CLAS Teacher Workshops

Spring and Summer 2013

La Camioneta: The Journey of One American School Bus

Thursday, January 31st; 9am-3pm; Vanderbilt Campus
Cost $15; Includes parking and lunch

Every day dozens of decommissioned school buses leave the United States on a southward migration that carries them to Guatemala, where they are repaired, repainted, and resurrected as the brightly-colored camionetas that bring the vast majority of Guatemalans to work each day. Educators at this workshop will have the opportunity to engage with the producer of La Camioneta: The Journey of One American School Bus and CLAS alum Mark Kendall, who will speak on the process of making this film and his time in Guatemala.  CLAS faculty will speak on Guatemala in the larger context of Latin America and the world.  Curriculum materials will be provided. SIGN UP FOR THE WORKSHOP HERE.

La Maestra: The Cuban Literacy Campaign through the Eyes of a Teacher

International Lens Film Screening: Tuesday, February 19; 7:30pm; Sarratt Cinema
Teacher Workshop: Thursday, February 21; 9am-3pm; Vanderbilt campus
Cost: $15; Includes parking and lunch

In February 2013, in honor of Black History Month, CLAS will offer a screening and teacher workshop on the documentary MAESTRA. The film tells the story of the Cuban Literacy Campaign of 1961, when 250,000 volunteers taught 700,000 people to read and write in one year.  The campaign was one of the most successful to date and a pinnacle moment in the history of the Americas. Teachers will place the literacy movement in the larger context of Cuba and Latin American history, and presenters Catherine Murphy and Norma Guillard will examine the participation of youth and women in the movement as well as the transformative power of education.  Curriculum materials will be provided. SIGN UPFOR THE WORKSHOP HERE.

Read more about Maestra  here.

Exploring Art of the Ancient Americas: The John Bourne Collection

Thursday, April 11 OR Saturday, April 13
9am–3pm; Frist Center Studios

Presented in collaboration with the Center for Latin American Studies (CLAS) at Vanderbilt, this workshop will focus on Mesoamerican artworks from Mexico to Peru drawn from the John Bourne Collection. Organized thematically by culture, the artworks present more than 2,500 years of creativity in Mexico, Central America, and Andean South America from 1200 B.C. to A.D. 1520.  The program will introduce the major themes of the exhibition, present specific images and activities, and provide interdisciplinary links to the visual arts, language arts, and social studies. Curriculum materials will be provided.

NOTE: Sign up for this workshop is through the Frist Center for the Visual Arts here: http://fristcenter.org/learn/schools-educators/educator-workshops

A Musical Journey Through Indigenous Cultures of Mexico: Carlos Chavez’s Sinfonia India

Thursday, April 18
9am-2pm; Schermerhorn Symphony Center

Presented in collaboration with the Nashville Symphony, this workshop will focus on Mexican composer Carlos Chavez’s Sinfonía india.  Written in 1934-35, the piece is a musical travelogue through the incredible diversity of sounds of Mexico’s indigenous cultures.  The program will include attending a dress rehearsal of Sinfonia india, performed by the Nashville Symphony.  The training will explore musical themes, examine specific indigenous instruments, and provide activities that combine music, language arts, and social studies. Curriculum materials and lunch will be provided.

To sign up, contact Blair Bodine at bbodine@nashvillesymphony.org

Exploring Brazil: A Window into the Language and Culture of a Country on the Rise

Summer K-12 Teacher Institute
June 9 – 13, 2013 at The University of Georgia- Athens

The University of Georgia, Tulane University, and Vanderbilt University will offer a Summer Institute on Brazilian Culture and Portuguese Language. K-12 educators of any discipline and grade-level are welcome to apply to attend. The goal is to encourage and promote the teaching of Portuguese and the culture of Brazil through film, literature, service learning, and technology in any K-12 classroom. Focus will be on the language, history, and geography of Brazil. Sessions will include Portuguese language instruction and participants will explore the culture, history, and geography of Brazil. Film screenings and other presentations will be incorporated into the institute to highlight contemporary and engaging cultural content for the K-12 classroom. During the week, educators will work in teams to develop interdisciplinary units that address applicable state learning standards.

Educators who attend will have priority through Tulane and Vanderbilt to apply for funding to go to Brazil in Summer 2014 through Fulbright or NEH.

Sign up for the institute  here. For more information, contact claire.p.gonzalez@vanderbilt.edu.

Latin American Book Clubs at Your School

Teachers will choose a book on Latin America- with support from CLAS .    One teacher from the school should apply as the lead teacher, although CLAS staff and graduate students can help facilitate the groups.   CLAS Book Clubs will take place for a period of one academic year.

Here is how you can start your own teacher book club at your school:

1. Choose a book related to Latin America or the Caribbean. CLAS can help with ideas for book choices.

2. Contact CLAS Outreach  Coordinator Claire González at claire.p.gonzalez@vanderbilt.edu

3. Submit a 1-page description of what you want to do in your book club to Claire González at the email listed above.

4. CLAS may be able to provide supplemental materials and a graduate student or faculty member to facilitate the book club.