Mexico: Cancún + Huatulco (1), The Paricutín volcano erupts (2), thematic units - SP Intermediate 2

Two culture units about Mexico. Interdisciplinary. Content-based units.

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Unit 1. Nace un volcán: el Paricutín

A farmer was working in his field when suddenly, right in front of his eyes, a volcano started to grow. A week later, a hill that spouted lava stood in his field and a month later there was a volcano. Discover the birth of a volcano and the ravages it inflicted on the people and animals in two villages. What happened to them? Where did they go? This unit has a role playing activity where students have a town hall meeting with the local authorities to hammer out the details of their relocation.

Unit includes:

1. Subject matter: science, geography

2. Vocabulary: mountains

3. Grammar: ser / estar in preterit and imperfect

4. Oral practice: town hall meeting

5. Homework: describe a scientific or a natural phenomenon

6. Internet: Key word list to facilitate a search

7. Answer key

Unit 2. El turismo como industria: Cancún y Huatulco

The Mexican government decided to create resorts in places that were formerly tiny villagers. How did they go about it and what were the results? The reading tells the story of the resorts from their inception to their place today as mega tourist attractions. Is tourism good or bad for the local inhabitants? How is the wealth generated by these huge resorts distributed?

Unit includes:

1. Subject matter: tourism

2. Vocabulary: hotels, beaches

3. Grammar: future

4. Oral practice: analyze a cartoon, type of tourism you prefer

5. Homework: future vacations

6. Internet: Key word list to facilitate a search

7. Answer key

The Miraflores materials are entirely in Spanish.