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Upper Key Stage 2 Comparing People and Places
Mexico

Discover Mexico with its extreme and varied landscapes and coasts. Discover a rich heritage of music, art, food and dance, and create your own class fiesta showing off your knowledge of this fascinating country.

Session 1 Mexico: land and culture

Objectives

Geography

  • Use maps to locate North America, identifying some of its environmental regions, key physical and human characteristics, countries and major cities.
  • Understand geographical similarities and differences through the study of human and physical geography in Mexico.
  • Describe and understand key aspects of human and physical geography.

Art

  • Improve mastery of art and design techniques, including drawing and painting with a range of materials.

Lesson Planning

Take a trip to Mexico and discover the amazing physical and cultural landscape. Be inspired by traditional uses of colour to paint a landscape with a vibrant and colourful twist.

Teaching Outcomes:

  • To identify and map the key cities and biomes of Mexico.
  • To paint a Mexican landscape with a focus on colour.

Children will:

  • Travel to Mexico and discover the contrasting physical and human landscapes found there.
  • Create a landscape painting using ‘Mexican cultural colours’.

Provided Resources

  • Maps of Mexico and Challenge Mexico
  • Colours of Mexico images
  • Examples of colour driven landscapes

You Will Need

  • Bright and bold paints
  • Painting equipment (brushes/paper)
  • Inks or black paints and thin brushes

Session 2 Mexican fiesta: music and dance

Objectives

Geography

  • Understand geographical similarities and differences through the study of human and physical geography in the southern and western mountain region of Mexico.
  • Describe and understand key aspects of human and physical geography.

Music

  • Appreciate and understand music drawn from Mexican traditions.

PE

  • Observe, choreograph and perform Mexican inspired dances using a range of movement patterns

Lesson Planning

Join a fiesta trail and learn about three Mexican festivals and how they sit in the human landscape. Get moving to some traditional Mexican music dancing to the rhythm and beat.

Teaching Outcomes:

  • Explore and connect the human and physical landscapes of 3 Mexican fiestas.
  • Listen to mariachi music and identify tempo, beat and rhythm.
  • Choreograph a group dance inspired by Mexican fiesta music and performance.

Children will:

  • Find out about 3 fiestas (Day of the Dead, Guelaguetza, and Cinco de Mayo) from across Mexico and discover the human geography behind them.
  • Listen to Mexican mariachi fiesta music, suggesting words to describe its tempo, rhythm and beat.
  • Choreograph their own dance moves in response to Mexican mariachi music.

You Will Need

You do not need any particular resources for this session.

Session 3 A Mexican fiesta: costume and decoration

Objectives

Geography

  • Understand geographical similarities and differences through the study of human geography in the southern and western mountain regions of Mexico.
  • Describe and understand key aspects of human geography.

Art

  • Record observations and ideas in sketchbooks to review and revisit ideas.

D&T

  • Use research and develop design criteria to inform the design of innovative, functional, appealing products that are fit for purpose, aimed at particular individuals or groups.
  • Select from and use a wider range of tools and equipment to perform practical tasks accurately, and select textiles according to their functional properties and aesthetic qualities.

Lesson Planning

Become a magazine journalist and discover the geography behind fiesta costumes and the decorations used to help celebrate Mexican fiestas - create a class ‘special edition’. Be inspired by the fabrics, dyes and decorations used in fiesta costumes, to design and create your own.

Teaching Outcomes:

  • To learn about regional fiesta costume design.
  • To create a series of costume design sketches.
  • To design and make fiesta costumes and decoration.

Children will:

  • Become magazine journalists and find out about fiesta costumes and decorations, identifying the human geography behind them.
  • Sketch motifs and features of fiesta costumes and decorations for a ‘special edition’ fiesta costumes magazine.
  • Design and create fiesta costumes and decorations.

Provided Resources

  • Images of fiesta costumes and decorations
  • Sample magazine mock-ups
  • Design questions

You Will Need

  • Digital cameras or camera enabled devices.

Weblinks

There are no weblinks needed for this session.

Session 4 A Mexican feast and class fiesta

Objectives

Geography

  • Use maps to identify environmental regions, key physical and human characteristics, countries and major cities within Mexico.
  • Understand geographical similarities and differences through the study of human and physical geography within in Mexico.
  • Describe and understand key aspects of human and physical geography.

D&T

  • Understand and apply the principles of a healthy and varied diet.
  • Prepare and cook Mexican dishes using a range of cooking techniques.
  • Know where and when a variety of ingredients are grown.

Lesson Planning

Transform your classroom into a Mexican fiesta kitchen and discover the origins of traditional Mexican ingredients. Create some traditional Mexican fiesta treats. Celebrate your own Mexican fiesta, bringing together your cooking, costumes and dances with an array of Mexican music.

Teaching Outcomes:

  • To learn about the varying vegetation biomes of Mexico and identify some of its key crops.
  • To prepare and cook some Mexican fiesta foods that use Mexican crops.

Children will:

  • Learn about the varying vegetation biomes of Mexico and identify some of its key crops (sugar cane, wheat, tropical fruits).
  • Cook festive Mexican food, including guacamole, savoury tamales and pan de muertos, relating the ingredients to local crops.
  • Bring food, music, costume, decorations and dance together to celebrate a Mexican fiesta.

You Will Need

  • Shopping bag containing Mexican ingredients
  • Ingredients and cooking equipment

Weblinks

There are no weblinks needed for this session.