Lecciones - Lesson Plans

Introduction

Over the years, ASPIRA has developed a highly successful intervention model called the ASPIRA Process. The model consciously accentuates the positive, putting the stress on developing the potential of Aspirantes rather than on trying to overcome their perceived deficits. The ASPIRA Process of leadership development teaches youth to become aware of their current situation, to analyze its consequences, and to take action for change in their personal lives and the life of their community. We want to suggest to apply these same principles to the teaching/learning of history and culture. Specifically, the Aspira Process could be correlated to the Critical Thinking process. When using the materials and resources presented in these pages ask your students the following questions:

• What is the issue?"
• What conclusion does the author reach about the issue?"
• What are the author's reasons for believing as he does?"
• Be alert to bad reasoning (i.e. pity, fear, misuse of statistics etc.) that can fool you.
• Has the author used facts or opinions?
• Facts can be proven. Opinions cannot be proven and may or may not be based on sound reasoning.
• Has the author used neutral words or emotional words? Critical readers look beyond the language to see if the reasons are clear.

When using these lesson plans or developing our own lesson plans we must strive to develop in our students the characteristics of critical thinkers:

• They are must be honest with themselves
• They resist manipulation
• They overcome confusion
• They ask questions
• They base judgments on evidence
• They look for connections between subjects
• They are intellectually independent

If you would like to share you lessons with the rest of the community please e-mail us at iprac@aspira.org [2].

Historia - History

• Origen e Historia de la Bandera de Puerto Rico [3] por Juan M. Jimenez, Departamento de Educación de Puerto Rico
• Historia de Puerto Rico y Geopolítica y Mercados: [4] por Juan M. Jimenez, Departamento de Educación de Puerto Rico
• Historia de Puerto Rico - Geopolítica Militar [5] por Juan M. Jimenez, Departamento de Educación de Puerto Rico
• Puerto Rican Studies For Kids [6]
• Puerto Rico: A U.S. Commonwealth [7] - by Jeannelle Carlisle Oglethorpe County Middle School Lexington, Georgia
• Puerto Rico [8] by Carol Sparks, level 7-12
• The Forts of Old San Juan: Guardians of the Caribbean [9]
• Puerto Rico Flag Quizz [10]A blackline flag of Puerto Rico to print and color. Background information and questions to answer are also provided
• Lesson Plan: US History, Topic: Imperialism and Expansion: Part 1 [11]
• A Story-Based Lesson on Indigenous People [12]: To introduce an indigenous people of the Caribbean to younger students
• The Taínos of Puerto Rico: [13] Rediscovering Borinquen by Elsa María Calderón, Yale-New Haven Teachers Institute
• Coqui Quizz [14] - Want to see how much do you know about Puerto Rico and its history? Test your knowledge by answering 5 questions.
• El descubrimiento de P.R. [15]: el encuentro de dos mundos: Lo que debes saber sobre la llegada de los españoles a Borinquen, los primeros años de la colonización y el choque entre la cultura taína y la europea.

Cultura - Culture

• La identidad del ser humano a través de la literatura: Abelardo Díaz Alfaro [16] por Ivan Segarra, Departamento de Educación de Puerto Rico

• La opresión femenina a través de la literatura: Rosario Ferre [17] por Ivan Segarra, Departamento de Educación de Puerto Rico

• La sexualidad de la Literatura en el Siglo XXI: Mayra Santos Febres [18] - Literatura para curar el alma por Ivan Segarra, Departamento de Educación de Puerto Rico
• Escritura Creativa: [19] Aquí encontrarás cuentos y poemas escritos por estudiantes puertorriqueños de escuela elemental. Padres y maestros podrán obtener información sobre estrategias para fomentar la creación literaria en los estudiantes, además de ideas sobre cómo utilizar la literatura infantil para estimular la creatividad, y afianzar el aprecio por la lengua materna.
• What is a Puerto Rican? [20] - a lesson developed by Max Echevarria
• Bailes de Puerto Rico [21] por Pablo Borges, Departamento de Educación de Puerto Rico
• Literatura Puertorriqueña [22]: Manuel Zeno Gandía por María Morales Andrades, Departamento de Educación de Puerto Rico

Folklore

• Puerto Rican Folktales [23] by Doris M. Vazquez
• What Masks Reveal: [24] In this lesson, students explore the cultural significance of masks by investigating the role they play in ceremonies and on special occasions in societies from widely separated regions of the world.
• Traditional Circle Game from Puerto Rico: [25] A la Limon and others.
• Cocinando con Flores [26] por Carmen N. Greene Rodriguez, Departamento de Educación de Puerto Rico