Dear ____________________,

 

        Congratulations!  You have been chosen to visit the Latin American country of ______________________________

as an exchange student.  It is your responsibility to take excellent notes and photographs while visiting so you can share this information with your classmates when you return. 

        Good luck and enjoy your visit!

 

Sincerely,

 

 

 

Mrs. Ellis

1.  Where is your country located?  Circle one:

       

Mexico      Central America         Caribbean          South America

 

2.  Do you know anything about this country?  If so, what?

 

 

 

3.  Using a physical map, what geographical features does your 

     country appear to have?

 

 

 

4.  What would you like to find out about this country?

 

 

 

5.  What is the capital?

 

 

6.  What are some other big cities?  Which ones might you want

     to visit?  Why? 


Latin American Country Research Paper Info and Requirements

 

General Description:

You will be “visiting” your assigned Latin American country by taking notes from various resources during class and during your study halls.  This information will be compiled into a “scrapbook”, detailing your “visit”.  Your scrapbook will include what you learned during your “visit”, pictures of the placed you visited, and any other artifacts you may have brought back with you.  After your scrapbook is finished, you will be sharing it with the class.  If you have any questions about your trip, either before departure or during, please ask!

 

Required Information:

  • Information about each of the seven universals (see attached checklist) on note cards and in your actual research paper
  • Graphic to complement each of your universal pages
  • Table of contents
  • Bibliography
  • Hand drawn picture of your flag
  • Your itinerary (see attached information)
  • A colored (pencil or crayon) map showing major landforms, water features, capital, and bordering countries

 

Optional Information:

  • A postcard from your country that you create
  • Diorama representing your favorite place you visited
  • Biography of a famous person from your country
  • Native food
  • Artifacts from your country/samples of the crafts you made
  • Anything else to enhance your presentation and demonstrate your knowledge of your country

 

Sources Used for Information:

  • Books
  • Culturegrams
  • Atlas
  • Encyclopedia
  • Internet – only with teacher’s invitation and permission

 

Seven Universals Information Checklist

 

Environment:

  • Location

____  where is country located

____  how you get there from the US

____  what countries/water border it

____  how big is it

____  important cities

 

  • Geographical/Water Sites

____  where important geographical sites are located

____  where the important water sites are located

____  why the geographical/water sites are important

____  how does the geography/water of the region affect the people

 

  • Animals (describe at least one in detail)

____  where it lives

____  what it looks like

____  what it eats

____  what makes it fascinating

 

  • Plants (describe at least one in detail)

____  where it lives

____  what it looks like

____  why you chose to write about this plant

 

Institutions:

  • Family

____  what typical family is like

____  special roles each family member has

____ anything unusual/interesting about the family structure

 

  • Education

____  who can go to school

____  ages for education

____  what a typical school is like

 

  • Government

____  what type of government (explain)

____  how the government affects people’s lives

 

 

Economy:

  • Jobs

____  describe the two most popular jobs

____  why they are important to the region

 

  • Homes

____  what they are made of

____  how they are similar to your home

____  how they are different from your home

 

  • Food

____  typical breakfast foods

____  typical lunch foods

____  typical supper foods

____  typical snacks

____  typical beverages

 

  • Clothing

____  how their clothes are different from yours

____  why they dress differently than people in Wisconsin

 

Language:

____  what language do the people speak

____  interesting facts about the language

____  describe some common gestures

____  anything interesting about facial expressions/special ways to

communicate

 

Recreation:

____  describe at least two sports/games

____  similarities to sports/games you enjoy

____  differences from sports/games you enjoy

 

Arts

____  describe some crafts – what are they, how they are made, who

makes them

____  describe some arts – what are they, who made them, where can

they be found (museum information)

 

Beliefs

     ____  describe at least two holidays, festivals, traditions, or customs

                   include – when, where, how it is celebrated

 

Itinerary Requirements

 

Map:

  • cities you traveled to
  • route you took
  • important landmarks
  • transportation used between cities

 

Journal:

  • the most beautiful thing you saw
  • the most enjoyable thing you did
  • the most interesting thing you learned
  • the most surprising thing you learned
  • any other relevant information you want to include

 

 

 

Steps of the Research Paper

 

  1. Write notes on note cards using the approved resources.  These will be in your own words – not copied directly from the book!  Check off topics from your checklist as you go along.
  2. Create a bibliography card for each resource used.  Use your handouts as a guide to help you organize the information and add correct punctuation.
  3. Organize your note cards.  Use the information to write your actual report.  Keep the 6 traits in mind as you write.  You want your writing to be interesting, enjoyable, and informative.  This report will also be revised, edited, and corrected.
  4. Create a bibliography page.
  5. Create your graphics, flag, map, and itinerary.
  6. Organize your pages.
  7. Create your table of contents.
  8. Create a cover.
  9. Congratulate yourself on a job well done!