Lesson plan: Plight of Colombia
August 31, 2000
Web posted at: 11:37 p.m. EST (0337 GMT)
RELATED SITES
Objectives
Students will:
- Research the economy, education, crime and poverty rates and life expectancy in Colombia.
- Draw conclusions about the quality of life for various socioeconomic groups of Colombians.
Standards
National Council for the Social Studies
V. Individuals, Groups and Institutions
High school students must understand the paradigms and traditions that undergird social and political institutions. They should be provided opportunities to examine, use and add to the body of knowledge related to the behavioral sciences and social theory as it relates to the ways people and groups organize themselves around common needs, beliefs and interests.
Suggested time
One to two class periods
Materials
CNNfyi article, "Seeds of hope in fields of war"
Internet access
Graph paper or poster board for charts
Map or globe
Procedures
1. Ask students what they know about Colombia. Have them locate the country on a map or globe.
2. After students have read the CNNfyi article, "Seeds of hope in fields of war," ask the following:
- Where is Barrancabermeja? Why did Colombian mother Rosalba Gomez send her son to Bucaramanga when he was 13 years old? In what type of environment did Gomez live? What is the National Liberation Army, or ELN? Why were residents of Barrancabermeja afraid of this group and others like them? What usually happens to young Colombians when faced with guerrillas or gangs? How did the Colombian government view people in the commune outside Barrancabermeja?
- How did a shopping trip change Gomez's life? What is Merquemos Juntos? How does it operate? How have Gomez and others benefited from Merquemos Juntos? In what other ways, besides pooling money for food, would you choose to pull resources together for the good of the whole? What inference can you make about the general spirit of these Colombians? How do you suppose people can manage to have hope in the wake of dire circumstances such as these?
- Why do you believe Lino Bohorquez felt trapped in a cycle of violence and poverty? Elaborate on the program that changed his life. What elements would you add or subtract to make it even better for those laborers involved?
3. Direct students to online or media resources to research Colombia. Have students gather information and statistics in the following areas: education, economy, rate of poverty or wealth, health and life span. Students may work individually or in groups. Instruct students to graph or chart the data from each of these areas.
Accommodations
World languages: Ask students whose native language is Spanish or who are studying Spanish to read the CNN special on Colombia in Spanish and to summarize information from various segments aloud for the class.
Assessment
Have students analyze the data on Colombia, draw conclusions and then present findings to the class. Students may use their graphs or charts as visuals.
Challenge
Have students gather similar data for comparable cities in undeveloped countries. Have them compare and contrast the information they find with that they gathered on Colombia.
|
