COSI COSTA RICA, FLAVA Conference
Presenter: NITZA FERNANDEZ-PLASKI
Four Lesson Plans, One Tico Summer
Here is a supplement of materials and ideas that came to me while sipping coconut
water on the beach. Some ideas are more developed than others. I hope these ideas
will give you a framework and allow you to customize to suit your needs.
When designing these activities, I have ACTFL 5 “C” and AP Themes (Language and
Literature and Culture) in mind. I have made a concerted effort to make my
students (and parents) aware how these “projects” are an important part of the
curriculum and not just a throwaway grade or busywork.
Idea #1: “Tico Spanish”
Purpose: To study Tico slang and particular uses of Register, notably the Voseo and
Ustedeo forms of address; To be able to understand Spanish as it is spoken in Costa
Rica.
Materials: Photos of advertisements, copies of articles and other printed material;
Also, included in this supplement, are anecdotes, slang lists (edited), and a short
article with information I compiled in my study.
Activities:
Búscalo: Students read the article on Voseo and Ustedeo and find instances where
either is used (print sources, photos I provide).
Dilo a lo Tico: Students study the slang and create role plays in which they use the
Tico slang.
Promociónalo: Students create their own advertisements using Tico slang and
register rules; can serve as an extension of Letreros.
Possible Curricular ties: Communication, Cultures, ComparisonsLa vida
contemporánea/Contemporary Life; Las identidades personales y
públicas/Personal and Publc Identities; Las familias y las comunidades/Families
and Communities
Idea # 2: “Letreros 2.0”
Purpose: To study and practice metric conversion and currency exchange, as well as
to survey products and services advertised to Costa Rican consumers; To calculate
the relative value of goods and cost of living in Costa Rica; To teach students a real
world and life skill.
Materials: Photo slideshow I created using pictures from my trip, newspaper
weather forecast; metric converter (site and/or app), currency converter, (site
and/or app).
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October 5, 2013
COSI COSTA RICA, FLAVA Conference
Presenter: NITZA FERNANDEZ-PLASKI
Activities:
Calcúlalo: Students view the slide show and, using their apps/sites, calculate the
currency exchange or metric conversion.
Identifícalo: Students view the slides and identify the services and goods offered in
Costa Rica to locals, expats and tourists.
Coméntalo: Students discuss advertising and marketing based on their
observations.
Possible Curricular ties and themes: Comparisons, Connections, Communication;
Los desafíos mundiales/Global Challenges; La vida contemporánea/Contemporary
Life; La ciencia y la tecnología/Science and Technology; Las identidades personales
y públicas/Personal and Publc Identities; Las familias y las comunidades/Families
and Communities; La belleza y la estética/Beauty and Aesthetics; Las sociedades en
contacto/Societies in Contact; Las relaciones interpersonales/Interpersonal
Relationships
Idea # 3: Lo que se come/Locávoro ¿¡!?
Purpose: To study food trends and customs in Costa Rica and to discuss
sustainability in terms of agriculture, fishing and tourism industries; To get students
in the kitchen and out in their communities, as well to go down “that aisle” or to
“that store.”
Materials: Photo slide show I created using pictures from my trip, websites, recipes
and articles.
Activities:
Tico Chef: Students can research traditional foods and spices, prepare the dishes,
present to the class a brief description and share the dish. Options: Students can
create a cooking show video and/or produce a cookbook. Students can visit local
grocery stores to assess the availability of Tico ingredients. No Tico kitchen would
be without LIZANO.
Locávoro: Students read articles and discuss the “localvore trend” as it applies to
Costa Rica. Students will pay attention to who has access to various foodstuffs, the
sustainability and availability of various products. Students will assess the negative
and positive impacts of a “locávoro” lifestyle. Options: this could be debated,
discussed, written about, etc.
Possible Curricular ties and themes: Communities, Comparisons, Cultures,
Communication; Los desafíos mundiales/Global Challenges; La vida
contemporánea/Contemporary Life; Las identidades personales y
públicas/Personal and Publc Identities; Las familias y las comunidades/Families
and Communities
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October 5, 2013
COSI COSTA RICA, FLAVA Conference
Presenter: NITZA FERNANDEZ-PLASKI
Idea # 4: Travelogue, Libro de Viaje
Purpose: To plan and create an original Travelogue, using researched information
and/or personal anecdote; To see the role Travelogues and the travel genre have
played in history across the ages; To present the Travelogue to an audience of peers
and adults; To get away from the same old “travel brochure.”
Materials: Web sites, articles, examples, excerpts from published travelogues.
Activities:
Mi FantásTico Plan de Viaje: Students read informational articles about
Travelogues, and select a location in Costa Rica to “travel” to. Students then create
an itinerary and write an anecdote of their “journey” to this place, in the style of one
of the “great” travelogues of history. Travelogues have many different styles:
Viaje 2.0: Social Media version. The above can be supplemented with Instagram,
Facebook, Twitter, You Tube, Tumbler or blogged. It can be filmed or presented in
class.
A Real Trip: After viewing my presentation on Costa Rica and reading an excerpt
from a Travelogue written in Spanish, students can create their own Travelogue
based on an actual trip they took. They can create a slide show and narrate the
events depicted.
Possible Curricular ties and themes: Cultures, Communities, Connections,
Comparisons; La ciencia y la tecnología/Science and Technology; La vida
contemporánea/Contemporary Life; Las identidades personales y
públicas/Personal and Publc Identities; Las familias y las comunidades/Families
and Communities; La creación literaria/Literary Creation; Las sociedades en
contacto/Societies in Contact
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October 5, 2013
COSI COSTA RICA, FLAVA Conference
Presenter: NITZA FERNANDEZ-PLASKI
Curricular Standards and Themes:
ACFTL Standards:
 COMMUNICATION: communicate
in languages other than English
 CULTURES: The 3 “P’s” Products,
Practices and Perspectives: gain
knowledge and understanding of
other cultures
 CONNECTIONS: connect with
other disciplines and acquire
information
AP Spanish Language and Culture Themes:
 Los desafíos mundiales/Global
Challenges
 La ciencia y la tecnología/Science
and Technology
 La vida
contemporánea/Contemporary
Life
 Las identidades personales y
públicas/Personal and Publc
Identities
AP Spanish Literature and Culture Themes:
 Las sociedades en
contacto/Societies in Contact
 La construcción del
género/Gender Constructs
 El tiempo y el espacio/Time and
Space
 La creación literaria/Literary
Creation
 COMPARISONS: develop insight
into the nature of language and
culture
 COMMUNITIES: participate in
multilingual communities at home
& around the world
 Las familias y las
comunidades/Families and
Communities
 La belleza y la estética/Beauty
and Aesthetics
 Las relaciones
interpersonales/Interpersonal
Relationships
 La dualidad del ser/Duality of the
Self
Technology I used to prepare my materials for this presentation:




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You Tube,
Hipstamatic
iPhone
Camera
October 5, 2013




iPad
iMovie
iPhoto
Quicktime
COSI COSTA RICA, FLAVA Conference
Presenter: NITZA FERNANDEZ-PLASKI
Web links for sources and articles:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Costa_Rican_Spanish
http://spanishdialects3.wikispaces.com/The+Spanish+of+Costa+Rica
http://costarica.com/travel/slang-idioms/
http://www.cupotico.com/info/Culture/Slang_in_costa_rica.html
http://www.xe.com/currencyconverter/
http://www.oanda.com/currency/converter/
http://www.worldwidemetric.com/measurements.html
http://www.food.com/recipes/costa-rican
http://costarica.com/recipes/
http://www.thekitchn.com/recipe-lizano-style-costa-rican-salsa-176299
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eIJvyUQ5OUw
http://recetastipicascr.com/recipes/
http://www.govisitcostarica.com/blog/post/locavore-cuisine-taking-off-costarica.aspx
http://faircompanies.com/blogs/view/locavoro-yo-vegetariano-sobre-dilemasalimentarios/
http://travel.nytimes.com/2012/09/09/travel/costa-rica-goes-locavore.html?_r=0
http://www.govisitcostarica.com/blog/post/locavore-cuisine-taking-off-costarica.aspx
http://etimologias.dechile.net/?loca.voro
http://www.clubdelagastronomiacr.com/index.php/plan-nacional-de-lagastronomia-sostenible-y-saludable
http://www.biodinamicacostarica.blogspot.com/
http://www.rainforestspices.com/
http://www.gonomad.com/1194-a-locavore-in-costa-rica-living-the-dream
http://www.puravidahouse.com/eat-like-a-locavore-and-get-to-know-costa-ricalocatour-style/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Travel_literature
http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Libro_de_viaje
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October 5, 2013
COSI COSTA RICA, FLAVA Conference
Presenter: NITZA FERNANDEZ-PLASKI
#1: Adapted from “Some Tico Spanish/American English Words and Phrases”
by Alexander del Sol, The Southern Costa Rica Guide 2000
http://www.guariadeosa.com/cr_tico.htm
Note: Tico is the name Costa Ricans call themselves, their language, culture, and so on. Whatever your
background (and attitude), a rudimentary knowledge of Spanish will prove to be very helpful. Despite
what any person or book may tell you, most Ticos (Costa Ricans) do not speak English or any other foreign
language. If you don't speak Spanish already, you would be well advised to invest in a good phrase book
and study it before you get here. The following list will be helpful.
Tico Spanish
Although you may be familiar with the Spanish language, Ticos have their own special dialect, like all Latin
American countries. Some of the usage here can be very different from say, Mexican or Puerto Rican
Spanish, enough to cause you some confusion even if you are fluent in another dialect. This short section
is here to help you deal with these differences, give you a few words and phrases in case you need them
quick, and also be able to utter some appropriate 'dichos' (sayings, or slang phrases). Some words and
phrases you may not find defined elsewhere.
Tico Spanish/American English
A la parilla - grilled
A la plancha - sautéed
¡Adios! - often used as 'hello' when passing
someone
Agua dulce - a drink made with pure natural
cane sugar
Al ajillo - in garlic
A su gusto - to your liking
Así es la vida - that's life
Boca - snack (look for the 'Boca' bars)
Buenas! - basic greeting (leaving out 'días' or
'tardes')
¡Buena nota! - ok, excellent
Cabina - a room (especially in a hotel)
Caro - car ('coche' is not used)
Casado - a 'married' lunch or dinner plate in
restaurants (a combination of typical foods)
Cien metros - one city block (literally 100
meters)
Con mucho gusto - 'you're welcome' (more
hearty than 'de nada')
Con permiso - 'excuse me' or if you bump into
someone you say - 'perdón'
Con toda la pata - "I've got it all together"
¿Cuánto cuesta? - 'how much does it cost?'
Cuidado - careful
¡¿De verdad?! - really?!
Déjame pensarlo - let me think about it
El campo - the countryside
El servicio - a polite term for 'toilet'
Está bien - 'it's ok.' ('ok' is used a lot)
Finca - ranch, farm, or both
Fresco (refresco) - a cold, non-alcoholic drink
Fresco natural - a natural fruit or powered drink
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October 5, 2013
Fresco - cool, as in air temperature
Gaseosa - soft drink (carbonated soda)
Gato/a - cat, of course, yet also refers to a
woman or man with light-colored eyes (blue,
green, gray)
¡Hágame el favor! - 'do me the favor' but often
means 'give me a break!'
¿Hay campo? - is there room (space)?
¿Hay paso? - 'is there passage' or 'can I get
through?
Hongos - mushrooms (also fungus)
La bomba - common word for a gas station
rather than 'gasolinera'
La lancha - ferry boat
Lanta ponchada - flat tire
Lo que sea - whatever
Más pa'cá - closer ('más para acá' contracted)
Más para allá - farther
Me cae bien - it literally means "you fall well
with me" but it is used basically to say "I like
you"
Mi amor - my love (used by both sexes as a
friendly form of address)
No importa - it's not important; doesn't matter
¡No me digas! - 'don't tell me!' or 'no way!' or
'you don't say!'
¡Ojo! - watch out!
Panga - a small motorboat
Paño - bath towel ('toalla' is rarely used)
Para llevar - carry-out (food)
Pick-up - a pick-up truck (and nothing else…)
Pulpería - a general corner grocery store
COSI COSTA RICA, FLAVA Conference
Pura Vida - literally, a happy 'pure life' - an 'allis-well' statement used as an expression of
approval or even as a greeting
¡Qué dicha! - 'what good luck! or 'fantastic!'
Quebrada - a stream or brook
Rancho or Ranchito - a traditional structure,
usually with a thatched-palm roof
Refresco - a cold drink
Repuestos - parts (for cars, machines)
Salado - too bad; tough luck
Se falló - 'it failed' (for slang, you can use 'se
hodió')
Presenter: NITZA FERNANDEZ-PLASKI
Soda - small restaurant or diner or café or lunch
counter
Tickete - ticket ( 'boleto' is not used much.)
¡Tuanis! - 'everything's great! (a street slang)
¡Upe! - anybody home? (instead of knocking;
used manly in the countryside at people's
houses)
Vos - you (informal, equivalent to 'tu')
Ya me voy - I'm leaving now
¡Ya voy! - I'm coming!
¡Ya! - done, already, now!
#2: Adapted from http://costarica.com/travel/slang-idioms/
Costa Rican Slang
Costa Rica's top three most common expressions:
1. Mae (my)
Mae can be used to mean "dude" between friends, or simply to refer to any man or woman ("ese mae te
está llamando" = "that guy is calling you").
2. Pura vida (poor-ah vee-dah)
Pura vida means "pure life," but more than anything, it's a way of life. This phrase symbolizes the Costa
Rican idea of letting things go, and simply enjoying life. Use it as an answer to "como estás?" ("how are
you?"), or to say "thank you" or "you're welcome."
3. Tico / Tica (tee-ko/tee-ka)
Due to a quirk of speech, Costa Ricans are called Ticos. Since Spanish uses gendered nouns, a Costa Rican
man is a Tico, and a Costa Rican woman is a Tica.
Spanish
English
aguevado (ah-gwayva-doh)
bored or boring
brete (bre-tay)
work or job
chunche (choon-chay) thingamajig
como amaneció?
(coh-moh ah-mahnes-ee-oh)
how are you this morning?
dolor de jupa (dole-or
day hoop-ah)
a headache
estar de chicha (es-tar
to be angry
day chee-chah)
güila (gwee-lah)
Despite its meaning in Mexico, a guila in Costa Rica is merely a "girl."
jamar (hah-marh)
to eat
la choza (lah chohsah)
home
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October 5, 2013
COSI COSTA RICA, FLAVA Conference
Presenter: NITZA FERNANDEZ-PLASKI
la jama (lah hah-mah)
food
la vara (lah bar-ah)
the thing
macha (mah-cha)
a blond female, usually a foreigner
mucho gusto (moochoh goo-stoh)
Translating directly as "[with] much pleasure," Costa Ricans use this in lieu of "de
nada," or "thank you."
no entender ni papa
(no en-ten-der nee
pah-pah)
to not understand a word
ojo! (oh-hoe)
watch out!
pinche (peen-chay)
Despite its meaning in Mexico, pinche means "stingy" in Costa Rica.
por dicha (poor deechah)
thank goodness
pulperia (pool-pehree-ah)
a small corner store
que m'iche? (kay meewhat's up? / what do you have to tell me?
chay)
que mala nota! (kay
mahl-ah no-tah)
what a bad person!
que pereza! (kay payray-sah)
ugh, what a drag! (synonym of "que tigra!")
salado (sahl-ah-doh)
unlucky or "too bad!"
soda (soh-dah)
a small, family-run typical restaurant
soque! (soh-kay)
hurry up!
tome chichi! (toe-may
chee-chee)
Though this phrase has no direct translation, it's essentially a teasing form of
"take that!"
tuanis (too-ahn-ees)
Said to be a Spanish adaptation of "too nice," this popular phrase means "cool."
una teja (oo-nah tayhah)
Una teja is 100 of anything, usually money (100 colones). If someone is giving
you directions, however, una teja refers to "100 meters," or one block.
upe! (oo-pay)
hello? anyone home?
va jalando! (bah hahlahn-do)
get out of here! / go away!
vieras que/viera que
(bee-air-ahs kay/beeair-ah kay)
vieras que/viera que (bee-air-ahs kay/bee-air-ah kay): Another Costa Rican idiom
with no direct translation, "vieras que/viera que" means "sure", in the sense of "I
sure was surprised by his apology!" ("Vieras que sorprendida me dejó su
disculpa!")
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October 5, 2013