Latin America and the Caribbean in the Classroom: Resources
Fall 2002, No. 87
Compiled by Nan Volinsky and Christine Klingsporn
Social Justice
The Social Justice Committee designed the “Debt Kit” presentation for small group education to teach about the Third World debt crisis in an interactive way. It is an effective way for people to grasp the history and impact of debt. The kit includes instructions, script, background info and about 100 color illustrations. Designed for 1-session presentations of about 2 hours, it may be purchased for $50 plus $10 shipping (updated 2000) from The Social Justice Committee, 1857 deMaisonneuve ouest Suite 320, Montreal Quebec H3H 1J9. Tel: 1-514-933-6797; Fax: 1-514-933-9517; Email: sjc@web.ca.
Another resource from the Social Justice Committee is its Action Guide: The Third World Debt Crisis and How We Can Respond. This is a 16-page booklet on how to work for debt cancellation. $2 incl. shipping (1999).
The Mapuche Indians in Chile have been fighting for recognition and land rights in the Central region of Chile. At www.xs4all.nl/~rehue/photoe.html, one finds a collection of photos that illustrates the cause that the Mapuche people are fighting for, and gives insight into the culture and the individuality of their group. This is a good introduction to the contemporary struggles in Latin America over land ownership and reform.
At PBS TeacherSource, you may enter a keyword or subject search to find lesson plans and activities that meet state and national standards. An example of a lesson plan is one about El Salvador's political and social history. You may find a PBS online Education section that accompanies the program Justice and the Generals, a 90-minute documentary by Gail Pellett. This site is designed for high-school social studies teachers working with 11th and 12th grade students. These pages consist of four lesson plans with learning extensions, assessment recommendations, and Web links. The Teacher's Guide contains video viewing tips, suggestions for teaching controversial subjects, background readings, and correlative national standards. Teachers can review this section and view the film before engaging students in the learning activities, which can be introduced sequentially or as stand-alone activities.
Justice and the Generals reports on the events leading to the Ford v. Garcia trial, a civil lawsuit brought by the families of four churchwomen found murdered in El Salvador on December 2, 1980. The program also investigates the Romagoza v. Garcia case, in which Salvadoran torture survivors are suing the same generals in a U.S. court. By viewing the film and participating in its accompanying learning activities, students make critical determinations about: the challenges in addressing international human rights violations, the role of United States foreign policy in balancing political interests and justice, the interpretive nature of international humanitarian law, and the judgement of military leaders and those under their command. The lesson plan may be accessed here.
Rethinking Globalization: Teaching for Justice in an Unjust World, edited by Edited by Bill Bigelow and Bob Peterson
This comprehensive collection includes role plays, interviews, poems, stories, background readings, cartoons, and hands-on teaching activities to provide an introduction to the issues around globalization and to inform people who want to make a difference. Topics include: colonialism, sweatshops, child labor, food production and hunger, culture, environment, and consumerism. Also includes a list of additional resources. Historian Howard Zinn says the book "provides an extraordinary one-volume education on wealth, poverty, corporate power, and popular resistance in the contemporary world. This book is both a delight to read and a treasury of ideas and information. I can think of no other book that teaches so much, so engagingly." 2002. Rethinking Schools. $18.95. English.
Spanish and Portuguese
El Condorito is a Chilean comic book is now offered online. Comics and jokes in Spanish are a great way to introduce Spanish language students to humor and cultural issues. Each of the characters, who are introduced and explained on this website, provide quite a bit of insight into the Chilean sense of humor.
The website of Latin World is a compilation of internet resources for children in Spanish, Portuguese and English. Just about anything can be found on this website; literature, politics, games, magazines, information about internet security and even a chat room just for children. There is a special section on children’s books, which would be quite useful in a foreign language classroom.
Cuba
Cuban Culture is a website that provides a great foundation for a lesson on Cuban culture. Some of the topics covered include: photography, architecture, literature, music, dance, the African influence, and many more.
Museums in Latin America
At Museums of the World, you will find virtual museums around the world, including pages featuring 20 Latin American countries: Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Uruguay and Venezuela. The list of museums for each country is quite exhaustive.
Religion
A Virtual Exhibit on Religion in Puerto Rico “A Collector’s Vision of Puerto Rico” is at the Smithsonian Museum. This exhibition examines the history, culture, and traditions of Puerto Rico as reflected in the Teodoro Vidal Collection of Puerto Rican Material Culture, which was recently donated to the Museum. This site also includes a searchable collections database. See the page that focuses on Religion and Catholic Devotions in Puerto Rico.
Visual Images of Folk Religion in Mexico: At Votive Art you can see illustrations and information on Mexican and Spanish ex-votos, milagros, santos, cristos, relics, amulets, nichos, altar tables, colonial art, and retablos. See a personal collection site of Spanish colonial and Mexican antiques. Included are pictures and descriptions of items such as retablos, exvotos, and crosses.
Literature
Latino Voices: Stories of Latin American Immigrants and Their Impact in a Community. Through this collection of stories, 18 immigrants share why they left their countries, and how they journeyed to Minnesota and the challenges they have faced. These voices are immigrants from Mexico, El Salvador, Colombia, Bolivia, Puerto Rico, Ecuador and Chile. Edited by Meredith Sommers and Anne Holzman. 2000. 60 pages; recommended for grades 8-12 and adults. Available at the online bookstore: www.americas.org
This is "a straightforward, easy-to-read format that puts faces on the statistics for my students. The real-life stories enhance discussion on the reasons, conditions, and outcomes of leaving one’s homeland for migration to Minnesota. A timely publication in view of our rapidly changing demographics"–Jan Kurtz, Instructor in Spanish and Latin American Studies, Central Lakes College, Brainerd, MN
Before We Were Free. A novel written by a contemporary author, Julia Alvarez, about a 12 year-old girl growing up amidst a movement to overthrow the Dominican dictator General Trujillo. This novel is recommended for middle school, and recommended by the staff at the Resource Center of the Americas. The book can purchased at the online bookstore at www.americas.org for $15.95.
The Most Beautiful Roof in the World: Exploring the Rainforest Canopy, by Kathryn Lasky, with photography by Christopher G. Knight
Follow the adventures of scientist Meg Lowman as she climbs hundreds of feet into the canopy of the Blue Creek rain forest in Belize in pursuit of insects, spiders, and plants. Find out how scientists collect specimens and learn about the exotic inhabitants of the rain forest. Gulliver Green/Harcourt Brace & Co., 1997
The Great Kapok Tree: A Tale of the Amazon Rain Forest, by Lynne Cherry. A man chopping down a kapok tree in the Amazon Rain Forest becomes tired and lies down for a nap. As he sleeps, all the animals that live in the tree visit him in a dream, begging him to leave their home alone. Discover the world of the Amazon in this colorfully illustrated book. Voyager Books Harcourt Inc., NY, 1990
The Weight of All Things by Sandra Benítez. This novel by an award-winning author portrays life in war-torn El Salvador, as seen through the eyes of a nine-year-old boy. After he loses his mother in the pandemonium that ensues when gunfire erupts at Archbishop Romero's funeral, Nicolas goes searching for her. His perilous odyssey lands him in the midst of another massacre. Young as he is, he understands that guns and violence are not the answer. 2000. Hyperion. $13.95. English.
Study Travel Tours and Interactive Expeditions
The Quest Channel of Classroom Connect features online interactive expeditions. Twice a year, Classroom Connect sends its team of experts – including an anthropologist/archaeologist, biologist, technologist, photographer, and videographer – to explore ancient and modern-day mysteries around the world. Its online student audience helps direct the team as they uncover clues by reading reports, recording evidence, examining photographs, and viewing videos published live daily on the Web site. A one-year subscription to The Quest Channel includes access to two live Quests, each lasting four to five weeks, and use of all the previous Quests. Even though the team has moved on to other adventures, previous Quests are active and educational. Several quests have focused on Latin America: ColumbusQuest (Where did Columbus first land and what was his historical legacy?), AmazonQuest (What is the future of the Amazon?), MayaQuest (Why did the Maya civilization collapse?), and GalapagosQuest (How did the diverse indigenous species originate?).
Lessons are correlated to State standards. Each Quest expedition includes lessons and printable worksheets correlated to state standards in reading and language arts, math, science, social studies, and bilingual education. Teachers can access these lessons in the Standards and Lessons section of the Web site and in the Curriculum Guide sent to teachers for each new live Quest. Beginning with ColumbusQuest, you can assess your students in reading comprehension on a daily basis. Quiz questions are written in standardized test format and will evaluate your students’ knowledge of the Quest reports they read each day. The quizzes can be printed out, graded, and recorded by the teacher to track student progress.
You can purchase The Quest Channel in one of two ways. One is through the online store of Classroom Connect. The other is by calling (800) 638-1639 to speak to a regional sales representative. District and site level pricing are also available.
Travel Study Tour of New York City and Buenos Aires, Argentina. Becoming American: Perspectives on Immigration in the Americas Travel Study Tour, June 16-28, 2003, is a new travel study course that will employ a hands-on research approach to examine the shared immigrant experience in New York City and Buenos Aires as well as the place of immigration in shaping ideas of national identity. Highlights include walking tours of New York immigrant neighborhoods past and present; visits to the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island and the Tenement House Museum and in Argentina an overnight at a working ranch, tour of the first rural colonies established by French and Swiss farmers in the 1860s, guided visits to Buenos Aires museums and immigrant neighborhoods; interviews with Argentines engaged in teaching immigrants and immigration; and a lesson in the tango! Spanish is not necessary and translation will be provided. Ample opportunities for sightseeing will be provided.
A field experience approach has been used to design this tour to make the trip more affordable and to enable participants to interact more closely with the local ambience of these two cities. The course is specially designed for K-12 teachers with an interest in social studies, instructors of Spanish and ESL and advanced undergraduates pursuing licensure in Social Studies or with an interest in Public History. Participants can enroll for either three graduate or three undergraduate credits. The estimated cost of the tour is $3300 pp twin share; enrollment is limited to 20. For further information contact Seth Meisel, 262-472-5149 (meisels@uww.edu) or request an application from UW-Whitewater, Continuing Education (1-800-621-5376). You may also consult http://facstaff.uww.edu/meisels/itinerary.html for the most current information about this tour.