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Classroom Activities


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Today's Homework (11.12.2011)
With a parent, search the Internet to find interesting photos and information about Costa Rica. You'll need some help with some of the websites, so if an adult is not able to help you for this project, explore the National Geographic website. It's the same site we use in class so you'll be able to navigate it just fine! Write a few sentences or bullet points in your passport journals about what you notice when exploring the Internet.

Here are some sites to get you started: Viva Costa Rica National Geographic Costa Rica Net Info Please Fun Facts

Costa Rica Unit Plan Day 1: Introduction to Costa Rica & Wikispace Day 2: Costa Rican literature, including picture books depicting the biodiversity and unique terrain of rain forests Day 3: Bilingual Day! We'll learn common Costa Rican Spanish words and phrases Day 4: Fine Arts Activity, turn our classroom into the Costa Rican Rainforest Day 5: Watch science and nature videos from Latin America

Day 7: Natural Disasters introduction Day 8: Volcano Activity and discussion roundtable <span style="color: #008080; font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace;">Day 9: Cultural study and comparison <span style="color: #008080; font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace;">Day 10: Natural Resource and Environmental preservation <span style="color: #008080; font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace;">Day 11: Costa Rican Cousine! Class celebration of customs and food typical to the country. Families are welcome and encouraged to attend. *Donating supplies (including store bought food items) is a great way to help us for this activity!

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**Objectives:**

 * Students will be introduced to the Spanish language.
 * Students will practice the sounds of the Spanish language.

**Materials:**
> Rock N' Learn Spanish tape, Volume 1 and tape recorder > Copies of Spanish songs for students > Note cards and marker > Pencil
 * **Teacher will need:**
 * **Students will need:**

**Introduction:**
//Before students have entered the room, have all recognizable objects labeled with the appropriate Spanish word on note cards. For example: map-mapa//
 * 1) Have students sit at their desks after music class.
 * 2) Explain that they will be learning some Spanish for the hour.
 * 3) Tell them that I will first be playing a song on tape. The song allows them to respond by providing a delayed format. Students will hear a phrase and then they can repeat it.

**Sequence of Instruction:**

 * 1) Pass out copies of songs to students.
 * 2) Have students turn to first page and play corresponding song. First song will be the greeting song.
 * 3) After the song has played and students have responded, go over the key phrases that were highlighted in the song by writing them on the board.
 * 4) Play 2 more songs with familiar phrases.The color song and number song. Relate colors and numbers to charts on the wall placed at the beginning of the unit.
 * 5) After songs are finished allow students time to write phrases on the "Notes" page of their handbooks.
 * 6) Have students write a number on note cards and place in a bag when finished.
 * 7) Go around the room and allow students to pick a number from the bag and read it in Spanish.
 * 8) Then have students write down in English names of colors and greetings and place in the bag again. Go around the room and allow students to pick a piece of paper and try and guess the Spanish translation.
 * 9) Continue until most of the students have guessed once.
 * 10) Walk around the room and point out the labels I placed on objects.

**Closure:**

 * 1) Ask if there are any other questions.
 * 2) Tell students that I will be using Spanish the rest of the month to line them up, greet them, and to call out numbers. They can use the phrases if they want as well to practice.
 * 3) Point out the Spanish books I have brought in for silent reading time if they chose to do so.

**Evidence of Learning:**

 * 1) Students will be introduced to the Spanish language through listening to the tapes, observing the labels throughout the room, class discussion, and class games. I will listen and observe students attempting to say the sounds and read the labels throughout the room.
 * 2) Students will practice the sounds of the Spanish language through participation in class games, discussions, and in responding to the tape. I will observe and listen for students actually attempting to say some of the words in all of these activities.

**Reflection:**

 * 1) Did students learn at least 1 or 2 words in Spanish?
 * 2) Did students have fun?
 * 3) Were students behaving throughout the lesson?
 * 4) Did students attempt to say some of the words?

**Adaptations:**
Students who have difficulty reading, may just listen to the tapes rather then follow along with the copies of songs. **Extension:** Students will write a question in English they would like to ask of a Spanish-Speaking pen pal. As a class, we will translate a few of the questions and email them to our friends in a Costa Rican 3rd grade classroom. Hopefully they will want to hear more about our country too! (Activity adapted from Miss Worobec's 4th grade classroom website, 1997).

**Objectives:**

 * Students will observe the natural reaction of an erupting volcano.
 * Students will use higher order thinking schools to discuss the implications a volcanic eruption would have on surrounding city life.

**Materials:**
> Baking Soda, Vinegar, Towels, Volcano shaped container, Tray to hold volcanic eruption and minimize mess > Pencil, Paper, Crayons, Passport Journals
 * **Teacher will need:**
 * **Students will need:**

**Introduction:**
//Before students have entered the room, have experiment materials set up and ready to go on the front table.//
 * 1) Ask students to sit at their desks. Allow them to make predictions about the experiment and what might occur. Have students take notes in their journals of their predictions.
 * 2) Ask each student to take the small piece of paper on their desks and draw a picture of something we might find if we were to explore Costa Rica. It can be an animal in the rainforest, building in the city, etc.
 * 3) Have students form a loose circle around the front table, being sure that all students can see. Make a kind of map around the volcano, having students place their drawings around the table in a logical fashion.

**Sequence of Instruction:**

 * 1) Add some baking soda to the volcano container.
 * 2) Slowly pour in the vinegar and watch the reaction that takes place (If reaction isn't dramatic enough, experiment can be repeated using more baking soda and vinegar).
 * 3) Clean up any spilled volcanic materials off the floor and desks, but leave the flowing lava into the "surrounding cities" so students can talk about the implications.
 * 4) Sit in a discussion circle on the class carpet. Talk about what happened and how the reaction related to the class' predictions. Ask what happened to the city or nature pictures that each of the students drew.
 * 5) Relate the pictures to real life. The students can discuss what might happen if one of Costa Rica's large volcanos erupted today, right near the capital city of San Jose.

**Closure:**

 * 1) Have students write or draw in their passport journals about the day's activity. They should discuss not only the scientific reaction but how the volcanic "lava" affected the environment and city landscape.

**Evidence of Learning:**

 * 1) Students will write their observations, thoughts and feelings in their passport journals. I will check for understanding and base the next day's science and social studies around their grasp of the concepts. Informal observation will serve as alternate formative assessment, and I will look for students' active participation and engagement in the lesson.

**Reflection:**

 * 1) Did students have ideas on the implications of a volcanic eruption?
 * 2) Did students enjoy the activity?
 * 3) Were their predictions logical?
 * 4) What could have been altered to make the lesson more successful?

**Adaptations:**
Students who have attention difficulty may stay at their desks to watch the eruption. If the class has a high energy level that day, they can stay seated and the experiment can be more of a demonstration and less interactive. Students who have difficulty writing may draw or type. **Extension:** At the end of the unit, students will go back through their passport journals and talk about the danger of natural disasters in Costa Rica. We will explore history and past disasters and how we could be prepared for any future issues. (Activity adapted from Science Kids, 2011).

Objectives:

 * Students will simulate the landscape of Costa Rica.
 * Students will become familiar with landscape of Costa Rica.

Materials:
> Mural paper - brown, green, white, yellow, and blue. > Books on rain forests > Tape of rain forest sounds > Tape deck > Glue > Pencils > Rulers
 * **Teacher needs:**
 * **Students need:**

Introduction:

 * 1) Explain that along with using geography to turn our room into Costa Rica, we need to depict the environment as well.
 * 2) Tell students that before we can study more of Costa Rica, we have to feel like we are actually there as well. Also, remind students that at the end of the month other students will come into our room to visit Costa Rica and we would want them to feel like they were actually there.

Sequence of Instruction:

 * 1) Show pictures of Costa Rica landscape to students. Ask them what they observe. (Students should observe the dark green, lush forests of trees)
 * 2) Ask how they would draw the landscape of Costa Rica.
 * 3) Explain that they will work in groups to turn our room into Costa Rica by making large trees to hang from the shades and adding a water fall in 2 corners of the room. Explain that we will add the animals the following week.
 * 4) Ask if they see anything else in the pictures they would like to add.
 * 5) Review instructions and ask for questions.
 * 6) Remind students of the recent art techniques they learned from the student art teacher that would help them with this activity.
 * 7) Break students into groups by assigning 2 - 3 people to a tree and 2 groups to make waterfalls.
 * 8) Give students the appropriate materials and allow them to get started. Play rain forest music as students work.

Closure:

 * 1) Hang up artwork as finished.
 * 2) After clean up once all designs are up, ask students what they learned by doing this art activity.
 * 3) Ask students what they think about the landscape of Costa Rica.
 * 4) Ask students if they feel like they are actually in Costa Rica now and why.

Evidence of Learning

 * 1) Students will simulate the landscape of Costa Rica by actively participating in making trees and waterfalls for the classroom. Teacher will look for everyone's participation in order to assess if students are simulating the landscape.
 * 2) Students will become familiar with landscape of Costa Rica through participation. As students look at photos of Costa Rica, teacher will listen for students responses that the landscape is full of forests, green, dark, etc.. At conclusion of lesson, teacher will listen for student's responses that they learned the environment is full of forests, etc.. to assess student's familiarity with the landscape.

Reflection:

 * 1) Did students enjoy activity?
 * 2) Did they become familiar with the landscape?
 * 3) Did the students learn anything through participation?
 * 4) Could students work together, why or why not?
 * 5) What could I have done differently?

Adaptations:
Group students into groups which I am aware that can work together without conflict. **Extension:** As a class, we will discuss various environmental hazards of Costa Rica. We will explore the country's biodiversity further and talk about what we can do to keep Costa Rica thriving. Then, we will examine the environment and pollution of Illinois. Students will work to come up with various ways they can help the environment by changing simple daily habits i.e. reduce, reuse, recycle. ( Activity adapted from Miss Worobec's 4th grade classroom website, 1997 ).

Page created by Eryn Shannon© edshann@ilstu.edu Created: 11/28/11 Last Modified: 12/5/11