Students

Session # 1

Good morning class 5-409! I hope you're excited because today we will begin our journey through Latin America. All of you in this classroom are from different countries in Latin America and each country has a unique history and culture. Take a few moments to look at the map above and try to locate the country you are from in Latin America.












Good! Now that you have looked at the map, I would like you to turn to your partners and together choose a country in Latin America that you would like to study and learn more about because after our journey and research we are going to create a travel brochure about that country.








Click on the link to help you choose and decide on which country you will work on with your partner. Check it out here at Latin American Escapes.


After you have chosen a country with your partner, I would like you to click here to write your names and the country you have chosen. Be sure to register an account with your partner before you complete the task.


Next, with your partner I want you to use the map of Latin America to try and match each Latin American country to its' capital. You can find the matching game here.





Once you have finished the matching activity with your partner, I would like you to watch this slide show of Latin America. You will need to click watch on youtube in order to view the slideshow. Once you have watched the slide show I would like you to answer the following questions for homework-

1) What are some of the characteristics that define Latin America's land terrain?

2) Did you notice any historical landmarks? (hint: think about our unit on Mayas, Incas, Olmecs etc.)

3)Did you see any evidence of culture in this slide show?

4)What did you like best about this slideshow?

**Answer these questions in your Social Studies notebook.
**Click on the highlighted word to find out the definition of the word.

Session 2




**In case you did not understand my voki, today we are going to do some reseach on the countries we chose yesterday. We are going to learn how to create a three-column brochure on microsoft word, but before we do that lets do some research on your country's:
1)Culture
What type of foods do natives of the country you're researching eat?
How do the native people dress?
Is there a traditional clothing unique to the culture?

2)Religion
Are the people in the country you are researching mostly of Christian, Muslim, Jewish faith etc.?
What does religion have to do with culture?
Does religion dictate culture?

3)Historical Landmarks
Are there any famous historical places in the country you are researching?
Are there any ancient ruins? Can you find a historical timeline of the country you are studying in one of the links below?
How is the history of your country related to the culture of the people from your country?

4)Language
What languages are spoken in the country you are researching?

5)Form of government
What type of government is in place? (Examples-Democratic, Federal Republic..etc.)

6)Physical Landscape
What are the characteristics of the land?
Is it rugged, mountainous, flat?
How is the climate?
Are there waterfalls, rivers, deserts, rainforests... in your country?

7) Economics/Resources
What type of crops are grown?
What are the natural resources of the country you are researching?
What type of currency do they have?

**You can either log onto your account here and work with your partner to take notes from your research, or you can use the graphic organizer to help you organize your notes from your research. Replace the image in the center circle with the name of your country. You may copy this graphic organizer into your Social studies notebook instead of completing this online and printing out your information. Below the graphic organizer are a list of sites that will help and guide you in your research of your country.



Here are some useful links:
Yahoo Kids
Au Pair
Below is an example of culture in Argentina.


Below here is an example of a video that shows you how some of the terrain in Peru looks like.



Check out more videos of Latin America at earthoria.com (You can also find some cool articles here about some of the countries you are researching)
Some more links to look at as you are researching-
LatinAmerica
odci.gov
For the Brazil group
Check out photos of different countries in Latin America
More on Latin America
*THIS SITE IS FOR EVERYONE TO USE

On your laptops,for tomorrow's homework I would like you to look at tutorial 1 and tutorial 2. These tutorials will show you how to use Microsoft Word to:
A- Insert Clip Art images from the Web and Microsoft Word &
B- Create a three part brochure

**If you are having any trouble understanding the directions come in to class next week with questions. I will help and guide you through the directions.

Session 3
Hello class! Before we begin our brochures, here are two games that will test your knowledge of Latin America's geography. See how well you do!

Game #1 Listen to the capital, and click on the capital's country.
Game #2 Where on the map do I belong?


Once you are finished with both of the games, you may start working on your brochures using Microsoft Word.

Here is a checklist for your travel brochure:

Possible Points
Points Earned
1.
Travel brochures should be neat.
20 points

2.
Travel brochures should include artwork.
20 points

3.
Travel brochures should include at least 5 major points about the country being researched
(e.g., crops, resources, population, geography, historical landmarks,capital city).
20 points

4.
Travel brochure should be colorful.
20 points

5.
A map of the country should be included in the travel brochure.
20 points


Total Points
100

Also, below is an example of how your brochure may look like. Feel free to add more images of your countr on the cover of your brochure.

Latin America Example 2

**When you are done with your brochure be sure to print it out.

Teacher Lesson Plan

Lesson Plan
Unit: Traveling in Latin America
Grade: 5th Grade
Level: Advance


Learning Objectives

Students will be able to:

-Analyze the physical characteristics of places in the Western Hemisphere (e.g., climate, resources).
-Interpret and utilize maps
-Research a country in Latin America
-Use the World Wide Web for research.
-Analyze information using social studies tools (e.g., graphs, maps, charts, tables, etc.)
-Demonstrate an understanding of concepts related to the study of time, continuity, and societal change throughout history.
-Demonstrate an understanding of concepts related to the study of the contributions, influences, and interactions of various cultures.
-Demonstrate an understanding of concepts related to the structure and function of government.
Create a three part brochure

Learning Standards
Standard 2:
Students will study world history, cultures and civilizations and the important contribution of individuals and groups.

Performance indicators -
Students:
study and communicate about different world cultures and civilizations focusing on their accomplishments, contributions, values, beliefs, and traditions.
demonstrate an understanding of past, present, and future time periods.
explore the lifestyles, beliefs, traditions, rules and laws, and social/cultural needs and wants of people during different periods in history and in different parts of the world.
utilize media to become aware of current events.

Standard 3: Geography

Students will use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding of the geography of the interdependent world in which we live—local, national, and global—including the distribution of people, places, and environments over the Earth’s surface.

ESL Learning Standards:

Standard 1: Students will listen, speak, read and write in English for information and understanding.
Standard4:Students will listen, speak, read and write in English for classroom and social interaction.
Standard 5:Students will demonstrate cross-cultural knowledge and understanding.

Materials/Equipment:

-Blogger
-Computers with Internet access and Microsoft Word software for student use
-Printer
-Tutorial 1 and Tutorial 2 links
-Typing paper


Prior Knowledge/Motivation
Students have studied the Mayans, Incas, Olmecs and the Aztecs. This unit is part of the Latin American curriculum and although all my students are from different parts of Latin America, it would be interesting for them to study and research countries other than their own in Latin America. Students will be exposed to videos, images, online games, online references and this will most certainly benefit ESL students because the technology alone provides them with motivation to engage in this project based learning unit.

Procedures:

Session 1- Introduction-
-Students will be introduced to the countries in Latin America. In this session students will activate their prior knowledge. They will work with their assigned partner to navigate the web and become acquainted with the geography of Latin America. They will study and analyze a map by locating the capitals of each country in Latin America using an online matching work sheet. Students will also watch a video on Latin America and answer several questions about the video which will be done on their online notepad. Links to word definition are also provided.
-Students will also choose a country they would like to research and create a brochure on. Partners will post their country on an online notepad.

Session 2- The research begins!
Students will use a graphic organizer and/or the online notepad to answer questions and take notes on their country’s culture, religion, historical landmarks, language, form of government, and physical landscapes. Students will navigate several websites, and watch several videos about the country for which they are researching.
For homework, students will be required to review the tutorials about how to use insert clip art images from the web in to Microsoft Word. They will also have to review a tutorial on how to create a three part brochure that will be created on Microsoft Word.

Session 3- Project-Assessment
First students will take an online quiz game which will test their general knowledge of Latin America’s geography.
Then with their partners students will use the research they have collected to create a three part brochure. Students will use their notes to organize a three column brochure

The First column will include information on:
Capital
Official Language
Type of Government
Economy

The second column will include:
A map of the country
A brief summary of the country and its history

The third column will include information about
Culture
Religion
Historical Landmarks

Reflection:
This unit provides students with an opportunity to investigate and peruse the web for concrete examples of the countries they are studying. They are virtually traveling the country through the internet and they will gather information and acquire knowledge about the country they are studying. They will then be able to apply their knowledge into a brochure which they can present to their peers.