Thematic Unit-Costa Rican Geography
Melissa Baker-Barrios
New London Local Schools
Class level-II, Chapter 7
Standards Addressed—1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 2.1, 2.2, 3.1, 3.2, 4.1, 4.2
Day 1
Previous Homework-none
Objectives- Students will…
Discuss the differences between ‘bosques’ and ‘selvas’.
Locate Costa Rica on a map of the Americas.
Locate and identify the 7 provinces of Costa Rica.
Identify the geographical features of the provinces of Costa Rica.
Standards-1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 3.1, 4.1
Procedures1. I will start class by announcing that we will have a story at the beginning of class. I
will show them the cover of the book. Ask what they think will happen in the story.
I will read the story showing pictures and focusing on words they may not know.
2. After the story talk about the differences between ‘bosques’ and ‘selvas’. Ask
where you can find them. Using a globe, I will point out all the places that are
named. When they hit on Central America we begin to focus on Costa Rica.
3. I will use the ‘invisible map’ (aka Joe Moore) to locate the main cities, San José,
Heredia, Alajuela, Limón, Puntarenas, and to locate the 7 provinces.
4. I will give students a simple map to locate and label the 7 provinces.
5. Using a large map on the bulletin board, students will name the geographical features
they already know (Probably ‘montaña’, ‘río’, ‘playa’ maybe a few others) I will give
them a handout with a picture of labeled landforms. We will review pronunciation of
terms. Using the map on the bulletin board, students will point out where they think
the mountains, rivers, volcanoes, etc are located.
6. Divide students into 7 groups and assign each group one of the provinces. Using
guidebooks, fliers, maps, and photographs, each group will make a list (in form of a
blank map of the province, which they will fill in) of the geography of each province.
7. Each group appoints a spokesperson to tape their section of the map to the board and
briefly review the features of the province.
8. Wrap-up. With all pieces up, we will review as a class. First, using map of the
Americas, have a student point out where Costa Rica is. Using the student created
map, review the names and locations of the provinces. Using map on bulletin board,
we will review geography vocabulary.
9. Pass out homework—a word search on which they also have to write the names of the
places in Spanish.
MaterialsBulletin board with oversized map of Costa Rica with removable landforms
and city names.
Story book Vamos al Bosque by Roser Rius
Globe
Map of the Americas
Work sheetsBlank map of provinces from Costa Rica’s Coloring and Activity Book,
by Annemarie & Lupita Weiler
Work sheet of picture with geography terms from Costa Rica en el
Mundo: Atlas Didactico Jitan. Jiménez & Tanzi. 2001
Word search from Costa Rica’s Coloring and Activity Book
Guide books, fliers, photographs and maps of Costa Rica for group work
(if you have Internet access in your room you could have web sites pre-loaded for
viewing)
Day 2
Previous Homework-word search
Objectives- Students will…
Link names of places with their geography. (Arenal-volcán)
Locate each place in the proper province.
Correctly use the conditional to talk about what they “would see, would do” in
different places.
Standards-1.1, 1.2, 2.1, 3.1, 4.1
ProceduresBell ringer: When students come in there will be a matching activity on the overhead
with names of places in Costa Rica and geographical vocabulary. Students will complete
sheet while I check homework.
1. Review quickly the answers to the bell ringer as well as the homework
2. Use the bulletin board map(with cities and geography features removed) to review
names of provinces as a group. Students go to board one at a time to place the cities
and geographical features back on the map. As they put it up they have to tell what it
is and where it’s located [Exp. “Jacó es una playa. Está en Puntarenas(en la costa del
Pacífico)”]
3. Once all the features are re-located, we will talk about things we do for fun. Then
what they think people do in Costa Rica. Is it the same, different? Why? Introduce
the conditional. If I were in Braulio Carrillo, what would I do? “Yo vería el bosque
lluvioso.” “Yo oiría pájaros.” “Yo caminaría en el bosque…” Have several students
talk about what they would do in different places.
4. After they are comfortable with the “yo” form, move on to “ellos” and “nosotros”
forms.
5. Wrap-up. Review on the board what are the forms of the conditional, what is its
equivalent in English and why we use it.
6. Review location of the provinces on the bulletin board. Use the map to review
places, “Monteverde es … Cauhita es…”
7. Pass out homework-Worksheet with forms of the conditional and places in Costa
Rica.
Materials-Bulletin board
Bell ringer worksheet
Home work worksheet
Day 3
Previous Homework-worksheet covering conditional and places
Objectives-Students will…
Discuss importance of national parks in Costa Rica.
Draw their interpretation of a song and a poem separately.
Discuss what would happen if there were no rainforest, if there were no
conservation, etc. using the correct form of the conditional.
Standards—1.1, 1.2, 2.1, 2.2, 3.1, 3.2, 4.2
Procedure
Bell ringer-sentences that students finish with what they would do in different places. I
check student homework while they complete.
1. As a class we will go over the answers to the bell-ringer and the homework.
2. Each student is given a city or a place to put on the bulletin board map. After all
places are up, I will put up the national parks. Talk about how many there are. Why
are they important? Do we have national parks? What are they? How do you picture
them, what do they look like?
3. We are going to do a listening activity. We are going to listen to the sounds of a rain
forest(explain that this particular recording is from Braulio Caurrillo and point it out
on the map). Each student closes their eyes while they listen for two minutes. While
they are listening I give each student two blank sheets of paper and a couple of
crayons or colored pencils. After listening, I tell each student to draw what they saw
in their minds as they listened.
4. Next we listen to another part of the CD while I read the poem “La Tierra Está
Triste.” Again I have students draw what they imagined as they listened. We talk
about the comparisons of the two images. Talk again about why it is important to
have national parks. What ‘would’ happen if there were no parks? What would
happen with the animals? Use Nicaragua as an example, mudslides, floods, etc.
5. Wrap-up. Review the main ideas of why conservation is important. Review places
and provinces in Costa Rica.
6. Homework is to study vocabulary and map for quiz.
MaterialsBell ringer worksheet
Bulletin board-National Parks
CD-sounds of the jungle
Poem-La Tierra Está Triste
Day 4
Previous Homework-study for quiz
Objectives-Students will…
Successfully label the geographical features of a map(in form of a quiz).
Use the irregular forms of the conditional in conversation.
Discuss what is located in each provinces as well as source of income.
Standards-1.1, 2.2, 3.1, 4.1
Procedure
1. Students will take the quiz at beginning of the class.
2. Using the parts of the bulletin board map, we will have a class discussion about what
they would do in each different place. After a few minutes, introduce some of the
irregular verbs into the conversation. Make a list on the board of all of the irregular
forms for students to copy. Try to get students to use each verb in a sentence.
3. We will use the blank bulletin board to review provinces. Each student adds a park,
geographical feature or city to the bulletin board map.
4. As a group we will talk about what is located in each province using photos and maps
to locate important places. Give students a written ‘pop quiz’ to list all the things
they can remember in each province.
5. As a class go over ‘quiz’(not for a grade) and make sure each student has a complete
list. We will talk about the main sources of income for each area as well. (What we
would buy in each area) Look at some of the things that are exported from Costa
Rica, coffee, bananas, wood products and fruits. Look at money and talk about the
current exchange rate. Talk about cost of living, wages, etc.
6. Wrap-up. We will review irregular forms of the conditional and the geography and
economy of each of the provinces of Costa Rica.
7. Homework-Worksheet with irregular verbs, also write 1 paragraph about where you
would visit and what you would do there if you had two weeks and $100,000
MaterialsQuiz using photo from Costa Rica en el Mundo: Atlas Didactico Jitan.
Bulletin board
Examples of Costa Rican goods, money
Current exchange rate
Worksheet with questions in irregular conditional
Day 5Previous Homework-Worksheet, paragraph
Objectives-Students will…
Read homework paragraph to partner.
Converse with partner and try to convince partner where he/she should go on
vacation.
Standards—1.1, 4.1
Procedure
Bell ringer-sentences with irregular conditional forms.
1. Quickly go over bell ringers and Worksheet answers.
2. Students will get into pairs and read each other their paragraphs. Then they want to
try to convince each other to go to their vacation spot. Before they start the activity,
we as a group need to talk about convincing phrases—“me gustaría”, “yo
preferiría…porque”, “yo recomendaría ir a”, “en mi opinion X sería mejor
porque”…etc.
3. Students spend 5-10 minutes in this conversation, then volunteers “perform” for the
class. If time, all groups perform.
4. If there is time at the end of the period, we will review the provinces and places in
Costa Rica.
5. Wrap-up-Explain to students that tomorrow they will do an activity similar to today’s
activity that will be taped for a grade. Tomorrow’s activity will focus on the places in
Costa Rica. Explain the oral assessment, put a copy of the rubric on the overhead and
explain where the grade comes from.
6. Homework-study and review the forms of the conditional and places in Costa Rica.
MaterialsBell ringer worksheet
Copy of rubric
Day 6
Previous Homework-study
Objectives--Students will…
Engage in a conversation to convince the other party where they would like to go
for vacation.
Correctly use the conditional form.
Correctly place the vacation spots in the various provinces of Costa Rica.
Standards—1.1, 2.1, 3.1, 3.2, 4.1, 4.2
Procedure
Bell ringer-sentences with conditional.
1. As a class we will quickly review answers to the bell ringer.
2. I will divide students into pairs, explain the oral assessment, put a copy of the rubric
on the overhead and review where the grade comes from.
3. Give each pair a set of cards with the situation on it, one is a tourist, one is a travel
agent, both have different ideas about what the ideal trip to Costa Rica is. Each tries
to convince the other that their idea is best.
4. Each group takes turns going to the tape recorder and recording their conversation (I
let them volunteer for order).
5. After each group records, they turn in the situation cards and they have the option of
coloring one of the pictures about one of the provinces or reading more about Costa
Rica in guide books or on the computer.
6. Wrap-up—talk about how they feel they did on the assessment, what they know they
did wrong, what they could do better the next time.
Materials
Situation cards
Copy of Rubric for each student
Worksheets of each province for coloring from Costa Rica’s Coloring and
Activity Book.