Topic: Civil War in Colombia

Themes & Core Questions:

1. How do people define citizenship or nationality in the times of government crisis?  To what degree does political instability affect the common person?
2. What are the economic impacts (both positive and negative) of domestic conflict or civil war on the average citizen?  What are some of the survival strategies used to deal with these impacts?
3. How do the five themes of geography (location, place, human & environmental interaction, movement, and region formation) shape the decisions made by citizens during conflict or civil war?
4. How do conflicts or civil wars affect religious institutions and the religious beliefs of the average man or woman?
5. What is the history of power sharing between ethnic groups or social classes in the country affected by conflict or civil war?  How do values and attitudes toward ethnicity, social class, and nationality change during civil war?  What factors have an effect on these changes?

Overview: The lessons on Colombia includes a speech given by Lola Motrika to convince Colombian farmers to convert their coca crops to legitimate and productive food crops.

Time Required: 2 class periods or 90 minutes.

Suggested Grade Levels: Grades 8 –12

Interdisciplinary Applications: Social Studies and Literature

NJ Core Content Standards: 6.2, 6.3, 6.4, 6.5, 6.7, 6.8

Instructional Objectives:

1. Explain how civil war impacts the common person.
2. Analyze the effects of conflict on identity using PEERS.
3. Synthesize the understanding of the impact of civil war or conflict on the common person by developing empathy for the various decisions they have to make

Strategies:

1. Assign reading for preparatory homework.
2. Begin lesson by explaining activities.
3. Students will view Power Point presentation on Colombian Conflict.Discussion based on Power Point presentation.
4. Assign vocabulary for homework.

Lesson 2:

1. Review Vocabulary
2. Students should complete critical thinking questions as class, with class discussion.

Materials:

• Speech by Lola Motrika: Convincing Farmers to Convert Crops, Bolivar Square, Bogota, March 19, 1986
  
  
• Activities: Vocabulary and Critical Thinking Questions
  
  
• Power Point presentation on Colombia (Download into Power Point)

Resources:

• Carrigan, Ana. The Palace of Justice, A Colombian Tragedy. (New York: Four Walls Eight Windows, 1993). Library of Congress: “Colombia” Online. Internet. March 2000. Available: http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/cotoc.html.
  
  
• CNN In Depth Special: Colombia, A War Without End this site has lots of great articles and links to various sides of the issue.  The links page is a good starting point. http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2000/colombia.noframes/story/relateds/sites.html
  
  
• Food and Agriculture Organization (www.fao.org) has tried to support farmers efforts to grow legal crops in Colombia.

Assessment:

• Vocabulary worksheet
  
  
• Critical thinking worksheet