Cinco de Mayo (intermediate level) 1
CINCO DE MAYO 1. You don't have to be Mexican to celebrate Cinco de Mayo. In fact, more Americans celebrate this holiday than Mexicans. Do you think of May 5th as Mexico's 4th of July? It's not! Mexico's Independence Day is actually on September 16th. 2. Cinco de Mayo celebrates the Mexican army's win over France at The Battle of Puebla in 1862. This was a difficult win. France had a much larger army than Mexico. President Juarez declared May 5th a national holiday to inspire his country's army to keep fighting. France eventually returned to Mexico with a much bigger army and occupied the area. The French army marched on to take over Mexico City. In 1862, the US was in its own civil war and was unable to help Mexico. After the French occupation in Mexico, the civil war ended in the US. America was in a better position to help Mexico regain its independence. 3. In the state of Puebla, Cinco de Mayo is a big deal, but it is not a national holiday. In Mexico, businesses and schools remain open on the fifth of May. Internationally, Cinco de Mayo is becoming more commercialized. Many Mexicans compare it to Ireland's St. Patrick's Day. Everyone wants an excuse to have Mexican night! 4. Cinco de Mayo celebrations feature Mexican food, drinks, and dancing. Typical Mexican fare includes tacos, enchiladas, and chili. Adult partiers wash down the spicy food with frozen margaritas and Mexican beer. Traditional Mexican food is not the same as Tex-Mex. For example, Mexicans don't add melted cheddar cheese to tacos! 5. Mexican culture is colorful and upbeat. This is why people outside of Mexico are attracted to it. The official colors of Cinco de Mayo are red, white, and green. These are the colors of Mexico's flag, which is held high on this important date. Children celebrate Cinco de Mayo by breaking open piñatas. They wear blindfolds and take turns striking at paper mache animals or Mexican themed figures. Piñatas are hollow inside and are filled with treasures and candy. Did you know that the piñata tradition actually came from Italy? Many North American children have piñatas at their birthday parties. 2
CINCO DE MAYO - continued 6. Cinco de Mayo celebrations also feature mariachi music. The mariachi ensemble plays violins, trumpets, and various types of guitar including the high-pitched vihuela and the deep bass guitarron. You'll know a mariachi band by the classic shout known as the "grito mexicano". The audience and the musicians may sing this part. Mariachi musicians dress in matching suits with shiny buttons. They also wear traditional Mexican hats called sombreros. The Mexican hat relay is a great game to play on Cinco de Mayo. Teams face off down a long hallway. Each player has to dance as fast as he can around a sombrero before returning to his spot. This game is a spin off of the Mexican Hat dance, the traditional dance of Mexico. READING COMPREHENSION A. Practice asking and answering the following questions with your partner. Then write the answers in the spaces below. 1. When is Mexico's Independence Day? 2. Why was the Battle of Puebla such a surprising victory? 3. What was happening in the US when the French invaded Mexico in 1862? 4. What holiday is Cinco de Mayo similar to? 5. Name two types of beverages mentioned in the reading. 3
READING COMPREHENSION - continued 6. True or False. Red, white, and blue are the national colors of Mexico and the US. 7. True or False. Piñatas are generally filled with tiny flags for children to wave during parades. 8. Name a few types of instruments played by mariachi musicians. 9. What is the "grito mexicano"? 10. Describe the Mexican hat relay. VOCABULARY REVIEW A. Match the definition on the left with the correct word on the right. 1. took power over a region 2. something really important 3. a low tone or sound 4. the anniversary of a country's freedom 5. a material used to block one's eyesight 6. a battle within one's own country 7. wet gluey paper formed into a shape 8. to clear food from the mouth 9. entertainment inspired by a previous version 10. for profit making purposes a) Independence Day b) occupied c) civil war d) a big deal e) commercialized f) wash down g) blindfold h) paper mache i) bass j) spin off 4
VOCABULARY REVIEW B. Odd Word Out. Which word does not belong in the group? Circle the odd one out. 1. a. guitar b. low c. paper d. bass 2. a. spin b. clear out c. drink d. wash down 3. a. occupied b. blindfold c. control d. war 4. a. freedom b. independence c. big deal d. commercialized 5. a. piñata b. paper mache c. civil d. treasures C. Mariachi Man (partners) Play hangman with a Cinco de Mayo theme! Look at the vocabulary list. (Your partner should not look at the list.) Choose a word. Tell your partner which word form your chosen word belongs to. (adjectives, nouns, verbs) Write the number of blanks required on the back of your lesson paper. Example: Adjective m m _ (Your partner guessed "m". The answer is "commercialized".) Each time your partner guesses a correct letter, place it in the appropriate space. Each time you partner guesses an incorrect letter, draw one part of the mariachi player. (Draw all of the details, including the suit, buttons, sombrero and instrument). Your partner must guess the word before the whole man is drawn. Now it's your partner's turn to draw. If this game is too easy, try using words from the reading that are not in the vocabulary list. 5
PAIR WORK Myths about Mexico - Pair Guessing Game Directions: You and your partner each have a list of statements about Mexico. Take turns reading your list out loud. Ask your partner if she/he thinks each statement is a myth or not. Then, take your partner's survey. Share the correct answers. Who guessed the most correctly? Student A 1. In Mexico, November 1st is a day for remembering infants and children who have died, while November 2nd is a day to remember those who died as adults. (True) 2. Many Mexican businesses close for a break between 2 and 4pm. (True) 3. Americans don't need a passport to fly to Mexico. (False) 4. Traveling around Mexico is easy if you know English. (False-only in tourist areas) 5. Pollution is a major problem in Mexico City. (True) Student B 1. You will never need a sweater or coat in Mexico. (False-high altitude areas get cold-even snow) 2. Car insurance is required in Mexico. (True) 3. Mexican food is too spicy for most foreigners. (False-chile peppers are more common in Tex-Mex food than traditional Mexican food) 4. Cinco de Mayo is Mexico's Independence Day. (False) 5. Mexico has more Spanish speaking people than Spain. (True) 6
PARTY IDIOMS A. Matching: Work alone or with a partner. Try to match the definition to the correct idiom. Ask your teacher to check your answers before moving on to Part B. 1. party pooper 2. to have/throw a bash 3. to dance your face off 4. hangover 5. to be stuffed 6. to crash a party 7. to be the life of the party a) to attend a party that you are not invited to b) the feeling you get after eating too much c) sickness after drinking too much alcohol e) to dance really hard throughout the party f) to host a big party g) a person who tries to calm a party or leaves a party early h) to be the #1 source of entertainment at the party B. Write a Dialogue: Now work with a partner. Write a dialog between a few guests at a Cinco de Mayo party or event. Use some of the idioms from Part A. Present your dialogue to the class. 7
TEACHER S NOTES PRE-READING WARM UP - Word Association Use the word "Mexico" to play a game of Word Association. 1. Form a circle with the whole class. 2. The first person should shout the word "Mexico". 3. The next person says a word related to Mexico, such as "sunshine". 4. The next person says a word related to sunshine such as "sky". 5. If a student says a word that is not truly related to the previous word (such as "pancake" after "sky"), the class can object to it. If necessary, students can vote on whether the word is related or not. 6. Restart the game after each long pause or after an incorrect word is shouted. Always start the game with the word "Mexico". Note: During the warm up, try to write all of the words that you hear on the board. If a word is not pronounced correctly, write the word or sounds you heard with a question mark (such as "clue?" for "cloud"). Practice the pronunciation of these words together after the game. ANSWER KEY READING COMPREHENSION 1. Mexico's Independence Day is September 16th. 2. The Battle of Puebla was a surprising victory because France had a much bigger army than Mexico had. 3. The US was involved in a civil war when the French invaded Mexico in 1862. 4. Cinco de Mayo is similar to Ireland's St. Patrick's Day. 5. Two beverages mentioned in the reading are frozen margaritas and Mexican beer. 6. False. The national colors of Mexico are red, white, and green. 7. False. Piñatas are generally filled with candy and treasures. 8. Instruments played by mariachi musicians include violins, trumpets, and different types of guitars. 9. The "grito mexicano" is a classic shout you hear mariachi members (or members of the audience) making during a song. 10. In the Mexican hat relay, two teams face off down a long hall. Each member of the team has to run down the hall and dance around a sombrero. VOCABULARY REVIEW A. Matching 1. b 2. d 3. i 4. a 5. g 6. c 7. h 8. f 9. j 10. e B. Odd Word Out 1. c 2. a 3. b 4. d 5. c PARTY IDIOMS 1. g 2. f 3. e 4. c 5. b 6. a 7. h 8