Teacher's Guide for FACES ^® Bolivia

Objectives:

• to develop an understanding of and respect for the multi-cultural life of Bolivia
• to increase historical and geographical perspective
• to improve reading comprehension through a variety of activities
• to practice writing skills through a variety of activities, both practical and creative
• to develop and enrich vocabulary
• to participate in small group and whole class activities

For "A Living Mosaic" (pages 8-12)

1. Discuss the meaning of "mosaic." (Show an example if you have one.)
2. On a world map, point out the U.S., North America, South America, and then Bolivia.
3. Draw the outline of Bolivia on the board or on a large piece of butcher paper.
4. Provide each student with a colored index card (or colored paper squares). Number the sentences in the article (there are 34), and ask each student to copy one sentence on the colored card. You can pre-write the longer ones yourself.
5. Going through the article, ask each student to read her/his card aloud to the class and then tape it onto the map of Bolivia (read and tape yours as you come to them). You may have to trim some of the edges toward the end of the activity in order to get them all to fit in - and you may end up with more of a crazy quilt than a map - but the idea that Bolivia is a country of many contrasts should come through.

For "Land of Three Languages" (pages 14-15)

After reading page 14 together, ask students to write the following dialogue three times, once in each of the three Bolivian languages. After the activity, talk about any similarities students noticed.

BOY: Hello.
GIRL: Hello
BOY: Please, where is food?
GIRL: Water?
BOY: No - food!
GIRL: I don't understand.

For "A Taste of Bolivia" (pages 16-18)

Explain to students that they have just spent a day in Bolivia, and they will be writing a journal entry describing exactly what they ate for each of the following:

• Breakfast
• A mid-morning snack
• Lunch + dessert
• An afternoon snack
• Dinner + a different dessert than the one at lunch

For "It's Carnival Time" (pages 20-23)

1. Provide small groups of students with two triple-folded sheets (one for a rough draft), a sheet of poster board (as well as newsprint for creating a rough draft), pencils and markers.
2. Students are now working for the Bolivian Travel Bureau. They will create a flier and a poster attracting people to the carnival in Oruro - publicity materials that explain everything about the event. Suggest students use the illustrations in this article as the inspiration for their drawings.

For "City of Silver, City of Sorrows" (pages 24-27)

Study Questions:

1. Potosi was once the largest and ______________ city in the world.
2. How high above sea level would you be if you were at the top of Cerro Rico?
3. What made Potosi famous?
4. What happened as a result of Diego Huallpa spending the night on the mountain?
5. In the 1500s Cerro Rico was the same size as what other two cities?
6. Copy the words on Potosi's coat of arms.
7. What is the meaning of "la mita"?
8. What did it require of men 18-50 years old?
   Page 26
9. Who were "the poorest and wretchedest peoples in the universe"?
10. How long a bridge could have been built from the silver mined in Cerro Rico by 1825?
11. What is the earliest time period that there is a record of mining in Cerro Rico?
12. Why do they say Emperor Huayna Capac stopped the mining?
13. What was the last year the mines were closed?
14. How much do miners earn for 12 hours of work?
15. What are three reasons millions of miners have died?
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16. Why do miners a.) chew coca leaves and b.) place coca leaves at a statue?
17. About how many children work as miners today?
18. What does UNESCO oppose?
19. What has UNESCO done to help?
20. Copy the last sentence of the article as a direct quote (use quotation marks).

For "Bolivian Textiles" (28-31)

This activity is an adventure in summarizing. Ask students to write complete sentences in as few words as possible, each sentence covering one of the following:

WHO weaves?
WHERE do the weaving materials come from?
HOW is the weaving done? (2 sentences)
WHAT are the weavings used for?

For "Growing Up in Bolivia" (pages 32-33) & "Pulling a Plow in the Altiplano" (pages 34-35)

1. Ask half the class to read the first article above; the other half will read the second article.
2. Pair students and ask each of them to tell about the lives of the children they read about and then to make some comparisons and contrasts.

For "The Quichua" (pages 36-37)

1. Referring to the photos on pages 36 and 37, explain that the Quichua is the largest group of South American Indians.
2. Pair students, assigning one the role of reporter and the other of a Quichua being interviewed. Ask students to come up with ten questions and responses.

For "Tranquil Time with the Chapacos" (40-41)

1. Briefly discuss the Peace Corps before asking students to read this short article.
2. In addition to information about the people of Chapacos, ask students what they learned about the Peace Corps worker.
3. Students might like to discuss where they would like to be placed as a Peace Corp Volunteer.

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Updated: 11/21/09 06:57 am
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