Skip to main content
Apply Request Info

Lesson 2: Mexico International Festival: Passport to the World Lesson Series

Curriculum | Resources | Workshops | Activities | About Us

International Festival: Mexico 

Teachers: Becky Weiler, Justin O'Toole, Kelly Lewis
Project Children L.E.A.D. Director: Dr. Vincenne Revilla Beltran
Subject Area: Multicultural Diversity
Grade level: Preschool (Ages 3-4)
Length of Lesson: 60 minutes

*This is lesson is part of a school wide project. Each class involved in Project

Children LEAD has chosen a country to teach at the festival. The children will

receive a passport at the beginning of the festival and each country they visit, their

passport will be stamped.

 

Learning Goals

 

PA Early Learning Standards

Creative Arts

  • 1.2 Demonstrate the ability to represent experiences, thoughts, and ideas through the use of visual art forms.

  • 2.3 Respond to different forms of music.

 

Receptive Language

  • 1.1 Listen responsively to directions, stories, and conversations.

 

NAEYC Standards

Understanding Ourselves, Our Community, and Our World

  • 2.75 T-P-K Children are provided varied opportunities and materials to build their understanding of diversity in culture, family structure, ability, language, age, and gender in non-stereotypical ways.

 

Creative Expression and Appreciation for the Arts

  • 2.79 U Children are provided opportunities to gain an appreciation of art, music, drama, and dance in all of its cultural diversity.

 

High/Scope Key Experiences:

  • Language and Literacy

  • Creative Representation

  • Social and Initiative

 

OBJECTIVES:

The students will be able to:

  • Explore and build an understanding of cultural diversity through participation in a variety of art, literacy, cooking, and a musical activity on the country of Mexico.

 

MATERIALS AND EQUIPMENT NEEDED:

Mexico by Susan Canizares and Pamela Chanko

CD player

Disposable plates

Napkins

Utensils

Mexican music

Instruments

Ingredients for tacos (meat, cheese, tomatoes, salsa, lettuce, taco shells)

Clay

Map

Passport

 

ADAPTATIONS AND ACCOMMODATIONS TO DIFFERENTIATE INSTRUCTION:

Complete the lesson using small group sizes. Teacher guides the lesson in a small group to give individualized instruction.

 

REVIEW:

  1. Greet children by saying "hello boys and girls" in Spanish (Hola muchachos y muchachas).

  2. Tell the children that they will be visiting the country of Mexico and have them say Hola to each other.

 

INTRODUCE:

  1. Show the students where Mexico is on a map.

  2. Show pictures of Mexican culture from a variety of books (see resources).

 

DEVELOP:

  1. Read Mexico by Susan Canizares and Pamela Chanko

  2. Explore the music and musical instruments such as guitars, trumpets, violins, and Mexican folk music.

  3. Have the children make a taco. Discuss that tacos are a popular food in Mexico.

  4. Discuss that pottery is the most ancient craft in Mexico and that they come in many different styles and that look very different. Have the children create something from the clay.

 

ASSESS:

The students will be assessed through observation, participation, and open-ended questions.

 

CLOSURE:

At the end of the international fair, ask the children what countries they learned about, what foods they ate, and what activities they did. Also, ask the children the liked and disliked.

 

RESOURCES:

Silverthorne, Elizabeth. Fiesta! Mexico's Great Celebrations. Millbrook Press. Brookfield Connecticut, 1992.

Streissguth, Tom. Mexico. Carolhoda Book, Inc. Minneapolis, Minnesota, 1997.