Geography of the Caribbean: Teacher’s Guide
Grade Level: 5-8
Curriculum Focus: Geography
Lesson Duration: One to two class periods
Program Description
This colorful episode emphasizes the geology, history, and lively cultures of the Caribbean.
Caribbean Lands and Cultures—Formed millions of years ago by volcanoes, the chain of islands in
the Caribbean Sea stretches from the tip of Florida to South America. Baseball and Cuba Go Hand
in Glove—Like Americans, Cubans love baseball; see how it relates to their country’s history.
Haiti: A Striving Nation—Living in the poorest country in the Western hemisphere, Haitians
struggle to improve their education system, health care, and land use. The Caribbean’s Musical
Mix—The harmonies and instruments of the Caribbean recall the islands’ history as colonies.
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Caribbean Lands and Cultures (5 min.)
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Baseball and Cuba Go Hand in Glove (4 min.)
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Haiti: A Striving Nation (6 min.)
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The Caribbean’s Musical Mix (6 min.)
Onscreen Questions
Caribbean Lands and Cultures
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How did the islands of the Caribbean form?
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What factors influence the cultural diversity on these islands?
Baseball and Cuba Go Hand in Glove
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How has baseball helped people living in Cuba?
Haiti: A Striving Nation
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How are Haitians working to improve their economy and living conditions?
The Caribbean’s Musical Mix
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How have African music and culture influenced Caribbean music?
Geography of the Caribbean: Teacher’s Guide
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Lesson Plan
Student Objectives
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Use the TLC Geography of the Caribbean DVD, the Internet, and library sources to learn about the
geography and culture of the Caribbean.
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Learn about the importance of tourism to the region and create descriptive postcards.
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Use their descriptive postcards to share their knowledge of the different Caribbean nations and
to discuss some of the issues the islands face.
Materials
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Geography of the Caribbean video and VCR, or DVD and DVD player
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Pencils and erasers
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Fine-point black pens (optional)
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Crayons, colored pencils, or markers (optional)
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Computer with Internet access (optional)
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Geography texts and library resources
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Travel magazines and brochures featuring the Caribbean
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White construction paper (cut into half sheets)
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Lined writing paper (cut into half sheets)
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Glue and scissors
Procedures
1. Introduce the lesson by discussing the environment, culture, and geography of the Caribbean. A
good way to do this is to view portions of the TLC Geography of the Caribbean video. Talk about
the importance of tourism to the Caribbean economy. Tell students to imagine that they have
taken a vacation to the Caribbean. What did they see there? What was the climate like? What
were the people like? What did they see in the culture that was different from their own
culture? Did they see interesting animals?
2. Talk about some of the things that were shown in the video and make a list of the major islands
located in the Caribbean region (list should include Turks and Caicos, Haiti, Dominican
Republic, Cuba, Trinidad, Bahamas, Puerto Rico, and Jamaica).
3. Tell students they are going to make postcards for their imaginary Caribbean vacation. Students
must make two postcards—each from a different Caribbean island on the class list. On one side
of the postcard, they will create a collage using photos and illustrations found in the travel
magazines and brochures. This collage should feature different aspects of the Caribbean, and
can include images of people, art, animals, or the physical environment. Alternately, students
can make their own illustrations that feature these same aspects.
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Geography of the Caribbean: Teacher’s Guide
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4. Tell students that on the lined paper they will write letters to a relative or friend about their
vacation experiences. (Once their collages are dry, they will attach their letters to the other
(blank) side of the postcard.) Their letters should be creative and individual but must include
these six criteria:
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Name of the island nation they are “visiting”
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Brief history of the country
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Main industries
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Cultural information (its music, art, customs, food, etc.)
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Description of the country, including any unique geographical features
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Issues the island faces (environmental, economic, political, or otherwise)
5. Give students time in class and as a homework assignment to create their collages and write
their postcards. Allow room for creativity, but remind students to include the six criteria.
Students may use travel magazines and brochures, geography texts, library resources, and the
Internet to conduct their research and create their collages. These Web sites have good
information on the Caribbean:
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http://www.caribbean-on-line.com/
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http://www.caribbean.com/
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http://www.caribbeandaily.com/
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http://www.cep.unep.org/
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http://www.scholars.nus.edu.sg/post/caribbean/nations.html
6. Have students attach their finished letters to the blank side of the postcards once the collages
are dry. Talk about the different nations that comprise the Caribbean, and allow students to
read some of their postcards aloud to the rest of the class. Discuss some of the issues the islands
face and some possible ways to solve these problems.
Assessment
Use the following three-point rubric to evaluate students’ work during this lesson.
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3 points: Students actively participated in class discussions; used books, magazines, and
other resources wisely; made highly attractive postcards that included different Caribbean
images; wrote informative, creative letters about the islands they “visited” that correctly
included all six criteria.
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2 points: Students somewhat participated in class discussions; used books, magazines, and
other resources to some degree; made presentable postcards; wrote somewhat informative
letters that correctly included four of the six criteria.
•
1 point: Students did not participate in class discussions; were unable to use resource
materials without guidance; did not finish their postcard collages or included images of
things not found in the Caribbean; wrote incomplete or incoherent letters that included two
of the six criteria.
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Geography of the Caribbean: Teacher’s Guide
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Vocabulary
coral polyp
Definition: Small, invertebrate marine animals; coral polyps grow together to form coral reefs
and coral islands.
Context: Made of coral polyps, the Bahamas are coral islands.
Creole
Definition: A language that originates from extended contact between two language
communities, one of which is generally European; Creole incorporates features of both
languages and is typically the mother tongue of a community.
Context: Creole is often spoken in Haitian homes.
island
Definition: An area of land surrounded entirely by water
Context: The Caribbean region is a cluster of islands in the Caribbean Sea.
life expectancy
Definition: The average life span of a person
Context: In Haiti life expectancy is just over 49 years.
literacy
Definition: The ability to read and write
Context: Literacy is uncommon in Haitian adults, where less than half of all Haitians over 15 are
literate.
tropical
Definition: A region or climate that is frost-free, with temperatures high enough to support a
year-round growing season
Context: The Caribbean is a tropical region.
Academic Standards
Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning (McREL)
McREL's Content Knowledge: A Compendium of Standards and Benchmarks for K-12 Education
addresses 14 content areas. To view the standards and benchmarks, visit link:
http://www.mcrel.org/compendium/browse.asp
This lesson plan addresses the following national standards:
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Geography—The World in Spatial Terms: Understands the characteristics and uses of maps,
globes, and other geographic tools and technologies; Environment and Society: Understands
how physical systems affect human systems
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Geography of the Caribbean: Teacher’s Guide
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Language Arts—Viewing: Uses viewing skills and strategies to understand and interpret
visual media; Writing: Uses the general skills and strategies of the writing process, Gathers
and uses information for research purposes
The National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS)
NCSS has developed national guidelines for teaching social studies. To become a member of NCSS,
or to view the standards online, go to http://www.socialstudies.org
This lesson plan addresses the following thematic standards:
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People, Places, and Environments
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Individual Development and Identity
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Global Connections
Support Materials
Develop custom worksheets, educational puzzles, online quizzes, and more with the free teaching tools
offered on the Discoveryschool.com Web site. Create and print support materials, or save them to a
Custom Classroom account for future use. To learn more, visit
•
http://school.discovery.com/teachingtools/teachingtools.html
DVD Content
This program is available in an interactive DVD format. The following information and activities are
specific to the DVD version.
How To Use the DVD
The DVD starting screen has the following options:
Play Video—This plays the video from start to finish. There are no programmed stops, except by
using a remote control. With a computer, depending on the particular software player, a pause
button is included with the other video controls.
Video Index—Here the video is divided into four parts (see below), indicated by video thumbnail
icons. Watching all parts in sequence is similar to watching the video from start to finish. Brief
descriptions and total running times are noted for each part. To play a particular segment, press
Enter on the remote for TV playback; on a computer, click once to highlight a thumbnail and read
the accompanying text description and click again to start the video.
Curriculum Units—These are specially edited video segments pulled from different sections of the
video (see below). These nonlinear segments align with key ideas in the unit of instruction. They
include onscreen pre- and post-viewing questions, reproduced below in this Teacher’s Guide. Total
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Geography of the Caribbean: Teacher’s Guide
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running times for these segments are noted. To play a particular segment, press Enter on the TV
remote or click once on the Curriculum Unit title on a computer.
Standards Link—Selecting this option displays a single screen that lists the national academic
standards the video addresses.
Teacher Resources—This screen gives the technical support number and Web site address.
Video Index
I. Caribbean Lands and Cultures (5 min.)
The island nations of the Caribbean are some of the world’s smallest countries, but they are plenty
rich in culture. Discover why millions of tourists flock to the Caribbean every year.
II. Baseball and Cuba Go Hand in Glove (4 min.)
Baseball has been an important part of Cuban culture throughout the country’s tumultuous history.
Learn about the history of Cuba while exploring its cultural connections to baseball.
III. Haiti: A Striving Nation (6 min.)
Once a rich nation, Haiti now struggles with poverty, poor living conditions, and low literacy
levels. Learn about life in Haiti and the issues this country faces.
IV. The Caribbean’s Musical Mix (6 min.)
There are as many different musical styles in the Caribbean as there are islands. Listen to Caribbean
musicians while learning about the instruments, influences, and musical styles.
Curriculum Units
1. Cruising the Caribbean
Pre-viewing question
Q: How does the landscape of the Caribbean differ from the landscape where you live?
A: Answers will vary.
Post-viewing question
Q: What are some major industries in the Caribbean?
A: Tourism and the farming and exportation of sugarcane, coffee, and bananas make up most of the
Caribbean’s industry.
2. The Formation of the Caribbean Islands
Pre-viewing question
Q: Why is there such a broad mix of cultures in the Caribbean?
A: The island nations of the Caribbean have a long history of colonization by the English, Spanish,
and French, who brought their languages and cultures. These people, the indigenous people, and
Africans first brought to the Caribbean as slaves add to the mix.
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Geography of the Caribbean: Teacher’s Guide
Post-viewing question
Q: Have Caribbean cultures influenced music, food, or other aspects of culture where you live? If
yes, give examples.
A: Answers will vary.
3. Love of the Game
Pre-viewing question
Q: What sports play an important role in your culture?
A: Answers will vary.
Post-viewing question
Q: How do you think the game of baseball developed in Cuba?
A: Answers will vary.
4. Educating Haiti
Pre-viewing question
Q: What defines a developing country?
A: Answers will vary.
Post-viewing question
Q: What are some problems in Haiti?
A: Answers include low life expectancy, low literacy rates, and poor living conditions.
5. A Language and a Culture
Pre-viewing question
Q: What is Creole?
A: Creole is a dialect based on French and African languages. The term also describes a person of
mixed ancestry and a blend of French, African, and West Indian cultures.
Post-viewing question
Q: What makes subsistence farming different from farming on large plantations?
A: In subsistence farming, families grow just enough food for themselves. Plantation farming
produces enough food for sale.
6. Dances of the Caribbean
Pre-viewing question
Q: Are you familiar with any cultures defined by a signature dance?
A: Answers will vary.
Post-viewing question
Q: What are the three signature instruments of the merengue?
A: Merengue’s signature instruments are a tambora, or two-headed drum, the saxophone, and the
accordion. The tambora sets the rhythm, and the saxophone and accordion respond..
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Geography of the Caribbean: Teacher’s Guide
7. Mambo and Calypso
Pre-viewing question
Q: How has music influenced your life?
A: Answers will vary.
Post-viewing question
Q: Why do you think the steel drum has become symbolic of the Caribbean?
A: Answers will vary.
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