GEOGRAPHY AND PLACE–BASED UNITS

Geography and Maps of Latin America
The physical and cultural geography of Latin America is vast and diverse. CLAS has addressed this breadth of information by compiling selected lesson plans and related resources to help educators grappling with teaching the region’s distinct peoples and places.
Center for Latin American Studies, Vanderbilt University

People and Place: Curriculum Resources on Human-Environmental Interactions
Inspired by Hemispheres 2004 Summer Teachers Institute, “People and Place: Human-Geographic Relations,” this curriculum unit was designed to address human adaptation to and modification of the environment. Each case study includes myriad activities that build social studies skills by incorporating primary and secondary sources, presenting information in a variety of formats (including graphs, charts, and maps), including varied points of view, and using mathematical skills to interpret social studies information.
LLILAS Benson Latin American Studies & Collections, The University of Texas

Brazil Our Cousin
This unit explores our cousin, Brazil. Although we have different parents (England and Portugal) that shaped our development for good or bad, our grandparent, Europe, continues to influence the lives of its grandchildren. From Columbus to coffee, students will learn about Brazilian history, culture, and communities.
LLILAS Benson Latin American Studies & Collections, The University of Texas

Teaching Central America *
Teaching Central America is an initiative of “Teaching for Change”:https://www.teachingforchange.org/ and is supported by The University of New Mexico. This project is a rich web portal of collected lessons, book lists, biographies of noted historical figures, and readings for free use by classroom teachers. The resource seeks to remedy the lack of resources in most schools on Central American heritage, rich history, and literature.
Latin American & Iberian Institute, University of New Mexico

Coffee
Coffee has been one of the most highly demanded commodities in the world for centuries. It is produced in over 70 countries worldwide and is a primary export for several Latin American nations including Brazil, Guatemala, and Colombia. These lesson plans and related presentations encourage teachers to explore the history and impact of coffee production.
Center for Latin American Studies, Vanderbilt University

Diversity in the Caribbean: An Interdisciplinary Approach to Teaching the Region *
A curriculum that explores the diversity among the islands through lessons ranging from their colonization and role in US history and the global economy, to their peoples, governments, art and short stories.
Kimberly Green Latin American and Caribbean Center, Florida International University

Teaching Cuba: Shifting Perspectives and the Global Landscape *
This growing set of curricular resources on Cuba has been developed over the past two years in conjunction with Tulane’s annual summer teacher institute to Cuba. It contains updated resources, developed by teachers for teaching about Cuba in the K-12 classroom across disciplines.
Stone Center for Latin American Studies, Tulane University

Environmental Literacy Across the Curriculum — Costa Rica
This curriculum packet, developed by teachers in 1997, includes activities, text, 130 slides and more for the implementation of environmental science as an interdisciplinary unit.
Stone Center for Latin American Studies, Tulane University

Introduction to Brazil
A set of curricula for the High School classroom which aims to integrate teaching about Brazil and the Portuguese language into the Spanish classroom. Provides opportunities to learn about Brazilian language, geography, and culture in an interdisciplinary classroom.
Stone Center for Latin American Studies, Tulane University

Connecting New Orleans and Latin America
This curriculum introduces the longstanding connections between New Orleans and Latin America. The curriculum focuses on historic connections and the importance of trade and immigration to such issues.
Stone Center for Latin American Studies, Tulane University

Land of Diversity
A comprehensive high school social studies course on Latin America consisting of 19 units highlighting the history, geography, and culture of the region.
Stone Center for Latin American Studies, Tulane University

Nicaragua in the Classroom
Compiled and created by teachers who traveled to Nicaragua to study the country’s language, religion, food, music, dance, and other social and cultural practices, these lesson plans and background information can help bring their experiences in Nicaragua back into the classroom.
Center for Latin American Studies, University of Pittsburgh