Central America The Land Bridge The Land of

Central America The Land Bridge

The Land of Central America Land Bridge • Millions of years ago N. America and S. America were separated by seas. • Tectonic plates began pushing and pulling. • Volcanoes formed and the lava poured out to eventually create this land bridge.

Volcanoes and Earthquakes � Volcanoes still bubble and erupt � They cause damage and help fertilize the land � Earthquakes occur more often about 200 in the past 30 years � Towns/Capitals have been destroyed and rebuilt several times ex. San Salvador… 9 times Costa Rica Volcano

Central Highlands/Coastal Lowlands � Central Highlands have had many volcanoes � Helped form the mountainous areas � Very fertile land � Many Central Americans live in this area � Coastal Lowlands are flat, hot, wet, rainforest � Frequent floods occur and wash away nutrients � Deep rooted crops like bananas � Plains have grasslands, very dry � Cattle ranching and some farming occurs

Share Your Knowledge � Draw a basic outline map of the Central American area � Use a map key/Color Code or Picture Code � Label Central Highlands, Coastal Lowlands, Pacific Lowlands/Plains � Label Lake Nicaragua and Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea � Label the 7 countries in Central America � NO WRITING WORDS ON MAP ONLY THE TITLE ◦ Grade will be on neatness, accuracy of map, the seven countries, color code or picture code

Central America Climate and Resources Day 2

A Tropical Land � Tropical climate due to location to equator � Temperatures very greatly from day time to night time � Elevation differences: tierra caliente, tierra templada, tierra fria ◦ Tierra caliente---Lowlands, tropical crops like sugarcane cacao, hot ◦ Tierra templada---Central Highlands, warm days cool nights, perfect for growing coffee ◦ Tierra fria---highest parts, pleasant days and cold nights

Rain or Shine or Even Dry! � Eastern/Caribbean Sea Side ◦ Warm and wet all year � Central Area/Highlands ◦ Temperature and precipitation vary with elevation � Western coast line/Pacific Ocean side ◦ Warm all year, wet, with one dry season ◦ Rain shadow---clouds move across the Central Highlands, they lose moisture

Natural Resources � Mineral ◦ Very little amounts of gold, silver, lead and copper � Forests ◦ Valuable hardwood like mahogany and teak � Fertile volcanic soil ◦ Most important for these countries

“Lost in a Dangerous Paradise” � Pretend you are writing an article for a Central American newspaper. ◦ Include the following in your paragraph �Imagine an adventure that you might have in Central America �Fun, inviting, exciting language �Spelling, grammar, sentence structure

The People of Central America Day 3

Many Ethnic Group � Descendants Colonists of Indians (Maya) and Spanish ◦ Small % now, Guatemala 50% Maya, Costa Rica largest ethnic group is Spanish descent ◦ Majority of people are mestizos---mix of Indian and Spanish ◦ Many came from the Caribbean for work in the early 1900’s ◦ A campesino is a poor farmer who has a small plot of land, grow corn and beans, barely raise enough to feed family

Building a Democracy � Gained independence from Spain 300 yrs ago � Augusto Sandino---leader in the early 1900’s who wanted the U. S. Marines out of Nicaragua, US was there to supervise elections and keep peace � Sandinistas---People who fought with Augusto Sandino � Central America, in their history, often had rebels who would fight against the government because the government was often corrupt � Communism---economy of a country is controlled by the government, average person has little freedom � Contra---means against, people against Sandinista rule, civil war starts

Democracy Continued � In the 1980’s the contras and Sandinistas had a civil war and many people died. � The Sandinista leader during this time was Daniel Ortega, he agreed to hold elections to end the civil war � To Ortega’s surprise in 1990 a woman, Violeta Chamorro was elected � The civil wars were devastating to the Nicaraguan country and they had to rebuild. � The current leader is again Daniel Ortega.

TRADITIONS of Central America � Ladino---someone who follows Latin American customs � Ladinos speak Spanish and practice the Catholic religion, � Large families, close, live in the same area for many years

WORKSHEET � Read directions and answer the worksheet � If words on the worksheet, spell them correctly � Answer fully � NAME!!!

The Caribbean Turquoise waters, white beaches, jewels of the sea Day 1

The Islands � Made up of basically 14 countries � Broken into three groups ◦ Bahamas---northern entrance into the Caribbean Sea, coral islands, formed slowly by skeletons of sea animals, flat, small, covered with trees ◦ Greater Antilles---4 islands, Cuba, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, and Hispaniola (Haiti and Dominican Republic), larger in size, rugged, mountain peaks, lush forests, deep harbors, plains, and rich soil for crops ◦ Lesser Antilles---coral and volcanic islands, small most volcanoes are dormant,

Climate and Resources Day 2

Climate of the Caribbean � Trade Winds---temperature changes little through out the year, due to steady breezes, winds carried coconut seeds around � Rainy season---trade winds provide rain, as they blow across the Atlantic, they pick up moisture, drop rain � Hurricanes---summertime brings these dangers, begin as storms by Africa, trade winds push to Caribbean, some form hurricanes, usually one island a year deals with a hurricane

Resources Around the Islands � Most islands are poor in resources � Jamaica has a large bauxite deposit, ore that makes aluminum � Most valuable resource is the fertile land � Farmers grow…corn, beans, peanuts, potatoes, peppers, tobacco, sugarcane, coffee, nutmeg, and vanilla � Christopher Columbus introduced sugarcane to the islands � Fish/shellfish also is an important resource

Worksheet � Read answer fully � If a word is on the worksheet, spell it correctly � Neatness counts � NAME!

The People of the Caribbean Day 3

Ethnic Groups � Think of the people as a mosaic ◦ Amazing mixture of ethnic groups ◦ Africa, Europe, Asia, Middle East, North America ◦ Many people/slaves brought over to work as laborers on the plantations (ex. Sugarcane) ◦ Many laborers left the plantations to start their own farms or businesses due to poor wages and hard work ◦ Many languages are spoken in the Caribbean…Spanish, Arabic, French, Dutch, English, Chinese, Creole ◦ The Caribbean is sometimes called the “pepper pot” because it has so many different languages.

More About Ethnic Groups ◦ Arawak—are a group of people that migrated to the Caribbean from South America ◦ The Carib---were hunters that moved into the area, which is how the Caribbean Sea received its name ◦ Jose Marti is an important Cuban poet and patriot. He wrote about Cuba and brought awareness to their country.

Living and Working � Large plantations or small farms ◦ Largest resource and way to make a living ◦ Many islands have cash crops that are sold all over ◦ This causes many islands to import 50% of their food ◦ Many islands only have one major cash crop to depend on for income…this can be scary…why? ◦ Populations are increasing, no jobs to support ◦ Tourism has become increasingly important to provide incomes…hotels, restaurants, shops, vital income for the islands

Worksheet Time � Read answer fully � If a word is on the worksheet, spell it correctly � Neatness counts � NAME

• Grade level: Upper Elementary, Middle and High School • Subject Area: Foreign Language Brief Description Whole group discuss the Spanish-speaking country in the Central America and the Caribbean. From library or WWW resources in team work, students will get general/profound knowledge about the Hispanich countries in the area. Objectives • Students will learn how to use library or Internet resources to chosen topics. • Students will comprehend the collected information. • Students will structure the information with texts and graphics for presentation. • Students will share their research with whole group. Materials and Resources Needed 1. Hardware requirement: several PCs or Macintoshs with color monitors printer(s), CD-ROM. 2. Software requirement: Operating system (Mac. Os, Window, Dos, Windows/95, etc. ), application software (Claris. Works, MS word, etc. ), and WWW browsers (Netscape, etc. ) 3. Network/Internet requirement: telephone lines, high-speed modems (14, 400 or above), Web browser: Netscape or others. Activity Description • Ask students to pick up listed countries according to their interests. • Divide class into small groups with different topics. Notice group size. • Give students the bookmarks or book lists to do research on their topics. • Allow students to read these information individually or with small group. Electronic Field • Ask Trips students to discuss the structure of collected information for the preparation of presentation. • Reconvene as a whole group and have each group share what they researched with whole group. Hispanic World Unit • Assign student to write down their impression on these countries as homework. Lesson Four Internet Resources Central America and the Caribbean • Central America Brief Description Objectives Materials and Resources Activity Description Internet Resources [http: //www. yahoo. com/Regional/Regions/Central_America/] The web site from Yahoo server offers a rich information about most countries in Central America. Students are easy to find special topics from this URL. • The Caribbean [http: //www. yahoo. com/Regional/Regions/Caribbean/] Some Spanish-speaking countries are located in this region. For those who choose Cuba, Republica Dominicana, and Puerto Rico. LETSNet is © Michigan State Planner University College of Education and Ameritech • Avanti Destinations: Latin America [http: //www. teleport. com/~avanti/latinpla. htm] • Latin World Serve [http: //www. latinworld. com/countries/] The Latin World Server offers rich information about Hispanic countries in Central and South America as well as the Caribbean. The countries and regions include: 1. Costa Rica [http: //www. latinworld. com/countries/costarica/] 2. Cuba [http: //www. latinworld. com/countries/cuba/] 3. El Salvador [http: //www. latinworld. com/countries/elsalvador/] 4. Guatemala [http: //www. latinworld. com/countries/guatemala/] 5. Honduras [http: //www. latinworld. com/countries/honduras/] 6. Nicaragua [http: //www. latinworld. com/countries/nicaragua/] 7. Panama [http: //www. latinworld. com/countries/panama/] 8. Puerto Rico [http: //www. latinworld. com/countries/puertorico/]