Tag Archives: hispanic history

The Reconquista

Here at Mark’s Text Terminal chagrin has arrived with the first day of Hispanic Heritage Month 2018. As I marshall materials for material to post for the month, I find my archives nearly empty. What makes this especially embarrassing is the fact that I work in an inner-city high school with a substantial population of teenagers whose families hail from across the Hispanic world.

So some of the material that I post this month, I’m sorry to say, may in fact be a bit of a stretch in terms of relevance to the letter of Hispanic Heritage Month. This reading on the reconquista and its accompanying comprehension worksheet may indeed epitomize that stretch. In any case, however, I think these are useful documents for any high school global studies course. What do you think?

If you find typos in these documents, I would appreciate a notification. And, as always, if you find this material useful in your practice, I would be grateful to hear what you think of it. I seek your peer review.

Fidel Castro on Trial

La historia me absolvera.

History will absolve me.”

Speech at trial for raid on Moncada barracks, 16 October 1953

Excerpted from: Shapiro, Fred, ed. The Yale Book of Quotations. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2006.

Cultural Literacy: Pancho Villa

Here is a Cultural Literacy worksheet on Pancho Villa in observation of the first day of Hispanic Heritage Month for 2018.

If you find typos in this document, I would appreciate a notification. And, as always, if you find this material useful in your practice, I would be grateful to hear what you think of it. I seek your peer review.

Vicente Blasco Ibanez

“(1867-1928) Spanish novelist. Blasco Ibanez’s early, naturalistic novels, dealing with life in his native Valencia, are generally considered his best; these include La barraca (The Cabin, 1898) and Canas y barro (Reeds and Mud, 1902). Later, he wrote the novels that won him great popularity and financial rewards, perhaps at the expense of his literary reputation. Among these are Los cuatros jinetes del Apocalipsis (The Four Horseman of the Apocalypse, 1916), a World War I story, and Sangre y arena (Blood and Sand, 1909).”

Excerpted from: Murphy, Bruce, ed. Benet’s Reader’s Encyclopedia, Fourth Edition. New York: Harper Collins, 1996.

Independent Practice: Aztec Civilization

It’s September 15. Today National Hispanic Heritage Month begins. I interpret the month’s mandate broadly, so I’ll post materials on people and events from across the Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking world in the Americas.

Here is an independent practice worksheet on Aztec civilization to get the month started.

If you find typos in this document, I would appreciate a notification. And, as always, if you find this material useful in your practice, I would be grateful to hear what you think of it. I seek your peer review.

Postcolonialism

So today seems like an appropriate time to post this reading on postcolonialism along with the comprehension worksheet that accompanies it. This reading deals with postcolonial literary movements and personalities, so if you’re reading Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, or other postcolonial literature, this might be a useful adjunct.

If you find typos in these documents, I would appreciate a notification. And, as always, if you find this material useful in your practice, I would be grateful to hear what you think of it. I seek your peer review.

Hispano-Mooresque (adj)

“General term encompassing all artwork, architecture, and decorative art produced in Spain under Muslim and Christian reigns and the resulting hybrid styles. Dates from the 8th to the 16th centuries.”

Excerpted from: Diamond, David G. The Bulfinch Pocket Dictionary of Art Terms. Boston: Little Brown, 1992.

Cultural Literacy: Orpheus and Eurydice

Have you ever seen the movie Black Orpheus? It’s something I would love to use in the classroom, but I fear it may be a tad too complicated (fast-moving subtitles, for one thing, might cause some challenges) and subtle for the students I serve. It’s a masterpiece by any standard and available from the excellent Criterion Collection with an array of edifying extras.

So, here is a Cultural Literacy worksheet on Orpheus and Eurydice that would, I think, serve as a useful adjunct to a viewing of the truly great film.

If you find typos in this document, I would appreciate a notification. And, as always, if you find this material useful in your practice, I would be grateful to hear what you think of it. I seek your peer review.

The Weekly Text, March 23, 2018, Women’s History Month 2018 Week IV: a Reading and Comprehension Worksheet on Queen Isabella of Spain

Well, it’s Friday again, so it’s time for another Weekly Text, which continues to to observe Women’s History Month. So, here is a reading on Queen Isabella of Spain with a comprehension worksheet to accompany it. As long as we’re on the subject of royalty in modern history, here is an Everyday Edit on the women in King Henry VIII’s life to complement the longer exercises on Queen Isabella. Incidentally, if you want more of these Everyday Edit exercises, the good people at Education World have posted a year’s supply of them free for the taking.

If you find typos in these documents, I would appreciate a notification. And, as always, if you find this material useful in your practice, I would be grateful to hear what you think of it. I seek your peer review.

The Weekly Text, October 13, 2017, Hispanic Heritage Month Week V: A Reading and Comprehension Worksheet on the Panama Canal

Today is the final Friday of National Hispanic Heritage Month. This week, Mark’s Text Terminal offers a reading on the Panama Canal together with this comprehension worksheet to accompany it.

I debated myself at some length about whether or not these materials properly fit with the idea of National Hispanic Heritage month. In the final analysis, I think this short article does a nice job of exposing the kind of imperial meddling Latin Americans have dealt with for centuries.

If you find typos in these documents, I would appreciate a notification. And, as always, if you find this material useful in your practice, I would be grateful to hear what you think of it. I seek your peer review.