Américo Paredes

Lesson Plan 1

-printer friendly version-

Written by: Katie Daitoku
Date: January 15, 2007
Grade level: 7
Subject: Texas History

TEKS Connection: 7C, 17C, 21A, 21B, 21D, 22C, 22D

As a result of this lesson, the student will be able to: Explain Americo Paredes’s role in the creation of the center for Mexican studies at the University of Texas and identify the importance of this center.

The lesson content is about: Ethnic studies and Paredes’s role in supporting these studies

The student will process the content by: Class discussion about the Center for Mexican-American Studies.

The student will complete the following product as part of this lesson: A written summary of the class discussion.

I will know how well the student has understood the content, process, or product by:
His or her performance in the class discussion and written summary of class discussion.

Prerequisite skills that students should have for this lesson to be successful:
Understanding of the role that Mexicans and Mexican Americans have played in Texas history.

Actual Lesson

Introduction: Explain the Center for Mexican-American Studies at the University of Texas and Paredes’s role in its creation, in addition to telling students a little bit about Paredes’s life.
Time needed: 5-10 minutes

Learner-centered Strategies/Activities: Lead a class discussion about the Center for Mexican-American Studies. Ask students why they think that it is important for UT to have such a Center and discuss the pros and cons of it. Discuss the impact that the center could have on education and society in Texas.
Time needed for each: 20-30 minutes

Closure: Answer any remaining questions students have about Americo Paredes or the Center for Mexican-American Studies and have students write a brief paragraph or two about their impressions of Paredes and the Center.
Time needed: 10-15 minutes

How will this lesson be made relevant to the lives of the students? Part of the discussion should center around why the Center for Mexican-American Studies is relevant in every Texan’s life.

Materials required: Photos of Paredes; if computer and internet access is available, allow students to browse the center for Mexican studies’ webpage. http://www.utexas.edu/cola/centers/culturalstudies/

Classroom setup: Whatever best facilitates classroom discussion, preferably so that students can easily see other classmates.

In order to differentiate the lesson to meet the needs of the learners I will do the following:

(Please highlight those intelligences that have been addressed in this lesson)

• Verbal-linguistic
• Mathematical-logical
• Spatial
• Bodily Kinesthetic
• Musical
• Interpersonal
• Intrapersonal

Please note other adjustments that you have made to differentiate the lesson: Students can have options on how to summarize the material they learned (i.e. written, verbal, etc.).

The following levels of thinking skills are utilized in this lesson:

• Knowledge
• Comprehension
• Application
• Analysis
• Synthesis
• Evaluation