Food Tradition and Culture in Argentina - Latin American Network

Fulbright‐HaysCurriculumProject:Argentina,2011

FoodTraditionandCultureinArgentina

JakeSproull,ChineseAmericanInternationalSchool,SanFrancisco,CA

GradeLevelandSubjectArea:MiddleSchoolSocialStudies

SocialStudiesTopicAreas:Geography&Topography;Environmentaltudies;FoodTraditions&CultureS

UnitSummary

Thisisaone–twoweekunit(5lessons)forgrade6.Itcaneasilybeincludedwithinalargerunitaboutfoodtraditionsaroundtheworld,orintroducedasapartofalargerunitonSouthAmerica.Inthisseriesoflessons,studentswillfirstlearnaboutthetopographyofArgentinaandtherolethelandhasplayedinthehistoryofthecountryanditsagriculturalindustry.Next,studentswillseehowtheagriculturalandlivestockindustryisreflectedintheArgentinenationalhistoryanddiet.Inthethirdsegmentoftheunit,studentswilllearnabouttwoculturalelementsthatareuniquetoArgentina’slandscape,history,anddiet(thegauchoandyerbamate).Finally,studentswillcompareatypicalArgentinediettotheirowndiets,inordertohighlightsomeofthedifferencesoundinArgentinecuisine.f

Ess ne tialQuestions:

1. Howaregeographyandlandscapeconnectedtoculture? 2. HowisArgentineculturedifferentfrom/similartothecultureoftheUSA?

3. owdodifferencesindietreflectthenationalculturesofArgentinaandheU A?Ht

S

Un Git oals

1. StudentswillgainanunderstandingofArgentina’sbasicgeography,interactwithatopographicalmap,andlearntheterminologytodescribethedifferentlandscapesofArgentina.

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2. Studentswillexploretherelationshipoftopography,agriculture,diet,andculture.

3. StudentswilllearnabouttheimportanceoflivestockinthehistoryofesArgentina,andalsounderstandsomeoftheenvironmentalchalleng

thatarearesultofthisindustry.4. StudentswillbeintroducedtothehistoryofArgentinabylearning

aboutseveralculturalelementsrelatedtofoodanddiet(thebeefindustry,thegaucho,andyerbamate).

5. tudentswillexploreculturaldifferencesbycomparingtheirowndietsoatypicalArgentinediet.St

LessonSummary

Lesson1:GeographyofArgentina StudentswilllearnaboutthegeographyofArgentinabyeithercolor

codinginanoutlinemapofthecountry(quicklesson)orcreatinga3‐Dmapoutofclay(longerlesson).

Lesson2:AgricultureinArgentina StudentswilllearnaboutagriculturalproductioninArgentina,

particularlytheriseofthecattleindustryanditsimportancetoArgentinehistoryandeconomy.

Lesson3:ElGaucho StudentswilllearnaboutthehistoryofthegauchoinArgentinaandits

relationshiptoagricultureandthecattleindustry.

Lesson4:YerbaMate StudentswilllearnaboutyerbamateanditsimportanceinArgentina.

Studentswillreadafolktaleabouttheoriginofmate,andlearnaboutitshistory.Studentswilltrymate,ifavailable,aspartofthislesson.

Lesson5:Americanvs.ArgentineDiets StudentswillanalyzeatypicalArgentinedietaswellastheirowndiets,

inordertomakenutritionalandculturalcomparisons.Ifpossible,studentswillsampleafewpopularArgentinedishes.

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Lesson1:TheGeographyofArgentina

LessonObjective:StudentswilllearnaboutthegeographyofArgentinainpreparationforlessonsonagriculture,food,andculture.

Procedure:

1. IntroduceArgentinatostudentsbyreviewingamapofSouthAmerica.*PointoutthelocationandsizeofArgentina,aswellastheneighboringcountries(Uruguay,Paraguay,Bolivia,Brazil,Chile).InformstudentsthatArgentinaisthesecondlargestnationinSouthAmerica,andtheeighthlargestcountryintheworldintermsoftotallandarea(1,068,296squaremiles/2,766,890squarekilometers).

*IfthecountriesofSouthAmericaarenoteasilyidentifiabletothestudents,theteachermaywanttoaskstudentsfirsttolabelamapofallofecountriesinSouthAmerica,beforefocusingonArgentina.th

2. Mathextensionquestion:TheUSAis3.79millionsquare

iles/9.83millionsquarekilometers.HowlargeisArgentinainmcomparisontotheUSA?Dependingontimeandskilllevel,theteachermaywantstudentstoeterminetheexactmathematicalratio.(Quickanswer:Argentinaisdapproximately¼thesizeoftheUSA.)

3. StudentswillidentifythevariouslandscapesofArgentinabycolorcodingeachareawiththedominantlandscapes:theAndes,thepampas,theNorth,Patagonia,etc.Agoodmapresourcetouseis:http://www.enchantedlearning.com.Thiswebsitehasmanyblankoutlinemapsofallregionsoftheworld,completeandready‐to‐goforstudents.

4. Studentswillidentifythefollowinglocationsandtermsastheyarelabeling

theirmaps.

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ImportantPlacesAndesM

oniouantains

PatagPampasPunaMesopotamia

iresBuenosAMt.Aconcagua

egoUshuaiaTierrade FuIguazuFalls

l

BodiesofWaterAtlanticOceanPacificOceanParanáRiveriodelaPlatatraitofMagellanRS

BorderingandNearbyCountries,Islands,etc.BrazilBoliviaCapeHornChileFalklandIslands(IslasMalvinas)ParaguayUruguay

5.Oncestudentscolorcodetheirmaps,makesurethattheyalsolabeltheminordertodifferentiatethevariousregions.

6.Classresearchorstudenthomeworkactivity:Studentsworkindividuallyorinpairstoresearchfivefactsaboutoneofthe"ImportantPlaces"or"BodiesofWater"fromthelist(note:theteachercanassignstudentsmorethanonearea(orallgeographicareas)toresearch,dependingonthesizeoftheclassandtimeavailable).Aspresenterssharetheirresearchfactswiththeclass,studentswilltakenotesontheattachedgeographyworksheet(teachernotesarealsoincluded).Theteachercandecide

whetherit'sappropriatetoteststudentsonthismaterialatalaterdate.

7.Finalgroupdiscussionquestion:AfterstudentshavelabeledtheirmapsandpresentedtheirresearchaboutthedifferentregionsofArgentina,askstudentstobrainstormhowArgentina'schanginglandscapemightaffectthepeoplelivingineachlocation.Recordstudentopinionsontheboardandthendiscussasawholeclass.

MapExtensionActivity

Studentscangainahands‐onunderstandingofArgentina’slandscapebycreatinga3‐Dtopographicalmapofcoloredmodelingclay.

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Materialsneeded:colored,quick‐dryingmodelingclay;aboardtouseasabase(atleastonesquarefoot);atopographicalmapofArgentina;toothpicks;andpaper.

Directions:AftertracinganoutlinemapofArgentinaontothebasesurface,studentswilluseclaytorepresenttheimportanttopographicalfeaturesofArgentina,suchastheAndesMountains,Patagonia,Pampas,etc.(seelistonnextpage).Oncestudentshavecompletedtheir3‐Dmodel,theywilllabelachtopographicalareausinga"flag"madeoftoothpicksandpaper.e

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StudentWorksheet:TheGeographyofArgentina

Directions:Locateeacharealistedbelowonyourmap.Besuretocolorcodeeachgeographicareaandlabeleachlandmark.(Ifyouaremakingthe3‐Dmap,writeeachtermbelowonasmall,aboutoneinchsquare,pieceofpaper.Tapeeachpapersquaretoatoothpicktocreatea"flag"thatyoucanusetolabeleachoftheregionsonyour3‐Dmap).

*Savethissheetsothatyoucanwriteanynotesabouteachgeographicareaduringthestudentpresentations.

BodiesofWate

r:

AtlanticOcean

PacificOcean

ParanáRiver

RiodelaPlata

StraitofMagellan

BorderingandNearbyCountries,Islands,etc.:

Brazil

Bolivia

ornCapeH

Chile

Paraguay

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Uruguay

FalklandIslands(IslasMalvinas)

ImportantPlaces

ntains

/GeographicalAreas

AndesMou

aPatagoni

Pampas

otamiaMesop

Puna

BuenosAires

aguaMt.Aconc

Ushuaia

egoTierradelFu

IguazuFalls

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TeacherNotes:TheGeographyofArgentina

BodiesofWater

ParanáRiver‐3,998kmlong,flowsfromBraziltoArgentina.It'stheworld's13th‐longestriverandthesecondlongestinSouthAmerica(theAmazonisthelongest).

RiodelaPlata‐"RiverofSilver"or"RiverPlate":Thisisoneoftheworld'sgreatriversystems.ItrivalstheAmazon,Nile,andMississippiintermsoflength,width,andflow.

StraitofMagellan‐theseachannellocatedatthesoutherntipofSouthAmerica.Itwas“discovered"byFerdinandMagellanin1520.

BorderingandNearbyCountries,Islands,etc.

CapeHorn‐fromDutch"KaapHoorn,"it'sthesouthernmostheadlandofTierradelFuego

FalklandIslands(IslasMalvinas)‐islandsownedbyBritain,thoughdisputedbyArgentina.

ImportantPlaces/GeographicalAreas

AndesMountains‐dominantmountainchaininSouthAmerica.Averageheightis13,000ft/4,000m.

Patagonia‐fromSpanish"patagones"or"bigfeet."Thisareaissparselypopulatedsteppe(cold,drygrasslands).

Pampas‐Quechuafor"levelplain."Thisflat,fertilelandthatisthecenterofthecountry'sagriculturaloutput.

Mesopotamia‐"thelandbetweentherivers,"thenorthernfertileareasborderingBrazil,Paraguay,andUruguay.

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Puna‐"highsteppe"oraltiplanoregion.Thisisthedry,highaltitudeareainthenorthwest.Itisgenerallyadry,grassyareawithpasturelandforsheep,llamas,guanacos,andvicuñas.

BuenosAires‐Spanishfor"FairWinds,"thecapitalofArgentina,andthesecondlargestcityinSouthAmerica.ThegreaterBApopulationisapproximately15million.

Mt.Aconcagua‐highestpeakinbothsouthernandwesternhemispheres(22,835ft/6,962meters)

Ushuaia‐southernmosttownintheworld.

TierradelFuego‐“LandofFire,”aseriesofislandsthatcomprisethesouthernmostpartofArgentina.

IguazuFalls‐Guaranilanguagemeaning"GreatWater,"it'sthelargestwaterfallinSouthAmerica,includesover275individualfalls,andextendsver2miles(3km).o

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Lesson2:AgricultureinArgentina

LessonObjective:StudentswillbuildupontheirknowledgeoftheArgentinelandscapeinLesson#1tolearnaboutthedevelopmentoftheagriculturalindustryofArgentina.StudentswillexploretheconnectionbetweentheUSAandArgentinainthefollowingfields:geography,agriculture,economy,anddiet.

Procedure:

1.Beginbydirectingstudentstotakeouttheircolorcoded(or3‐D)mapsofArgentina.Askstudentstolookatthemapsandthen,withapartner,thinkaboutwhichtypesoffoodmightbegrownorraisedinthevariousregions:AndesMountains,thePampas,Mesopotamia,andPatagonia.

2.Afterstudentshavefinishedmakingtheirinitiallists,reviewthefollowingfacts:

AccordingtotheArgentineMinistryofEconomy,about10%ofArgentinaiscultivated,andabouthalfofthatlandisusedforraisinglivestock.

ulture(downfromAbout10%ofArgentina'sGDPisearnedfromagric

20%inthefirsthalfofthe20thcentury).BeefisoneofArgentina'smostimportantexports.

Argentina'spopulaceisoneoftheworld'shighestbeefconsumers(percapita).

Argentina'stopfiveagriculturalproducts:soybeans,maize,sugarcane,wheat,sunflowerseed(foroil).

3.Forthisjigsawactivity,studentswillfocusonthebeefindustry.Ingroups4–5,studentswillresearchoneofthefollowingfivesetsofquestions(note:iftheclassislarge,theteachermayhavemorethanonegroupresearcheachset).Aftertheresearchiscompleted,eachgroupwillpresenttheirfindingstotheclass.Studentswilltakenotesduringeachpresentationsothateachstudenthasapersonalsetofnotesforallfivesetsofquestions.

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StudentResearchQuestions:AgricultureinArgentina

ResearchQuestion#1:Whatkindoflandscapeisbestsuitedforraisingcattle?Whatisthedifferencebetween"grassfed"beefand"grainfed"beef?Inwhatwaysarethesetwomethodssimilar?Howaretheydifferent?Whataretheadvantagesanddisadvantagesofeachmethod?Aftercompletingyourresearch,doesyourgroupfeelthatonemethodisuperiortotheother?Whyorwhynot?s

ResearchQuestion#2:HowarecattletypicallyraisedintheUSA?Yourgroupshouldprovideaclearoverviewoftheprocess,andincludeatleastiveresearchfactsfromeachpersoninyourgroup.f

ResearchQuestion#3:HowarecattletypicallyraisedintheArgentina?Yourgroupshouldprovideaclearoverviewoftheprocess,andincludeateastfiveresearchfactsfromeachpersoninyourgroup.l

ResearchQuestion#4:Whataretheenvironmentaleffectsofraisingcattle?AretheUSAand/orArgentinafacinganyoftheseenvironmentalproblems?Youmustresearchanddescribeatleastfiveissuesduringyourresentation.p

ResearchQuestion#5:Whatarethehealthbenefitsofeatingbeef?Arethereanyhealthrisks?Ifso,whatarethey?Yourgroupshouldresearchboththebenefitsandrisksandbereadytopresentyourfindingstotheclass.

Spro Traditionull–Food p.12

Lesson3:ElGaucho

LessonObjective:StudentswillcomparethegauchoinArgentinatotheAmericancowboy.Theywilllearnsomeofthehistoricandculturalcharacteristicsofgauchoculture.

Note:Itisrecommendedthatstudentshavetwodifferentcoloredwritingutensilsforthisactivity.

Procedure:

1.DiscusswithstudentswhattheyknowaboutAmericancowboys.Whatwordsandimagescometomind?Keeparunninglistontheboard.

2.DirectstudentstodrawalargeVennDiagramontheirpapers.Overonecircle,writethetitle“AmericanCowboy.”Overthesecondcircle,titleit“ArgentineGaucho.”

3.Usingoneoftheircoloredwritingutensils,studentswriteinonehalfoftheVennDiagramwhattheyknowaboutAmericancowboys,cowboyculture,etc.Theymayreferbacktotheclassdiscussionnotesinstep#1,ifnecessary.

4.Usingthesamewritingutensil,studentsnowbrainstormwhattheyknowaboutArgentinegauchosinthesecondhalfoftheVennDiagram(thismaybeamuchshorterlist)

5.Tointroducestudentstotheconceptofthegaucho,theteachercanpresentoneormoreofthefollowing:

A)Apictureofatypicalgaucho(useInternetorprintedsources)

B)AvideoofmoderngauchosinArgentina(NationalGeographichasaninteresting2minuteclip,ortheteachermaypreferothervideoimages.TherearenumerousvideosavailableonYouTube.)

C)Acartoonvideo"ElGauchoGoofy"byDisneyClassics(1943).This8‐minutevideoiseasilyfoundonYouTubeandisinterestingasaculturalandhistoricalartifact,sinceitportraysbothcowboysandgauchosofan

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earliertimeperiod.Studentscandiscusstheinformationlearnedfromthecartoon,aswellastheculturalgeneralizationsandstereotypesofthetimeperiod.

6. Ashomework,orforanin‐classactivity,studentswillconductindependentresearchtocompletetheworksheetaboutAmericancowboysandArgentinegauchos.

7. Afterfinishingtheworksheet,studentswilladdtheirresearchfacts(usingadifferentcoloredwritingutensil)toeachcircleoftheVennDiagram.

8. Next,asaclass,studentssharetheirresearchandcompletethefinalsectionoftheVennDiagram,whichisthesectionthathighlightssharedcharacteristicsfoundinbothcowboyandgauchoculture.

9. Discussion:Whatsurprisingfactsdidstudentslearnduringtheirresearch?Overall,docowboysandgauchoshavemoreculturalsimilaritiesordifferences?

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StudentWorksheet:TheAmericanCowboy

1.Describethelinguistichistoryoftheword“cowboy.”

2.Whatarefivecommoncharacteristicsofcowboysinthe1800sandearly900s?1

3.Whatclothingandtoolsaretypicalofacowboy?Whatisthepurposeofachoftheseelements?e

4.Describeatleastonewaythatcowboysoftodayaresimilartoandfferentfromtheirpredecessorsinearliertimes.di

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Stu GauchodentWorksheet:TheArgentine

1. Describethelinguistichistoryofthewordgaucho.

2. Whatarefivecommoncharacteristicsofgauchosinthe1800sandearly1900s?

3. Whatclothingandtoolsaretypicalofagaucho?Whatisthepurposeofeachoftheseelements?

4. Describeatleastonewaythatgauchosoftodayaresimilartoanddifferentfromtheirpredecessorsinearliertimes.

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TeacherNotes:TheAmericanCowboy

1.Describethelinguistichistoryoftheword“cowboy.”"Cowboy"isanEnglishtranslationoftheSpanishwordvaquero,whichisamanwhoworkswithcows(vaca=cow).ThetermfirstappearedinEnglishinthe1700s,althoughtheconceptofaherder(cowherdorshepherd)hadbeeninuseforcenturies.Thetermmayoriginallyhavereferredtoonlyaboy,andthenexpandedtoincludethemoderncowboy,whichbecamemoreprevalentinthe1800s.Earlyon,itwasattimesconsideredaninsulttobecalledacowboy.However,todaythewordcowboyhasapositiveconnotationthatincludesbothhorseshowmanshipandvariousranchrelatedwork.ThecowboyisalsoaniconoftheAmericanwest,andisasymbolofManifestDestiny.

2.Whatarefivecommoncharacteristicsofcowboys 800sandearly1900s?TheAmericancowboybeganasaderivativeoftheSpanishvaquerotradition,asSpanishsettlersmovedintothenorth.Asmorecattlewereraised,thelandneededforgrazingincreased.Cowboysoftenlivedwiththeirherds,roamingtheAmericanwest.Theyoftencarriedtheirsupplieswiththem,andmanydidnothavefamilies,orliveinpermanentcommunities.Cowboysneededtobewellversedinhorsebackriding,sincethehorsewasessentialtotheday‐to‐dayexistenceofthecowboy.Cowboysbrandedtheirherdsin"roundups,"whichweretheoriginsofthe"rodeos"ofmoderntimes.

inthe1

3.Whatclothingandtoolsaretypicalofacowboy?Whatisthepurposeofeachoftheseelements?Acowboymightwearthefollowing:jeans,bandanna,chaps,cowboyhat,cowboyboots,andgloves.Histoolsmightinclude:agun,aknife,alariat(lasso),spurs,andalltheequipmentforhishorse.

4.Describeatleastonewaythatcowboysoftodayaresimilartoanddifferentfromtheirpredecessorsinearliertimes?Cowboystodaystillworkwithhorses,cattle,andanimals.Theylearnmanyofthesameskillsthatearliercowboysused.Today'scowboysarelessnomadic,livingsettledliveswithfamiliesandinpermanentcommunities.Todaythere

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arebothworkingcowboys,andotherswhomayadopttheimage.Todaytherearealsorodeoperformances,wherecowboysshowtheirskillstoanaudience,tensolelyforentertainmentpurposes.of

TeacherNotes:TheArgentineGaucho

1.Describethelinguistichistoryofthewordgaucho.Thewordgauchohasseveralpossibleorigins.ItmaybederivedfromQuechuaword"huachu"(orphan)ortheindigenousMapucheword"cauchu"(vagabond).ThewordappearedinSpanishataroundthesametimeasArgentina'sindependencein1816.

2.Wh commoatarefive ncharacteristicsofgauchosinthe1800sandearly1900s?Gauchoswereoftenmestizo(mixedrace).Theytypicallyworkedontheirownorinsmallgroups,livingforlongperiodsoftimeontheopenland(pampas).Gauchosweregreathorsemenandoutdoorsmen.Theirprimaryjobwastoherdcattleandbringtheherdstomarket.

3. tclothingandtoolsaretypicalofagaucho?Whatisthepurposeofeachoftheseelements?Agauchotypicallyworebaggytrousers,highboots,awidebrimmedhat,andaponcho(whichcouldbeusedasasaddle).Heprizedhis

Wha

facón,orknife,aswellashisboledora(orbola).Thebolaconsistedofthreemetalballswrappedinleatherthatwereconnectedwithleatherstraps.Thegauchowouldthrowthebolaaroundthelegsofananimalinordertocatchit.Thetypicalgauchooutfitwouldalsoincludearebenque(leatherwhip),abeltcalledatirador,andachiripá,oraclothwrap.Inthewintertime,gauchosworeheavywoolponchostoprotectagainstcold.Nowadays,workinggauchosareaslikelytobefoundinoverallsandwellingtonbootsasintheirtraditionaldress.

4.Descri astonewaythatgauchosoftodayaresimilartoanddifferentfromtheirpredecessorsinearliertimes.Inthepast,gauchoswereanimportantpartoftheagriculturaleconomyandoftenhadanegativereputationforbeinguncivilized.Todaygauchos

beatle

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representaromanticimageofArgentina'spast,buttheydonothaveamajorpresenceinmoderndailylife.

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Lesson4:YerbaMate

LessonObjective:StudentswilllearnaboutyerbamateanditsimportanceinArgentina.Studentswillreadafolktaleabouttheoriginofmate,andthenlearnaboutitshistory.Studentswilltrymate,ifavailable,aspartofthislesson.

Procedure:

1.Theteacherwillbeginwithaclassdiscussionquestion:Afterwater,whatdoyouthinkarethemostwidelyconsumeddrinksintheworldtoday?Brainstormwithstudentswhattheythinkarethemostwidelyconsumedbeveragesandwhy.Afterstudentshaveachancetodiscusstheidea,informstudentsthatteaisgenerallyconsideredtheworld'ssecondmostpopulardrink.

2.IntroducestudentstoyerbamatebyfirstexplainingthatthisteaisconsideredArgentina'smostpopulardrink,anditisfoundalloverthecountry.

3.StudentswillreadtheGuaranimythabouttheoriginofmate,whichillustratestheculturalandhistoricimportanceofmateinArgentina'shistory.VariousversionsofthismythareeasilyfoundontheInternet,orinchildren'sbooksonArgentina(seeresourcelist).

4.Forhomeworkorasaclassactivity,studentswillresearchbrieflyaboutthehistoryofyerbamateandrecordtheirresearchontheworksheetincludedinthislesson.

5.Asaculminationforthislesson,teacherwillprovideasamplingofyerbamate,ifpossible,andbringinand/orshowpicturesofamatedrinkinggourdandbombilla(metalstraw).Studentswilldiscusstheirresearchfactswhilesamplingmate.

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Stu rbaMatdentWorksheet:FindingOutAboutYe e

1. Whatistheetymologicalhistoryandtranslationofyerbamate?

2. HowdidyerbamatebecomesuchanimportantpartofArgentineculture?

3. Whatarethehealthbenefitsofmate?

4. Howismateconsumed?Arethereanyritualsassociatedwithdrinkingthisbeverage?

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TeacherNotes:FindingOutAboutYerbaMate

1.W icalhistoryandtranslationofyerbamate?hatistheetymologYerba=Spanishfor"herb"

chuafor"cMate=Que up"or"gourd"

Therefore,yerbamatemeans,"herbcup,"whichishowmateistraditionallyprepared.

2.Howd eidyerbamatebecomesuchanimportantpartofArgentinculture?YerbamatewaswidelyusedbytheindigenouspeopleofArgentina.ItisnaturallyfoundintheMisionesregion,andcomesfromtheyoungleavesoftheBrazilianhollyplant.ItwasadoptedbySpanishsettlers,sincetheteawaslocallyproducedandmorewidelyavailablethanimportedcoffeeortea.TodayitisestimatedthatArgentinesdrinkover200,000tonsofyerbamateayear,andArgentinaisoneoftheworld'slargestconsumersofthistea.

3.Whatarethehealthbenefitsofmate?Yerbamatecontainssomenaturalcaffeine,andisfullofanti‐oxidants.Manyclaimthatmateincreasesmentalawareness,improvescirculation,providesenergy,andimprovesoverallhealth.

4.H lsasowismateconsumed?Arethereanyritua sociatedwithdrinkingthisbeverage?Mate(thetea)istraditionallypreparedinagourd(mate)andthendrunkthroughastrawcalleda"bombilla."Thestrawhasafiltertokeeptheteafreefromleaves.Theyerbamatebowlorgourdcanbeornatelydecorated,andArgentinestakegreatprideinthistradition.Typicallyyerbamateisasharedctivity,andthemateispassedfrompersontoperson.a

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Lesson5:Americanvs.ArgentineDiets

LessonObjective:StudentswillanalyzeatypicalArgentinedietaswellastheirowndiets,inordertomakenutritionalandculturalcomparisons.

Procedure:

1.BeginthelessonbyshowingstudentsamenufromanArgentinerestaurant.Ifpossible,obtainprintedmenusfromalocalArgentinerestaurant;ifnoneareavailable,samplemenusareeasilyavailableonlinefrommanyrestaurantsand/orcookbooks.Aprintablemenu(PDF)isavailablefromBuenosAiresCafe(Austin,TX)atwww.buenosairescafe.com.

2.Directstudentstolistanyunfamiliarwordsordishesthattheyfindonthemenu.UseSpanishdictionariesand/orArgentineguidebooks,ifnecessary,tolookupanyunusualterms.Asstudentsanalyzethemenu,theyshouldlistthefivemostcommonfoodgroupsthattheyfind.

3.Nextpassoutablanksheetof81/2”x14”pieceofpapertostudents.Thiswillbetheir“placemat”fortheirimaginarymeal.

4.IntroducestudentstotheUSDAdietaryguidelinesbyvisitingwww.choosemyplate.gov.ThiswebsitehelpsdefinetherecommendeddietforAmericansandservesasabasicmodelforstudentstodesigntheirown“plate.”

5.OncestudentshaveanopportunitytoreviewanddiscusstheUSDAguidelines,studentswillillustrateadinner“plate”thatrepresentsoneoftheirtypicalmeals.

6.Afterstudentsillustrateandlabeltheir“plate,”theycanusetheUSDAwebsitetolookupthenutritionalandcaloricresultsoftheirchoices.

7.Forcomparison,studentswilldrawasecondplate(eitheronthebackortheirpaper,oronaseparatesheet),whichwillcontaina“typical”Argentinemeal.InordertocompletetheArgentineplate,studentscanusetheinformationgatheredfrommenusorArgentinecookbooksandshould

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besuretoincludesomeculturalfoods.Theteachermayhavestudentsconductadditionalresearcheitheronlineorwithprintedresources.OnefactstudentsshouldconsiderastheyaredesigningtheirArgentineplateisthatanaverageArgentineconsumesabout190pounds(86kg)ofbeefperyear!

8.StudentscanusetheUSDAwebsitetocalculatethenutritionalandcaloricdifferencesbetweentheirpersonaldietandthatofatypicalArgentine.

9.Afterallstudentsaredoneillustratingtheirtwoplates,theteachercanposttheillustrationssothatstudentscanseethevarietyofmealseateninboththeUSAandArgentina.Theteachermayalsowishtohaveindividualstudentspresenttheirtwoplates.Oncetheclasshashadanopportunitytoviewthevarietyofplates,theteacherwillhelpstudentsreflectontheirobservations.

Questionstoconsiderduringthereflectionactivity:

SAandDoyounoticeanytrendsorpatternsintheplatesfromtheUfromArgentina?

Doyounoticeanyoveralldifferencesinthedietsofthetwocountries?

Whatareseveralpositivedietarychoicesyoucanlearnfromthisactivity?

FoodExtensionActivity:

StudentscanprepareArgentinefoodseitherathomeoratschoolwiththeteacher,inordertosampleArgentinecuisine.

SomepopularArgentinedishesthatstudentsmaywishtoprepareare:

Chimichurri Empandas Dulce (cookies)deleche/alfajor

es Medialuna(croissants)Asado(grilledmeat)

Pasta(sorrentinos,ravioles,etc.)

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Resources

Children’sReferenceBooks

Arg ,entina:APortraitoftheCountyThroughitsFestivalsandTraditions GrolierPublishing,DanburyCT,2004.ISBN0‐7172‐5789‐4.Thisbookfocusesonfestivals,butalsohasaversionofthelegendofyerbamate).

Blashfield,JeanF.,Argentina,Children’sPress(Scholastic),NewYork,2007.ISBN‐13:978‐0‐516‐24872‐1

CaroGofen,Ethel&Jermyn,Leslie,Argentina:CulturesoftheWorld,MarshallCavendishCorporation,Tarrytown,NY,2002.ISBN0‐7614‐1358‐8

V

“Gauchos”(2minutevideo),NationalGeographicSociety,

ideos

http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/player/places/regions‐places/south‐america/argentina_gauchos.html

“ElGauchoGoofy”(7minutevideo),WaltDisneyProductions(YouTubevideoclip),originalpublicationin1943.

Websites

USDA(UnitedStatesDepartmentofAgriculture),www.choosemyplate.com

w.atozkidsstuff.com/argentina.html“AtoZKidsStuff:Argentina,”http://ww

“NationalGeographicKids:Argentina,”/argentina/http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/kids/places/find

“Travelsur,”http://www. rtravelsu .net/gauchos.htmFormoreinformationongauchos.

Sproull–FoodTraditionp.25

.zonalatina.com/Zldata109.htm“ZoneLatina,”http://www Formoreinformationonmate.

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.com/mate/ 894/Legends‐of‐“GuayakiYerbaMateCompany,”http://guayaki 1Yerba‐Mate‐Origins.htmlThissitehasagoodversionofthelegendoftheyerbamate.

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