Heritage Spanish Mini-Unit: El Apagón (Bad Bunny and Puerto Rico)

As one of the most popular Latino artists today, Bad Bunny is undoubtedly an icon of this generation. More than just a reggaetón mastermind, Benito Martínez Ocasio is also known for his controversial lyrics, outspoken activism for the LGBT+ community, and advocacy work for and in Puerto Rico.

This 11-day unit introduces students to three inter-connected topics: Bad Bunny, artist and activist, the historic and contemporary government of Puerto Rico, and the current energy crisis plaguing the island nation. Don't have time to devote 2-3 weeks to the theme, but still want your students to glean as much as they can from the unit? In the teacher guide, I've also detailed how these materials can be meaningfully introduced to your classes in just 4 days without losing out on valuable learning and discussion!

This entire unit is built around the now-famous video put out by Bad Bunny on 09/16/2022: El Apagón / Aquí Vive Gente. This music video and documentary duo takes a close look at Puerto Rican pride, the electrical grid and land rights crises, and the historical contexts that led to both.

What's included in this resource?

- A complete teacher guide, walking you through both the 11-day unit and the condensed 4-day unit version.

- Eight songs, covering an array of topics, with introductory analysis questions for each (each song is high school appropriate; single use of a swear word in 3 of the 8 songs)

- Introduction to Puerto Rico with ...

• Map
• Historical timeline
• Videos and social media posts
• Comprehension, analysis, and connection questions
• Webquests about Taíno culture, contemporary Puerto Rico, and LUMA Energy

- Two articles (one online, one print) each with multiple choice comprehension questions and an answer key

- Graphic organizers

- Analysis activities

- Connection to Human Rights / Social Justice topics

Please note: Due to the reflective and exploratory nature of this resource, it is not possible to provide an answer key for anything other than the two multiple-choice activities related to the articles. Those answer keys are included in this resource.