Title: Mexican Kites & Papel Picado
Erin Hamby

Katie Bergerson

Context:

This lesson would be appropriate for grades 3^rd  6^th. Due to the structure of the lesson, this activity could take two 50-minute time periods. This could be applied to a geography lesson, cultural awareness unit, as well as many other possibilities. This lesson could stand alone, or be incorporated into a Mexican themed unit. As papel picado is used for many traditional celebrations, creating the art form could be relevant year round. The same applies for kite making as typical weather in costal regions of Mexico are ideal. The materials needed do not require extenuating circumstances for classroom location.

Objectives:

• By the end of this lesson, students will be able to demonstrate their understanding of authentic Mexican art forms by successfully creating kites and papel picado.
• Students will also be able to show an awareness of Mexican art forms by describing to their peers the significance of the art form they learned.
• In addition, student will be able to work cooperatively with their peers to successfully complete their Mexican art form projects.

Benchmarks:

• Identify ways that people can participate in their communities and the responsibities of participation. (3^rd grade social studies)
• Understand how human activities are affected by the physical environment (5^th grade social studies)
• Identify an event or condition that inspired a work of art (3^rd grade arts)
• Create, present and/or perform a single form of art, using experiences, imagination, artistic methods and composition to achieve desired effect (3^rd & 5^th grade arts)
• Communicate, using an extended vocabulary related to various art forms. (5^th grade art)

Preparation:

Room preparation:

Place needed art form material at the respective stations.

Materials [for a class size of 25]:

Authentic pictures of these art forms in use.

Papel Picado:

• 25 pairs of scissors
• 25 glue sticks
• 15Õ of string/student
• 250 pieces of colored tissue paper [10/student]

Kites:

• 75 wooden sticks [3/student]
• 25 glue sticks
• 125 pieces of colored tissue paper [5/student]
• spool of string
• colored ribbons

Optional: parent volunteers to assist at each station.

Lesson Introduction/Set (15 min, each day):

Discuss the significance of this lesson as it applies to your motive (holiday celebration, cultural study, geography, etc.). Activate schemas according to previous units of study or personal experiences students may have. Show pictures of the art forms in use.

Sharing Objectives (10 min, day 1):

Explain the process for breaking into centers.

á Divide into pairs.

á Decide which student will go to the kite center, or the papel picado center.

á Explain that they will be learning how to make the art form in order to teach their partner the next day.

Learning Activities (20 min day 1, 30 min day 2):

Day 1: The class will separate into two groups. Each group will participate in a mini lesson for kites or papel picado. Center facilitator will check for studentsÕ understanding by monitoring their progress with the kites or papel picado.

Day 2: Students regroup with their original partners. Each student takes time to explain the art form that they learned. Both students have time to make the new art form that their peer taught to them.

Students may work towards the degree of difficulty with the kites by adding detail or creating larger models. Intricate detail may also be added to the papel picado by the nature of the cuts made into the tissue. Students with special needs will be able to receive assistance from staff or peers for their art forms.

Closure (5 min, both days):

Give a five-minute warding to wrap up student work. Class regroups with their original partners. Teacher discusses further resources for students to explore if they are interested, i.e. books, websites, community resources. Finish with a question and answer session.

Student Assessment:

Students will be assessed by their understanding of how to create kites and papel picado by successfully creating each project. They will also be assessed through teacher observations of their peer teaching opportunity. Finally, students will be successful through their demonstration of cooperatively working with their classmates.