Objectives:

As a result of this lesson, students will be able to:

1. analyze the similarities and differences between student schedules in Nicaragua and the United States.
   
2. evaluate the impact of classroom instruction upon a person’s future opportunities.
   

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Materials:

1. Student Handout: Vocabulario
   
2. Video clip of a Nicaraguan student describing her daily schedule.
   

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Activities:

1. Distribute the student handout entitled Vocabulario and review with the class the spelling and pronunciation of each of the Spanish vocabulary terms.
   
   
2. Direct students to identify the classes they have in their schedule. (This may be done in English or in Spanish, depending on the type of class and the level of the students.)
   
   a. They may even create a sample schedule of their day or week, labeling the classes, times and days of the week in Spanish.
   b. Direct students to brainstorm what classes they believe students would have in Nicaragua.
   
   
3. Play the video clip of a Nicaraguan student explaining her daily schedule and routine. (Depending on the level of the class, you may need to replay the clip several times, and Spanish language dictionaries may be needed.)
   
   a. Ask students to construct a daily schedule for this student labeling the classes, times and days of the week in Spanish.
   b. Ask students to identify the similarities and differences between their schedule and those of the Nicaraguan student.
   
   
4. Direct students to calculate the amount of hours they spend spent in the classroom. Record their calculations on the chalkboard.
   
   a. Direct students to perform the same calculation for the Nicaraguan student, based on her schedule.
   b. Ask students to compare the amount of classroom instruction they receive to that experienced by the Nicaraguan student. How will that affect their overall education? Why?
   c. Ask students to hypothesize why a student in Nicaragua attends school only a half-day. (Many leave school in order to work to help their families.) What does this imply about their family’s economic situation?
   
   
5. Review with the class the following facts:
   
   a. In Nicaragua, 90% of the children do not attend pre-school, and the ones that do, come from the urban areas. In the rural areas only 3% of the children have access to this type of education.
   b. Only 25% of public school students in Nicaragua who enter first grade finish the sixth grade.
   c. In the United States, school districts spend from $4,375 to $6,825 per year to educate each student. The Nicaraguan Education Ministry spends an average of $43 per year, according to UNESCO.
   d. Children are required to have uniforms and new shoes in September. Notebooks, pencils, and school supplies are to be provided by families.
   e. In 1998, 47 out of every 100 school-age children did not attend school.
   
   
6. Concluding Activity:
   Direct students to write a short reflective essay in answer to the following question: “How important is it to get a good education? If you were a student in Nicaragua, how would you be affected by the limited educational opportunities? What does that imply about the future of Nicaragua?
   

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