ANCIENT CIVILIZATIONS
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Introducing the Ancient Maya to the Classroom – This curriculum packet, developed by Archaeologist Diane Davies in 2010, provides an introduction to the study of the Ancient Maya and suggests several classroom activities as well as additional resources. Check out all the resources developed by Dr. Davies at her site: Maya World.
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Maya Culture in the Classroom – These materials were assembled for the 2002 Tulane Maya Symposium Teacher Workshop and provide information about the Ancient Maya and a variety of activities to introduce the Maya into the K-12 classroom.
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Ancient Civilizations – (2020) Lesson plans created by Brittney Dayeh, and William Gillispie, both K-12 educators at The Willow School in New Orleans, Louisiana as well as PhD candidate, Catherine Nuckols-Wilde. Check out the website developed for the institute series.
Themes: Tunica-Biloxi, Maya, Aztec
Grades: 3-12
Subjects: ELA, History
CENTRAL AMERICA
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Central American Heroes - This unit was created by April Tondelli as part of her participation in the Central America: People & the Environment workshop series, 2022.
Grades: 6 - 12
Subjects: English, History -
Economics of the Panama Canal - Unit created by William Gillispie as part of the Central America: People & the Environment workshop series, 2022.
Grades: 11-12
Subjects: AP Macroeconomics -
Signs of Change - Curriculum on the Contemporary Maya, 2012
Grades: 9 - 12
Subject: Art, English, Spanish
ENVIRONMENT/SOCIAL JUSTICE
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Exploring Foods of the Columbian Exchange
Grades: K-6
Subjects: Social Studies
Region: General Latin America -
Ecuador’s Oil Legacy: Media Skills, Justice & Preservation
Grades: 6 - 12
Subjects: Environmental Science
Region: Ecuador. Lessons connect to Latin American Environmental Media Festival winning film, ¡Justicia Now! (preview entire film here), 2010.
Explore: Take a Google Earth Tour of the communities involved in this lesson. -
Environmental Literacy Across the Curriculum
Grades: K - 8
Subjects: Environmental Science
Region: Costa Rica -
¡Huelga!: A Social Studies Unit on the Farmworkers' Movement
Grades: 6-8
Subjects: ELA, Social Studies
Regions: U.S./Central America -
Plátanos: Learning about Bananas
Themes: Economic, geographic and social issues behind the banana trade
Region: Central America
Grades:10-12
Film: Banana Split
Subjects: World History/Geography
CULTURE AND IDENTITY
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Exploration of the African Diaspora in the Americas - Curriculum Unit design as part of summer teacher institute, 2007.
Grades: K-12
Subjects: Social Studies, History, Spanish, Geography
Region: Cuba, Brazil, General Latin America -
Teaching Brazil: Expanding Perspectives on Colonial History - Curriculum Unit designed as part of a summer teacher institute in Brazil. August 2019.
Grades: K-12
Subjects: Social Studies, History, Spanish, ELA -
Geography and Identity in the Brazilian Amazon – Curriculum Unit based on the film, Iauareté, Waterfall of the Jaguar, 2007.
Grades: 6-12
Subjects: Social Studies -
Haitian Folktales – Curriculum Unit about Haitian folktale, Tezin: le poisson d’eau douce: Conte de la tradition haitenne
Grades: K-4
Subjects: ELA, French -
Introduction to Brazil
Grades: 9 - 12
Subjects: Spanish, World Geography -
Teaching Cuba: Shifting Perspectives and the Global Landscape – A curriculum developed out of the 2015 and 2016 Summer Educator Institutes in Cuba, these lesson plans explore diverse topics of Cuban culture, society, history, and environment. Adaptable for all grade levels. Please see Race, Power, and Identity in Cuba: Past and Present Primary Source Activities for the curriculum developed by Primary Source from our 2017 teacher institute to Cuba.
Grades: K-12
Subjects: History, Spanish, Art -
Race, Power, and Identity in Cuba: Past and Present Primary Source Activities – In this activity-based curriculum, students utilize primary sources to explore how structural racism shaped experiences and identities of Afro-Cuban communities. This curriculum was inspired by Tulane University’s Summer 2017 Cuban Culture & Society K-12 Teacher Institute and created by the curriculum specialists at Primary Source. Adaptable for high school Spanish, Language Arts, Social Studies, Visual Arts, and Art History.
Grades: 9-12
Subjects: History, Spanish, Art -
Día de los Muertos Across the Americas – This curriculum packet, an ongoing project, introduces Día de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, in different parts of the Americas. The packet includes background information on various Day of the Dead traditions, classroom activities, and external resources. A great resource which can be used for a variety of grade levels.
Explore: Google Earth Tour.
Grades: K-12
Subjects: ELA, Spanish, Social Studies, Art, Science -
Connecting New Orleans and Latin America – This curriculum introduces the longstanding connections between New Orleans and Latin America. The curriculum focuses on historic connections and the importance of trade and immigration to such issues.
Explore: Additional Teaching Resources; Google Earth Tour.
Grades: 6 - 12
Subjects: World History, Louisiana History, Spanish -
Land of Diversity – A comprehensive high school social studies course on Latin America consisting of 19 units highlighting the history, geography, and culture of the region.
Grades: 9-12
Subjects: Social Studies, Spanish
LATIN AMERICA THROUGH LITERATURE
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Beyond the Book – A curriculum guide to Mayeros: A Yucatec Maya Family.
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Creative Recycling with Ada’s Violin by Susan Hood and illustrated by Sally Wern Comport – This curriculum uses Ada’s Violin, a 2017 Américas Award Winner, to introduce students to concepts of recycling, poverty, and solving problems. Created for a Grade 3 classroom.
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Malaika’s Costume – A Grade 3 curriculum based on the 2017 Américas Award Honorable Mention book Malaika’s Costume written by Nadia L. Hohn and illustrated by Irene Luxbacher (Simon and Schuster, 2016).
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Rainbow Weaver: Tejedora del Arcoíris – A Grade K-3 curricululm based on the 2017 Américas Award Commended Title Rainbow Weaver: Tejedora del Arcoíris written by Linda Elovitz Marshall and illustrated by Elisa Chavarri (Lee and Lowe, 2016).
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Yum! ¡Mmmm! ¡Que Rico! – A Grade 2-3 curriculum based on the Américas Award winning book, Yum! ¡Mmmm! ¡Que Rico!, written by Pat Mora and illustrated by Rafael López (New York: Lee & Low, 2007).
RESOURCES FOR THE SPANISH LANGUAGE CLASSROOM
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La tierra mágica: Una exploración cultural de la América – A resource guide on Latin American culture, designed to be used in classes of Spanish for U.S. students at the advanced high school or intermediate to advanced college level.
Grades: 9-12
Subjects: Spanish -
Los tres grandes: Mexican Muralist Movement – A complete lecture and slide show featuring the works of the Mexican Muralists: Rivera, Siqueros, and Orozco.
Grades: 9-12
Subjects: Spanish, Art -
Historias de migración/Stories of Migration - This unit was written to support using the Américas Award winning and commended books in World Language classrooms. Produced by the Consortium of Latin American Studies Programs (CLASP) on behalf of the Américas Award, it was written in 2021 by Christi Moraga.
Grades: 9-12
Subjects: Spanish