HOMEWORK
FOR
JANUARY
25TH
DUE
MONDAY,
FEBRUARY
25TH
COUNTRY
STUDIES:
Attached
is
a
packet
of
projects
according
to
what
country
you
are
working
on
in
class.
1. Read
through
the
whole
packet
with
your
parents.
2. Choose
three
projects
to
complete.
3. Turn
in
your
projects
as
you
complete
them
so
we
can
display
them
in
the
hall.
4. Make
sure
you
put
your
name
on
everything!
5. IF
YOU
NEED
ANY
HELP,
OR
ANY
MATERIALS,
ASK
US
ASAP!!
Cuba Games
The game of dominoes is the national game of Cuba. If you
were to visit Cuba, you would often see many people playing
Cuban Dominoes in public areas. Cuban Dominoes is also played in
Cuban centers in America. The following will show you how to
play this game of dominoes.
CUBA GAMES PROJECT: Play a game of dominoes with at least one other person. If you need a
set of dominoes, cut out the dominoes on the attached sheet. After you play, use a computer or
your best handwriting on a separate piece of paper to write a little report about the game.
Include:
•
•
•
Name of the game
Object of the game
Rules of the game
•
Did you like the game? Why or why not?
Cuban Dominoes:
About Dominoes
Each Domino is divided into two sections by a center line. On each side of the Domino is a series
of dots or "pips." There can be anywhere from 0 to 9 dots on either side of the Domino.
Dominoes that have the same number of dots on both sides are called "doubles".
Set Up:
In Cuba, four players are divided into two teams of two. However, if you have less than four
players, play as individuals. Shuffle the dominoes and lay them out on the table face down. Each
player takes 10 dominoes. The rest of the dominoes are set aside in the “boneyard.”
To Play:
1. The person holding the highest double Domino goes first, with that piece being laid on the
table and played first. Then play continues clockwise.
2. The next player must play a matching piece with the matching halves touching. As an
example you can place a double 4 next to a half with 4 dots so that it resembles a "T"
or hopscotch game. Dominoes can be placed end to end or at right angles as long as
matching halves are touching.
3. If on your turn you don't have a piece that can be matched with any on the table you
must take Dominoes from the boneyard until you have a Domino that can be played.
4. If the boneyard is empty you pass your turn until you are able to make a play or until
someone has used all of their Dominoes.
5. Continue play until someone runs out of dominoes and yells, “Domino!” The person or
Set of Dominoes
Cuba Art
It is difficult to talk about Cuban traditions without including
music and dance. The most popular dances in Cuba today include the
salsa, rumba, mumba, and the cha cha. The rumba, which was used by
African slaves, is a very energetic, fast dance with lots of drumming
and rhythmic beats.
These rumba shakers are of traditional colors and design. Also
called Tumbadoras, the single head Cuban drums originated from
CUBA ART PROJECT: Make a rumba shaker, using the directions below.
Cuban Rumba Shaker
Main supplies:
•
Paper Towel Tube (or tube from aluminum foil, wax paper, etc.)
•
•
Scissors
Colored construction paper (4-6 different colors)
•
¼ cup beans or ¾ cup rice
Instructions:
1. Place the end of a paper towel tube on construction paper. Trace
around end. Cut out paper circle about 3/4” larger all around. Cut 1/2” wide tabs around
circle, from outer edge to inner traced circle.
2. Measure and mark a line 1” from the end of a paper towel tube. Make cuts in end of tube
to line about 1/2” wide. Apply glue on tab top. Fold another tab on top of the glued tab. Fold
and glue all tabs. Apply glue on the top of all tabs. Place construction paper circle over glued
tabs. Glue paper circle tabs to side of tube end. Let dry.
3. Cut construction paper in half making 6” x 9” sheets. Cut assorted colors into 6” x 2”
sections. Cut one 6” edge of paper with edger scissors. Fold that
edge: Make cuts in folded edge from scalloped edge to fold. Glue
fringed edge 1/2” beyond tube end. Continue cutting and fringing
sections. Glue each strip around tube 1/2” in from the last glued
edge over 1/2”. Fringe folded
paper around tube extending
6” x 2” colored paper
strip. Add seven fringed
strips.
4. Add beans or rice in open end of tube. Repeat steps 1-3 on other end of tube.
5. Glue a 2” x 6” paper strip around tube center. Glue 1”x 6” colored paper strips over edges
Cuba Food
CUBA FOOD PROJECT: Pick one of the following recipes to make with an adult at home. On a
separate piece of paper either typed or written in your best handwriting, write a mini report
about your cooking experience. Include:
•
•
What did you make?
Who did you make it with?
•
Did you like making it? Why or why not?
Option 1: Moros y Cristianos
This black bean and rice dish comes with an
interesting title. Literally translated, Moros y Cristianos
means Moors and Christians. It is presumed the dish gets its
name from the time when the Moors occupied the Iberian
Peninsula. The black beans represent the Moors and the
white rice represents the Christians.
This savory rice and bean dish, a holdover of
Spanish occupation, is popular in Cuba. There are as
many variations of this recipe.
Ingredients
•
1 15-ounce can of black beans (undrained)
1/4 cup recaito
•
1/2 teaspoon oregano
•
•
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
•
salt and pepper to taste
•
4 cups hot cooked white rice
•
•
Preparation
1. Combine all ingredients, except the white rice, in a saucepan.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Bring to a boil over medium heat.
Lower heat, and let simmer uncovered until beans reach your desired consistency.
Remove and discard bay leaf.
Serve black beans side by side or over the top of the white rice.
Option 2: Cuban Sandwich
A Cuban sandwich is a variation of a ham and cheese
originally created in cafes for workers in Cuba and in Cuban
immigrants communities of Florida. This sandwich is still very
popular today among Cuban Americans. There are many
different versions of this sandwich, but most of them are made
with ham, roasted pork, Swiss cheese, pickles, mustard, and
sometimes salami on Cuban bread.
Ingredients:
3
3
3
3
thin slices of ham
thin slices roast pork hot or cold (I use hot, slow roasted pork)
thin slices of Swiss cheese
or 4 slices of pickles
Preparation:
You should be using fresh, crusty Cuban bread, but you can always use a 12" loaf of
French bread cut in half. Slice the bread open face so that both halves are still
barely connected and spread mustard on both halves.
Add the ham, and then the roasted pork. When in a hurry, you can use one whole
piece of roasted pork. Add your Swiss cheese and then a few pickle slices. Make sure
to spray your sandwich press with a little butter flavored Pam, or for a tastier
sandwich you can brush some softened butter on the outside of the bread.
Place the sandwich in a Cuban sandwich press and press down until the cheese is
melted and the bread is slightly hard to the touch. For those of you without a press,
you can also place the sandwich in a hot skillet and press down on it with a heavy
kitchen object, maybe a baking pan (some, believe it or not, use a brick wrapped in tin
foil when nothing else is available).
Cuba Education
Education is very important in Cuba. The government has a lot of say about how the
schools are run. Just as it is in the United States, education is free and kids must go to
“primary school” between the ages of six and eleven. It is much easier for kids in the city to
attend school than it is for kids in rural areas.
Middle school and high school are called secondary education in Cuba. Students study
many subjects, including math, reading, and writing. They also learn skills at school to help
them prepare for jobs, like farming techniques. When they finish their secondary education,
students receive a “Bachillerato” award. Many students go on to attend college.
PANAMA EDUCATION PROJECT: Keep a learning journal.
For two weeks, write daily entries in a learning journal. In your journal, write down one
new thing that you learn each day that you didn’t know before. It could be something you
learned in class, something you read, an interesting fact you find, or something your parents tell
Cuba Birds
CUBA BIRD PROJECT: Make an artistic Cuban bird. Select one of the following projects to
complete.
Option 1: Tody Bird Project
The Tody Bird
The distinctive call of the Cuban Tody can be heard all over
Cuba. These beautiful, colorful birds are one of only 5 species of todies
in the world. This bird has a large head and a small, flat beak. Cuban
Todies live in forests, usually close to streams or rivers where they eat
bugs, spiders, and small lizards. The tody is well known for it’s bright
Main supplies:
•
Tissue paper (Green, lime, pink, teal, white, red)
•
11/2” styrofoam ball
•
27/16” styrofoam egg
•
Toothpick
•
White glue
•
Mini craft sticks, 2 orange, 1 green
•
2 dark blue or black pony beads
•
Scissors
Instructions:
1. Cut tissue paper so that you have 16 squares of each color. Each square should be about 2’’
x 2’’.
2. Insert a toothpick half way into small styrofoam ball. Dot other end of toothpick with glue,
then press toothpick into styrofoam egg.
3. Following the pattern below, pencil color placements on
the styrofoam. You may want to look up more pictures of
your bird to get the colors right. Starting in one color area,
fold a square of tissue around the point of the pencil, dip in
glue and press into styrofoam, about 1/4” deep. Keep adding
squares of color, working one area at a time. Make holes
about 1/8” apart.
4. Apply glue on one end of green craft stick. Insert craft stick end into tail position on
5. Glue pony beads in position for eyes. Cut orange craft sticks in half. Cut the ends to a
point. Apply glue to two pointed ends. Insert pointed ends into feet position on styrofoam.
Cut pointed ends on each end of remaining craft stick halves for beak. Glue and insert
pointed craft sticks into beak area.
Option 2: Salt Dough Bird
Cuban Trogon
The Cuban Trogon is Cuba’s National Bird. This may be because
these birds have feathers that match Cuba’s national colors: red, blue, and
white. The top of the head and the bird’s back are blue, the throat and
upper chest are white, and the lower chest and the eyes are red. This bird
is also unique because it cannot live in captivity. If a Trogon is caged, it
will eventually die of sadness. Because of this, the Trogon stands for the
idea of freedom in Cuba.
This tropical bird can only be found in Cuba. It usually lives in the
Salt Dough Bird
Materials:
•
Salt dough. To make, mix:
o 2 cups of flour
•
•
o 1 cup salt
o About 1 cup of water (enough to make the dough flexible but not sticky)
Toothpicks
Tempura paint
•
•
Two beads for the eyes
Glue
Directions:
1. Choose to create either the Cuban Tody bird or the Cuban Trogon bird. You may want to
look up more pictures of these birds for your clay model.
Cuba Economy
When people talk about a country’s economy, they are often talking about how the
people in that country make and spend money. One of the most well known industries, or
businesses, in Cuba is selling sugar. Sugar was especially important to Cuba in the 1800s. Cuba
was filled with sugar plantations where slaves from Africa worked without any pay. At that
time, most of the world’s sugar came from Cuba. Sugar was also a big moneymaker for Cuba in
the 1900s. Cuban workers began using new technology to produce sugar to sell. Though sugar is
not as reliable in Cuba today, it is a very important piece of Cuba’s history.
CUBA ECONOMY PROJECT: Make a sugar cube necklace, following the directions below.
Sugar Cube Necklaces
Materials:
‐
‐
Sugar cubes (9-13 cubes)
Food coloring
‐
‐
‐
‐
Clear nail polish or craft varnish
Needle
Fishing wire
Paper towels
Directions
1. Place sugar cubes on a thick paper plate or paper towel.
2. Put about one or two drops of food coloring onto each sugar cube and leave them on a
paper towel to dry.
3. When they are dry, paint each sugar cube with clear nail polish or clear craft varnish
and let dry.
4. Thread a needle with fishing wire and poke the needle through the middle of each cube
to string a necklace. You can alternate colors, or make a pattern.
5. Tie the ends of the fishing wire together.