National Endowment for the Humanities
Courage “In the Time of the Butterflies”: A Common Core Exemplar
The courage of Las Mariposas, the Mirabal sisters, is the focus of a series of activities designed to accompany a reading of In the Time of the Butterflies that ask readers to consider what it means to be courageous. Beautifully crafted...
Curated OER
Life in a Hurricane Zone
Learners research the effects of living in a hurricane zone. In this hurricane zone instructional activity, students research the impact of natural disasters on humans and the environment, and write a press release describing the...
Curated OER
Geography, Climate, and Community in the Dominican Republic
Young scholars examine primary source materials on the Dominican Republic in an exploration of how environment influences lifestyles. They compare and contrast life in the Dominican Republic with life in the United States.
Curated OER
Beyond Demographics
Students study the Dominican Republic through watching and discussing a video about the country and its people. They explain life in the Dominican Republic and describe the emerging picture of the Dominican Republic as viewed through...
Lexington High School
In the Time of the Butterflies Packet
Considering using Julia Alvarez's In the Time of the Butterflies? Here's a resource designed to be used before and during a reading of her powerful story of the murder of the Mirabal sisters. Included in the packet is a vocabulary list,...
Curated OER
Geography, Climate, and Community in the Dominican Republic
Students familiarize themselves with the geography and culture of the Dominican Republic. In this Dominican Republic lesson, students use the given scenarios as starting points to analyze the geography and culture of the Dominican...
PeopleLeap, Inc.
"In the Time of the Butterflies" by Julia Alvarez
Chapter six of In the Time of the Butterflies, Julia Alvarez's historical novel about the Mirabal sisters, is the focus of a worksheet that asks readers to define a list of vocabulary words and respond to a series of comprehension...
Curated OER
Service Projects in the Dominican Republic
Students examine the role of Peace Corps volunteers. In this service instructional activity, students investigate service projects that feature agriculture, small business, education, environmental education, and health concerns in the...
Curated OER
Life in a Hurricane Zone
Students investigate the social effects of hurricanes. In this social studies activity, students assume the persona of residents of the Dominican Republic and write diary entries and letters regarding the devastation caused by Hurricane...
Curated OER
The Brief American Pageant: America on the World Stage
America's presence in Alaska and the Caribbean are the focus of this short presentation. Two detailed maps help to illustrate America's growing influence in the regions past its continental borders, which could supplement a more thorough...
Curated OER
A Day in the Life
Students write an essay. In this comparison lesson, students read about a child's typical day on a fair trade cocoa farm in the Dominican Republic. Students write about a typical morning of a child in the US and make comparisons.
Curated OER
Baseball the National Pastime of the Dominican Republic
Ninth graders examine how the game of baseball has played a significant role in shaping the culture of the Dominican Republic. They analyze a world map, and read and discuss an informational handout. Students can then create a sports...
Curated OER
Caribbean Cooking
Learners complete a unit that explores the cultures of the Caribbean, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, and Cuba through cooking. They follow step-by-step directions of a variety of recipes, create a Caribbean scrapbook or cookbook,...
Curated OER
Introduction to the Caribbean
Students examine the history and culture of Cuba, the Dominican Republic, and Puerto Rico. They conduct research on Christopher Columbus, create a quiz, watch a video about Cuba, and write an essay comparing and contrasting Puerto Rico...
Curated OER
Dominican Immigration: Understanding the Push-Pull Factors of Immigration to the United States in the 1960's
Students complete a unit about the history and geography of the Dominican Republic and the reasons for Dominican immigration to the U.S. in the 1960's. They conduct Internet research, write a biographical sketch of Raphael Trujillo, and...
Curated OER
Where In the World is the Dominican Republic?
Young scholars begin the lesson by discussing how where they live affects how they live. As a class, they add examples to each category such as home types, clothing, jobs and food. Using those categories, they write about their life in...
Curated OER
Working for the Common Good
Students discuss the concept of the common good. Using primary source documents, they read accounts from volunteers in the Dominican Republic and discuss how they work for the common good. They reflect on the topic in their journals to...
Curated OER
Geography, Climate, and Community in the Dominican Republic
Students familiarize themselves with the geography and culture of the Dominican Republic. They use primary source materials on the Dominican Republic to explore the question: How does where you live influence how you live? They describe...
Curated OER
Life in a Hurricane Zone
Students study the nature of hurricanes and examine in detail the effect of Hurricane Georges upon the Dominican Republic. They explain the way in which physical systems (e.g., a hurricane) can affect human systems (e.g., the life of a...
Curated OER
Press Conference on Hurricane Georges
Students reinforce oral communication skills and organize a "press conference" on Hurricane Georges. They demonstrate their comprehension of the following enduring understanding: Where we live influences how we live. No matter where we...
Curated OER
Understanding Demographics
Students use demographic information to gain an understanding of the Dominican Republic. They compare demographic data from the United States and the Dominican Republic and describe the difference between learning about a country from...
Curated OER
Human Rights Arts Project and Research Paper
Students examine human rights abuses in thirty countries, specifically explore abuses in Dominican Republic's Trujillo regime, research one country with significant human rights abuses, use Preamble to U.S. Constitution as measure of...
Curated OER
Class: What's Fair Game
Fifth graders study fair trade by role-playing a cocoa bean farming situation. In this fair trade lesson, 5th graders role-play as cocoa bean farmers and buyers to learn about fair trade. Students complete a worksheet to assess their...
Curated OER
In the Time of Butterflies: Character Analysis
Tenth graders read about the life in the Dominican Republic during the Trujillo Regime. After exploring a book, "The Time of the Butterflies," students describe the sisters and their lives. They complete a graphic organizer and write a...