The stories in this unit are tales of the forest (the Amazon rainforest in Colombia and wooded areas in Argentina). They also refer to indigenous and environmental issues. In "Ranito" (an original tale based on actual events around Leticia in Colombia), the main character loses his home after it is destroyed to make way for construction. In  "Yumo" (Colombia), a small boy learns from the tribal chief how to cross the Amazon River. In "El amor ciego" (Argentina), we learn the origins of the palo borracho (a tree common to that region). The main themes that might be explored in a curriculum unit linked to these tales are: ecosystems, the importance of preserving the rainforest, rites of passage, and the indigenous peoples of Argentina and Colombia.
 

• Click on the vocabulary words and print out each slide: 

• burbuja (la/una): bomba redonda de aire
• buscar: tratar de encontrar
• destruir: arruinar, destrozar, tumbar
• hogar (el/un): donde vive uno, casa
• junto: no solo, con otro
• orilla (la/una): tierra al lado de un río, un lago o el mar
• rana (la/una): un sapo
• rato (el/un): un tiempo corto

 
• Pre-teach the vocabulary by using each slide in a magic box.
• Have students read the introduction and discuss the origin of the story: http://www.columbia.edu/~ljl17/ranito.html
• Have students read the story:  http://www.columbia.edu/~ljl17/ranito1.html
• Check for understanding by asking comprehension questions. 
• Discuss the story with students by asking their opinions about the events.
• For information about how to help save the rainforest, have students visit: http://www.rcfa-cfan.org/spanish/s.forests.htm

 

• Click on the vocabulary words and print out each slide: 

• asombrado/a: impresionado, sorprendido, maravillado
• cacique (el/un): jefe, líder
• cintura (la/una): parte del cuerpo donde usas un cinturón
• colocar: poner
• época (la/una): período de tiempo
• hombro (el/una): parte de arriba de los brazos
• indígena: una persona nativa, un indio
• pecho (el/un): parte del cuerpo donde usas una camisa
• piraña (la/una): pez con muchos dientes que come carne
• piso (el): tierra (la), donde crecen las plantas, el suelo
• rodilla (la/una): parte de la pierna que dobla
• secar: quitar el agua
• seco/a: sin agua, no mojado


• Pre-teach the vocabulary by using the slides as flash cards.
• Have students read the introduction and discuss the origin of the story: http://www.columbia.edu/~ljl17/yumo.html
• Have students read the story:  http://www.columbia.edu/~ljl17/yumo1.html
• Check for understanding by asking comprehension questions. 
• Discuss the story with students by asking their opinions about the events.
• To read the autobiography of a Amazonian boy, have students visit: http://www.lablaa.org/blaavirtual/ninos/icanin/icanin02.html

 

• Click on the vocabulary words and print out each slide: 

• celos (los): miedo de que alguien que quieres, quiere a otro
• perseguir: correr detrás de otra persona

• Pre-teach the vocabulary by asking students to predict each word based on the accompanying illustrations. 
• Have students read the introduction and discuss the origin of the story: http://www.columbia.edu/~ljl17/amor.html
• Have students read the story: http://www.columbia.edu/~ljl17/amor1.html
• Check for understanding by asking comprehension questions. 
• Discuss the story with students by asking their opinions about the events. 
• To view a photo of the palo borracho tree, have students visit: http://community.webshots.com/photo/2625738/2625975liVMtFegHb

Culminating activity suggestions:

• Have students create their own stories about the forest.
• Ask students to find forest stories from their own culture or on the internet. 
• Encourage students to share their stories with the class, other classes or members of the community. They might create a picturebook, record the story on audio or videotape, write and perform a play or paint a mural.