Document Type

Graduate Project

Date of Degree Completion

Spring 1997

Degree Name

Master of Education (MEd)

Department

Education

Committee Chair

Minerva L. Caples

Second Committee Member

Andrea Bowman

Third Committee Member

Natalie J. Lefkowitz

Abstract

An informal study was conducted to develop a guide for grades 4-6 educators to use in teaching Central American folklore in the context of an interdisciplinary curriculum. Four story books were selected which reflect the cultures of Costa Rica, Honduras, Guatemala and Panama and serve to illustrate the oral tradition of peoples from these countries. The instructional method used was the Cognitive Academic Language Learning Approach (CALLA) by Chamot and O'Malley. Based on the language acquisition and bilingualism research and theoretical work of Jim Cummins, CALLA follows a comprehensive lesson plan model that integrates language development, academic content mastery, and learning strategies. The guide presented in this project employs the CALLA instructional framework, and integrates social studies content and language arts skills. The guide contains student lessons and teaching strategies appropriate for the study of the culture and folk literature of the countries already identified here.

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