Debunking Myths About Migration, Poetry, and More

Yesenia Lopez, Language Arts/English teacher at DuVal High School in Lanham, Maryland, used three resources from the Teaching Central America website.

Lopez used the lesson Building Collective Memory Through History and Poetry which includes the article “Debunking 8 Myths on Why Central American Children Migrate to the U.S” to analyze reasons why Central American families come to the United States. She showed an AJ+ video to the class highlighting the history of foreign interventions to discuss how the US has historically affected Central America. 

Lopez then used Central America: An Introductory Lesson, which includes profiles of various Central American figures to focus on how the various people contributed to the region. She shared:

Students were receptive to the new information and had various questions to ask. They enjoyed meeting different people and noticed how the people were central in shaping the respective countries positively and negatively. 

Lastly, she had students read and compare various Central American poems and then write a poem or short story about a similar struggle that students share. 

Lopez said the lessons gave the students an opportunity to not only learn more about Central America but also see how it connects to current events. She shared:

Student feedback was positive. Students from Central American backgrounds and non-Central American students both felt that the lessons were engaging and interactive. They state that they learned a lot about this part of the world and saw how this connects to current events. 

You can access Lopez’s presentation here.