ELED 436 Olivia Tetreault

      While we were creating our lessons on our country Mexico, we used a lot of primary sources.  In our first lesson, geography, we had students compare and contrast an old and a new map of Mexico.  The primary resource that we used for this lesson was the old map.  We then use an I see, I think, I wonder chart to analyze and compare the two maps.  For our old map, we completed the chart together and for the new map, students worked in partners to fill it out.  Our students did really well with filling out this chart, so we decided to use it again for our second lesson, history.  The primary resources that we used for this lesson was examples of Aztec codex's.  We had three different ones for this activity.  For the first two, they were given the photos and had to work together to figure out what the images meant.  After sharing their ideas, we would reveal what each symbol represented.  They then did the same for the la...

       Our final lesson talked about Mexican advocates.   We started the lesson with a short matching activity where students would have to match a picture or short definition to the correct vocabulary word.   The poster was covered up with papers, so students would be able to focus in on one term at a time, while also having the opportunity to reveal the next word.  Each word and definition, after being read by us, would be read together as a group to further their comprehension.  Students then did a card matching activity where they received either a cause or an effect, and they had to find their matching partner.  (e.g. car breaks down matched with car gets towed).  After all students found their match, they sat back down with their parter and each group shared what their cards were.  Once all students shared, we did a problem/solution activity.  Students worked in groups and received a problem that they had to col...

 Our fifth lesson was about Mexico's culture.  We started the lesson with a short matching activity where students would have to match a picture or short definition to the correct vocabulary word.   The poster was covered up with papers, so students would be able to focus in on one term at a time, while also having the opportunity to reveal the next word.  Each word and definition, after being read by us, would be read together as a group to further their comprehension.  The first few vocabulary words revolved around culture, tradition, and values, while the rest surrounded two of Mexico's holiday (Cinco de Mayo and Day of the Dead).          Our lesson was split so students would listen to a read aloud and complete a corresponding activity.  For the Day of the Dead we read the book  ‘ Day of the Dead: A First Look’ by Katie Peters and had students answer the question 'what are some things that people leave on altars?...

Our fourth lesson was about Mexico's economics. The lesson started with a short pretest where students matched a picture or short definition to the correct vocabulary term.  After this, students were introduced to the new vocabulary words.    The poster was covered up with papers, so students would be able to focus in on one term at a time, while also having the opportunity to reveal the next word.  Each word and definition, after being read by us, would be read together as a group to further their comprehension.  After going over the first half of the vocabulary, they participated in a group activity with an interactive T-chart about goods and services.        Students were randomly given cards that had either a good or a service, and they had to figure out and glue them under the right category.  For our brain break, students were told a sentence that was about a surplus or scarcity, and they would tap their shoulders (if sur...

 Our third lesson was about Mexico's civics.  We had students complete a short cut and paste pre-test to have an idea of their current understanding of the topic.  This test consisted of either a picture or a short definition and students had to glue it under the correct vocabulary word.  After this, students were introduced to the new vocabulary words.    The poster was covered up with papers, so students would be able to focus in on one term at a time, while also having the opportunity to reveal the next word.  Each word and definition, after being read by us, would be read together as a group to further their comprehension.  To provide students with a better understanding of the vocabulary words, they participated in a group activity researching a specific branch of government.   They were split into three groups and assigned one branch of government (either judicial, executive, or legislative) and were given a folder that contai...

       For our second lesson, we looked into the History of Mexico.  During this lesson, we focused into the Aztec period of 1347 to 1522.  We started out the lesson with a cut-and-paste pretest to see what the students already knew.   For this pre-test students cut out either a short definition or a photo and matched it with the vocabulary words.  We then moved to talking about our vocabulary words.  The poster was covered up with papers, so students would be able to focus in on one term at a time, while also having the opportunity to reveal the next word.  Each word and definition, after being read by us, would be read together as a group to further their comprehension.       Once we established an understanding of the vocabulary words, we showed students examples of primary sources.  These were Aztec codex's from over 500 years ago, where students would analyze the imagery and discuss each column of the I...