Children select their activities (examples)
O Completely individual
O Organized into groups
O Assigned
Variety of learning areas (examples)
O Dramatic play
O Blocks
O Science
O Math
O Games/Puzzles
O Books
O Music
O Other explain
Separate times/periods for learning (examples)
Diverse subjects covered
O Math
O Science
O Social Studies
O Reading
O Writing
O Art projects
Copying an adult-made model
Coloring pre-drawn forms
Finishing a project the teacher has started
Following other adult directions
Group Activities
Teacher-directed instruction
Used entire time
Used some of the time
Children group size impact
Description of group sizes used during observation
Large group activities
Medium group activities
Small group activities
Children groups
Same thing/same time
Different groups/ thing/unique time
Children work individually
Articles used in activities
Materials closely related to children’s daily life experiences
Concrete/three-dimensional
workbooks/two-dimensional
Children opportunities to use items in a way they chose (examples)
O pegboards
O puzzles
O markers
O scissors
O crayons
O art supplies
O Legos
O paper
O other
Examples:
Worked activities into secular subjects
Mathematics
Block building
Measuring ingredients for cooking
Woodworking
Drawing
Science
Block building
Measuring ingredients for cooking
Woodworking
Drawing
Social studies
Block building
Measuring ingredients for cooking
Woodworking
Drawing
Teacher involvement
Teachers ask questions
Encourage more than one right answer
memorized/drill responses
Getting students involved in activities
Natural curiosity
rewards/disparagement for failure
Teacher expectations for conduct
Encourage Sit down
Watch
Be quite
Listen
demands/rewards attention
Sit down
Watch
Be quite
Listen
Appropriate age level activates
Physical
Emotional/Social
Cognitive
Play
Options for play
Time for play
Items to play with
Peer interactions
Appropriate activities involved play examples
Centers involved play examples
Example of play developing
O Physical
O Emotional
O Social
O Cognitive
Relationships with adults
Creating a caring community of learners
O Families
O Community of learners
O Teaching
O Curriculum
O Assessment
Interactions with teachers and students
Positive example
Secure
Consistent
Responsive
Negative example
Secure
Consistent
Responsive
Teacher’s awareness of the physical environment
Positive example
Negative example
Teaching to Enhance Development/learning
Physical
Emotional
Social
Cognitive
Theorists
Vygotsky
Scaffolding
Zone of Proximal Development
Child Observation
Types of interactions between child and teacher
Personally relate to child
2.
3.
Supported child
Activates
Physical
Social
Emotional
Cognitive
Group structures
Physical
Social
Emotional
Cognitive
Environment
Physical
Social
Emotional
Cognitive
What would you have done better to meet the needs of this individual child?
Activates
Physical
Social
Emotional
Cognitive
Group structures
Physical
Social
Emotional
Cognitive
Environment
Physical
Social
Emotional
Cognitive
How did the child relate socially to others
Positive Peer to peer
Positive group to single
Positive student to teacher
Positive Peer to peer
Positive group to single
Positive student to teacher
Positive Peer to peer
Positive group to single
Positive student to teacher
Negative Peer to peer
Negative group to single
Negative student to teacher
Negative Peer to peer
Negative group to single
Negative student to teacher
What types of interactions did you observe; list people/groups child interacted with
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
What could you do specifically to support this particular child?
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
SFL 221 DAP #6
DAP #6
“As originally conceived, kindergarten was a preparatory year of schooling, designed primarily to support children’s social and emotional adjustment to group learning. However, the increased number of children attending preschool and child care programs at younger ages, combined with the increased academic demands of the early years of school, have greatly transformed the role of kindergarten. More than a preparatory year – about 95 percent of kindergarten age children in America are enrolled in some type of kindergarten program -kindergarten is now generally considered the first year of school.”
Read pages 187-253 of the DAP book and respond to the following questions:
1. What are three things teachers and schools can do to promote physical development in kindergarten? (2 points)
a. have usable equipment for recess such as balls, jungle gym equipment, or side walk chalk. “they throw and catch with increasing involvement of their whole body, shifting their weight with the release of the ball and varying the force of their throw in accord with where they want the ball to land” (189)
b. in the classrooms provided child with a variety of items that they can chose to use which will allow them to develop various motor skills such as scissors, differently sized crayons, or stringing beads. (191)
c. a large space such as a gym were children can kick balls, run, skip, and jump in order to develop gross motor skills (191)
2. What are three things teachers and schools can do to promote social/emotional development in kindergarten? (2 points)
a. keep rules simple; “they do best with following rules and showing cooperative behaviors in environments with clear and simple expectations and consistent rules and consequences,” (193)
b. remain positive when critiquing work; “positive messages from adults about their growing knowledge, skills and pro-social behaviors, as well as respect, warmth, and positive guidance, enhance children’s self-concept.” (195)
c. set ‘stage’ examples of social problems and help students to discover a solution for the problem; “some indirect methods of monitoring peer interaction include “stage setting” (providing time, space, materials, and arrangements of materials for positive and appropriate interactions? And “coaching” (suggesting positive social interaction and problem-solving strategies as needed in the context of ongoing interactions between children)” (197)
3. What are three things teachers and schools can do to promote cognitive development in kindergarten? (2 points)
a. well structured classroom; “Kindergartners in well structured and supported classrooms can often work for 15 to 20 minutes at a time on a quite, seated activity.” (204)
b. Ask students to draw a picture of what they did at recess, write down what they did at recess, and tell a friend what they did a recess helps children to learn to remember and record information; “encourage children to record and document their knowledge by using various representational methods, such as words and gestures, writing, and drawing and by making diagrams, graphs, and models.” (205)
c. ask students to read a book together or to draw a map of the classroom together; “teachers greatly promote kindergartners’ cognitive development by recognizing the value of peer interactions for kindergartners’ cognitive growth and by designing learning environments and planning experiences that encourage children to interact and collaborate.” (206)
4. In a kindergartener’s social and emotional development, describe the concepts of “pro-social behavior”, “sociability”, “self-concept”, “emotional understanding and empathy”, and “self-regulation of emotions”. (5 points)
Pro-social behavior: a pattern of behavior that allows children to interact well with peers, adults, and even themselves in a positive manner that encourages relationships depended on mutual trust. “Pro-social behavior includes cooperating, resolving conflicts with peers in peaceful, positive ways, following classroom rules and adult requests, and other helpful actions” (192)
Sociability: a learned ability to communicate to people through social interactions “as children’s interest in friendship building intensifies throughout the kindergarten year, their communication skills and understanding of other’s thoughts and feelings improve, and thus, their skills in interacting with other children improve.” (194)
Self-concept: how one perceives themselves formed through social interactions and society contexts “occurs within the context of children’s maturing awareness of the social environment. Kindergartners develop their emerging self-concept in part by comparing themselves with peers, usually comparing against one classmate at a time…typically focus on observable characteristics,” (195)
Emotional understanding and empathy: as children begin to understand that other people’s actions affect their own emotions they began to develop an understanding that their actions can affect other’s emotions; they also realize that not everyone is feeling exactly what they are feeling at any given moment. “thinking of ways to relieve others’ negative feelings, such as giving a hug to comfort someone or sharing a favorite toy when someone is sick,” (196)
Self-regulation of emotions: the ability to monitor and control emotional responses in order to obtain tranquility. “making themselves do something even when the desire is not there, such as stop playing and clean up the puzzle pieces.” (196)
5. Assume you are substituting in a kindergarten classroom. Find two activities that would help promote their social development and two activities would help promote their emotional development. (3 points)
Social development: have the children all roll a dice, and if they roll a six they are in group six, and if the children roll a five they are in group five, and so on. Once the children are in their groups ask all of the members of group six to hold on to one piece of rope, all of the children in group five to hold onto another piece of rope, and so on. Once the children are set into their groups have them complete various rally races across an open field or through the play ground equipment.
Social development: have all of the children pick a partner, and then line the children teams shoulder to shoulder. Then teach the children how to play pate cake with their partner. Once the children have learned how to play the game, put on music. When the music stops all of the children have to find a new partner to play pate cake with, the last students to partner up are eliminated from the next round. Continue to play until there is only one matched pair left.
Emotional development: Talk to the children about rules and rulers. Then ask one of the students to pretend to be the king and have them come to the front of the classroom and sit in a special chair. The elected King student then tells the class one thing that they have to do, such as bark like a dog, or jump up and down three times. After completing the task have the students who liked the new rule sit on one side of the room and the students who did not like the rule sit on the other side of the room. Ask the students why they did not like the rule; and the other students why they did like the new rule. After chose a new student to be the king and repeat the game.
Emotional development: Ask children if they have any pets. Then talk about pets and the different things that pets need such as food, water, shelter, and play time. Help the children to cut out paper masks one that is happy faced, and one that is sad faced. Then ask the children to draw their pet dog happy for example when they remember to play catch and on the other sad face have the children draw a picture of their pet fish sad for example when they have no clean water in their fish bowl.
5. In cognitive development of Kindergarteners, what is “flexible thinking”? (1 point)
6. Explain why children need to have choices as stated by the authors. (1 point)
It is important that children have choices because it helps children to develop confidence in exploring new things and hopefully helps the to recognize preferences which will help them to develop talents. “offering a variety of tasks , material, and learning centers helps children practice specific skills and learn to use different types of size of equipment… Teachers who foster a sense of community, emphasizing that everyone can participate and has strengths, will find delighted responsiveness form most children.” (191)
7. What 5 key literacy components happen in Kindergarten? (3 points)
a. book and print awareness: print on the page represents words
b. phonological awareness: sounds of spoken words
c. language, comprehension, and response to text: background information gives meaning/context
d. letter recognition, decoding, and word recognition: sight words, alphabet
e. spelling and writing: ability to create words instead of relying on simply pictures for communication
8. List 4 key elements to help insure successful transitions for young children and their families. (2 points)
a. communication is critical: show an interest in each student’s unique culture and allow them to talk to you about what is expected from them at home as well as communicate what is expected of them at school, but keep in mind that what ever the expectations are at school there should be a genuine respect for the home expectations.
b. allow children to bring show and tell items from home that represent them, or let them explain to you why they chose the back pack they chose, “they experience easier transitions and feel more successful when the skills, abilities, and understandings they construct in their family and community are congruent with the expectations of the classroom.” (213)
c. invite old preschool teachers, head start teachers, and most importantly parents to com and visit the classroom and ask questions about the program or simply to observe if that is all they want to do
d. check with the administration to make sure that the preschool is teaching a curriculum that prepares your students for the kindergarten curriculum, and adjust your curriculum to prepare your students to enter the 1st grade one.
9. In the “Examples to Consider” section (pages 217-253), each age break down is addressed with accompanying ”developmentally appropriate” and “in contrast” examples of how children develop and learn. Indicate here if you completed the reading (or how much you completed) to receive your points for this question. (5 points)
I did all of the required reading!
“As originally conceived, kindergarten was a preparatory year of schooling, designed primarily to support children’s social and emotional adjustment to group learning. However, the increased number of children attending preschool and child care programs at younger ages, combined with the increased academic demands of the early years of school, have greatly transformed the role of kindergarten. More than a preparatory year – about 95 percent of kindergarten age children in America are enrolled in some type of kindergarten program -kindergarten is now generally considered the first year of school.”
Read pages 187-253 of the DAP book and respond to the following questions:
1. What are three things teachers and schools can do to promote physical development in kindergarten? (2 points)
a. have usable equipment for recess such as balls, jungle gym equipment, or side walk chalk. “they throw and catch with increasing involvement of their whole body, shifting their weight with the release of the ball and varying the force of their throw in accord with where they want the ball to land” (189)
b. in the classrooms provided child with a variety of items that they can chose to use which will allow them to develop various motor skills such as scissors, differently sized crayons, or stringing beads. (191)
c. a large space such as a gym were children can kick balls, run, skip, and jump in order to develop gross motor skills (191)
2. What are three things teachers and schools can do to promote social/emotional development in kindergarten? (2 points)
a. keep rules simple; “they do best with following rules and showing cooperative behaviors in environments with clear and simple expectations and consistent rules and consequences,” (193)
b. remain positive when critiquing work; “positive messages from adults about their growing knowledge, skills and pro-social behaviors, as well as respect, warmth, and positive guidance, enhance children’s self-concept.” (195)
c. set ‘stage’ examples of social problems and help students to discover a solution for the problem; “some indirect methods of monitoring peer interaction include “stage setting” (providing time, space, materials, and arrangements of materials for positive and appropriate interactions? And “coaching” (suggesting positive social interaction and problem-solving strategies as needed in the context of ongoing interactions between children)” (197)
3. What are three things teachers and schools can do to promote cognitive development in kindergarten? (2 points)
a. well structured classroom; “Kindergartners in well structured and supported classrooms can often work for 15 to 20 minutes at a time on a quite, seated activity.” (204)
b. Ask students to draw a picture of what they did at recess, write down what they did at recess, and tell a friend what they did a recess helps children to learn to remember and record information; “encourage children to record and document their knowledge by using various representational methods, such as words and gestures, writing, and drawing and by making diagrams, graphs, and models.” (205)
c. ask students to read a book together or to draw a map of the classroom together; “teachers greatly promote kindergartners’ cognitive development by recognizing the value of peer interactions for kindergartners’ cognitive growth and by designing learning environments and planning experiences that encourage children to interact and collaborate.” (206)
4. In a kindergartener’s social and emotional development, describe the concepts of “pro-social behavior”, “sociability”, “self-concept”, “emotional understanding and empathy”, and “self-regulation of emotions”. (5 points)
Pro-social behavior: a pattern of behavior that allows children to interact well with peers, adults, and even themselves in a positive manner that encourages relationships depended on mutual trust. “Pro-social behavior includes cooperating, resolving conflicts with peers in peaceful, positive ways, following classroom rules and adult requests, and other helpful actions” (192)
Sociability: a learned ability to communicate to people through social interactions “as children’s interest in friendship building intensifies throughout the kindergarten year, their communication skills and understanding of other’s thoughts and feelings improve, and thus, their skills in interacting with other children improve.” (194)
Self-concept: how one perceives themselves formed through social interactions and society contexts “occurs within the context of children’s maturing awareness of the social environment. Kindergartners develop their emerging self-concept in part by comparing themselves with peers, usually comparing against one classmate at a time…typically focus on observable characteristics,” (195)
Emotional understanding and empathy: as children begin to understand that other people’s actions affect their own emotions they began to develop an understanding that their actions can affect other’s emotions; they also realize that not everyone is feeling exactly what they are feeling at any given moment. “thinking of ways to relieve others’ negative feelings, such as giving a hug to comfort someone or sharing a favorite toy when someone is sick,” (196)
Self-regulation of emotions: the ability to monitor and control emotional responses in order to obtain tranquility. “making themselves do something even when the desire is not there, such as stop playing and clean up the puzzle pieces.” (196)
5. Assume you are substituting in a kindergarten classroom. Find two activities that would help promote their social development and two activities would help promote their emotional development. (3 points)
Social development: have the children all roll a dice, and if they roll a six they are in group six, and if the children roll a five they are in group five, and so on. Once the children are in their groups ask all of the members of group six to hold on to one piece of rope, all of the children in group five to hold onto another piece of rope, and so on. Once the children are set into their groups have them complete various rally races across an open field or through the play ground equipment.
Social development: have all of the children pick a partner, and then line the children teams shoulder to shoulder. Then teach the children how to play pate cake with their partner. Once the children have learned how to play the game, put on music. When the music stops all of the children have to find a new partner to play pate cake with, the last students to partner up are eliminated from the next round. Continue to play until there is only one matched pair left.
Emotional development: Talk to the children about rules and rulers. Then ask one of the students to pretend to be the king and have them come to the front of the classroom and sit in a special chair. The elected King student then tells the class one thing that they have to do, such as bark like a dog, or jump up and down three times. After completing the task have the students who liked the new rule sit on one side of the room and the students who did not like the rule sit on the other side of the room. Ask the students why they did not like the rule; and the other students why they did like the new rule. After chose a new student to be the king and repeat the game.
Emotional development: Ask children if they have any pets. Then talk about pets and the different things that pets need such as food, water, shelter, and play time. Help the children to cut out paper masks one that is happy faced, and one that is sad faced. Then ask the children to draw their pet dog happy for example when they remember to play catch and on the other sad face have the children draw a picture of their pet fish sad for example when they have no clean water in their fish bowl.
5. In cognitive development of Kindergarteners, what is “flexible thinking”? (1 point)
6. Explain why children need to have choices as stated by the authors. (1 point)
It is important that children have choices because it helps children to develop confidence in exploring new things and hopefully helps the to recognize preferences which will help them to develop talents. “offering a variety of tasks , material, and learning centers helps children practice specific skills and learn to use different types of size of equipment… Teachers who foster a sense of community, emphasizing that everyone can participate and has strengths, will find delighted responsiveness form most children.” (191)
7. What 5 key literacy components happen in Kindergarten? (3 points)
a. book and print awareness: print on the page represents words
b. phonological awareness: sounds of spoken words
c. language, comprehension, and response to text: background information gives meaning/context
d. letter recognition, decoding, and word recognition: sight words, alphabet
e. spelling and writing: ability to create words instead of relying on simply pictures for communication
8. List 4 key elements to help insure successful transitions for young children and their families. (2 points)
a. communication is critical: show an interest in each student’s unique culture and allow them to talk to you about what is expected from them at home as well as communicate what is expected of them at school, but keep in mind that what ever the expectations are at school there should be a genuine respect for the home expectations.
b. allow children to bring show and tell items from home that represent them, or let them explain to you why they chose the back pack they chose, “they experience easier transitions and feel more successful when the skills, abilities, and understandings they construct in their family and community are congruent with the expectations of the classroom.” (213)
c. invite old preschool teachers, head start teachers, and most importantly parents to com and visit the classroom and ask questions about the program or simply to observe if that is all they want to do
d. check with the administration to make sure that the preschool is teaching a curriculum that prepares your students for the kindergarten curriculum, and adjust your curriculum to prepare your students to enter the 1st grade one.
9. In the “Examples to Consider” section (pages 217-253), each age break down is addressed with accompanying ”developmentally appropriate” and “in contrast” examples of how children develop and learn. Indicate here if you completed the reading (or how much you completed) to receive your points for this question. (5 points)
I did all of the required reading!
Geography project
Racial characteristics Economy Language Physical environment where they live Mountainous, coastal, core/periphery
Maya Like many of the native tribes many of the Mayan people have some European heritage, but there are still traditional Native American villages scattered throughout Central America. The name Maya is an umbrella term for many distinctly different Native American Tribes. The main group of Mayans live on the Yucatan peninsula but there are other living throughout Central America each with their own traditions, language, and heritage. Generally the eastern Mayan population was less effected by the Conquistador culture and intermarriages. In the 1980’s thousands of refugees fled to Mexico and the United States after the Guatemalan death squads killed hundreds of thousands of people. Those who remain live in “model” villages and attempt to maintain their historical way of life. Traditionally the Mayan economy was agricultural. Many tourist visit the ancient Mayan ruins, but even today many of the villager families are maize farmers and they continue to use the traditional slash and burn method for their milpas. Other Mayan people have left their villages and taken positions in politics, education, and government. Mayan Languages:
Yucatan Maya for the Mayan who live on the Yucatan, Spanish is commonly spoken as a first language. About half of the population speaks Mayan, and Mayan language classes can be taken online in an effort to preserve the culture. Other languages spoken are Kriol and English. There are a few of the traditional tribal languages spoken such as Chan, Be, Pool, and Tamay. The physical environment differs from place to place. The three main types of enviornment being the highlands of the volcanic mountains in the intermountain valleys of Guatemala. The Yucatan is a lowland with limestone, and there are sinkholes throughout the area. In the northern half of the peninsula there are large swamps, and because of the close coast the water density is stratified. The most recognizable Mayan tribe is located on the Yucatan Peninsula, but there are Mayan tribes going through Guatemala and through the Western parts of Honduras.
Miskito Are a group of Native Americans in Central America with a dominate African-Indigenous mixture. There are several different tribes of Miskito. Turtle harvesting was the traditional economy but this has been combined with agriculture, fishing, gathering, and hunting. As the area became more commercialized foreign companies invested in turtle farms in the area. After a few economic booms there was a major depletion of green turtles, and the economy crashed. Currently there is a great food scarcity in the area. When there is bad economy the society returns to agricultural work, but when the economy is booming many of the men travel out of their villages diving for lobsters, turtles, and fish. Women make tourist trinkits, but this is not enough to support a family. Miskito is the native language but due to the dominate British influence many people speak Miskito creole English, and Spanish. The Spanish did not care to setttel in the barren region, because off the coast the savannas and woods feed into the mountains while the humid swamp regions remained infested with mosquitos. The area includeds the San Juan River to the Bluefields Lagoon. Along the Mosquito Coast or the established Miskito Nation along the Atlantic coast of Nicaragua and Honduras.
Cuna The Cuna people are a Native American tribal people. They are closely related to other Chibchan tribes and the Miskito people. Much of the economy is based on fishing and agriculture, and international trade. Coconuts and lobsters are exported goods. Many people work as migrant laborers in the sales of molas and others rely on tourism. There is some influence of the drug trade in this region as well. There are two main languages. First, San Balas or Island Cuna language. The other is the Border or Mountain Cuna. People still speak the dialect today, and although linguistics consider the languages to be related but distinctly different. Many people speak Spanish as well. Much of the society is centered around the Gulf of Uraba. Many of the people live on small islands that run along the coast. There are stretches of ocean between each of the small islands filled with tropical trees and sandy beaches. Southeastern Panama and northwestern Colombia, and surrounded by the Alantic and Pacific Coasts. The two main areas are the Mountains, and Islands.
Although many people live on reservations in Panama and a few in Colombia the majority of the people live on small islands in the comacra.
Garifuna The Garifuna people are decendants of the West African, Caribian, and Arawka people. Unlike the Ameridian tribes who did not intermarry with the Africans the Garinagu did and the British called them the Black Carib to distinguish them from the Amerindian population. In the past the people have relied upon farming, but in the 20th century much of the agricultural land was taken up by fruit companies. Today most of the people travel to find employment, and generally men work by collecting timber, or fishing for foreign-owned companies. Some worry that the area will soon become extremely commercialized because there are few economic opportunities within the region. The people speak the Garifuna Language, which is considered a Arawakan language or indigenous language family of South America and the Caribbean. Most of the people are bilingual and speak Spanish, kriol, and English as well. For the most part the Garifuna people live along the Caribbean Coast in the tropical climate. There is variation in the climate by the elevation, but overall the region is humid and has high rainfall. There are Hurricans that have a desatrours effect on the region. On the island Roatan, were some of the people live, the island was not able to sustain the large population sent there by the Spanish but today the long beach, clear water, and tropical trees have turned the remote island into a tourist site. After being relocated by the Spanish to Roatan the surviving population crawled back to the main land and began to settle along the coast of Central America. Most of the people live along the Caribbean Coast in Belize, Guatemala, Nicaragua, and parts of Honduras. A few remain on the island of Roatan.
Works Cited
Wickipedia. Web. 1 February 2011.
Free Blank Outline Map of Central America and the Caribbean. About.com: Geography. Web. 1 February 2011.
Maya Like many of the native tribes many of the Mayan people have some European heritage, but there are still traditional Native American villages scattered throughout Central America. The name Maya is an umbrella term for many distinctly different Native American Tribes. The main group of Mayans live on the Yucatan peninsula but there are other living throughout Central America each with their own traditions, language, and heritage. Generally the eastern Mayan population was less effected by the Conquistador culture and intermarriages. In the 1980’s thousands of refugees fled to Mexico and the United States after the Guatemalan death squads killed hundreds of thousands of people. Those who remain live in “model” villages and attempt to maintain their historical way of life. Traditionally the Mayan economy was agricultural. Many tourist visit the ancient Mayan ruins, but even today many of the villager families are maize farmers and they continue to use the traditional slash and burn method for their milpas. Other Mayan people have left their villages and taken positions in politics, education, and government. Mayan Languages:
Yucatan Maya for the Mayan who live on the Yucatan, Spanish is commonly spoken as a first language. About half of the population speaks Mayan, and Mayan language classes can be taken online in an effort to preserve the culture. Other languages spoken are Kriol and English. There are a few of the traditional tribal languages spoken such as Chan, Be, Pool, and Tamay. The physical environment differs from place to place. The three main types of enviornment being the highlands of the volcanic mountains in the intermountain valleys of Guatemala. The Yucatan is a lowland with limestone, and there are sinkholes throughout the area. In the northern half of the peninsula there are large swamps, and because of the close coast the water density is stratified. The most recognizable Mayan tribe is located on the Yucatan Peninsula, but there are Mayan tribes going through Guatemala and through the Western parts of Honduras.
Miskito Are a group of Native Americans in Central America with a dominate African-Indigenous mixture. There are several different tribes of Miskito. Turtle harvesting was the traditional economy but this has been combined with agriculture, fishing, gathering, and hunting. As the area became more commercialized foreign companies invested in turtle farms in the area. After a few economic booms there was a major depletion of green turtles, and the economy crashed. Currently there is a great food scarcity in the area. When there is bad economy the society returns to agricultural work, but when the economy is booming many of the men travel out of their villages diving for lobsters, turtles, and fish. Women make tourist trinkits, but this is not enough to support a family. Miskito is the native language but due to the dominate British influence many people speak Miskito creole English, and Spanish. The Spanish did not care to setttel in the barren region, because off the coast the savannas and woods feed into the mountains while the humid swamp regions remained infested with mosquitos. The area includeds the San Juan River to the Bluefields Lagoon. Along the Mosquito Coast or the established Miskito Nation along the Atlantic coast of Nicaragua and Honduras.
Cuna The Cuna people are a Native American tribal people. They are closely related to other Chibchan tribes and the Miskito people. Much of the economy is based on fishing and agriculture, and international trade. Coconuts and lobsters are exported goods. Many people work as migrant laborers in the sales of molas and others rely on tourism. There is some influence of the drug trade in this region as well. There are two main languages. First, San Balas or Island Cuna language. The other is the Border or Mountain Cuna. People still speak the dialect today, and although linguistics consider the languages to be related but distinctly different. Many people speak Spanish as well. Much of the society is centered around the Gulf of Uraba. Many of the people live on small islands that run along the coast. There are stretches of ocean between each of the small islands filled with tropical trees and sandy beaches. Southeastern Panama and northwestern Colombia, and surrounded by the Alantic and Pacific Coasts. The two main areas are the Mountains, and Islands.
Although many people live on reservations in Panama and a few in Colombia the majority of the people live on small islands in the comacra.
Garifuna The Garifuna people are decendants of the West African, Caribian, and Arawka people. Unlike the Ameridian tribes who did not intermarry with the Africans the Garinagu did and the British called them the Black Carib to distinguish them from the Amerindian population. In the past the people have relied upon farming, but in the 20th century much of the agricultural land was taken up by fruit companies. Today most of the people travel to find employment, and generally men work by collecting timber, or fishing for foreign-owned companies. Some worry that the area will soon become extremely commercialized because there are few economic opportunities within the region. The people speak the Garifuna Language, which is considered a Arawakan language or indigenous language family of South America and the Caribbean. Most of the people are bilingual and speak Spanish, kriol, and English as well. For the most part the Garifuna people live along the Caribbean Coast in the tropical climate. There is variation in the climate by the elevation, but overall the region is humid and has high rainfall. There are Hurricans that have a desatrours effect on the region. On the island Roatan, were some of the people live, the island was not able to sustain the large population sent there by the Spanish but today the long beach, clear water, and tropical trees have turned the remote island into a tourist site. After being relocated by the Spanish to Roatan the surviving population crawled back to the main land and began to settle along the coast of Central America. Most of the people live along the Caribbean Coast in Belize, Guatemala, Nicaragua, and parts of Honduras. A few remain on the island of Roatan.
Works Cited
Wickipedia. Web. 1 February 2011.
Free Blank Outline Map of Central America and the Caribbean. About.com: Geography. Web. 1 February 2011.
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