Two culture units about Mexico. Interdisciplinary. Content-based units. Subjects that do not have easy answers. Please preview. 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: Subject matter: science, geography Vocabulary: mountains Grammar: ser / estar in preterit and imperfect Oral practice: town hall meeting Homework: describe a scientific or a natural phenomenon Internet: Key word list to facilitate a search 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: Subject matter: tourism Vocabulary: hotels, beaches Grammar: future Oral practice: analyze a cartoon, type of tourism you prefer Homework: future vacations Internet: Key word list to facilitate a search Answer key The Miraflores materials are entirely in Spanish.

Two units about sports, cycling and soccer. Please preview. Unit 1. Alberto Contador, ciclista Does a cyclist deserve the medal because the drug he used was not on the list of banned substances for a particular meet? The use of drugs has been a problem not only in cycling but also in other sports and the students will have a lot to say on the subject. The unit serves to introduce the vocabulary of cycling and to practice the imperative, but as always in content-based materials, it is the subject matter that carries the day. Unit includes: Subject matter: sports Vocabulary: games; cycling, running Grammar: muy or mucho; agreement Oral practice: solitary sports vs. team sports Homework: solitary sports vs. team sports Internet: Key word list to facilitate a search and further research Answer key Unit 2. El fútbol y la tele Sports and television serve as a lead into the huge changes Spain has experienced in the last 50 years. The country has gone from being a relatively poor country to a comparatively rich one. Only a short while ago, Spaniards left their country to work in Germany and Switzerland; today Spain receives immigrants from the whole world who do the jobs Spaniards are no longer willing to do. Soccer serves as the example to explain those changes. Unit includes: Subject matter: daily life Vocabulary: games; cycling, running Grammar: imperative, preterit Oral practice: questions about Spanish television programming Homework: letter requesting information Internet: Key word list to facilitate a search and further research Answer key All Miraflores resources are solely in the target language.

I was born in Peru, so this is easy. I have been to Machu Picchu four times, each marking a different period in my life. My first visit was when I was 8 or 9 and my parents took me. My second visit was during my university years and I went with my girl friend. The third time I took my husband, a Canadian on his first visit to Peru. And we climbed the Huayna Picchu, an unforgettable experience. The last time I took my children to show them this extraordinary, breathtaking, beautiful place, unique in the world. I have been very fortunate. If you too have had the privilege of visiting Machu Picchu and want to share your experience, please add it to the comments on this page. Thank you for sharing. Unit 1. Machu Picchu: ciudad mágica Every Spanish teacher wants to visit Machu Picchu. Convey that excitement to the students! Walk along the Inca Trail to the ruins; participate in the yearly clean-up. Language and culture are intertwined, so you can practice adverbs in Cusco, the gateway to Machu Picchu. Enjoy! Unit includes: Subject matter: tourism Vocabulary: adverbs of place Grammar: prepositions Oral practice: native languages of North America Homework: you are an archaeologist, describe the find Internet: Key word list to facilitate a search and further research Answer key Unit 2. Jacinto Quispe, ambulante Domestic servants, child labor, street vendors! Deal with reality! What are their lives like? Spanish is so exciting to teach! My students were into this, especially when we compared the information about Peru to the reality of those working at McDonald jobs. Unit includes: Subject matter: daily life Vocabulary: chores in the home Grammar: contrast between present and present perfect Oral practice: interview of potential home worker Homework: should there be street vendors? Internet: Key word list to facilitate a search and further research Answer key Remember that I am a great advocate of reading, so each unit starts with a reading, then comprehension, extension, integrated vocabulary and grammar plus oral and written assignments as well as Internet key words to allow students to research. .

Although students know a lot about ecological problems and solutions in their own country, they are not familiar with another point of view and another location. By dealing with ecology from a South American point of view, they will gain a better appreciation of our planet. These two units are truly interdisciplinary. They are content-driven and interesting. Please preview. The first unit is for all lovers of french fries, baked potatoes, potato salad and creamy mashed potatoes. Unit 1. La papa, comida del pasado y del futuro During the Irish potato crisis, millions of people died and tens of thousands left Ireland. What does this have to do with Bolivia? The potato is an Andean plant and was a staple there long before it was transported to Ireland. Learn everything about the potato, including a lovely Neruda poem called ‘Oda a la papa.’ Unit includes. Subject matter: ecology Vocabulary: agricultural products Grammar: use of ser, estar and hay Oral practice: analysis of a Neruda poem Homework: description of a plant useful to mankind Internet: Key word list to facilitate a search and further research Answer key The beauty of content-driven resources is that they are the perfect combination of interesting information and language acquisition. Unit 2. La Amazonía y la ecología del mundo We don’t often think of the Amazon basin as part of Bolivia, yet in fact, more than half of that country is covered by the thick tropical forest we call the ‘lungs of the earth.’ What are the consequences of cutting down the trees? Compare the region to the United States and then compare two maps showing American forests past and present. Practice ser, estar and hay. Unit includes. Subject matter: ecology Vocabulary: natural world Grammar: use of ser, estar and hay Oral practice: consequences of forests disappearing Homework: open subject on an ecological theme Internet: Key word list to facilitate a search and further research Answer key

Two culture units. Read, write, speak, think. Please preview. Unit 1. Las islas Galápagos : Islas extraordinarias When Charles Darwin wrote his Origin of the Species, his research was based on empirical observations in the Galápagos Islands. It was there that he realized that some species develop singular traits according to their needs. Today the islands are a popular tourist destination where tourists admire giant turtles, warm water penguins, the Galápagos albatross and many other animals. Language study includes not only the animals, but many cognates that begin with ES in Spanish. Discussion topics deal with man, the most dangerous of all animals. Unit includes: Subject matter: ecology Vocabulary: parts of the body Grammar: prepositions and accents Oral practice: describe a photograph Homework: endangered species Internet: Key word list to facilitate a search Answer key Unit 2. La participación de Ecuador en los Juegos Olímpicos If the Olympic medals are always won by the richest countries, should the poorer countries even bother to attend? Find out how Ecuador has fared in the Olympics in the last one hundred years. Decide if the money should be spent sending athletes to the Olympic Games or should be used locally. Many questions don’t have easy answers. Unit includes: Subject matter: sports Vocabulary: competitive sports Grammar: comparative and superlative Oral practice: television coverage of the Olympic Games Homework: who should participate in the Olympic Games Internet: Key word list to facilitate a search Answer key All Miraflores resources are exclusively in the target language

Two culture units on Colombia, probably one of the countries that invokes the greatest number of stereotypes. Click on Preview and read both units. All the Miraflores thematic units include: a level appropriate reading, comprehension, contextualized vocabulary and grammar, oral and writing assignments, Internet key words to further the themes and the answer keys. Unit 1. Gabriel García Márquez, escritor colombiano García Márquez was a great Colombian writer and although at this level the students cannot read his novels, they will get acquainted with his work. Many students never make it to the advanced levels, so I like to introduce writers earlier. This unit relates his works to information about Colombia. Unit includes: Subject matter: literature, culture Vocabulary: literary Grammar: preterit Oral practice: a novel Homework: a novel you have read Internet: Key word list to facilitate a search Answer key Unit 2. La cocaína, problema de nuestros días I had no restrictions, so a unit on drugs was fine. Understanding trade, middle men and cartels was fascinating. Sometimes the group discussion about legalization was very heated, other times students were all on the same page, and agreed on what needed to be done. It was also very instructive about what was happening inside and outside of my classroom. The first time I was surprised at the amount of information they all had about where drugs could be purchased, their price and more. I kept my mouth firmly shut when I left the classroom. Unit includes: Subject matter: daily life Vocabulary: commercial Grammar: preterit perfect Oral practice: drug problems in your community Homework: should some drugs be legal? Internet: Key word list to facilitate a search Answer key Comprehensible cultural input.

Two content-based units about Venezuela. Please preview. Unit 1. El petróleo: mucho más que un producto de exportación Venezuela supplied most of the oil used in the eastern states of the United States. How has the country used the oil wealth? Well? Poorly? Practice ordinal numbers and get your students to talk about oil dependence and consumption. What is petroleum used for? What is its future? Unit includes: Subject matter: daily life Vocabulary: ordinal numbers Grammar: agreement Oral practice: products made from oil Homework: consequences of rules banning use of petroleum run vehicles Internet: Key word list to facilitate a search and further research Answer key Unit 2. Simón Bolívar, el Libertador Bolívar’s face in on the bills; there is a mountain named after him; there is a city named after him; there is even a country named after him. Does that sound familiar? That’s right! Just like Washington. (He has a state not a country, named for him.) Learn more about Bolívar and make history come alive. Unit includes: Subject matter: history Vocabulary: government, democracy Grammar: preterit Oral practice: George Washington and other figures Homework: national heroes Internet: Key word list to facilitate a search and further research Answer key All Miraflores resources are exclusively in the target language. Full disclosure. For reasons I don´t understand, this is not a popular unit although my own students thought it interesting to learn about a national heroe and even more interesting to discuss oil and the future of our planet. Go figure. The continuing unravelling of Venezuela also makes petroleum, its sale and misuse, a difficult subject.

TTwo thematic units about Venezuela. Please preview. Venezuela has undergone some drastic political changes since I visited and wrote these two units. When I was there, Hugo Chavez was in power but he has since died and Maduro has taken over. Sadly the country is in a terrible state and seems to be getting worse every day. All the more reason to learn about Venezuela. Unit 1. Isla Margarita, turismo venezolano y extranjero Isla Margarita, like all the Caribbean islands, is spectacularly beautiful. The sand, the translucent warm waters, the fish you can see when you snorkle, it takes your breathe away. Students and teachers are always surprised by the variety in a single country. Venezuela has tropical beaches, high mountains, vast plains and a huge area that is part of the Amazon basin. Really? Practice fillers, such as bueno, pues, bien. Unit includes: Subject matter: tourism Vocabulary: natural world Grammar: prepositions Oral practice: imaginary vacations to Latin America Homework: natural world Internet: Key word list to facilitate a search, further the research Answer key Unit. 2. Caracas, una ciudad latinoamericana In Europe, the cities grew large in the 19th century; in Latin America they exploded in the 20th century. Why do people leave the countryside and head for the city? Is it good or bad? An easy math exercise will give you some idea of the numbers. Expand the vocabulary of stores. Repetition and extension! Increase understanding of the Spanish speaking world. Unit includes: Subject matter: history Vocabulary: urban life Grammar: definite and indefinite articles Oral practice: your city Homework: describe a city Internet: Key word list to facilitate a search, further the research Answer key

I was born in Peru, so when I was a child, going to the Andes was an annual event. I have a wonderful picture of myself in a cuzqueña costume at age eight or nine. My parents must have bought it there and I must have been trying it on. My childhood memories of going up to the Andes are not as happy because I always got soroche, altitude sickness. Apparently children suffer a lot from it. It went away after one or two days, but it always colored my views of going up to Cusco. When I was a child the spelling was always Cuzco but it has now been changed to Cusco. I was told that all the spelling changes were to make the word sound more like the original quechua, but in the case of this word, there really is no good reason as far as I can see. Here are brief descriptions of the two units. I always start with a reading because my students needed to read as much as possible. Please preview. Unit 1. El Cusco Fiestas! Celebrations! The Incas had great gatherings in their capital, Cusco, to celebrate the winter solstice. Today Peruvians celebrate the same day in the same place. Learn all about Peruvian fiestas, combining Inca and Peruvian, past and present, new and old. Unit includes: Subject matter - Reading: celebrations Vocabulary: celebrations; body Grammar: preterit Oral practice: Neruda poem Homework: visit Machu Picchu Internet: key words for research on topic and additional topics Model tests Teacher’s guide Answer key Unit 2. El señor de Sipán An archaeological dig is a huge challenge! The archaeologists want to save the artifacts for posterity; the police are desperate to keep the peace; the local people would like to make some money (some legally, others illegally) from the excavation. Delve into the mysteries of one specific dig, the Señor de Sipán, considered as important as the discovery of King Tutankhamen’s tomb in Egypt. As always, my content based units include some grammar, in this case the preterit and adverbs of place. It is completely contextualized. Of the many units I have written, over a twenty year period, the story of the dig at Sipán is one of my personal favorites. It combines intrigue, excitement and discovery. I hope you and your students will like it. All Miraflores resources are in the target language only. If you have taken students to Cusco, please share in the Comments section below. I also have written a unit about Machu Picchu, so you can also comment there. I believe visiting another country is an unforgettable experience.

Two units about Ecuador. Please preview. Unit 1. El colegio This unit is a very popular because many schools include school life in their curriculum. Students discover the similarities and differences between their own school and schools in Ecuador. Comparing leads to thoughtful responses. Review and extend school vocabulary (classroom, courses, after school programs). Have the students discover how the same building houses two schools, one in the morning, the second in the afternoon. Unit includes: Subject matter: school Vocabulary: school Grammar: ordinal numbers Oral practice: compare two schools Homework: create a school pamphlet; create a school emblem Internet: key words for more web searches on topic and related topics Model tests Teacher’s guide Answer key Unit 2. El mercado de Otavalo Indoor and outdoor markets. What do they sell? Do you or don’t you bargain? And if you do, are there rules to follow so you are always respectful of other cultures? Here is a guide to bargaining, how, when and how much. Unit includes: Subject matter: market Vocabulary: market Grammar: ser / estar Oral practice: describe a photograph of the market Homework: good manners / bargaining Internet: key words for more web searches on topic and related topics Model tests Teacher’s guide Answer key If you have gone to the Otavalo market, please share in the comments section below. My personal experience was fun but I am not a great shopper so I preferred the Mitad del Mundo. It appealed to my imagination to stand with one foot in the northern hemisphere and the other foot in the southern hemisphere.

Two culture units about Colombia, a great painter and a walled city. Contextualized. Content-based. Please preview. Unit 1. Fernando Botero Have fun describing Botero’s over sized people! (What a wonderful way to practice those adjectives!) Acquaint your students with Botero’s huge bodies, round faces and tiny feet. Once they have studied the paintings in this unit, they will also understand his opinions about Colombian society. Unit includes: Subject matter: painter Vocabulary: painting Grammar: descriptive adjectives Oral practice: paintings Homework: stereotypes, Internet: key words for web searches / expand the topics Model tests Teacher’s guide Answer key Unit 2. Cartagena de Indias Cartagena de Indias is the only remaining walled city in South Americas with the walls intact in many areas. The unit is built around two short texts. The first is a dialogue between two young men during the colonial period. The second text describes what the city and its wall, built to protect the city from slave raiders, looks like today. And there is more! García Márquez uses the city as the locale for one of his books and the characters are described within this spectacular colonial city. Unit includes: Subject matter: port city Vocabulary: city Grammar: verbs with stem changes Oral practice: forts Homework: cities named after cities in the Old World Internet: key words for web searches / expand the topics Model tests Teacher’s guide Answer key ALSO AVAILABLE IN AN “ARTS BUNDLE” THAT INCLUDES: 1. Goya / Gaudí / Rodrigo; 3 interdisciplinary thematic units - SP Beginners 1 2. Cervantes and Sor Juana / Picasso / Felipe VI; 3 thematic units - SP Beginners 1 3. Rivera, Orozco, Siqueiros / Indigenous cultures: 2 thematic units - SP Intermediate 1 4. Fernando Botero / Cartega de Indias; 2 thematic units - SP Intermediate 1 5. Las Meninas / Felipe II; 2 thematic units - SP Intermediate 2 (You get ALL five for the price of four) All Miraflores resources are exclusively in the target language.

I grew up in Lima. From my home in Miraflores, a suburb of Lima, the Andes were not visible. But just a few kilometers toward downtown, you can see them rising in the distance. They are treeless, grey, daunting. And they create a mountainous barrier between the coast and the vast Amazon jungle. In just a few hours you can go from the edge of the Pacific, over the Andes and into the jungle. It is breathtaking. Three culture units about science, ecology and weather. These units will appeal to the many students who care about the future of our planet. Please preview. Unit 1. Los Andes Unit includes: Subject matter: mountains, science, climbers Vocabulary: mountains, climate, seasons Grammar: poder, querer, comparatives Oral practice: comparisons with the Rocky Mountains Homework: science project Internet: key words for Net search Model tests Teacher’s guide Answer key Unit 2. El río Amazonas Unit includes: Subject matter: water, science Vocabulary: rivers, climate, seasons Grammar: poder, querer, comparatives Oral practice: comparisons with the Mississippi River Homework: science project Internet: key words for Net search Model tests Teacher’s guide Answer key Unit 3. El desierto de Atacama Unit includes: Subject matter: desert; science Vocabulary: climate, seasons Grammar: poder, querer, comparatives Oral practice: comparisons with Rockies, Mississippi Homework: science project Internet: key words for Net search Model tests Teacher’s guide Answer key High mountains, vast deserts and long rivers! South America’s geography lends itself to scientific study. Who were the first scientists to scale the Andes, sail the Amazon River across the continent and delve into the mysteries of the driest desert on earth? What did they discover? Also available in a BUNDLE. The bundle includes 7 thematic units for SP intermediate 1. The units are divided into three downloads. Please go to the individual sets for details. Please note that you can read all the thematic units by clicking on the Preview. (All in Miraflores store) 1. Ecotourism in Spain: stork migration (1), Ordesa Park (2), thematic units - SP - Intermediate 1. Yes, units on Spanish ecology, something you don´t often see. 2. The Andes (1), The Amazon (2), The Atacama (3) mountains, river, desert, thematic units SP Intermediate 1. 3. Galápagos ecology (1), Ecuador in the Olympic Games (2) - thematic units. SP Intermediate 1. All Miraflores resources are exclusively in the target language.

Two units about ecology, a large bird, the stork, and a beautiful park in northeast Spain, el parque de Ordesa y Monte Perdido. Introduce new and varied subject matter. Please preview. Unit 1. La cigüeña blanca Did you know there are no storks in the Americas? Why are there myths about storks, such as the carrier of newborn babies? Did you know the storks are very big, their wingspan up to one meter? In the past these huge birds spent the summer in Spain and other European countries and wintered in Africa, yet with today’s changing climate, many storks have stopped migrating. Why? This fun science unit also deals with storks in the Autonomous Regions, the Spanish equivalent of states or provinces. Unit includes: Subject matter: ecology, Pyrenees Vocabulary: body parts Grammar: comparative and superlative Oral practice: game on Extremadura Homework: animals in danger of extinction Internet: key words for web searches and research. Answer key Unit 2. El Parque Nacional de Ordesa y Monte Perdido A group of friends goes hiking in a Spanish national park near the French border. The text is written like diary entries. One of the hikers describes what they see, do and think about. Of course ecology is important! Students then compare national parks in northern Spain with another in southern Spain and learn about the varied geography of the country. What a way to study the comparative and the superlative, contextualized. Unit includes: Subject matter: ecology, Pyrenees Vocabulary: parks Grammar: comparative and superlative Oral practice: regional and national parks Homework: letter Internet: key words for web searches and research. Answer key I remember clearly when I first saw a stork nest. On my first trip to Spain, a fellow traveler pointed up and I gaped. I had never seen a nest that was several feet wide and was perched on the roof of a church. I kept looking until I saw my first stork. Again I gaped. It was so much bigger than any bird I had ever seen. Amazing. I knew I had to write about this. Also available in an ECOLOGY BUNDLE.

Three thematic units on the Quinto Centenario, 1992. 500 years after Columbus. Please preview. In 1992 Spain celebrated the 500th anniversary of the Encounter, mistakenly called the ‘discovery’ of the Americas. Barcelona hosted the Olympic Games, Seville had the World Fair and Madrid grew by leaps and bounds. These units are much more than just facts: compare the size of your classroom to the length of Columbus’ boats; analyze the consequences of hosting the Olympic Games and find out how the Prado Museum began. **Unit 1. Sevilla. La Expo ´92 y la importancia del Encuentro ** Subject matter: history; tourism Vocabulary: views of the discovery of the Americas Grammar: preterit; articles Oral practice: a concert Homework: immigration and emigration Internet: Key word list to facilitate a search Answer key **Unit 2. Barcelona. ¿Para quién son los Juegos Olímpicos? ** Subject matter: history; sports Vocabulary: sports / business Grammar: preterit; articles Oral practice: comparing products of the New World and the Old World Homework: salaries of stars Internet: Key word list to facilitate a search Answer key Unit 3. Madrid 1992 Subject matter: general information Vocabulary: the city Grammar: preterit; articles Oral practice: comparing products of the New World and the Old World; a concert Homework: students’ background Internet: Key word list to facilitate a search Answer key

Two culture units.** Please preview.** One of the joys of writing units about unusual subjects is that they appeal to students that don’t often see their own interests reflected in the materials. The two units come directly from students’ requests. One student asked me to write something about sports and if possible on baseball, the other requested a unit on animals. Once the students suggested these subjects, I then took the entire summer to write the units. So in fact, the ones requesting, often just got one exercise or one reading because it takes me months to put a whole unit together. Unit 1. República Dominicana: El béisbol Poverty? Baseball? We don’t very often get a chance to deal with these subjects at this level. Go beyond the stereotypes of Caribbean baseball players and find out why there are so many in the Big Leagues today. Unit includes: Subject matter: sports Vocabulary: sports Grammar: ser / estar / hay Oral practice: sports seen as an industry Homework: sports, athletes Internet: Key word list to facilitate a search Answer key **Unit 2. Puerto Rico: La rana coquí ** Explore some fun science facts about the coquí, a tiny tree frog with a very loud call. In this species, the male cares for the eggs and guards them until they hatch. Read all about it. Unit includes: Subject matter: science (amphibians) Vocabulary: climate, machismo Grammar: ser / estar / hay Oral practice: gender questions Homework: women Internet: Key word list to facilitate a search Answer key All Miraflores resources are exclusively in the target language.

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: Subject matter: popular art Vocabulary: adverbs of place Grammar: agreement Oral practice: school transportation Homework: transportation, public advertisements Internet: Key word list to facilitate a search 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: Subject matter: history and geography Vocabulary: medical Grammar: verbs Oral practice: map work Homework: hospitals, old people Internet: Key word list to facilitate a search Answer key Entirely in the target language. Answer key included.

Two thematic units about tourism. Here is a way to cover some Central American countries that we tend to forget. They have so much to offer! Please preview. Unit 1. Ecoturismo. La Ruta Maya La Ruta Maya is a wonderful, although incomplete, initiative. It is a route that stretches from Mexico to Panama and goes through all the Central American countries. It promotes ecotourism in the entire region. This unit covers both the geography of the region as well as some of the animals that live there, specifically the quetzal. The Ruta Maya also stops at many archeological sites in Central America and some of those are covered. My students really liked the exercise on camping at Tikal. Unit includes: Subject matter: tourism, geography, history Vocabulary: animals Grammar: articles Oral practice: tourism and ecotourism Homework: letter requesting information Internet: Key word list to facilitate a search Answer key **Unit 2. Turismo. De San José a Puerto Limón ** The unit describes an actual trip from San José down to Puerto Limón. Content based learning goes beyond mere geographical information. In Central America, temperature depends on altitude. Thus, it can be cool in the mountains but if you travel down to the coast, just a few hours away, it is very hot. Now, this might sound really boring, but check out the Preview and you will see it is not. In addition to learning about weather, there is an exercise about countries that export bananas and import industrial products. Let the students come to their own conclusions about the basic economic problems that poor countries face. Ah yes, I sell bananas and I need to buy computers. Unit includes: Subject matter: tourism, geography, history Vocabulary: agricultural products (bananas) Grammar: querer and poder Oral practice: comparing imports and exports of target culture and own country Homework: Maya and Aztec cultures Internet: Key word list to facilitate a search Answer key Entirely in the target language. All Miraflores units include answer keys.

Two thematic units. Interdisciplinary. Content based. CI. Please preview. Unit 1. ¿Es la marimba un instrumento latinoamericano? The New World has welcomed people, animals, objects and ideas from many continents. Take the marimba. This instrument combines African, European and indigenous elements. Is the marimba Guatemalan? Of course it is. The example I give for the United States is jazz: it is played on both European and African instruments, it has an African beat and it began in the United States. The students understand how so many elements are needed to make something entirely new. Make those grey cells work!! I had fun writing this and teaching it. Unit includes Subject matter: music, historical background Vocabulary: rural and urban population Grammar: agreement Oral practice: jazz Homework: students own musical interest Internet: Key word list to facilitate a search Answer key Unit 2. El transporte: Honduras Everyone has an opinion on transportation, cars, buses, trains, airplanes. In Central America the bus is the most common form of transportation but the unit deals with other means of transportation as well. And since transportation is similar in the various countries of the region, there is information about those countries too. In writing this I thought it sounded deadly boring. Trust me, it is not. Click on Preview and read both units. Unit includes Subject matter: general information Vocabulary: various means of transportation Grammar: por and para Oral practice: buses Homework: trips, food Internet: Key word list to facilitate a search Answer key Learning about other cultures is such an enriching experience. It opens minds and hearts.

Two units for intermediate students. Deal with the fate of our planet through ecology. This is of great interest to all. Content-based and interdisciplinary. Please preview. Each unit includes a pre-reading, a level appropriate reading, comprehension, extension of the subject matter integrating both vocabulary and grammar. An oral that relates the content of the unit to the students’ reality, homework suggestions and Internet key words for further research. **Unit 1. La contaminación en la Ciudad de México ** The strength of content based units is that they present students with reality, including problems that are hard to solve. If Mexico City reduces the number of cars and cuts down the emission of CO2, the consequences are a large reduction in jobs. Unit includes: Subject matter: ecology Vocabulary: urban life Grammar: poder plus infinitive 4 .Oral practice: urban transportation where you live Homework: transportation Internet: Key word list to facilitate a search Answer key **Unit 2. La mariposa monarca ** If the forests where the monarch butterfly spends its winter are fully protected, the people who live in the area and use the wood for cooking are left hungry. How can Mexicans solve these problems? Unit includes: Subject matter: ecology Vocabulary: seasons, animals Grammar: stem change UE 4 .Oral practice: migratory animal Homework: an animal Internet: Key word list to facilitate a search Answer key These two units will elicit lively and thoughtful class discussions! Your students will automatically relate the problems to their own environment and you will see how excited they can get!

Two culture units for SP 2. Please preview. Unit 1. Las culturas indígenas Although only parts of the Maya and Aztec script have been deciphered, we can learn a great deal about other cultures from their sculptures, drawings and architecture. My students analyzed the picture that is included in the units, the stone statue of a mother with her children and were able to figure out information about foods they ate, the clothes they wore and child rearing. Deductive reasoning at its best. Unit includes: Subject matter: how to read the Maya hieroglyphics Vocabulary: nouns and verbs related to cultures of the Americas Grammar: gender Oral practice: student plays role of archaeologist Homework: research indigenous culture Internet: Key word list to facilitate a search Answer key Unit 2. Rivera, Orozco, Siqueiros These Mexican muralists are world renown. Introduce your students to some paintings and link the painters to Frida Kahlo, the wife of Diego Rivera. All teachers like this subject. The students will like it just as much. The picture of Frida lying in her bed was an excellent discussion catalyst in my class. Unit includes: Subject matter: Mexican art Vocabulary: art Grammar: prepositions Oral practice: student plays role of archaeologist Homework: research indigenous culture Internet: Key word list to facilitate a search Answer key ALSO AVAILABLE IN AN “ARTS BUNDLE” THAT INCLUDES: 1. Goya / Gaudí / Rodrigo; 3 interdisciplinary thematic units - SP Beginners 1 2. Cervantes and Sor Juana / Picasso / Felipe VI; 3 thematic units - SP Beginners 1 3. Rivera, Orozco, Siqueiros / Indigenous cultures: 2 thematic units - SP Intermediate 1 4. Fernando Botero / Cartega de Indias; 2 thematic units - SP Intermediate 1 5. Las Meninas / Felipe II; 2 thematic units - SP Intermediate 2 (You get ALL five for the price of four)