The Panama Canal (1); Art in Costa Rica and Panama (2) - thematic units - SP Intermediate 1

Two content based units about Panama and Costa Rica. Please preview.

Unit 1. Carretas y autobuses, Arte popular en Panamá y Costa Rica

We do not normally think of Panamá and Costa Rica as rich in art. Yet here we highlight the buses in Panamá and the carts in Costa Rica. Immediately the teacher will see that we are dealing with transportation and of course with comparisons to the students´ own reality. Are the buses in your city painted a certain color? Do they have any other decorations? In Panama every driver decorates his own bus and writes the names of his mother, sisters and girlfriend on the windows! And in Costa Rica, they decorate the carts. In the past, oxen pulled the carts; today they have trucks and the old carts are filled with flowers and used as lovely decorations. Cultural traditions are so varied.

Unit includes:

1. Subject matter: popular art

2. Vocabulary: adverbs of place

3. Grammar: agreement

4. Oral practice: school transportation

5. Homework: transportation, public advertisements

6. Internet: Key word list to facilitate a search

7. Answer key

Unit 2. El Canal de Panamá entre Atlántico y Pacífico

Normally when you think about the canal you think about locks and boats. But the Panama Canal could not be built until the problem of yellow fever was solved. Thus the unit combines science and technology with the canal. Two great scientists are featured, Finley and Reed. Talk about the importance of medical breakthroughs and their impact on major engineering projects.

Unit includes:

1. Subject matter: history and geography

2. Vocabulary: medical

3. Grammar: verbs

4. Oral practice: map work

5. Homework: hospitals, old people

6. Internet: Key word list to facilitate a search

7. Answer key

Entirely in the target language.

Answer key included.