Bless Me, Ultima

Use these questions or activities to help gauge students’ familiarity with and spark their interest in the context of the work, giving them an entry point into the text itself.

Short Answer

1. What is the Chicano Movement? When and where did it take place? Why did it come about? In what ways did it impact Mexican American identity, art, and expand the discourse on American Civil Rights?

Teaching Suggestion: As exploration of the Chicano Movement may involve trauma related to police brutality and racism, students may benefit from content warnings, reminders of preestablished SEL strategies and difficult discussion protocols, and emphasis that the purpose of the activity is to understand the historical context of the novel. This activity can be used as an individual, paired, or group activity. For time management, consider assigning groups to a single resource and related question and then having students share their findings with the rest of the class.

• This webpage from the University of Washington highlights major events that occurred during the Chicano movement.
• This article from History.com includes an overview of the Chicano Movement with an emphasis on its impact on Mexican American identity.
• This article from the University of New Mexico’s Rudolfo Anaya Digital Archive illuminates broad characteristics of the literary genre, highlighting the ways in which the Chicano Movement led to the mainstreaming of Chicano literature.
• This database from New York’s SVA library offers multiple resources for exploration of the Chicanx Art Movement.

Short Activity

Close read and annotate one of the poems provided, noting imagery, unfamiliar vocabulary, and cultural references. Then, research the vocabulary and references to get a better understanding of what they mean within the poem. Finally, pull your annotations and research together into a poster or slideshow that displays your annotations and research. Your finished product should include a space that answers the following question: How do the imagery and historical and folk references within the poem help characterize the landscapes and/or cultures of New Mexico?

Teaching Suggestion: Students can complete this activity individually, in pairs, or small groups. Remind students that the exercise is intended to familiarize students with landscapes and folkways close to the novel’s setting while close reading for stylistic elements. Consider requiring each student or group to cover a different poem from those referenced below to avoid repetition. Consider requiring the Sonny Bohanan poem from at least one student or group to ensure vocabulary related to the Llano Estacado is pre-taught before starting the novel.

• This poem “Llano Estacado” by Sonny Bohanan and this collection of poems from New Mexico Magazine offer a wide range of imagery and cultural references related to the novel’s setting.

Differentiation Suggestion: English language learners, emerging readers, and students with attentional or executive functioning differences may benefit from graphic organizers or templates and pre-highlighted or annotated resources.

Personal Connection Prompt

This prompt can be used for in-class discussion, exploratory free-writing, or reflection homework before reading the novel.

Think of a place you feel connected to, that inspires you, or that you consider special. This could be a physical space such as a room at home or a place in your community, or it could be abstract, such as a digital space or dream. Using sensory details, describe this place with the intention of conveying why it matters to you. Next, using figurative language or simply by reflecting, describe the power you draw from this space and how it influences your actions, habits, and beliefs. Would you be the same person without this place? Why or why not?

Teaching Suggestion: Students may benefit from teacher modeling of the activity either in writing or verbally as an example of how to approach the prompt. Students may also benefit from a general class share out of potential places before tackling the prompt.