Activities+for+Panama


 * Geography || History || Culture || Political System || Economic Structure || Activities ||

Activities for Panama  Incorporating lessons on the rich culture and history of Panama has never been easier! Much of the information presented on this website can be used to develop a multitude of materials for elementary students of all ages. Outlined below are classroom activities for early elementary and upper elementary levels. A fine arts lesson plan has also been incorporated to further enhance the instruction of students as they discover Panama.



This activity can be used during a unit of folktales. This activity is designed to help students compare and contrast familiar folk tales with an unfamiliar folktale from Panama.
 * __Early Elementary Activity:__ **

//**Materials:**//   **//Procedure:// **//1. The teacher will read __Conejito: A Folktale from Panama__ by Margret Read MacDonald aloud to the class. // // 2. The students will then be broken into groups of four and each group will be given a book to read containing the story of a folktale that is popularly known in the United States. 3. Next, have students write the similiarities between //__Conejito: A Folktale from Panama__ and the folktale they read independently in the shared middle portion of their Venn diagrams. 4. The students will then write the unique aspects of each of the two stories in the other regions, following the format given on the template. 5. Students will then decorate their Venn diagrams to further convey similarities and differences they may not have the ability to write about yet. 6. The students will present their Venn diagrams to the class. **
 * //__Conejito: A Folktale from Panama__ by Margret Read MacDonald //
 * <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 18px; text-align: left;">A Venn diagram template
 * <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 18px; text-align: left;">pencils
 * <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 18px; text-align: left;">books containing various popular folktales (Johnny Appleseed, Pacos Bill, etc.)

__Upper Elementary Activity:__

**<span style="display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 18px; text-align: left;">This lesson focuses on the Panama Canal, one of Panama's most widely recognized features. This lesson allows students to determine the political, economic and ecological impact of the Panama Canal. It also allows students to research and draw their own conclusions about this engineering wonder! (This lesson has been adapted from: []


 * //Materials://**
 * <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 18px; text-align: left;">CNNfyi article:[|Where two oceans meet]
 * <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 18px; text-align: left;">Internet access, or other extensive access to information on the Panama Canal
 * <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 18px; text-align: left;">Paper, pens

<span style="display: inline; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 18px; line-height: 21px; text-align: left;">//**Procedure:**// <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 800; line-height: 21px; text-align: left;">4. Have each group present its findings to the class. <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 18px; text-align: left;">Note students' participation in research and in class discussion as they contribute to their groups' efforts. **<span style="display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 18px; text-align: left;">6. After all information has been presented and the questions above have been discussed, direct students to write developmentally appropriate essays explaining the benefits and downsides of the Panama Canal from human, political, economic and ecological perspectives. **
 * <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 18px; text-align: left;">1. Have students locate the Panama Canal on a world map. Ask students to consider why the Canal was built, and which countries would have been most interested in and able to take on the task at the turn of the 20th Century. **
 * <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 18px; text-align: left;">2. Direct students to read the CNNfyi article<span style="display: inline; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 18px; line-height: 27px; text-align: left;">. Ask the students about the Canal as an engineering feat: What are the Canal's locks, and how do they work? Why did the Canal have to be built this way? What problems had to be overcome by the engineers and construction crews who built this Canal? From where did most of the manpower and resources to build the Canal come?  **
 * <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 18px; text-align: left;">3. Divide the class into groups. Have each group choose one of the following topics to research: **
 * **<span style="display: inline ! important; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 18px; font-weight: normal; text-align: left;"> Panama Canal history **
 * <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 18px; text-align: left;">Politics of the Panama Canal
 * <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 18px; text-align: left;">Economic impact of the Panama Canal
 * <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 18px; text-align: left;">The Panama Canal and the environment
 * 5.** Review the reasons why the Panama Canal was built, then present these questions for class discussion:
 * <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 18px; text-align: left;">Which cultures and governments were most impacted by the building of the Canal? How?
 * <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 18px; text-align: left;">What dangers did those who worked on the Canal face?
 * <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 18px; text-align: left;">What political effects did the Panama Canal Treaty of 1903 have on U.S./Panama relations?
 * <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 18px; text-align: left;">What effect did the building of the Canal have on a U.S. presence in Central America?
 * <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 18px; text-align: left;">How did the Panama Canal improve global transportation and commerce?
 * <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 18px; text-align: left;">Did everyone prosper as a result of the Panama Canal?
 * <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 18px; text-align: left;">Has the building of the Canal impacted ecosystems in the region?

<span style="display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 18px; text-align: left;">In this activity, students will discover the beauty of traditional Panamanian dances. They will use a KWL chart to tell what they already know about folk dancing dancing from around the world, what they want to know, and then what they learned about dancing, especially from the Panamanian folk dances.
 * <span style="display: inline ! important; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 18px; text-align: left;">__Fine Arts Activity:__ **

//**Materials:**// <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 18px; line-height: 27px;"> //**Procedure:**// <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 18px; text-align: left;">1. Students will be asked if they can define folk dancing. If they don't know what folk dancing is, have them define the more general term of dance and provide them with the definition of folk dancing. 2. Then have students use their KWL charts to write down what they already know about dancing, especially folk dancing. 3. Encourage them to think about what they want to find out about folk dancing. Have them list these questions in the "W" section. 4. Group students into pairs and take them to the computer lab to find out more about folk dancing from around the world using the Kids Dance- Cultural Dancing website: []. 5. After the students have been given time to explore this site and watch some of the video footage, tell them that today's lesson will focus on folk dancing from Panama. 6. Give students brief facts on Panamanian dancing including its history, some of the most popular steps, and the costumes most commonly worn while performing this dance for an audience. 7. Show students the video of a folk dance from Panama ([|http://www.metacafe.com/watch/3676333/panamanian_folk_dances_]) 8. Discuss what students learned as a class and then have them fill out the "L" section of their KWL charts.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 18px; line-height: 27px;">One computer for each pair of students (used to access the Kids Dance- Cultural Dancing website: [])
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 18px; line-height: 27px;">A computer
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 18px; line-height: 27px;">A projector and screen
 * <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 18px; text-align: left;">KWL charts for the students
 * <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 18px; text-align: left;">Pencils
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 18px; line-height: 27px;">Video clip of Panamanian folk dance: [|http://www.metacafe.com/watch/3676333/panamanian_folk_dances]