Overview
Through ten lessons, students will explore different people, music, events, and places that helped shape Latin music and culture in the United States. Students will discover how Latin Music like Salsa, Latin Rock, Tejano, Bossa Nova, Swing, and Chicana Punk reflect the experiences of Latin people living in the United States throughout history.
Along with the activities in the lessons, students will complete two benchmark assignments. After lesson six, students will create a fictional person and write a narrative about their migration journey based on the information covered up to this point in the Unit. The Unit concludes with the opportunity for students to explore and become engaged with a Latin cultural institution or organization in their community.
Lessons
lesson:
Contemporary Latin Artists and Activism
How are contemporary Latin artists pursuing activism and promoting positive change in their communities?
lesson:
Latin Music and Puerto Rican Migration to New York City
What is the history behind Puerto Rican migration to New York City in the 1940s and 1950s, and how did Puerto Rican migration affect American Popular Music?
lesson:
Mi Gente: Fania Records & New York Salsa Music
What is Fania Records, and how does it reflect the history of Spanish-speaking Caribbean communities in New York City?
lesson:
Westward Expansion and Country Music’s Hispanic Influence
What was Westward Expansion, and what effect did it have on American Popular music?
lesson:
Lydia Mendoza: Tejano Life and Music on the Mexico/Texas Border
How does Lydia Mendoza’s Tejano music connect to the history of Texas and the influence Mexico has had on that state?
lesson:
Brazilian Music and Culture in the United States
What is the influence of Brazilian music and culture in the United States?
lesson:
The Zoot Suit: Style and Swing in the Wartime Economy
What was the cultural, social, and historical significance of the zoot suit during the period of World War II?
lesson:
1950s American Society and Conformity
How did the presence of Latin American artists challenge the image of 1950s American society seen in popular media?
lesson:
The United Farm Workers Movement through Music and Poetry
Who is Dolores Huerta, what role did she play in the United Farm Workers movement, and how is she recognized today?
lesson:
Chicana Punk and the Chicano Movement
What is Chicana Punk, how does it relate to the Chicano Movement, and how did it transform the Punk music scene?
Trace It Back:
Bad Bunny
Trace It Back:
Cardi B
Trace It Back:
Miguel
Trace It Back:
Selena Gomez
