Saturday, January 1, 2011
Activities to help students learn about Argentina?
Activities to help students learn about Argentina?
I need 4 or 5 in class activities that are fun and will help students learn about Argentina. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Its a 5th grade class.
Teaching - 2 Answers
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1 :
Do you have a computer and projector in your classroom? Use Google Earth or even Google maps as you talk about the geography of the country to let them see the countryside and the cities- even street view to "walk" the streets of Buenos Aires. Teach them to tango. You can probably download an Argentinian tango from iTunes, and there are some good videos of the tango on YouTube. It's a very important part of Argentinian culture. At night, there are areas where you can go in the cities and see the people doing the tango in the public squares, etc. Go to a site like the World Factbook (https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ar.html) or the Lonely Planet Guide (http://www.lonelyplanet.com/argentina). Let groups of students pick one aspect to "research" and then present. They can draw pictures or use the computer to give a guided tour, or whatever creative way they want to present their information. You could choose some topics, such as climate, food, sights, etc. and give them a choice if you want to focus it more.
2 :
I like the tango idea suggested by previous poster :-) Here are a few more activities you may develop on & try out : -- Divide the class into 6 groups, each representing one region of Argentina. http://www.geographia.com/argentina/ Each group can then do some research on their region - the landscape, terrain, indigenous people, dress, food, occupation, etc. etc. & present it in any fashion they like. eg. through a journal/magazine, a scrapbook, a tv presentation, a play, puppet show, etc. -- Introduce them to some commonly used words/phrases in Spanish. I'm sure they'll enjoy that :-) -- Role play the historical resistance against Spanish colonization or any interesting aspect such as their system of governance, etc. -- Cuisine – see if it's possible to cook up some simple, easy dish that is commonly eaten there. In fact each region has its own specialties & uniqueness -- Dress like them – ponchos, macramé sashes, silver & leather accessories, etc. They can become gauchos [cowboys] or singers & entertain too. You can help them make their costumes with paper, old sheets, silver/aluminum foil, etc. -- Check out some of the arts & crafts & handicrafts from the country. Maybe you can simplify & help them make a few. http://www.argentinaautentica.com/artsandcrafts.php -- Something to do with sports in Argentina? Their football team is amongst the top in the world & the country is very passionate about it! -- Make the Argentinian flag Hope these help too Have fun & all the very best :-)
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