Teacher s Guide Piratas del Caribe y el Triángulo de las Bermudas Written by Kristy Placido Written by Kristy Placido
Introduction Teacher s Guide for Piratas del Caribe y el Triángulo de las Bermudas I. Organization The teacher's manual is aligned with research concerning reading strategies. Good readers: predict make connections between the a) text and themselves, b) text and other texts, and c) text and the world around them. visualize what they read reread use contextual clues to decipher unknown vocabulary There are plenty of activities to help students become better readers. Instill an interest in the topic and steer students into conversations in the target language about the events and the characters in the novel, both before and during the reading of the chapters. Ensure students know the essential vocabulary before reading the chapter. More time should be spent on pre-reading activities than post-reading activities. II. Topics The novel has some very basic topics that would fit any level-one or level-two curriculum: Body parts Numbers Family relationships Dates Geography Weather Cardinal directions (north, south, east, west) Descriptions of people Likes and dislikes Expressing an opinion Variety of verb conjugations presented through narrative and dialogues High-frequency vocabulary Use of the past tense (both preterit and imperfect)
III. Cultural Context: This novel is purely a fantasy science-fiction adventure! However, in this teacher s guide we have provided the teacher with many activities and readings that can be used to infuse lessons with culture and other information. Here are some of the topics that can be explored and/or enhanced using the novel as a springboard. Puerto Rican culture and geography Traveling in the Caribbean Geography of the Caribbean The lost city of Atlantis The Bermuda Triangle Waterspouts as a possible explanation for mysterious events The Ovnipuerto in Lajas, Puerto Rico Laura Dekker, the youngest person to circumnavigate the world Weather events throughout the Spanish-speaking world Hurricanes Mysterious places throughout the world African influence in the Caribbean The country of Equatorial Guinea Movies Music IV. Major themes in the novel The environment Sailing Freedom versus captivity Honesty versus greed Father-son relationships The Bermuda Triangle and Atlantis The supernatural and extraterrestrial life Technology and its role in the lives of teens New beginnings Friendships Acknowledgements: Special thanks to Mark, Elena, and Alex Webster, the fantastic father-daughters illustrator team who contributed their artwork to this Teacher s Guide. Special thanks to Justin Placido for his assistance in creating the slideshows in this Teacher s Guide.
How is this Teacher s Guide Organized? On this CD, you will find several slideshows as well as a printable guide for each chapter of the novel. In each chapter s guide, you will see several sections. 1. Antes de leer: Suggestions for creating good discussions. 2. Vocabulario Nuevo: Vocabulary introduced in the chapter. 3. Para conversar: Discussion questions for the chapter. These may be used during or after the reading. It is our recommendation that these questions be done verbally in a casual, conversational manner. 4. Para pensarlo bien: A short activity for students to complete independently. Perfect for homework or as a quick warm-up. An answer key follows. 5. A ver qué aprendiste: A brief quiz or other assessment strategy to check students understanding of what they read. An answer key follows. 6. Más allá! Depending on the content of the chapter, you will find varying post-reading activities. There are several cultural or informational readings which expand on ideas presented in the novel. There are also many ideas for classroom activities, puzzles, songs, videos, etc. that can be used to expand thinking or provide additional practice. Slideshows Weather: This slideshow shows some of the nice weather you might find in the region described in the book as well as some of the dangerous weather encountered during tropical storms or hurricanes. Venezuela: The ship belonging to Tito and his dad is named after a river and region of the country of Venezuela. Here are some interesting facts and images of this area. Animales: The Orinoco River area of Venezuela is home to many diverse species of animals. If you d like to take some time to introduce your students to some of the wonders of this amazing South American region please share this slideshow with students. Triangle: Introduce your students to this very mysterious location in the Caribbean Sea! Puerto Rico: A part of the United States with its own distinctive culture and rich history, this slideshow will introduce your students to Puerto Rico.
Afrocaribe: This slideshow details some of the ways which the African slaves brought to the Caribbean have shaped the culture of the region. For more information on the Garífuna people of the region, please visit http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/data/2001/09/01/html/ft_20010901.6.html. Capítulo 1 Más allá: Song El Orinoco by Maracaibo 15 (also performed by Oscar D León) Slideshows: Venezuela and Animales Capítulo 2 Más allá: Laura Dekker, muchacha de 16 años navega por todo el mundo Extension activities and map activity ideas for Laura Dekker article Word cloud writing prompt for Vuelo 19 Song El barco chiquitito Capítulo 3 Más allá: La Ruta Extraterrestre Más allá: Las trombas marinas Song Navegar por Javier Calamaro with word cloud and cloze activities Slideshow: Puerto Rico y Triangle Capítulo 4 Crossword puzzle assessment Más Allá: Huracanes (includes interactive video activity and partner game with word cloud) Slideshow: Weather Capítulo 5 Más Allá: La ciudad perdida de Atlántida Song: Espacio Sideral por Jesse y Joy Quién lo diría? (Who would say it?) Activity Capítulo 6 Más Allá: Área 51 Draw the alien Information gap activity Song: Mis amigos los marcianos Capítulo 7 Más Allá: El escape (map and reading activity)
Capítulo 8 Antes de leer: Teatro del lector Word search assessment Quién lo dijo? (Who said it) Activity Capítulo 9 Crossword puzzle assessment Más Allá: Interactive Video Activities El Triángulo de las Bermudas Cryptogram Puzzle Capítulo 10 Crossword puzzle assessment Más allá: Hombres de Negro reading and links Caption the cartoon activity Match the Movie activity Capítulo 11 Más Allá: Esclavitud en el Caribe Slideshow: Afrocaribe Capítulo 12 Más Allá: Guinea Ecuatorial Suggested free music downloads from the group Pequeño Corazón de África Online Reading with Lingro.com Cuatro Rincones activity
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