Wednesday, July 8, 2009

Mexico & Central America - Mary C. Turck

A Fiesta of Cultures, Crafts, and Activities for Ages 8-12
Chicago Review Press
$14.95
148 p.
Published 2004
A must have if teaching Mexico or Central America - you could base your entire unit on this book

40+ Projects
3 Short dramatic plays
Maps and loads of information about past and present, culture, history, politics
Don't be decieved by the format, this looks like a craft and activity book. Yes, it's full of both, but it's also chock full of information and history written in a clear, informative, INTERESTING way!

Chapter titles:
1. Ancient Roots (particularly Maya and Aztec)
2. Country by Country (informative map and information about each):
....Mexico
....Belize
....Costa Rica
....El Salvador
....Guatamela
....Honduras
....Nicaragua
....Panama
3. Life Above the Clouds (Contemporary lifestyle)
4. On the Atlantic Coast (African and Indian influences)
5. Going to school (looks at schools in Honduras, Mexico, and Guatemala)
6. Art and Poetry
7. Daily Grind: Corn and Coffee (Food, Agriculture)
8. Celebrating Life (family celebrations)
9. Religious and Patriotic Holidays

SPANISH lessons and vocabulary throughout (at least once per chapter)
Much information about Hurrican Mitch (Oct. 1998)
Quincenareas
Border crossings and immigration
Large resource list

Some activites I plan to do in the first month of school:
Creating an Aztec calendar
Creating a hieroglyphic name for yourself
Map-making
Soap carving
Music makers: Drums/maracas/guiros/claves
Making a mola
Yarn Painting
Murals - and Diego Rivera
Poetry writing
Tree of Life (I've seen some beautiful ones, this gives ideas for making one...)
Papel picado (cutting paper)
Making a pinata
Luminarias !Ojo de Dios (God's eyes)

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