Centro Teaching Guide Frank Bonilla
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Centro Teaching Guide Frank Bonilla: The Legacy of Frank Bonilla Developed by Victoria Núñez’s Table of Contents I. Introduction to the teaching guide II. Curriculum Map for leading a unit on Bonilla in K-12 settings III. Discussion questions on The Legacy of Frank Bonilla IV. Frank Bonilla Biographical Essay V. Background historical essay VI. Bibliography I. Introduction Frank Bonilla was a university researcher and community activist. Educated at the City College of New York, Columbia and Harvard, Bonilla worked on research projects in New York’s Puerto Rican community, various Latin American countries, and Latino/as nationwide. He published his research and other writing in numerous books and articles during his lifetime. Bonilla was one of the few Puerto Ricans in academia stateside in the pre-civil rights era. He concentrated his work on Puerto Ricans and Latin Americans from the start of his career. As the founding director of the Center for Puerto Rican Studies in the City University of New York, he took a leading role in shaping the field of Puerto Rican studies. In studying Bonilla’s life, we gain insight into Puerto Rican social movements that responded to chronic problems facing Puerto Ricans in the states and sought to build political power; This teaching guide is built around a documentary produced by the Center for Puerto Rican Studies. The teaching guide responds to a broad question: What are the contributions of Puerto Rican migrants to the cultural, intellectual and daily life of cities in which they settled such as New York City? By posing a broad question (essential question), we seek to emphasize the broader aim that teaching a unit like this can support. Studying the accomplishments of Puerto Ricans at different points in the 20th century provides students with an opportunity to learn about Puerto Rican’s contributions to the intellectual, political and economic development of U.S. society. As an outcome of the teaching and learning activities suggested here, students will advance in a number of areas: 1) historical awareness of postwar history of New York City’s diverse populations; 2) cross cultural awareness. Texts used for this teaching guide include: 1) Aguiar, E. (2011). The Legacy of Frank Bonilla. Documentary. Centro de Estudios Puertorriqueños. 2) A 1968 speech by Bonilla,“Education and the Puerto Rican in the United States Today.” A comprehensive bibliography included in this guide offers many other options. For K-12 teachers, this teaching guide responds to the following Common Core State Standards (CCSS): High School ELA/History-Social Studies: -Integrate and evaluate multiple sources of information presented in diverse formats and media in order to address questions or solve a problem. Reading Standards for Informational Texts Grades 11-12 -Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text, including determining where the text leaves matters uncertain. -Integrate and evaluate multiple sources of information presented in different media or formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively) as well as in words in order to address a question or solve a problem. Essential Questions Enduring Essential Knowledge, Assessments: Formative Understandings Concepts and Skills (F) and Summative (S) (An essential Students will know (K) question is broad Puerto Rican [information specific to Frank Initial diagnostic enough that it can be Studies was an Bonilla]: ungraded: short used across multiple outcome of the answer questions or curriculum units, and 1 or 2 of Bonilla’s most Civil Rights student interest even for a whole significant contributions Movement; survey (F); school to the development of It is necessary to brief review of semester/year) Puerto Rican studies in adopt a critical students’notes: the states; stance toward students pause and the connections between research and jot notes while Migrants and the Puerto Rican activism writing about viewing children of and the civil rights subordinated documentary(F); migrants movement in the U.S. ethnoracial Brief individual contribute to the Frank Bonilla contributed groups in order to conferences during culture of their to institution building in subvert the the unit(F); country in the stateside Puerto discriminatory Brief recorded multiple ways. Rican community as a biases that are observations of What are the founder of the Center for either consciously students’ contributions of Puerto Rican Studies. He or unconsciously participation in Puerto Rican was an early contributor a part of this whole group and migrants to the to defining the priorities research; small group cultural, for study in the newly The study of activities. (F); intellectual and emerging field of Puerto culture includes Journal writing in daily life of cities Rican studies; the study of social response to in which they Bonilla believed in change prompts: What is settled such as reconstructing the movements. In Bonilla’s purpose in New York City? university culture of studying Bonilla’s his 1968 speech, research through: life, we gain “Education and the interdisciplinary research, How can we insight into Puerto Puerto Rican in the de-valuing individual draw on the Rican community United States voices of researchers re- history of Puerto institutions that Today?” What valuing a collective voice, Rican social responded to reforms does he change to inform chronic problems seeking direction from the propose are needed choices and and sought to community to guide to improve the decisions in the build political research; education of U.S. present? In other power; build skills in gathering Puerto Ricans? (F); words, how can Puerto Ricans information from archival Performance task: we tie the have carried their documents; Small group lessons of the culture into the build skills in gathering presentations that past to the diaspora, and information from oral include 4 power present? transformed that histories; point slides or 1 culture. Puerto apply, analyze and group poster that Rican studies synthesize information addresses one of the enhances the from primary and essential questions study of culture secondary sources; for the unit; (S) as people live it support a position with Performance task: in the present, as relevant facts; Students will create well as historical a timeline that perspectives on incorporates culture. significant dates One consistent from Bonilla’s life theme in Bonilla’s and significant work is the power national and of knowledge. international Students will understand Bonilla events relevant to these concepts ( c ) emphasized that his experiences. (S) all individuals Students need to cultivate circular migration; demonstrate a critical stance Learning Activities transnational analytical thinking in order to migration through discussing Students are understand dependency different divided into groups information about perspectives on one to study documents Puerto Ricans of the changes from both the and other Students will build the Bonilla advocated, postwar period of the subordinated following skills (S): either through 1950s and the groups; community work or period of the war on in academia (for poverty. They will identify cause and effect Strategies Used to example: the case look for the by reviewing the continuity and the Teach problems that concerned in favor of offering changes in American Puerto Ricans and the Puerto Rican Concepts or Skills ideals. Small group response through studies at the discussions will community organizing; college level). engage students and take notes while listening Students will offer an opportunity to instructor presentation consider both for informal oral and watching a Bonilla’s case for Instructor’s assessment documentary the change and presentation to the Pairs or groups of arguments opposing whole group; recognize different students will be interpretations of a set of the idea. (S) The use of at least asked to identify facts; one documentary similarities and identify and use primary will provide visual Teacher and Classroom differences in two and secondary sources reinforcement to Resources documents, in information gather information perception of a provided through from speeches, articles and problem, in instructor books/ chapters; arguments in The Legacy of presentation and place events in favor of solutions, Frank Bonilla, dvd reading; it will chronological order and even in style. documentary available reinforce key Gather information through Centro de instructor reads concepts from oral histories (as Estudios aloud to Instructor models a captured in transcripts, Puertorriquenos; students from 4 slide power point documentaries, web sites); speeches, or presentation; Apply, analyze and nonfiction texts; Instructor models synthesize information from At least one students read the creation of a primary and secondary print text by Bonilla. silently from double strand sources; This guide includes the speeches, timeline; Write to incorporate text of a 1968 speech nonfiction texts; students create information from primary and by Bonilla,“Education graphic organizers secondary sources; and the Puerto Rican in in small groups, Fair and consistent the United States then in pairs, then participation in group Today.” A individually. i.e., T planning for group comprehensive chart considering performance tasks. bibliography included in arguments in favor this guide offers other and opposed to options. 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