Building Bridges, Not Walls

Remember that this class will work as a collective. This means that we will show care for everyone, help one another learn, help one another understand, work together, talk together, share our ideas, and work to trust one another.

As a whole class, review your shared values. Use these during your discussions.

A. Warm up

Think about the questions below. Talk about your ideas with your classmate(s).

1. Do you live near a border?
2. Is it easy or difficult to cross a border?
3. Why do people need to cross borders?
4. Why do countries make borders?

B. Vocabulary Preview

In this section, you will preview the vocabulary from the reading. You can check your answers to Exercises 2-3 afterward by visiting: Answer Keys by Chapter.

Exercise 1:

These are the words that you will learn in this chapter. How many words do you already know?

Exercise 2:

Choose the best word or phrase to match each definition. Use a dictionary to help!

1. being together with one purpose (noun)
   1. Border
   2. Bridge
   3. Unity
2. a board that children can sit on to go up and down (noun)
   1. Unity
   2. Seesaw
   3. Cello
3. a boundary that separates two places (noun)
   1. Nature
   2. Seesaw
   3. Border
4. a musical instrument with strings like a large violin (noun)
   1. Bridge
   2. Cello
   3. Detention Center
5. the outside world; for example, trees and plants  (noun)
   1. Cello
   2. Nature
   3. Seesaw
6. a structure that connects two places
   1. Bridge
   2. Detention Center
   3. Nature
7. a place like a jail; people can’t leave it
   1. Bridge
   2. Unity
   3. Detention Center

Exercise 3:

Choose the best word or phrase to complete each sentence. Please note: screen readers will read the blank spots as “underscore.”

1. I live on the  _ of the U.S. and Canada.
   1. cello
   2. border
   3. nature
2. My sister plays the _. It is a beautiful instrument.
   1. border
   2. nature
   3. cello
3. Children do not belong in a _. They should be playing and going to school.
   1. detention center
   2. unity
   3. seesaw
4. The Golden Gate _ goes over San Francisco Bay.
   1. Unity
   2. Bridge
   3. Border
5. We took the children to the playground. They love playing on the _.
   1. cello
   2. nature
   3. seesaw
6. People can help one another with their problems. This is an example of _.
   1. bridge
   2. unity
   3. border
7. Walking in _ is a peaceful activity. You can see flowers and feel the fresh air.
   1. nature
   2. bridge
   3. border

C. Prepare to read

Get comfortable in your seat. Pay attention to your body and your place. Take three slow breaths. Now you are ready to read.

D. Read all about it!

Building Bridges, Not Walls

Did you know there are seventy-four border walls in the world? There are more border walls now than in the past (Vallet). But why? Walls separate children and families. Walls are bad for nature. Walls cost a lot of money to build and to guard.

Four artists went to the Mexico-U.S. border. They made art to show their opinions about the wall.

In September 2017, an artist named JR made a large picture of a child. The child is looking over the border wall in Tecate, Mexico. The child’s name is Kikito. He is one year old. JR wants to show that the child does not see a wall the way an adult sees a wall (Stewart). He wants people to know that children are in detention centers.

On April 13, 2019, Yo-Yo Ma played a cello concert. He is a classical musician. He played on both sides of the Mexico and U.S. border. One concert was in Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas Mexico. The other concert was in Laredo, Texas, USA. He wanted to send a message about the border wall. That is, he wants us to build bridges, not walls (Martinez et al.).

In the summer of 2019, two artists named Virginia San Fratello and Ronald Rae worked together. They made pink seesaws as art. The art was on the border wall between El Paso, Texas, USA and Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico. Children from both cities played on the seesaw. The artists wanted to show that unity is better than a wall. They also wanted to show that children should be playing. They should not be in detention centers (Cascone).

Art is a bridge. The four artists showed that bridges are better than walls.

E. Grounding

• Notice your feelings about the reading.
• Which parts gave you those feelings?
• Why?
• Now let go.
• You can take three deep breaths, stretch, or count down from ten.

You can choose to talk about your reactions or not. Maybe you want to think or write quietly, or maybe you want to talk. Our reactions teach us about our beliefs and experiences.

F. Discussion

Read the questions below, then look at the reading again. Talk about the questions with your classmate(s). Where did you find the answers?

1. Who is JR?
2. Why did JR make a large picture of a child on the border wall?
3. Who is Yo-Yo Ma?
4. Why did he play his cello in two cities?
5. Who are Fratello and Rae?
6. Do you know any border wall art from your community? Talk about it.

G. Topics for Writing

1. What is the main idea of the reading? Explain the main idea with support.
2. Write about JR. What did you learn about him?
3. Write about Yo-Yo Ma. What did you learn about him?
4. Write about Fratello and Rae. What did you learn about them?
5. Which border wall art from the reading do you like the best? Why?

H. Project!

Option 1:

Find a quote online or on social media, a song, an art piece, or a poem about border walls. You can choose something from the reading, or something else. Tell why you chose this. Explain it to a partner or in a small group.

Option 2:

Choose a country or area. Find out more about immigrants and refugees. Use the internet to find information about these questions. You can use English or another language to read/listen. Explain your information to a partner or in a small group.

• How many immigrants and refugees are in the country/area? Where are they from?
• What rights do the immigrants and refugees have? For example, can they work and drive a car?
• How many border walls does the country/area have?
• How many detention centers does the country/area have?
• Share at least one more thing you learned about immigrants and refugees in the country.

I. More Information

• Texas Public Radio (Video): Cellist Yo-Yo Ma Plays Bach in Shadow of Border Crossing (4:45). This video shows Ma on stage in front of a river, a bridge, and a border crossing. His hat reads “Laredo”. The sign on the building across the river reads “México”. Words on the screen read, “Yo-Yo Ma / Laredo, TX / Juarez-Lincoln International Bridge”. Two people are on stage with Yo-Yo Ma and words on the screen read, “Enrique Rivas / Mayor – Nuevo Laredo”. The mayor of Nuevo Laredo introduces him in Spanish saying, “We are going to have the presence of Yo-Yo Ma. Who we welcome. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you for being here to enjoy this wonderful pleasure of being able to enjoy it here at the border of the two Laredo’s. Thank you and good morning.” There are a few U.S. border police around the audience with guns in their belts, and there are a few Mexican border police across the river with large guns in their hands. Ma opens his arms to the audience, smiles, and nods, then he turns around, waves across the river, shakes his head, and frowns. He begins to play music on his cello. He reads aloud the words on the Statue of Liberty from his cell phone. People and cars cross the bridge. One person returns to the stage and words on the screen read “Pete Saenz / Mayor – Laredo”. He gives Ma a large golden key. People from the audience later speak to the camera. Their names appear on the screen: “Eileen Terrazas / Laredo Resident”, “Alvin Gonzalez / Laredo Resident”, then “Andrew Carranco / Laredo Resident”.