For centuries, the world of drama and theatre has been a powerful method of teaching. Plays, in particular, have been a unique source of entertainment as well as an excellent way of educating the audience about historical events, myths and legends, heroes and villains, morals and religious themes. While the students are studying and performing these plays, they will improve their skills of speaking, listening, reading and writing Spanish. This unit is designed for integration with New Mexico history units. This is a language arts unit that uses literature, history, traditions, and drama to teach the Indo-Hispano cultures of New Mexico.
Students learn best when they are engaged in meaningful learning that is relevant to their lives.
The purpose of this unit was to create an enjoyable learning experience for both students and teachers. This unit is also designed around the New Mexico Content Standards and Benchmarks for the Language Arts curriculum. This unit is suggested for middle school students but may be used throughout the high school level as well. I am a second year teacher at Garfield Middle School in Albuquerque, New Mexico, therefore, this unit is also made to meet the needs of my students. Bilingual materials are used in English and Spanish.