Objectives:

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

1. compare school environments between their school and Nicaraguan public schools.
   
2. predict problems/difficulties associated with these environments and their impact on society.
   
3. draw conclusions and suggest solutions to improve the educational system in Nicaragua.
   

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Materials:

1. Photos depicting actual public & private schools in Nicaragua in 2002.
   
2. Student Handout: Fact Sheet: Education and Society in Nicaragua.
   
3. Student Handout: Reflective Questions.
   
4. Overhead projector, transparency, and overhead markers.
   

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Activities:

1. Distribute a copy of the student handout entitled Fact Sheet: Education and Society in Nicaragua to each student.
   
   a. Direct students to read fact sheet regarding education in Nicaragua.
   b. Show the photos of different Nicaraguan public school classrooms.
   c. Ask the students to make general observations about what they see.
   
   
2. Group students in pairs or small groups.
   
   a. Instruct students to make a list of at least 5 differences between their school and the Nicaraguan schools in the photos.
   b. Encourage students to list striking differences, because duplicate responses will be eliminated during sharing.
   
   
3. Ask each group to present their comparisons, eliminating those that have been mentioned by previous groups and asking students to add observations to their lists that they had not thought of in their own group.
   
   
4. Distribute a copy of the student handout entitled Reflective Questions to each student. (This handout that will guide students to predict the impact of the Nicaraguan educational environment on the lives of the students and on society at large.)
   
   a. Direct students to work in their groups again to develop thoughtful written responses to these questions. (Teachers may want to assign a few questions to each group.)
   b. Have the students choose a spokesperson from each group to present their responses.
   c. Allow for reaction from other groups after each presentation.
   d. Guide students to create possible solutions to improve the educational system in Nicaragua. (Either the teacher or a designated student can summarize student solutions on an overhead transparency.)
   e. Conduct a vote on the most feasible solutions and encourage students to explain the reasoning behind their choices.
   

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