Immigrant Origins: Islands in the Caribbean Some educational activities for individuals or small groups

Many New Yorkers have families who came from several countries on Caribbean Islands. The maps and activities in this unit are designed to help students learn about these countries.

Start by having students write the names on the big islands: long, skinny Cuba, big, fat Hispaniola, Puerto Rico to the east, and Jamaica south.

Then play “where is the pirate” to learn how to use the letter-number grid to identify locations.

For example: “The pirate went three squares east from grid cell H7; where is the pirate?”

For example: “The pirate went three squares east from grid cell H7; where is the pirate?” “What two islands is the pirate now between?”

Students can then use a similar skill to test the hypothesis that there really is such a thing as the Bermuda Triangle, where ships go in and never come out.

First, can you name these four islands? Students can then use a similar skill to test the hypothesis that there really is such a thing as the Bermuda Triangle, where ships go in and never come out. First, can you name these four islands? First, can you name these four islands? First, can you name these four islands?

Learn some tactics for “reading” a data table. Hint: you should NOT try to read it like a paragraph!

Use language clues to decide which parts of this large island were claimed by different colonial powers.

For example, the northwestern tip, Cap St. Nicolas, appears to be a French name.

The eastern tip, however, is more likely Spanish.

Write a letter on top of each place to show its language (IF you are sure of it!) F S

Here are the other “caps” and “cabos” on this island. F S F F F S S S S S S

And other placenames from French and Spanish F S F F F S S S S S S F F F F F F F F F S S S S S S S S S S S S S

Why do groups of people live where they do?

Can you find the border between Haiti and the Dominican Republic on a population map?

What kind of land do people seem to prefer?

Another way to visualize the relationship