Get your own Free Home PageGENERAL CURRICULUM IDEAS Part 2
Food - EARLs Writing 2,3; Communication 2,3; Geography 2,3; Economics 1
Have groups of students research various areas/questions relating to the food grown, consumed and exported from a Latin American country. The teacher could provide a web page or URL's and resources for students to use. The teacher could provide questions similar to those listed below, or classes could develop a list of their own. Have groups research specific questions and report back to the class. Perhaps students could be assigned an individual essay to reflect what they had learned about that specific country. Food-related questions could include:
What percentage of the economy comes from food production? How much is processed and/or consumed within the country? Where is the food grown? How much of the country's land is available for food production? What is the climate and geography that supports the agriculture? What foods are produced that are different from those in our area? Are there ecological consequences from food production? How much does the average person spend on food and what percentage of their salaries does food consume? How does this compare with statistics in the U.S.?
International Pen-Pals - EARLs Writing 1,2,3; Geog. 3.3; Communication 2,3
Research addresses of schools in Chile or other countries on Internet or from other resources. Begin with photos of students and a brief written answer to 3 or 4 basic questions: What is the most important thing in your life? What is a problem you have? What interests you? Exchange photos, writing, drawing, school info, etc.
Mining in Chile - EARLs Geography 1.1; History 1,3
Mining has gone through various booms and depressions in Chile's history. Identify mining regions on a map of Chile. Research and analyze the booms and depressions in the mining industry and their impact on Chile's history and economic development.
Philosophy of Settlement - EARL' History 1,2
Contrast the history of the settlement of the U.S. as opposed to the conquest of Latin American countries. What impacts were different in the two hemispheres? What was the basic philosophy of the settlement? How did those policies/philosophies affect the development?
Nationalism in Symbols - EARLs Art 4.4; History 1
Learn the colors and designs of some Latin American flags. What history and symbolism determined them? What are the words of some of their national songs?
Spoken Language and Accents - EARLs Communication 1
Chileans drop final s's and d's in their Castellano or Spanish accent. Compare and contrast English accents: Texas drawl, British English, New York, Boston, Mississippi, Midwest, etc. Take a sentence and speak it in as many different accents as students can think of. Compare these to different Spanish accents. Try to find audio or video recordings of different accents.
Time - EARL' Math 5
Chileans, as do many other Latin Americans, use military time for schedules. Use a digital clock capable of showing military time in the classroom. Write the classroom schedule in military time.
Polite Conversation - EARLs Communication 1,2,3
Have students practice the appropriate speech for a variety of situations they would encounter in a Latin American country. Consider different greetings, giving and following directions, purchasing items, and other situations they would immediately encounter when traveling.
Standard Conversions - EARLs Math 1,5
When studying Latin American countries, have students practice converting using the metric system and Celsius system. Remind students that all food bought will be in grams, all distances in meters and kilometers, all temperatures in Celsius, etc. Students could be given or could be asked to develop their own story problems, using terms from Latin American countries.
Economy - EARLs Math 3; Economics 1
Given various economic statistics of Latin American countries, have students represent them through graphs, pie charts, or other pictorial representations. Make presentations and discuss impacts. Study the economic concepts of tariffs and free trade.
Advertising - EARLs Reading 1,2
Given various pictures of advertising from Latin American countries (from newspapers, magazines, pictures of billboards, metro advertising, television commercials, etc.) have student determine the products, and discuss and analyze differences in advertising style. Can students make any generalizations about culture from this discussion?
Uniforms in Schools - EARLs Communication 3.1, 3.2, 3.3; Writing 2.2
Brainstorm and compare or debate advantages and disadvantages of having uniforms in schools. Use photos of students from Latin American countries.
Exports - EARLs Economics 1.5; Geography 2.3
What does Chile export and to what other nations? Use map of the Pacific rim to show port cities, ports of entry, possible sea routes. Use a map of Chile to identify where crops, minerals, and export resources come from.
Maritime History - EARLs History 1.1, 1.2, 2.1, 2.2, 2.3; Economics 1.5
The Panama Canal versus the Straits of Magellan. How has Chile's history been impacted? Draw sea routes prior to Panama Canal, showing port cities in South America including Valparaiso, Iquique, Antofogasta, Puerto Montt, La Serena, etc. Draw sea routes post Panama Canal. Choose a port city to research maritime activity: Valparaiso for example is an international port influenced by English, French, German, and Italian.
Metro Maps/City Maps - EARL' Geography 1.1; Communication 2,3; Writing 2.2
Obtain metro or city maps of Latin American cities. Have students work in small groups and tell them that they will be exploring a city. Provide a list of the kinds of places you wish them to visit and/or a list of the objects that you wish them to obtain. Students must be able to describe in detail the route they took.
Social Security System in Chile - EARLs Economics 1.1, 1.4; History 2.1; Geography 3.3
Chile has received much praise for the privatization of it social security system. Have students research the basic structures of the U.S. and Chilean systems, and compare and contrast positive and negative aspects of each one.
Money - EARLs History 2; Math 1
Obtain Latin American currency (or photocopies) which frequently pictures historical figures and events. Research the historical significance of the people and events. Have students check newspapers or call local banks to determine the current exchange rates. Have students price 5 items that they regularly purchase and calculate their corresponding prices in the Latin American currency.
Air Pollution - EARLs Geography 1.1, 2.2; Science 3.1,3.3; Health & Fitness 3.1, 3.2
Santiago, Chile, struggles with smog and particulate air pollution. Locate Santiago, between the Andes and coastal mountain ranges. How does its location contribute to the smog problem? Identify health problems caused by smog--respiratory distress, hospitalization of children, etc. How does Santiago rank in top polluted cities of the world? How many other developing cities in Latin America struggle with pollution? What efforts are being made to improve the air quality? How could the U.S. be a positive role model environmentally? What have we done to improve air quality?
Soccer - EARLs History 2,3; Reading 2,3
Research the structure of the World Cup Soccer playoffs. What is the cultural impact of soccer: songs, Chilean cheer, team colors and uniforms, partying in the streets. Compare the traditions to U.S. traditions. Identify key players, names, pictures. Use the newspaper to find sports information on Latin American soccer players.
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