Text Set

Savannah McEntire READ 440

Standard
SI.7 Students will develop an awareness of perspectives, practices, and products of Spanish-speaking cultures.

Spain
Art
Guernica, Pablo Picasso

La Persistencia de la Memoria, Salvador Dali

Maps
Map of Islamic expansion in Spain

Writing
Fiction
Don Quijote de la Mancha Miguel de Cervantes La Casa de Bernarda Alba Federico Garca Lorca Religion in Spain Laura Ellis

Non Fiction

Guernica, Pablo Picasso

Picasso, P. (1937). Guernica [Oil on canvas]. Madrid, Spain: Museo Nacional Centro De Arte Reina Sofia.

Estimated average grade level: 10

This is a source with immeasurable depth and value. It tells the story of the Spanish people during World War II and the reign of Francisco Franco. It holds religious, social, and political symbolism which is so important. It also demonstrates artistic style developed by Picasso and adopted and popularized over time. These are all different aspects of culture that can be studied through one source.

La Persistencia de la Memoria, Salvador Dal

Dal, S. (1931). La persistencia de la memoria [Oil on canvas]. New York, NY: MoMA. Estimated Average Grade Level: 10 This painting is a demonstration of the surrealism era of art that was heavily influential in Spain in the 1930s. This demonstrates how culture and art are effected by history, and can be used alongside other sources text, video, etc. to study this time period as well as Salvador Dali who was influential in politics as well.

Map of Islamic Expansion in Spain

Islamic expansion in Spain [Map]. (n.d.). Estimated average grade level: 9 This map depicts the expansion of Islam in Europe and northern Africa throughout the 700s1500s. This is important because one of the key factors in Spanish history and culture is the effects that religion has had on government, war, and society as a whole. This map shows that muslims overtook Spain during the 700s, but that Christians retook the peninsula by the end of the 1400s through the Reconquista. This would help to reinforce concepts in a visual form which may be preferable for some learners.

Don Quijote de La Mancha Miguel de Cervantes

de Cervantes, M. (1605). Don Quijote de la Mancha. Readability: 69.1 (average grade level 7.1) This is an authentic book written in Spain in the early 1600s. The literature speaks to Spanish history and culture through style and literary elements. This is a good read for upper level students, because it is often a story that they are familiar with to some extent, so reading it in Spanish will be easier because of the familiarity and relevance to background knowledge.

La Casa de Bernarda Alba Federico Garcia Lorca

Lorca, F. G. (1945). La casa de Bernarda Alba. Readability: 48 (average grade level: 7.4) This book gives students exposure to writing in play form. It is an authentic text from Spain. One thing that is especially important about this text is the writer, because Lorca experienced he was assassinated because of involvement in political controversies he believed in, which are included through metaphor in his writing. Students can look at this era as a whole in Spain through this work.

Religion in Spain Laura Ellis

Ellis, L. (2014). Religion in Spain. donQuijote.

Readability: 20 (average grade level: 11.8)

This article gives a great overview of the evolution of religion in Spanish history. This would be a great introductory source, especially if given in Spanish, to a unit on this part of Spanish culture. This text provides information in a straight forward manner that allows the reader to gain a general knowledge and mastery before diving deeper into this topic.

Latin America
Art
Bailarinos, Fernando Botero

Maps
Map of indigenous populations in Latin America

Writing
Fiction:
Un seor muy viejo con unas alas enormes - Gabriel Garca Mrquez La Casa de Los Espritus - Isabel Allende Me Llamo Rigoberta Mench - Rigoberta Mench Realismo Mgico y Postcolonialismo Erna von der Walde

Non Fiction:

Bailarinos - Fernando Botero

Botero, F. (1983). Bailarinos [Oil on canvas].
Average grade level (estimated): 8-9

Fernando Botero is a prominent artist in Colombia, and across Latin America, and is famous for his round and large forms. This speaks to the values of hispanic countries and can add to the full understanding of culture.

Map of Indigenous Populations in Latin America

Indigenous populations in Latin America [Map]. (n.d.). Average grade level: 8-10 This map depicts the regions where different indigenous groups were found in Latin America. This is important in gaining a full understanding of their culture because the climate, and resources they used impacted their respective societies. This map allows students to understand how geography impacts those various aspects.

Un seor muy viejo con unas alas enormes Gabriel Garca Mrquez
Mrquez, G. G. (1928). Un seor muy viejo con unas alas enormes. Aracata, Colombia. Readability: 19.9 (average grade level: 16)

This is a more difficult text than the rest, however, if used effectively with appropriate support, can be useful for upper level students. This story, written by Colombian writer Gabriel Garca Mrquez, is full of literary devices common of the genre of magical realism. Latin America is the birth place of this genre, and as such, the study of magical realist texts is culturally important in understanding the development of Latin American culture in the mid 1900s.

La Casa de Los Espritus Isabel Allende

Allende, I. (1982). La casa de los espritus. Barcelona, Spain. Readability: 20.4 (average grade level: 15) Although this text was published in Spain, it is written by Chilean writer, Isabel Allende, and therefore reflects the Latin American culture during the 1980s, not the culture of Spain. Allende wrote as a part of the boom period in Latin American literature. Because literature in Latin America is often in response to or reflection on political change, these pieces are extremely helpful in studying hispanic culture. This text is also more difficult, but can be useful if students are given appropriate support.

Me Llamo Rigoberta Mench Rigoberta Mench

Mench, R. (1983). Me llamo Rigoberta Mench. Readability: 27.7 (average grade level 12.5) Me llamo Rigoberta Mench is a great text resource when looking at the complex cultural makeup of Latin American countries following colonization by Europe until the present. It tells the story of an indigenous woman (Quinche Indian) in Guatemala, explaining the culture of her people and her ancestors within the larger population of Guatemala, and also addresses issues of racism and the struggle of indigenous peoples in Latin America.

Realismo Magico y Postcolonialismo Erna von der Walde

von der Walde, E. (n.d.). Realismo magico y postcolonialismo [Magical realism and postcolonialism]. Robertexto. Readability: 25.5 (average grade level: 13.2) This article gives first an overview and then an in depth analysis of the development of magical realism in Latin America and how it emerged within the context of history and culture.

Hispanic Culture in America

Writing
The Tequila Worm Viola Canales Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass Meg Medina

The Tequila Worm Viola Canales

Canales, V. (2005). The tequila worm. New York, NY: Random House. Readability: 78.5 (average grade level: 8.5)

The Tequila Worm follows the story of a Mexican American student in Texas. This is a highly valuable text, because it highlights things that are not addressed when studying Latin American or Spanish culture. This text highlights the nature of border culture, and the influence that Latin American culture has had and continues to have on the United States. This gives a relevant example that will provide motivation for learning language.

Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass Meg Medina

Medina, M. (2013). Yaqui Delgado wants to kick your ass. Somerville, MA: Candlewick. Readability: 80.1 (average grade level 7.3)

This book provides a fictional example of real things going on in American schools. It is very helpful for various reasons, including its address of the problem of bullying, as well as highlighting struggles that hispanic students go through in American schools. This makes the language relevant to students, because they can see the hardships of their classmates firsthand and relate to what is going on in their lives.