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Introduction
This curriculum is about Latinos in New York, but it will be of interest to all immigrant students. It was developed at Liberty High School in New York City, a delicate collage of cultures. Latino and Polish, Chinese and Arabic, Haitian, African and Bengali--students of all ages and backgrounds, together as immigrants in a new country, often trying to learn basic skills while dealing with life's most important choices: shall I stay in school, or get a job? Should I get married and start a family, or try to make money to help my family in my country? How can I achieve legal status? How can I help my parents? How can my family find a safe place to live, and get the medical care we need? Students at Liberty are most interested in each other. They want to know about the different languages, customs, religions, food, and music of their fellow students. They all learn English, but they want to know, how do you say this in Spanish? How do you write that in Chinese? Do Polish people like rap music? Can Muslim girls wear this hairstyle? Students will read historical documents from the Municipal Archives and current articles from the Internet and The New York Times. They will read and conduct interviews. They will look at photographs of and visit Latino neighborhoods. Unit One is about bilingual education laws that affect them all. They will read arguments for and against bilingual education and form their own opinions. They will learn how Latinos played an important role in establishing the programs they have today. Unit Two is about the difficult reality faced by Latino immigrants in the job market, which may reflect students' own experiences. They will explore their own neighborhoods to discover the importance and influence of ethnic groups to New York City's economy. Unit Three concerns how policies of the Mayor's office toward Latinos and other immigrants changed as their numbers, power and influence increased. In Unit Four, students will examine the questions, who am I? Where do I fit in, as an American? What does the future hold for me? Who is an appropriate role model? Students should come away not only with historical perspectives but also with opinions on issues that will be important to their lives in the future. |
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