CULTURAL AWARENESS CLASS ESSAY
Periodically you will be required to write an essay about the material presented in this class.
DETAILS: Write 2-page essay in English, (double-spaced)using full sentences, correct grammar describing the cultural awareness you have gained, and the information you have learned about Spanish-speaking countries. You could easily write a paragraph about each country we have studied and accomplish the 2 page requirement. Another idea would be to write a paragraph about each activity in which you participated in class. There are special social customs you have learned, (for example; the etiquette connected with Yerba Mate.) Describing a game or dance could be another paragraph. I've included a list of information you might want to include. Some of these items may not be enough for an entire paragraph. Try to compare and contrast with our American customs, traditions, and culture. (ie. "In America we usually eat at 6:00, but in Peru, they eat much later.")
Information is not limited to, but may include:
- name of a country
- historical information (battles, revolutions, government, settlements)
- heroes (name, what they accomplished or attempted to)
- legendary figures (from myths, stories, & legends)
- monetary units
- myths, legends (characters, moral or lesson from story)
- customs (from any aspect of life)
- foods & recipes (your impressions of the food)
- meal customs (how often, times, table manners)
- indigenous people (history, language, customs)
- geographic interests (places of interest, to visit, unique to the area)
- songs (the background, if it has any special meaning, who sings it, to whom it is sung)
- games (how to play them, how much fun they were, why they were played,
- dances (background, why, etc..)
- music (songs, dance music, instruments, time period, historical background. )
- education laws (ages required, cost, etc..)
Hispanic Heritage Celebration
http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/hispanic/
Cultural Awareness
http://www.adesasoc.org/didac/mdid3.html
The association for the diffusion of Spanish & Hispanic Culture, intermingling the features of Hispanic culture with your own (online Spanish activities for students)
http://www.metroflags.net/worldflags.html
http://www.photius.com/flags/alphabetic_list.html
LYRICS OF MARIACHI SONGS
You can find lyrics to Mexican folksongs
http://www.elmariachi.com/Songs/
TRAVEL & TOURS INFORMATION
http://www.planeta.com/ecotravel/period/pubmex.html
LATIN WORLD
Here you will find all kinds of information about Latin America. The left menu bar will direct you to information about each Latin American country. Scroll down to the Kiosco Latino to find links to many newspapers,magazines, and radio stations.
http://www.latinworld.com
LANIC
Latin American Network Information Center - This website is one of the largest guides for Latin American content on the Internet. Links are provided for individual countries, society and culture, recreation, and much more. Start with the "Countries" link.
http://www1.lanic.utexas.edu
ESPN Deportes
Learn all about sports in Spanish and practice your reading skills.
http://espndeportes.espn.go.com
LATIN AMERICA NEWS SOURCES
http://www.planeta.com/ecotravel/period/pubmex.html
LEGENDS AND FOLKTALES
Folklore: Legends, Sayings, Beliefs
The stories, proverbs, humor, and home remedies that are part of the fabric of Mexican society
http://www.lasculturas.com/lib/libFolklore.php
LATIN AMERICAN FORLKLORE
Read folktales, myths, legends and other stories from South America, Central America and the Caribbean!
http://www.americanfolklore.net/latin-american-folklore.html
SPANISH ARTS & MUSIC & LITERATURE (Spain)
History of architecture, literary masters, arts, music, tour of the Prado, etc... lots of links and information
http://www.spanisharts.com/index.html
http://www.lasculturas.com/arts
INCREDIBLE ART DEPARTMENT
http://www.princetonol.com/groups/iad/
HISPANIC AUTHOR & BOOK REVIEWS (Find a book)
Descriptions and reviews of novels, books and literature by Hispanic authors. Also has facts & statistic of Spanish-speaking countries
http://latinostories.com/
DON QUIJOTE SCHOOL INFORMATION ABOUT COUNTRIES
http://www.donquijote.org/tourist/profiles/
You will be able to choose any of these Spanish speaking countries and find out about their History, Culture, Currency, which places are best to visit and at what season of the year.
FOLKTALES WORKSHOP
http://www.teacher.scholastic.com/writewit/mff/folkloreexp_index.htm
Information on folktales, instruction on creating & sharing your own folktales.
FOLKTALES FROM AROUND THE WORLD
http://www.pantheon.org/areas/folklore/folktales/
AZTEC CULTURE
(The Aztecs are an indigenous people of Mexico)
http://www.mexicolore.co.uk/index.php?one=azt&two=aaa
U.S. HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH - 15 SEPT - 15 OCT
Resources, ideas, activities, information to observe Hispanic Heritage Month or Latino History Month
September 15th was chosen as the starting point for the celebration because it is the anniversary of independence of five Latin American countries—Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua. In addition, Mexico achieved independence on September 16th and Chile on September 18th.
The term Hispanic, as defined by the U.S. Census Bureau refers to Spanish-speaking people in the United States of any race. On the 2000 Census form, people of Spanish/Hispanic/Latino origin could identify themselves as Mexican, Puerto Rican, Cuban, or “other Spanish Hispanic Latino.”
Today, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, more than 37 million people in the United States are of Hispanic origin. That’s about ten percent of us!
Since our Nation’s founding, many Hispanics have greatly influenced America’s artistic, legal, and political communities. Today, Hispanic culture continues to shape the American experience while simultaneously preserving its unique customs and traditions.
The strong ties that Hispanic Americans maintain with their ancestral homeland remind us that the United States must pursue robust relations with its neighbors in Latin America and the Caribbean. The future of our hemisphere is closely tied to these relationships, and improving trade will play a vital role in building important links with our Hispanic neighbors. By working together, we can achieve a fully democratic hemisphere, bound together by good will, cultural understanding, and free trade.
http://www.infoplease.com/spot/hhm1.html
http://www.42explore2.com/latino.htm
http://www.imdiversity.com/villages/hispanic/history_heritage/whm_wall_of_fame.asp
http://teacher.scholastic.com/ACTIVITIES/hispanic/index.htm
HISTORICAL SITES OF SPAIN
http://www.thesalmons.org/lynn/wh-spain.html
WORLD HUNGER
Hunger Facts
One person in seven• goes to bed hungry every day.
One-third of the world’s population• is undernourished.
There are • 25,000 starvation-related deaths each day.
Each night • more than 300 million children go to bed hungry.
Every day, • over 12,000 children (one every 7 seconds) die from hunger-related causes.
Approximately • 146 million or 27 percent of children under age 5 in developing countries are underweight.
Nearly 17 percent of babies• in developing countries are born with a low birth weight compared with only
7 percent of babies in industrialized countries.
More than 4.4 million children• die from malnutrition each year.
Worldwide, • 161 million preschool children suffer chronic malnutrition.
Sour
ces: www.one.org, www.bread.org, www.unicef.org, www.who.int, www.unep.org
$13 Feed a child for 1 month - go to www.compassion.com for more information