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Stephanie Lizarraga
ENG 308
Dr. Oesterheld
18 March 2015
Field Study 2
National Hispanic Heritage Month

I choose to explore the National Hispanic Heritage Month which takes place yearly from

September 15 to October 15. During this month the contributions, heritage, and rich culture
transferred by Hispanics and Latino Americans are recognized. I chose this particular theme
because I strongly believe that it is important for children to grow up learning and appreciating
different cultures and perspectives other than their own. My purpose is not to persuade them into
believing that the Hispanic culture is superior than the rest, I would just like them to see the
different cultures from around the world and have them find similarities amongst them. It is
important for children to be exposed to this particular theme because then they will become
better rounded and have a more profound view of the world and its people, becoming more
tolerant and respectful towards cultures and customs that they have not yet been exposed to.
They will grow academically as well as personally because they will see the world through
different eyes when they emerge in readings, activities, or skits that will permit them to see
through different perspectives.

1) Garza, C. L., In my Family/ En mi Familia. New York: Childrens Book Press, an imprint of
Lee and Low Books Inc. 1996.

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The childrens book In my Family/En mi Famila, which is intended for grades 3-6, is a

story of a young girl that was punished for speaking Spanish, and in her own words, ...punished
for being who we were, and we were made to feel ashamed of our culture. This story and the
paintings that are included represent and retell the experiences Carmen Lomas Garza, a young
girl growing up in Kingsville, Texas had. This book is a memoir of her life and she introduces the
reader to her family and their customs. Garza introduces the reader to many Hispanic traditions
of celebration, family relationships, and medical practices. She talks about the horned toads and
how she and her brother used admire them and go out and play with them, cleaning nopalitos,
and how her sister Maggie is watching him shave off the thorns so they can have them for
breakfast, having empanadas at their Aunt Paz and Uncle Betos house and having a family
barbecue for her sister Mary Janes birthday and how her mother handmade the piata. She also
mentions the tradition her family has every year of painting Easter eggs the, and that after church
on Easter Sunday they go swimming. These are just some of the memorable experiences she
touches upon, but we can see how rich in culture her and her family are as well as note how
important family values are to them.

This book engages the theme of National Hispanic Heritage month because it tells a story

of a girl growing up in a Mexican household and her experiences. The book does a really good
job at illustrating the events that were being talked about. From reading this in a classroom the
children can make connections and find similarities that fit into their own life, whether they are
Hispanic or not. They will be able to say, Hey, Im not Hispanic(or Mexican) but I also have
barbecues with my family to celebrate my birthday. Or, My family and I also decorate Easter
eggs for Easter Sunday. Having children make these kinds of observations can help them see the
similarities amongst others, rather than just seeing the differences in culture, color, and race. I

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believe that if more people saw the similarities rather than the differences the world would be a
better place. I think that weaving in this book into the lesson will spark a little light into the
students and they will be able to see how much they have in common with other cultures,
allowing them to appreciate and accept differences.

2) Roberts, N., Cesar Chavez and La Causa. Canada: Regensteiner Publishing Enterprises, Inc.,
1986.

Cesar Chavez and La Causa is a book about the movement that was started by Chavez in

1962. La Causa led the struggle for human rights and dignity of migrants and farm workers. It
starts by giving a brief description of his early life and his ancestors. His Papa Chayo, his
grandfather was a slave in Chihuahua, Mexico, due to his unhappiness he crossed the U.S.
Mexico border in the 1800s where he took on various back breaking jobs. His parents Librado
and Juana Chavez were also very hardworking and raised and provided for their children to the
best of their abilities. Chavez was just a small boy and like many other migrant families he had
to move wherever the crops went, not giving him any sense of stability. In 1942 he graduated
from middle school and instead of going to high school he decided to work in the fields full time
because his family really needed him to. In 1944, Chavez joined the Navy and went on to fight in
WWII, when he came back he realized that the conditions for migrant workers had not improved
and that in fact they had worsen. He wanted to do something about it and that when he started
working with community service organizations to help the farm workers and other
underprivileged people. He was an advocate for peaceful demonstrations and lead various
boycotts and marches. The NFWA was founded in Fresno on September 30, 1962 which later
became known as the United Farm Workers. Chavez was supported by many influential leaders,

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like Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy. Cesar Chavez believed in dignity, justice and
human rights of all people, and for that he fought. He was able to obtain contracts and unions for
farm workers that had their voices unheard.

Having children read about and study Cesar Chavez during the National Hispanic

Heritage month will be very beneficial to their studies and appreciation of leaders of color. This
book not only covers the life of Chavez but also the lives of other underprivileged minorities that
were living in this era. The pictures in the text will also give students a visual idea of what the
marches looked like and how people of many ages and races or backgrounds came together in
unification for one cause. I also think that it is very important to expose students to leaders from
a variety of backgrounds so they can relate to them and see that if someone from a similar
background as them was able to accomplish great things so can they. Studying Chavez during
this month will also allow students to see what a great positive impact his contributions had to
the lives of thousands of people, and how it continues to affect people today. The students will
also be able to take into account his background and that you do not necessarily have to come
from a wealthy family to live a fulfilling life where you can give back to the community.

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3) Ryan Muoz, P., Esperanza Rising. New York: Scholastic. 2007.

The novel, Esperanza Rising, is about a young girl that is born in Mexico to a wealthy

family and grows up with an abundance of love from her parents. One day all this happiness was
taken away from her when her father was mysteriously murdered. His ranch, which was the
families greatest source of income was supposed to be inherited by her mother, Ramona.
However, her uncle, her fathers brother, finds a way to maneuver her fathers will and keep the
ranch for himself. Later, he forces Ramona to be his partner for their well-being, she accepts with
the intentions of escaping to America. That is precisely what her and Esperanza do. With the help
of abuelita, they are able to migrate to Arvin, California, a Mexican labor camp. They migrate
during the Great Depression so there was hostility against newly arrived migrants, others felt like
their jobs were being threatened. Esperanza adjusted to her new living conditions, but she tried
so hard to hold on to her memories.

Reading Esperanza Rising in the classroom will be beneficial to the students and closely

relates to the National Hispanic Heritage Month because it describes the life and hardships faced
by immigrants when they first arrive to this country. The students will be able to paint a picture
in their minds of how life is for people that migrate to a new country and the challenges they
must overcome. The book also does a really good job at conveying Hispanic, more specifically
for this text, Mexican family values. Esperanza, her mother and her grandmother remain close
through the entire novel. They undoubtably face hardships, as a family, and independently but
they never forget about one another. Family values is an idea that is deeply embedded in
Hispanic homes. This novel will allow students to become aware of the obstacles many people,
not just Hispanics face when they migrate to the United States seeking and hoping for better
opportunities and a brighter future for themselves and future generations.

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4) Jr. Buckley, J. Who was Roberto Clemente? New York: A Penguin Random House Company.
2014.

Who was Roberto Clemente? is a read intended for children in grades 3-6, it is an

autobiographical chapter book of a Puerto Rican boy who dreamed of making it to the MLB. At
the age of eighteen in, 1952, he arrived at a baseball field in Puerto Rico, where him along with
sixty other dreamers hoped of being drafted into the Major Leagues. His great skills impressed
one of the scouts and a year later he signed with the Brooklyn Dodgers. His career was
impressive and he was elected National League MVP once, All-Star fifteen times, batting
champion four times, and Gold Glove winner twelve times. In 1973, he became the first Latin
American and Caribbean player to be enshrined to the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

In the paragraph above the only things mentioned are his accomplishments, what he is

most famous for. However, Clemente, was a giver, in the offseason he would always go back
home to Puerto Rico and give back to his community. He lived a life working hard to help other
people fulfill their dreams too. He also, like many migrants to the U.S. face hardships. He was
considered a colored player, therefore he was not allowed to stay in the fancy hotels the rest of
his teammates enjoyed. Clemente, is worthy of study during The National Hispanic Heritage
Month because he can give hope to students, reassuring them that dreams can come true when
one works hard. He is also a great example of someone that not only gave back to his family and
to his community but to all of Latin America. In fact, he passed away on his way to deliver aid to
earthquake victims in Nicaragua.

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Bibliography
Norwood Library County of Los Angeles Public Library
4550 N. Peck Road, El Monte, CA 91732
13 March 2015
Books
1. Garza, C. L., In my Family/ En mi Familia. New York: Childrens Book Press, an imprint of
Lee and Low Books Inc. 1996.
2. Jr. Buckley, J. Who was Roberto Clemente? New York: A Penguin Random House Company.
2014.
3. Roberts, N., Cesar Chavez and La Causa. Canada: Regensteiner Publishing Enterprises, Inc.,
1986.
4. Ryan Muoz, P., Esperanza Rising. New York: Scholastic. 2007.