Social Studies Strands

Mexico: 2nd grade

Emily Marshall & Emily Cowell

Dr. Helms ED 417

The Strands

American HeritagePeople and SocietyWorld InteractionsDecision Making and ResourcesDemocratic ProcessCitizenship Rights and ResponsibilitiesScience and Technology

American Heritage

Activities and Websites

American Heritage Activities

Have students create a timeline recording the important dates of Mexican history and American history.

Have students pick a significant date in Mexican history and write a paragraph about each.

After reading the books The Incas and The Aztecs, have the students compare between the two tribes.

Watch the video The Spanish Explorers of America. Have them write about their favorite explorer.

Have students participate in the Cinco de Mayo celebration, where they listen to Mexican music and eat Mexican food.

American Heritage Websites

http://encarta.msn.comhttp://209.145.57.115/forms/mexicoholida

ys.htm

http://www.encyclopedia.com/http://www.web-holidays.com/demayohttp://www.mexonline.com/

People in Society

Activities and Websites

People in Society Activities

Students use How Would You Survive CD-Rom about the Aztecs, to learn about their daily lives.

Students will make a Venn Diagram comparing and contrasting the Mexicans and Americans.

Using a map of Mexico, students will recognize where the most populated areas are presently and in the past.

Talk about the celebration of their Quinceras (15th birthday).

Students use How Would You Survive CD-Rom about the Incas, to learn about their daily lives.

People in Society Websites

• http://inside-mexico.com/• http://www.mexicoart.net/• http://www.differentworld.com/mexic

o/com/• http://www.texmextogo.com/tortillas.

htm• http://mexicanfood.about.com/food/m

exicanfood/library

World Interactions

Activities and Websites

World Interactions Activities

Students will create a map from clay showing the major mountain forms and water ways in Mexico.

Students will point out major Mexican cities on a map. Students will name the states that border Mexico. Students will collect news clippings (about U.S.

problems) from the paper or magazines. The will then compare the clipping to Mexican problems.

Students will develop a map using cardinal directions, stats, and major highways to find a route from Ohio to Mexico.

World Interactions Websites

http://www.reefcomber.co.za/cancun.htm

http://www.mexicotravel.com/mexico/owa/sectur.inicio

http://www.greenbuilder.com/mader/ecotravel/border/borderlands.html

http://www.geocities.com/redhourglass/scorpions.html

http://www.nationalgeographic.com/mexico/

Decision Making and Resources

Activities and Websites

Decision Making/Resources Activities

Students will find goods we use in school and find out which are produced in Mexico.

Read the book Inventors and Inventions. Have students discuss the inventions of Mexican inventors and how we use them in our society.

Using their math skills, give the students an allowance that a child in Mexico may receive and see what they could buy in America.

Identify the kinds of currency used in Mexico. Make a bar graph with the top five things produced in

Mexico.

Decision Making/Resources Websites

http://www.x-rates.com/

http://www.webopedia.com/

http://www.internet.com/sections/resources.html

http://www.cyberatlas.internet.com/

http://www.win.tue.nl/cs/fm/engels/

discovery/index.html - northam

Democratic Process

Activities and Websites

Democratic Process Activities

Students will find in who is the president of Mexico and three other leaders and write at least one sentence on what their job is for their country.

Students will then compare and contrast the president of the U.S. and the president of Mexico. Then write a report on three differences or similarities.

Students will research the process of electing the President in Mexico and role-play an election in the classroom.

Democratic Process Activities continued……

Using newspaper clippings students will learn how the president of the U.S. and the president of Mexico, work together for the two countries.

Students will, as a class make a Venn Diagram comparing and contrasting the government of the U.S. and Mexico.

Democratic Process Websites

library.activedayton.comhttp://www.washingtonpost.com/http://www.mexicanwave.com/

election2000/index.asphttp://www.newsday.com/http://www.cnn.com/

Citizenship Rights and Responsibilities

Activities and Websites

Citizenship Rights/Responsibilities Activities

Watch the video Mexican-American Cultures. Have students discuss how their culture and the Mexican culture are alike and different.

Have students work in small groups to create a play depicting the life of a Mexican child.

Each small group will be given the task of building a Mayan temple. The group must work together to build their model.

Each student will write an evaluation of their group and how they worked together.

Each group will choose a leader, recorder, time keeper and supply manager, for their group.

Citizenship Rights/Responsibilities Websites

http://www.maya-art-books.org/http://www.anthroarcheart.org/labna2.htmhttp://www.public.iastate.edu/http://www.historychannel.com/http://www.yahooligans.com/

Science and Technology

Activities and Websites

Science and Technology Activities

Students will use the internet, with a given web site to find out what (if anything) happened on that date in Mexican history.

Students will use Babelfish web site to translate a story, written by them, from English to Spanish.

Students will use the weather web site to find out what the weather is like in Mexico and write a paragraph telling where they would rather be on that day.

In small groups students will find, on the internet, supervised by teacher, the lowest fares to a Mexican city of their choice.

Students will take a virtual tour of Mayan ruins on the internet.

Science and Technology Websites

http://www.scopesys.com/today/

http://www.expedia.com/

http://www.weather.com/

http://www.virtualpalenque.com

http://babelfish.altavista.com