Global Updates From World View
May 2009

Resources for Teaching Latin America

(Click to enlarge)

Global Education in NC Learning with the World: NC Schools Partner with Schools in China The UNC Center for International Understanding (CIU) is a leader in connecting North Carolina schools to the world. One CIU program, International School Partnerships, partners NC middle and high schools with schools in China, Denmark, and Mexico. Students are not only learning about the people and places of their partner school, but they are learning to work together through collaborative projects and exchanges. Students and teachers across the state and in Denmark, Mexico, and China have benefited greatly because of these partnerships. To read more about what’s happening with China partnerships in North Carolina, click here. R-S Center High's partner school, Heng Shanqiao Senior High School in Changzhou, China.

Teaching about Latin America is not only important for North Carolina’s sixth grade teachers, but for all educators. As we experience a growing number of immigrant students in our classrooms it is becoming increasingly more important for educators and students to learn about the countries in Latin America from which these students come. This month’s Global Update provides resources for learning and teaching about Latin America. Included are links to maps and country profiles, current events and news about the region, curriculum resources, and additional local resources.

Perry-Castañeda Library Map Collection, University of Texas, Maps of the Americas
www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/americas.html

David Rumsey Map Collection
The David Rumsey Historical Map Collection has over 20,000 maps and images online. The collection focuses on rare 18th and 19th century North American and South American maps and other cartographic materials. www.davidrumsey.com/

CIA, The World Factbook
www.cia.gov/library/

National Geographic
Central America:
travel.nationalgeographic.com/places/
regions/region_centralamerica.html


South America:
travel.nationalgeographic.com/places/
regions/region_southamerica_reg.html

Mexico:
travel.nationalgeographic.com/places/
countries/country_mexico_cntry.html

US Dept of State, Background Notes
www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn

CNN Americas Section
www.cnn.com/WORLD/americas/archive/

New York Times, Americas Section
www.nytimes.com/pages/world/americas/index.html

Perspectives from around the World:
Encourage your students to think critically and examine issues relevant to Latin America through a different, non-American lens, as well as through the information they receive from American media. The internet has opened the door to finding resources with multiple perspectives. Ask your students if they agree with the view points presented and why or why not?. Help your student develop a true global perspective. The following sites will help:
www.newseum.org (Front pages from newspapers around the world)
www.world-newspapers.com/americas.html (Links to newspapers from the Americas)
www.world-newspapers.com/south-america.html (Links to newspapers from South America)
www.fair.org/index.php   (a national media watch group, offering criticism of media bias and censorship)
www.linktv.org/   (Link TV broadcasts programs that engage, educate and activate viewers to become involved in the world. These programs provide a unique perspective on international news, current events, and diverse cultures, presenting issues not often covered in the U.S. media.)

Outreach World, a group representing the Title VI National Resource Centers recommends the following lessons or activities:

Grades K-5
1. Aztec Folk Literature:
outreachworld.org/resource.asp?curriculumid=959

2. From Corn to Tortillas:
outreachworld.org/resource.asp?curriculumid=990

3. Latin American Literature:
outreachworld.org/resource.asp?curriculumid=989

4. Mayan Mathematics and Architecture:
outreachworld.org/resource.asp?curriculumid=996

5. Mercado:
outreachworld.org/resource.asp?curriculumid=997

6. Three Latin American Folktales:
outreachworld.org/resource.asp?curriculumid=1000

7. Through the Eyes of a Child:
outreachworld.org/resource.asp?curriculumid=1036

Grades 6-8
1. Effects of European Explorations in Latin America:
outreachworld.org/resource.asp?curriculumid=349

2. Folk Dances / Los Viejos:
outreachworld.org/resource.asp?curriculumid=577

3. In My Other Life:
edsitement.neh.gov/view_lesson_plan.asp?id=272

4. Latin American Geography:
outreachworld.org/resource.asp?curriculumid=545

5. Migrations:
outreachworld.org/resource.asp?curriculumid=218

6. People and Place: Curriculum Resources on Human - Environmental Interactions:
outreachworld.org/resource.asp?curriculumid=629

Grades 9-12
1. Border Studies Curriculum:
outreachworld.org/resource.asp?curriculumid=150

2. Celebration of Mexicanos Through Music, Dance, and Art:
outreachworld.org/resource.asp?curriculumid=977

3. Do I Have Culture?:
outreachworld.org/resource.asp?curriculumid=575

4. Gabriel García Márquez:
outreachworld.org/resource.asp?curriculumid=572

5. Human Rights in Latin America: http://outreachworld.org/resource.asp?curriculumid=549

6. Introduction to the Caribbean:
outreachworld.org/resource.asp?curriculumid=214

7. Land of Diversity:
outreachworld.org/resource.asp?curriculumid=282

Additional Curriculum Units:

Choices, Brown University
Caught Between Two Worlds: Mexico at the Crossroads
This unit involves students in Mexico's wrenching economic and cultural transformation. It probes Mexico's complex identity and history, from a Mexican perspective, to bring students face-to-face with the policy choices confronting the people of Mexico today. A proposed 5-day lesson plan and all materials are included. choices.edu/resources/detail.php?id=8

Contesting Cuba's Past and Future
The unit puts students in the role of Cubans today as they consider Cuba's future. It traces Cuba's highly contested history from the country's pre-colonial past to its most recent economic, social, and political changes. A proposed 5-day lesson plan and all materials are included. choices.edu/resources/detail.php?id=188

The Cuban Missile Crisis: Considering its Place in Cold War History
This unit probes the complex relationship between the United States and Cuba, and examines the crisis that brought the world to the brink of war. A proposed 5-day lesson plan and all materials are included. choices.edu/resources/detail.php?id=15

From Colony to Democracy: Considering Brazil's Development
This unit explores the choices Brazilians faced as the country transitioned to democracy in the mid-1980s and introduces historical forces that informed debates at that time. choices.edu/resources/detail.php?id=45

Rethinking Schools
The Line Between Us: Teaching about the Border and Mexican Immigration
The Line Between Us explores the history of U.S. - Mexican relations and the roots of Mexican immigration, all in the context of the global economy. It shows how teachers can help students understand the immigrant experience and the drama of border life. www.rethinkingschools.org/publication/mx/index.shtml

TeachGlobalEd.net, Online Resources for Global Educators
Professor Merry Merryfield at Ohio State University provides a treasure trove of resources on Latin America. teachglobaled.net/display.cfm?parent=96

The Consortium of Latin American and Caribbean (CLACS) is a Title VI National Resource Center located at UNC at Chapel Hill and Duke University. In addition to the resources listed below, The Consortium can provide workshops, assistance in developing specialized curriculum, and guest speakers for classrooms. Workshops can be tailored to meet the needs of individual teachers or schools. If you're interested in a workshop, partnering to develop curriculum, or locating a guest speaker, contact LeAnne Disla at leanne.disla@duke.edu.

Multimedia presentations
These downloadable PowerPoint presentations are available for K-12 teachers and administrations who wish to use them as supplementary material. Students may also find them useful for projects and/or presentations. isa.unc.edu/outreach/multimedia.asp

Film
This webpage provides an online catalog of more than 400 films in English and Spanish available for free rental and a list of recommended films for primary and secondary classrooms. Guides to selected films are also available for download. isa.unc.edu/film/films_main.asp

Curriculum list
Curriculum written by CLACS employees is available for download, as well as links to other recommended curriculum books and guides for teaching about Latin America and the Caribbean. clacs.aas.duke.edu/outreach/CurriculumList.php

Culture discovery boxes
Culture discovery boxes include artifacts, publications, and photos from some of the diverse indigenous communities found throughout Latin America. Culture boxes are available to borrow from the Consortium. www.duke.edu/web/carolinadukeconsortium/K-16_community/culturebox.htm

"NC Meets Mexico" traveling exhibit
This photo exhibit chronicles a group of NC educators as they traveled through Mexico in 2000. The exhibit is available for display in schools, community centers, or public facilities as a focal point of cross-cultural dialogue between North Carolinians and the Mexican community. isa.unc.edu/outreach/crossingborders.asp

Day of the Dead traveling exhibit
This exhibition includes many objects which may be used in planning an altar display to celebrate Day of the Dead. Those wishing to borrow this exhibit can construct their own altar or use existing display space. The Duke-UNC Program can help with this planning. www.duke.edu/web/carolinadukeconsortium/K-16_community/dayofdead.htm

The CLACS Outreach Office is very interested in partnering with you to bring Latin America and Caribbean-related programs to your school. To develop a partnership, send your ideas for collaboration to Outreach Program Coordinator LeAnne Disla at leanne.disla@duke.edu.

Learning with the World:
NC Schools Partner with Schools in China

The UNC Center for International Understanding (CIU) is a leader in connecting North Carolina schools to the world. One CIU program, International School Partnerships, partners NC middle and high schools with schools in China, Denmark, and Mexico. Students are not only learning about the people and places of their partner school, but they are learning to work together through collaborative projects and exchanges. Students and teachers across the state and in Denmark, Mexico, and China have benefited greatly because of these partnerships.

R-S Central High School in Rutherford County
Lori Lambert, assistant principal at R-S Central High School and Jennifer Patton, English teacher, led a group of 16 students and 4 adults on a program to China. The group visited sites in Beijing, Xi’an, and Shanghai. The itinerary also included a two-day visit to their partner school in Changzhou. For more details and photographs go to the R-S Central High School's website at www2.rutherford.k12.nc.us/education/school/school.php?sectionid=24

First Flight High School in Dare County
English teacher, Jane Shipman, and social studies teacher, Brian Phoebus led a 12 day tour to China last March. The group of 13 included 11 students who spent 3 days in Shanghai before moving on to a 4 day stay in Wuxi visiting their partner school. The group then flew to Xi’an and Beijing before returning.

Sanderson High School in Wake County
Sanderson High hosted four teachers and eight students from Zhonghua High School in Nanjing, China last March. This visit was a continuation of the school’s partnership exchange that began in 2006. The students stayed with host families and attended classes. The students who hosted will receive reciprocal arrangements when they travel to Nanjing in the fall of 2009. Since initiating the partnership in 2006, Sanderson has received 2 teacher/administrator delegations from Zhonghua, sent a teacher/administrator delegation to Nanjing, and introduced an elective focusing on Asian Studies.