As I plan for my end-of-year third grade animal unit in Spanish, I have put together online resources to share about my use of the “alebrije" cultural artifact in an integrated art/language arts culminating project. This lesson can be applied to other languages as well. Perhaps there is a similar form of artwork in other cultures as well that compares/contrasts well with the alebrijes.
1.
Alebrijes are fantasy animals / animals of imagination created by artisans of Oaxaca, Mexico. These figures are usually carved of native copal wood, but these forms may be also found made of paper mache; they are always whimsical and painted with bright colors and are very child-appealing. These web pages provide solid background information as well as inspirational material for the eventual projects.
2.Children review names of farm animals and pets from second grade, using pictures of alebrijes, whenever possible. Children review where animals live (in a house or a farm), as well as how many feet
(patas) each animal and other significant body parts – head and tail, etc. I also show an example of a real that I have purchased from Crizmac.
Sources of photos to download:
Sources for more animals: Either do search with alebrije + name of animal desired or visit commercial sites like these that carry Mexican folk art:
(send for a catalogue to see their complete selection)
3.Children learn names of common zoo animals and animals found in Connecticut, also reviewing body parts and adding new places where found – woods, zoo, again using pictures of alebrijes whenever possible
4.We review our syllabary in Spanish with the song Eme, a, ma from Spain and then practice writing animal names we know.
See my Alphabet page for more details about this catchy song.
5. We create our own fantasy animals together as a class, combining two animals to make one.
el perro + el gato = el perrato o el garro
When possible, we also play any of these online interactive games (using a Smartboard) to give us inspirations:
7.Children then choose pictures of two animals. They write the name of the two animals like this on a piece of paper or whiteboard and create new names.
8.Children first receive a worksheet made on plain copy paper held landscape fashion. There is a huge rectangle which a short composition to be filled in underneath. The children do a “rough draft” first. The composition in Spanish changes from year to year but usually reads something like,
“My two favorite animals are _______ and _______. My new fantasy animal is a ______________. It lives in ________________ and eats ___________. It has ___________ feet, etc.”
The children then receive a final worksheet run off on white construction paper to complete. The child fills in the composition part and cuts and then pastes his/her drawing of the alebrije from the "rough draft" inside the construction paper rectangle.
Online examples:
This alebrije-themed art/composition work makes a wonderful bulletin board. I save the third graders’ projects and display them in September as they “rule the school” then as fourth graders. I have also done this project with fifth graders whose compositions and drawings are much more sophisticated. All children really have enjoyed doing this project. More information about this project can be found here.
For teachers with more time and a room of their own, you could have children also make their own real alebrijes out of "Model Magic" which is easily colored with markers and dries quickly. Working directly with the school's art teacher is another option for paralleling lessons as well.
Another interesting link -- tee shirts!:
