learning

-Strand 5: Concept 1: a: gathers information and reaches a conclusion, b: recognizes relationships between cause and effect, c: uses prior knowledge to build new knowledge and skills

- Strand 4: Concept 1: a: uses imagination to generate new ideas

Language and Literacy

-Strand 1: Concept 1: c: demonstrates understanding and follows directions that involve: one step, two step, and a series of unrelated sequences of actions

-Strand 2: Concept 5: d: with prompting and support, draws connections between story events and personal experiences

-Strand 3: Concept 1: a: uses a variety of writing tools, materials, and surfaces to create drawings or symbols, b: with modeling and support, uses a combination of drawing, dictating and emergent writing to communicate an idea or opinion about an experience, story, or book, and to express knowledge or share information about a topic of interest, c: dictates to and shares thoughts, ideas, and stories with adults

Mathematics

-Strand 1: Concept 4: a: compares two sets of objects using terms such as more, fewer, or the same

-Strand 2: Concept 1: a: demonstrates an understanding that adding increases the number of objects in a group,b: describes changes in two or more sets of objects when they are combined

-Strand 2: Concept 2: a: recognizes patterns in the real world, b: copies simple patterns, c: extends simple patterns, d: creates simple patterns, e: describes similarities and differences in patterns

-Strand 3: Concept 3: c: uses various standard measuring tools for simple measuring tasks

Science

-Strand 1: Concept 1: b: identifies attributes of objects, living things, and natural events in the environment, c: describes changes in objects, living things, and the natural events in the environment, d: begins to describe the similarities, differences, and relationships between objects, living things, and natural events, e: asks and responds to questions about relationships of objects, living things, and events in the natural environment

-Strand 1: Concept 3: b: identifies cause and effect relationships

Social Studies

-Strand 1: Concept 1: c: describes/discusses own family’s cultural or family traditions, d: identifies similarities and differences in their family composition and the families of others

- Strand 2: Concept 1: b: identifies, discusses, and asks questions about similarities and differences in other people in their community

-Strand 2: Concept 2: a: demonstrates responsible behaviors, b: shows an understanding of how to care for the environment

Fine Arts

-Strand 1: Concept 1: a: uses a variety of materials/media, tools, and techniques to create original works of art (e.g. paper, rocks, sand, clay; tools such as cotton swabs, small/large brushes, drinking straws, and techniques such as drawing, painting, sculpting)

-Strand 1: Concept 1: b: creates art work with details which represent creative and personal choices, ideas, experiences, and feelings

Annotated Bibliography and Resources

Ada, Alma Flor., Viví Escrivá, and Rosa Zubizarreta.After the Storm. Miami, FL: Santillana

USA, 1999. Print.

This book is about the lifecycle of a sunflower seed. It discusses how a rain storm is key in the prosperity of the plant.

This book can be helpful during the first part of the Tortilla Factory unit as we are learning about the life cycle of plants and about which entities are essential for plant life. Will also be available on classroom bookshelf.

Aliki. Corn is Maize: The Gift of the Indians. New York: Harper & Row, Publishers: Crowell,

1976. Print.

The history of corn, its uses in various cultures, and its place in today’s society.

This book can also be introduced during the beginning or the end of the unit as we first introduce corn and where it comes from, and also at the end as we extend our learning to connect what we’ve learned to our own and other cultures.

Bunting, Eve, and Kathryn Hewitt.Flower Garden. San Diego: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich,

1994. Print.

A girl and her father create a garden for her mother’s birthday.

This book could be used during the loteria and tortilla units to discuss and practice gardening. This will be helpful when discussing how to care for plants.

Tortillitas Para Mama and Other Nursery Rhymes. Selected and translated by Margot Griego,

Barbara Cooney, Sharon Gilbert, and Laurel Kimball. New York: Henry Holt and

Company, 1981.

A collection of nursery rhymes and poems translated in both English and Spanish.

This book will be used in Making Tortillas lesson plan, as a fun group introduction to the lesson.

Cordero, Flor De María. M Is for Mexico. London: Frances Lincoln Children's, 2007. Print.

This is an alphabet book that uses objects and parts of the cultures present in Mexico to add pictures to the letters.

This will support several of the artifacts that we are using to help children visualize the artifacts realistic roles within the cultures and traditions in Mexico.

“Corn Tortilla.”Recipe. Scripps Networks, 090 June 2009. Web. 30 Nov. 2014.

This is the website where the recipe and ingredients for the corn tortillas for Making Tortillas was derived. It is free, and also allows access to printing, and several other mexican recipes.

Gilman, Phoebe. Something from Nothing. New York: Scholastic, 1992. Print.

As Joseph grows up, his blanket grows more tattered and torn. The only solution that

involves keeping the special blanket is to create something out the blanket. The blanket turns into a vest, tie, and finally into a button. In the end, he loses the button but has learned to value the times he had with his special blanket.

This book contributes to the lesson plan because it can be used to extend off the rebozo. Joseph’s blanket was very important to him and is an example of other objects that can be valued dearly.

Hest, Amy, and Jill Barton.Baby Duck and the Cozy Blanket. Cambridge, MA: Candlewick,

2002. Print.

A baby duck deals with separation anxiety when he loses his blanket.

This book relates to the lesson plan because it also extends off of the importance of the

rebozo and shows how other objects can be valued similarly to the rebozo.

Laínez, René Colato, and Jill Arena.Playing Lotería. Flagstaff, AZ: Luna Rising, 2005. Print.

A book about a girl and her grandmother playing loteria.

This will be used in the loteria unit so that children can play the game and do activities around the game.

Mora, Pat, and Barbara Lavallee. Uno, Dos, Tres = One, Two, Three. New York: Clarion, 1996.

Print.

This is a counting book in English and Spanish. It also depicts the culture and tradition in Mexico.

This can be used in preparation for Loteria to use Spanish vocabulary. It can also help children with counting through the tortilla and loteria units.

Paulsen, Gary, and Ruth Wright Paulsen.The Tortilla Factory. San Diego: Harcourt Brace,

1995. Print.

This book illustrates processes involved with making tortillas.

This contributes to the unit plan to show the materials that are used during the process.

Rockwell, Lizzy.Good Enough to Eat: A Kid's Guide to Food and Nutrition. New York:

HarperCollins, 1999. Print.

A children’s book about eating healthy.

Will be used through the tortilla and loteria units to visualize different foods and talk about making food.

Schachner, Judith Byron. Skippyjon Jones Shape up. New York, NY: Dutton Children's, 2008.

Print.

This follows the popular Skippyjon Jones characters as he explores shapes.

Will be useful when looking at the rebozo unit and talking about shapes similarities and differences.

Soto, Gary and Ed Martinez. Too Many Tamales. New York: G.P. Putnam’s Sons: 1993.

This is a holiday story about a little girl who loses her mother’s ring in the masa that is used to make tamales.

This story can be used as an extension to the Making Tortillas lesson plan, as we explore more about the hispanic cuisine, culture, and traditions. Will be available on classroom bookshelf.

Sweeney, Joan, and Annette Cable.Me and the Measure of Things. New York: Crown, 2001.

Print.

Fun and upbeat introduction for young children to units of measurement and what they can be used for.

This story can be used when teaching children about the ingredients and measurements required to cook tortillas.

Tafolla, Carmen, Amy Córdova, and Chloe Rawlins.Fiesta Babies. Berkeley: Tricycle, 2010.

Print.

Babies are introduced to many cultural and traditional aspects of Mexico.

This will help children talk about what is important to them for the rebozo unit.

Tafolla, Carmen, and Magaly Morales.What Can You Do with a Paleta? = ¿Qué Puedes Hacer

Con Una Paleta? Berkeley, CA: Tricycle, 2009. Print.

This book talks about a paleta, which is a popular treat in Mexico. Children interact with the paleta.

This will facilitate discussion about students and what they like to do at home. It will help students notice similarities and differences with their peers, which will further the rebozo unit.

Tafolla, Carmen. What Can You Do with a Rebozo. Berkeley, CA: Tricycle, 2008. Print.

This book is about a young girl who plays with her mother’s rebozo.

This will be used in preparation for the rebozo unit. Children will get to see a girl playing with a rebozo. Will be used to facilitate conversations about objects that are important to the students.

Tenorio-Coscarelli, Jane. The Tamale Quilt. 1/4 Inch Designs & Publishing, Murrieta, CA: 1998.

The story of a family tradition that tells the story of tamales and their importance in a

family holiday. Recipe at the end.

This story can be used as an extension to the Making tortillas as the class brainstorms other mexican recipes and traditions, and how their culture relates to others.

Villegas, Teresa. "History of La Lotería." Teresa Villegas. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Dec. 2014.

This website has historical information on Loteria. This is important because it will give

the children a glimpse at the importance of the game and how it is a key part of the

culture.

This website goes deep into the information behind the game and will give the teacher

some background as well as supply the teacher with facts to share with the kids.

Materials

rebozo, mirror, poster board, pictures, paper, markers, colored pencils, crayons, books, felt, watering can, measuring utensils, loteria game cards, Spanish dictionary for kids, index cards cut to the same size of the game cards, markers, stamps, crayons, colored pencils, play dough, corn kernels, chart paper with recipe (provided in English and in Spanish), tortillas para mama and other nursery rhymes, corn tortilla recipe (one for each child), corn tortilla ingredients and variety of fillings (1 cup boiling water, 1 cup cornmeal, 1 tsp. salt, beans, rice, cheese, lettuce, salsa, mixing bowls, spoons, measuring cups, rolling pins, griddle)