1. Content Area: Language Arts
The Legends of
Popocatépetl
&
Iztaccihuátl
Grade: 8
Time Frame: 2 weeks
Content Area: Language Arts
Mexico’s Volcanoes

2. Standards & Benchmarks
B. Bilingual multicultural education. Bilingual-multicultural education must be provided to meet the identified educational and linguistic needs of culturally and linguistically different students, especially for students for whom English is their second language. These programs must:
(1) provide services in accordance with the Bilingual Multicultural Act (Sections through 6 NMSA 1978);
(2) systematically identify and assess language proficiency and academic achievement;
(3) be implemented in accordance with the identified needs of qualifying culturally and linguistically different students and ensure equal educational opportunities;
(4) be assessed as part of the EPSS process. (see section C of NMAC); and
(5) support the local curriculum and EPSS.
(6) be provided as defined by Title VII, Bilingual Education of the Improving America’s Schools Act, where applicable.
(8) Benchmark I-C: Apply critical thinking skills to analyze information
-(d) Grade 8 Performance Standards
-(i) Create a research product in both written and presentation form by: determining purpose, audience, and context; choosing a relevant topic; selecting a presentation format (e.g., video, essay, interactive technology); evaluating information for extraneous detail, inconsistencies, relevant facts, and organization; researching and organizing information to achieve purpose using notes and memory aides to structure information; supporting ideas with examples, definitions, analogies, and direct references to primary and secondary sources; citing sources used; employing graphics, charts, diagrams, and graphs to enhance communication.
-(ii) Analyze the inferences and conclusions from fictional and non-fictional contexts, events, characters, settings, and themes.

3. Activity Focus
Students will learn about the magical legends surrounding the volcanoes Popocatépetl and Iztaccihuátl.

4. Objectives Students will learn the history of Aztec legends.
Students will enhance their Spanish vocabulary.

5. Objectives (continued)
Students will discover the similarities between this Aztec legend and some English stories.
Students will learn the value of telling stories.

6. Essential Questions
Who were, and now are, Popocatépetl and Iztaccihuátl?
What is the “magic” behind these two volcanoes?

7. Essential Questions (continued)
Where are these two volcanoes located?
What, according to legend, is believed to cause Popocatépetl’s volcanic activity?

8. Vocabulary Popocatepétl (poe-poe-kah-teh-pet-uhl)
Iztaccihuátl (ees-tah-see-what-uhl)
Tenochtitlan (teh-knowsh-tee-tluhn)
Náhuatl
guerrero (warrior)
llama (flame)

9. Activity
Students will break up into groups in order to conduct research online and at library. They will find as many legends related to Popo and Ixta.
Students will create a posterboard based on the legend and volcanoes to exhibit during Hispanic Heritage Month celebration.
Students will also work on a power point presentation on one of the legends to present in class.

10. Assessment
Students will demonstrate their understanding of the subject by conducting power point presentations and preparing the material for their posterboard.

11. Summation
As a class we will discuss the various legends and stories similar, or related, to those of Popo and Izta.