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Grief, identity, and mental illness

9th grade

3 week unit

By Yaylin L.

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“I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter” by Erika Sanchez

  • Socio cultural background - diverse background: Latinx, students with a “shared” identity (one or both parents may be from another country while they were born here or even if they were born in another country while living in the US)
    • For ELL students:, there are free youtube videos with Mrs. Cardona

reading out loud all the chapters. Students can follow

along with their book while listening to her talk.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9CRgMtLoeuI&t=12s

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What Does This Book Bring to the Table?

Grief and how we deal with it

STEREOTYPES of mental health in hispanic cultures: Depression - can be seen as lazy or selfish. Mental illness can be seen as not real. Allow journal time!

Living in america while being undocumented (or having immigrant parents)

Personal identity

LGBTQ in hispanic cultures

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Syllabus

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WEEK 1:

iNTRODUCTIONS

  • Read until ch 9 by end of the week
  • Throughout the week we will have journal prompts that allow students to respond to what they have read.
  • What does it mean for you to be mexican? Guatemalan? White? Puerto rican? Black? Venezuelan?
  • Turn in journals by Monday next week

WEEK 2:

Guest speaker - social worker who works with refugee children.

  • Read until ch 19 by end of the week
  • How do those children’s background affect our main points? (guest speaker)
  • Small groups to talk about immigrants/workers and the pros and cons
  • Turn in journals by Monday next week
  • Turn in digital narrative by Friday

WEEK 3:

Help others through the lens of a social worker

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  • Read the rest of the book (ch 29)
  • Pick one of our main topics and do research on how you can help someone in need in that topic. What resources would you give them? Think like a social worker. They are filled with resources!
  • Turn in journals by Thursday this week
  • Research due Monday next week

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Detailed Activity - Digital Narrative

Digital narratives can be made in any format (PP, video, podcast, collage, acting it out, poems, etc)

I want to know what makes your ethnicity you and do you identify as your ethnic background or as american or do you hyphenate? (guatemalan-american) The main idea of this is to unravel your identity as best as possible and share how race and identity play a role in your life. Keep in mind our main points (grief, identity, and mental illness) Do you see yourself in Sanchez’s story? How? What are some goals you have and how does your background play a role in that?

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Final Project

  • Pick one of our main topics and do research on how you can help someone in need in that topic. What resources would you give them? Think like a social worker. They are filled with resources!
  • Create a WEBSITE for yourself and explain why it is important to grieve or talk about mental health or educate others on immigration. Give your targeted audience the resources they need.
  • Think about their needs: is it shelter? Food? Therapy? Nearby clinic?
  • Remember to think locally first