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PA Teacher w/ Cuban High School Students

Kindergarten to Secondary Education Outreach

CLAS School Visit Program interns in area classroom
CLAS School Visit Program interns in area classroom

At this level, CLAS shares its expertise on Latin America and the Caribbean with K-12 educators through

Teacher Training Workshops

Teacher training workshops on Latin America and the Caribbean are designed to enhance educators' abilities to teach about this world region and to assist teachers in incorporating Latin American and Caribbean content into primary and secondary school curriculum. The workshops are held on weekday evenings or Saturday mornings at the University of Pittsburgh. CLAS professional development workshops are approved for Pennsylvania Department of Education Act 48 credit hours. For an on line Workshop Registration Form.

Teacher training Workshops for Academic Year 2007-08:


  • "Carnaval Around the World"
  • Thumbs up, thumbs down on increasing student success through English Only Professional Development
  • Spanish Immersion


Examples of recently held workshops include:

  • ¡¡Spanish Immersion – Conversación en español para maestros!!
  • Northeastern Brazil: People, Culture and History
  • The New Challenges of American Immigration: What should we do?
  • Argentina: Tango Music and Dance
  • Brazil: Selected Music
  • Global Economics:  Understanding Today’s World
  • Sense of Place:  Land and Cultural Identities Around the World
  • Nicaragua: People, Culture, and History
  • Exploring Cultural Diversity through the Arts
  • Discover Guatemala through Art and Literature
  • Appreciate the Americas through Children’s Literature
  • Exploring Cultural Diversity through the Arts

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Professional Development Overseas


PA Teacher w/ Cuban Elementary Students
CLAS offers study/research abroad opportunities for area teachers. These programs are designed to contribute to the development and improvement of the study of modern foreign languages and area studies in the U.S. by providing training opportunities for teachers in Latin American and Caribbean countries. In the past, CLAS has sponsored professional development programs for K-12 teachers in Nicaragua, Cuba, and Northeastern Brazil. The Nicaraguan and Brazilian programs were funded by the U. S. Department of Education, Fulbright-Hays Group Projects Abroad.

Curriculum Development

As the result of CLAS professional development/teacher training workshops and the school visit program various lessons with Latin American and Caribbean content have been development. These are appropriate for K-12 classrooms. Currently available are lessons:

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School Visit Program

CLAS undergraduate and graduate students are available to visit K-12 classrooms to share their knowledge on Latin America. The presentations are interactive and engage area students in discussions and activities on various Latin American topics. The presentations are designed for a regular classroom period of approximately 40 minutes and no more than 35 students. Most lessons are available in Spanish or English. Current topics include but are not limited to:

  • Countries of Latin America
  • Día de los Muertos and other holidays
  • Molas: An art form of Panama
  • Musical Instruments
  • Saw Dust Carpets (Guatemalan Tradition)
  • Diego Rivera’s Murals (Mexican Artist)
  • Presentation around the story of Abuela’s Weave
  • Presentation around the story of Lucha Libre

For more information, contact Rosalind Santavicca at alinda@pitt.edu


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Las Noticias Newsletter

A newsletter for K-12 educators designed to assist them with incorporating Latin American content into their classroom lessons. Las Noticias is distributed to teachers in Western Pennsylvania.


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Resource Lending Library

CLAS maintains a collection of instructional resources on Latin America and the Caribbean available at the university, secondary, and upper elementary levels for classroom use. The resources include maps, videos, slide sets, books, lessons, and curriculum guides. A catalog, Latin American Studies Resource Directory, resides on the website and is available in hardcopy.

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Model United Nations Simulation

The University of Pittsburgh's Center for International Studies (UCIS) in conjunction with it's area studies centers, the Citizens for Global Solutions Pittsburgh, and the United Nations Association of Pittsburgh conducts an annual Model United Nations simulation on the Pitt Oakland campus. Throughout the day, local high school students, "call to session" six bodies of the United Nations and assume roles of diplomats. Each school delegation is assigned a country to represent in negotiations. Participants discuss controversial issues facing the world wide community within the formal context of a United Nations simulation. University of Pittsburgh students serve as secretary general and session moderators as well as mentors to the high school students. Keep in touch with the planning by visiting the Model UN website or by contacting:

Rosalind Santavicca at alinda@pitt.edu. The next Model UN Simulation will be held on Monday, November 5, 2007.

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Links to Other Resources and Programs

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