In the Spring, we did a "maker-style" project to analyze and synthesize the meaning of different symbols in Rudolpho Anaya's magic realist novel Bless Me, Ultima. Students were provided with base materials and managed choice guidelines for selecting their group's symbol, were encouraged to bring free or "upcycled" materials from home to create Pinatas to visually represent the aspects of symbols from the novel. A wrap-up conversation with textual evidence and a synthesis of the way symbols play off each other lends academic weight to the "fun" part of the activity.
