1. No category

Central America and the Caribbean
Essential Question: Is it better to be independent or interdependent?
1) Chapter Atlas

Central America and the Caribbean are often hit by natural disasters.

Tropical Climates make agriculture and tourism vital to the region’s economies.

Plantation farming and large numbers of tourists can have negative effects on the
region’s environment.
2) History of Central America and the Caribbean

Early civilizations in the region were organized agricultural and trading societies.

European colonizers depended heavily upon slavery and exporting natural
resources.

While European colonies became independent nations, foreign powers remained
influential.
3) Central America and the Caribbean Today

Africans, Europeans, and indigenous people have all influenced Caribbean and
Central American culture.

Many Central American and Caribbean countries have democratic governments
that change frequently.

Free trade and ecotourism are having important effects on the region’s economy.
1) Chapter Atlas
 Introduce key ideas
 Explain key terms.
 Describe the region’s important physical features
 Explain the role of volcanic activity and earthquakes in the region
 Describe the climate and ecosystems of the region
 Explain how hurricanes affect the region.
 Describe how land is used in the region
 Describe the environmental problems caused in the region by tourism, pollution,
and deforestation.
 Describe the Panama Canal (its location and basic facts)
2) History of Central America and the Caribbean
 Introduce key ideas
 Explain key terms
 Describe the civilization of the early Mayan and Caribbean island peoples prior to
contact with Europeans.
 Describe the goals of early Spanish explorers in the region.
 Explain the encomienda system and how it affected Native Americans.
 Describe the use of slavery in the Caribbean.
 Describe how the region’s nations first became independent from European
control.
 Explain how and why the region’s nations depended on outside countries like the
United States after they became independent.
 Describe how various dictatorships in the 1900s caused conflict in the region.
3) Central America and the Caribbean Today
 Introduce key ideas
 Explain key terms
 Provide an overview of the culture groups found in the region.
 Describe the most popular religions of the region.
 Describe the indigenous traditions found in the region
 Explain why many people from the region migrate to North America or Europe;
describe examples of culture these migrants have brought to areas outside their
home region.
 Explain the factors that make it difficult to maintain stable democracies in the
region.
 Explain free-trade agreements; describe the benefits and drawbacks of free-trade
agreements like CAFTA-DR.
 Explain ecotourism and its impacts on the region.
Grading
1)
Topics
Each topic has 9 subtopics listed, each subtopic is worth up to 3 points.
3 – You rocked it.
Topic addressed
with clear and
correct information,
examples, and
explanations
2 – Acceptable.
Topic addressed
with clear and
correct information
1 – Not yet.
Topic mentioned –
information may be
incorrect or unclear.
0 – Incomplete.
Topic not
mentioned.
Total: 27 points
2)
Introduction, Conclusion, Organization, Presentation Skills,
Tech Skills, and Creativity
Total: 23 points
Total Project Points Possible: 50 points
*Merit – work with two other students to produce one film that combine all three
sections.
1) Chapter Atlas -- Notes









Introduce key ideas
Explain key terms.
Describe the region’s important physical features
Explain the role of volcanic activity and earthquakes in the region
Describe the climate and ecosystems of the region
Explain how hurricanes affect the region.
Describe how land is used in the region
Describe the environmental problems caused in the region by tourism, pollution, and
deforestation.
Describe the Panama Canal (its location and basic facts)
*Key Ideas:

Central America and the Caribbean are often hit by natural disasters.

Tropical Climates make agriculture and tourism vital to the region’s economies.

Plantation farming and large numbers of tourists can have negative effects on the
region’s environment.
*Key Terms:
______________________________________________________________________
*Describe the region’s important physical features
Main Idea: _____________________________________________________________
Examples/Evidence: _____________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
*Explain the role of volcanic activity and earthquakes in the region
Main Idea: _____________________________________________________________
Examples/Evidence: _____________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
*Describe the climate and ecosystems of the region
Main Idea: _____________________________________________________________
Examples/Evidence: _____________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
*Explain how hurricanes affect the region.
Main Idea: _____________________________________________________________
Examples/Evidence: _____________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
*Describe how land is used in the region
Main Idea: _____________________________________________________________
Examples/Evidence: _____________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
*Describe the environmental problems caused in the region by tourism, pollution,
and deforestation.
Main Idea: _____________________________________________________________
Examples/Evidence: _____________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
*Describe the Panama Canal (its location and basic facts)
Main Idea: _____________________________________________________________
Examples/Evidence: _____________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
2) History of Central America and the Caribbean – Notes
 Introduce key ideas
 Explain key terms
 Describe the civilization of the early Mayan and Caribbean island peoples prior to contact with
Europeans.
 Describe the goals of early Spanish explorers in the region.
 Explain the encomienda system and how it affected Native Americans.
 Describe the use of slavery in the Caribbean.
 Describe how the region’s nations first became independent from European control.
 Explain how and why the region’s nations depended on outside countries like the United States
after they became independent.
 Describe how various dictatorships in the 1900s caused conflict in the region.
*Key Ideas:

Early civilizations in the region were organized agricultural and trading societies.

European colonizers depended heavily upon slavery and exporting natural
resources.

While European colonies became independent nations, foreign powers remained
influential.
*Key Terms:
______________________________________________________________________
*Describe the civilization of the early Mayan and Caribbean island peoples prior
to contact with Europeans.
Main Idea: _____________________________________________________________
Examples/Evidence: _____________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
*Describe the goals of early Spanish explorers in the region.
Main Idea: _____________________________________________________________
Examples/Evidence: _____________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
*Explain the encomienda system and how it affected Native Americans.
Main Idea: _____________________________________________________________
Examples/Evidence: _____________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
*Describe the use of slavery in the Caribbean.
Main Idea: _____________________________________________________________
Examples/Evidence: _____________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
*Describe how the region’s nations first became independent from European
control.
Main Idea: _____________________________________________________________
Examples/Evidence: _____________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
*Explain how and why the region’s nations depended on outside countries like
the United States after they became independent.
Main Idea: _____________________________________________________________
Examples/Evidence: _____________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
*Describe how various dictatorships in the 1900s caused conflict in the region.
Main Idea: _____________________________________________________________
Examples/Evidence: _____________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
3) Central America and the Caribbean Today - Notes






Introduce key ideas
Explain key terms
Provide an overview of the culture groups found in the region.
Describe the most popular religions of the region.
Describe the indigenous traditions found in the region
Explain why many people from the region migrate to North America or Europe; describe
examples of culture these migrants have brought to areas outside their home region.
 Explain the factors that make it difficult to maintain stable democracies in the region.
 Explain free-trade agreements; describe the benefits and drawbacks of free-trade agreements
like CAFTA-DR.
 Explain ecotourism and its impacts on the region.
*Key Ideas:

Africans, Europeans, and indigenous people have all influenced Caribbean and
Central American culture.

Many Central American and Caribbean countries have democratic governments
that change frequently.

Free trade and ecotourism are having important effects on the region’s economy
*Key Terms:
______________________________________________________________________
*Provide an overview of the culture groups found in the region.
Main Idea: _____________________________________________________________
Examples/Evidence: _____________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
*Describe the most popular religions of the region.
Main Idea: _____________________________________________________________
Examples/Evidence: _____________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
*Describe the indigenous traditions found in the region
Main Idea: _____________________________________________________________
Examples/Evidence: _____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
*Explain why many people from the region migrate to North America or Europe;
describe examples of culture these migrants have brought to areas outside their
home region.
Main Idea: _____________________________________________________________
Examples/Evidence: _____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
*Explain the factors that make it difficult to maintain stable democracies in the
region.
Main Idea: _____________________________________________________________
Examples/Evidence: _____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
*Explain free-trade agreements; describe the benefits and drawbacks of free-trade
agreements like CAFTA-DR
Main Idea: _____________________________________________________________
Examples/Evidence: _____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
*Explain ecotourism and its impacts on the region.
Main Idea: _____________________________________________________________
Examples/Evidence: _____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________