Middle

This unit provides an introductory look at Brazil and its physical and human characteristics. The unique characteristics of Brazil will be explored from a geographic spatial perspective. Students will be asked to compare and contrast their life in the United States with teens living in Brazil. Students will understand that Brazil has a unique clture characterized by people who, in spite of poverty and oppression, display open-mindedness, optimism, friendliness, hospitality, caring attitude fullness of life, love of music and more! Brazil is indeed the "land of happiness".

In this lesson, students will examine the economic situation, cultural elements and grassroots community development in contemporary Salvador, Brazil. Students will write a persuasive letter to an appropriate media outlet of their choice championing the cause of Dida, a community improvement organization in Salvador, Bahia or another similar group in the region.

In this lesson, students will gain general background information on the production of coffee. Students will learn what a coffee fazenda looks like and how it works. Students will also understand the importance the coffee in Brazil's economy has when it comes to trading with the United States.

In this unit, students will explore literature and music to gain an awareness and understanding of the history, people and culture of Brazil. Students will have the opportunity to listen to various types of Brazilian music and will make connections to the cultural and historical significance of these music forms. At the end, students will conduct research and present a final project that creatively brings together what they have experienced and what they have learned.

This exercise will familiarize students with a few basic Portuguese sentences and will help them see how Portuguese, Spanish and English often interrelate. A little less than half of Latin America's population lives in Brazil where the main language is Portuguese. Students will learn the importance of the Portuguese language and gain a good introduction to the language.

In this lesson, students will be introduced to the idea of creation myth and discuss how and why these seem so similar across the world. This creation myth has elements in common with creation stories all over the world and serves as a perfect example and introduction to the shared elements in world folklore.

In this lesson, students will learn how the institution of slavery was incorporated into folklore in Brazil with a message of hope and freedom. Students will elaborae on what a folk hero is and how it ties into folktales which are commonly used in Latin America.

In this unit, students will engage in a study of primary and secondary sources about the cultural and historical significance of Capoeira. Students will understand that Capoeira is a means for preserving cultural identity and for expressing Brazilian culture and history. Email our Outreach Coordinator cconlin@email.arizona.edu for the lesson plan and materials.

This unit provides background and a conceptual framework for studying the diversity of urban life and Brazilian society. The unit contains 7 lessons, where the first five lessons introduce key notions about geography, population density, history, demographics and distribution of national wealth which prepare students for the final two lessons which focus on urban contrasts and culture in Brazil, which are more complex lessons. Email cconlin@email.arizona.edu for materials and lesson plan.

In this lesson, students will learn to dance the samba and will recreate their own Carnival, a very important holiday celebrate in Brazil that most citizens participate in every year. Students will also make their own carnival masks and wisdom wands.