Arts and Media Basics:
Folklife Resources

The student magazine and this curriculum guide are components of a Mexican-American Folk Arts-in-Education unit. Although these materials may be used separately, they are intended to be used in conjunction with the complete educational unit that includes:

• A table-top exhibit
• Folk arts objects with artists' biographical sheets
• Overhead projector transparencies
• Written resource materials
• Media products

In addition, we encourage teachers to invite Mexican-American folk artists to visit the classroom while studying the unit. Visits by folk artists may be arranged through the Arts in Education program at the Eastern Oregon Regional Arts Council (503) 962-3857. Suggestions for folk artists to invite are contained within the guide. Individual teachers should make their own arrangements for all other fieldtrips and visitors to the classroom.

The curriculum materials "Mexican-American Traditional Arts and Culture " were written with grades 3-8, social studies students in mind. However, instructors may adapt any of the information to fit different ability levels and content areas. The ideas and activities presented here are meant to be a starting point. The teachers who helped design the curriculum unit encourage adapting the materials to various subject areas including art, math, science, and language arts.

The student magazine contains words that may be difficult for some students. These are in bold print in the text and are listed at the beginning of each section in this guide. Instructors should decide ahead of time the needs of their individual classrooms and review accordingly. Each section also poses questions to students. You may use these and other suggestions in this guide as discussion-starters.

There are numerous articles and books written on topics of Mexican-American traditional arts and culture. Several articles and books like Folklife and Fieldwork and Student Worlds Student Words by Elizabeth Radin Simons are excellent guides for improving interviewing and writing skills. Some of these resources are enclosed in the kit to better enable you and your students to get the most out of this exciting study of Mexican-American Traditional Arts & Culture.

Produced by the Oregon Folk Arts Program at the Oregon Historical Society, 1200 SW Park Avenue, Portland, OR 97205. For more information, call (503) 306-5290.


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Folklife Resources Index