Take a Trip to Cuba!

By Tina Sizemore

"The Cuban people were nice and helpful to me.  Cuban families are less fortunate,

but it doesn't stop them from living for the children. “

(Anthony T., age 12, Garrison Elementary School Baseball Team, Washington, D.C.

after a trip to Cuba to play baseball against a Cuban team.)

 

Introduction

       

Congratulations!  You have been chosen to take a trip to the tropical island of Cuba!  By the time you return from your trip, you’ll be familiar with Cuban culture – the music, language, clothing, sports, and food, and you’ll know why few U.S. citizens get the opportunity to travel to this country.  Use your new-found knowledge of Cuba to convince your classmates to take the trip.

 

 

 

Click To DownloadThe Task

 

Below are the activities you will need to do to become an expert on Cuba:

 

·  find a simple Cuban recipe that could be served to your classmates

·  write out a list of six attractions a tourist in Cuba might want to see

·  do some research to find out these three things you will need to know                                                           before your trip: language, money, and climate

                                                ·  draw a picture of traditional Cuban clothing you could wear on your trip

·  write a one-page paper explaining the relationship between the United

States and Cuba

 

 

 

 

 

Resources

 

The following links will point you to places on the Internet where you can find the required information in order to complete your tasks.

 

 

http://francieweb.com/cuban/  --  Cuban recipes

 

http://www.lonelyplanet.com/destinations/caribbean/cuba  --  Travel guide

 

http://www.cubatravel.cu  --  Cuban Ministry of Tourism

 

 

                                                                   Photo         

                                                                                                                                                                  

 

http://www.historyofcuba.com/cuba.htm  --  History of Cuba (timetable)

 

http://www.state.gov/p/wha/rls/fs/2001/2558.htm  --  U.S. Department of State

 

http://www.uscubacommission.org/history.html  --  National Bipartisan Commission on Cuba

 

 

 

Interactive Website

 

Try your hand at some Spanish words that you may be able to use in your project.   The Translator Alligator at http://funbrain.com/lang is a fun way to learn Spanish and do some Internet research at the same time!

 

 

Process

 

To accomplish the above tasks, follow these steps:

 

1.  Write out a Cuban recipe found on one of the web sites or from a book.  For extra credit,

              prepare the recipe and serve it to your class.

2.  Prepare a travel brochure describing the six Cuban attractions you found on the above

websites.  Describe each in such a way that your classmates will want to visit these same sites.

3.  Also include in your travel brochure the practical information you have discovered (climate,

money, language) and your drawing of clothing worn in Cuba.

4.   Present your one-page paper on U.S./Cuba relations to your class. 

 

 

 

Evaluation

 

Your classmates will grade your travel brochure, your recipe, and your oral presentation.  This will count as 50% of your grade.  The teacher will do a separate evaluation for the remaining 50% of your grade.  Your classmates and teacher will be grading on creativity, enthusiasm, and how well you followed the directions.

 

 

Conclusion

 

You have now returned from your trip to Cuba, tanned and refreshed!  By completing this webquest, you have learned how to do research on the Internet and how to organize your information in a creative way.  Your travel brochure and class presentations should convince classmates to take this trip on their next vacation. 

 

 

 

 

Teacher Page

 

This webquest is for use by middle-school students (grades 6-8) in social studies classes covering units on Latin America.  It should take 2-4 weeks for students to complete this webquest.