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Bolivian Alphabet, Language and Gestures

Quechua http://www.native-languages.org/quechua.htm
Quechua is famous for being the language of the Inca Empire of Peru. Compares the dozens of dialects of Quechua. You can hear the numbers, 1-10, spoken in all of them and find where they are spoken on your own map. Suggestions from Sally: See how the sounds change from area to area. See if students can theorize why and how the sounds change from area to area. What effects do distance, altitude and culture play in these changes. What do you think happens to languages now that we have TV and radio? Propose a theory as to how TV, radio and technology will affect the continued development of languages? Have these kinds of changes ever occurred in English?
See Our Online Quechua Materials for links for Quechua Words: Our list of vocabulary words in three Quechua languages (Cuzco, Huenca, and Ecuadorian Quichua.)
Quechua Animal Words: Illustrated glossary of animal words in the Quechua language.
Quechua Colors: Worksheet showing color words in the Quechua language.
Quechua Numbers: Worksheet showing how to count in the Quechua language.

Aymara Indian Language http://www.native-languages.org/aymara.htm
Aymara is one of the major languages of South America, spoken by more than two million people in the Andean region of Bolivia, Peru, Chile and Argentina. See Our Aymara Language Materials for
Aymara Words: Our list of vocabulary words in Aymara.
Aymara Pronunciation Guide: How to pronounce Aymara words.
Aymara Picture Dictionary: Illustrated glossary of animal words in the Aymara language.
Aymara Colors: Worksheet showing color words in the Aymara language.
Aymara Body Parts: Online and printable worksheets showing parts of the body in Aymara.
Aymara Numbers: Learn how to count in the Aymara language.

Geography, General Information & Statistics

****Bolivia for Kids http://www.boliviabella.com/project.html
This BOLIVIA FOR KIDS section will help you find all the pages on the site that might be useful for your school reports. You'll find information on Bolivia's people and culture, government, history, national emblems, photo galleries with photos of tons of places in Bolivia, recipes, flags, maps, books, gifts, ecards and other stuff about Bolivia and what it's like to live here.

****Bolivia National Emblems & Symbols http://www.boliviabella.com/national-emblems.html

****Bolivia Activities at EdHelper.com http://www.edhelper.com/geography/Bolivia.htm
You need to be a member and have a password to get in to many of the activities, but Sally has one. Great worksheets, word searches and geographical and cultural information as well as maps, etc. Sally has made a master copy of most of the materials which are in a binder in the library if you can’t get on.

****Bolivia Entries from FactMonster

****Cool Planet- Bolivia http://www.oxfam.org.uk/coolplanet/kidsweb/world/bolivia/
History – a brief summary of major events in the country's past; Geography & Environment – a look at Bolivia's geographic location and important physical features; People & Society – examples of popular Bolivian music, arts and crafts; Factfile – a collection of interesting facts and figures; Oxfam in Bolivia – a summary of Oxfam's work and history in Bolivia including: supporting poor people in the shanty town of El Alto, and working with people living on the Altiplano to store water for times of drought . (Oxfam is a humanitarian organization whose aim is to get rid of poverty - everywhere.)

General information & statistics from NationMaster.com http://www.nationmaster.com/country/bl-bolivia
Great place to get compare/contrast statistics from other neighboring countries.

Bolivia http://www.questconnect.org/andes_bolivia.htm
Lots of good general info about Bolivia plus photos and a blog from a couple who are traveling through Bolivia. Includes maps.

Bolivia Vacation http://www.enjoybolivia.com/english/guiadestinos/GUIADESTINOS_IN.shtml
Bolivia vacation guide. Good for making travel brochures. All the info they need is here, including wonderful photographs and destination sites. They could find the destinations here and then find follow-up info at other sites.

Bolivia: History, Geography, Government and Culture http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0107345.html
From infoplease.com, a free online references: encyclopedia, almanac, dictionary, thesaurus, biographies

A Country Study: Bolivia http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/botoc.html
The Library of Congress-Especially for Researchers

CIA's World Factbook: Bolivia https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/bl.html

Bolivia Facts http://video.nationalgeographic.com/places/countries/country_bolivia.html
National Geographic basic geographical information about Bolivia. A one-pager.

CARE- Virtual Field Trip- Bolivia http://www.care.org/vft/bolivia/index.asp?s_src=170960110000&s_subsrc=
An interactive journey through Bolivia with CARE workers. (CARE is a leading humanitarian organization fighting global poverty that places special focus on working alongside poor women.)

UCLA Geology Field Trip to Bolivia, September 2003 http://www2.ess.ucla.edu/~bolivia/
Thirteen undergraduate and graduate students from the UCLA Department of Earth and Space Sciences were led by Dr. Brian Horton on a three-week exploration of the geology of the central Andes, South America. This website contains photos and text from our expedition to Bolivia.

Photo Gallery / Bolivia Web's Snapshots http://www.boliviaweb.com/photogallery/
Photos by regions of Bolivia. The ones Sally looked at are quite nice. Do go through them first before sharing with students. The ones Sally viewed looked good, but…you never know. Included are Lake Titicaca and Tiwanaku, the ancient city.

Bolivia Photographs http://www.raingod.com/angus/Gallery/Photos/SouthAmerica/Bolivia/index.html
The Altiplano, Lake Titicaca

Tropical Rainforests http://rainforests.mongabay.com/20bolivia.htm
This website is all about rainforests. It has a section on Bolivia with statistics and different topics. There is a teacher section with lesson plans and many other links.

Reed Boats and Exploration: Kota Mama http://www.kotamama.com/reed.htm
The Scientific Exploration Society has been exploring the waters of Bolivia ( Lake Titicaca and thousands of miles of rivers) using traditional reed boats and rubber power rafts. The Kota Mama expedition is what it is called and is based in London. This is their Web site full of information about their archaeological expeditions and discoveries. Fascinating! Great pictures as well. Sally has a copy of the book about the expedition which would be a great read for a middle school boy. Best if someone could read it and then do a presentation for other classes about it.

Reed Boat Baskets http://www.oneworldprojects.com/products/reed-boats.shtml
This is a One World Projects store site. But it includes information about a family who make reed boats as well as a picture of one being made. You can buy a small basket model of a boat here.

Tough Life of Titicaca Islanders http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/4123926.stm
Lake Titicaca has a lot to recommend it, but among its most remarkable features are the floating Uros islands.

Salar de Uyuni (or Salar de Tunupa), The World’s Largest Salt Flat http://www.nationmaster.com/encyclopedia/Salar-De-Uyuni
Short Encyclopedic entry with links to more information about these amazing salt flats. Links to photographs, the 3 species of endangered flamingos that breed here and mining. Why is salt so important? How did the salt get here? Great places for asking big questions.

The Devil’s Miner: Silver Mining http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/devilsminer/
The Devil’s Miner, an independent film from the PBS site. We will show this film in January after school for anyone who wants to come and get comfortable and see an amazing movie about a 12 yr. old boy working in the played out Silver Mines of Potosí in Bolivia. He overcomes amazing obstacles to get an education. We also get to watch him watch the movie they made about his life. Every middle school student and all teachers should see this movie. There are also on-line pdf files of lessons to go with the movie. A must! We may be ordering the film for school.
http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/devilsminer/more.html
Links to more information about child labor in Bolivia and the silver mines. How long ago would our students have been working in the mills at their ages? Have students compare their lives and how they get an education to the life of a child miner in Bolivia. When in US History was child labor at the forefront of our political world? Why do children no longer work before they are 16?

Potosi’s Silver Tears http://www.unesco.org/courier/2000_03/uk/dici/txt1.htm
UNESCO article about the played-out silver mines of Potosí. Great photographs, geographical information and a map. Would go along with Devil’s Miner well.

Potosi Journal http://www.culturesontheedge.com/gallery/archives/potosi/journal/index.html
Discover Stephen Ferry's photojournal of the forgotten mining town of Potosi in the Bolivian highlands.

Photos of Tiwanaku ruins http://www.boliviaweb.com/photogallery/tiwanaku.htm

Tiwanaku http://www.mnsu.edu/emuseum/prehistory/latinamerica/south/cultures/tiwanaku.html
Minnesota State University Museum Web site about the Bolivian ruins of Tiwanaku.

Tiwanaku: History & Context http://www.archaeology.org/interactive/tiwanaku/history.html
Interactive dig sponsored by Archaeology Magazine. Good photos, questions and answers and more.

****Save the Rainforest in Bolivia and Other South American Countries http://www.boliviabella.com/rainforest.html
Rainforest information includes vocabulary words and videos on plants, animals and people who live in the rainforest.

Maps & Flags

Detailed Printable Map of Bolivia (National Geographic Xpeditions) http://www.nationalgeographic.com/xpeditions/atlas/index.html?Parent=sameri&Rootmap=bolivi&Mode=d

Physical Map http://www.atlapedia.com/online/maps/physical/Brazil_etc.htm

Political Map http://www.atlapedia.com/online/maps/political/Brazil_etc.htm

Bolivia Maps from the Perry-Castaneda Library Map Collection http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/bolivia.html
Collection includes political, shaded relief, economic, population, vegetation, La Paz.

Colorful Map http://media.maps.com/magellan/Images/BOLIVI-W1.gif
Includes major cities and rivers from Magellan Maps.

Bolivia & South America Outline Maps

Interactive Maps

****South America http://www.yourchildlearns.com/south_america_map.htm
Interactive map of South America. Drag the cursor over the countries and the names of the countries and their capitals appear.

****South America and Central America Map Quiz http://www.ilike2learn.com/ilike2learn/Samerica.html
Interactive map of Central and South America. A country name appears and the student chooses the correct country. You can try as many times as it takes to get it right, then play allover again.

****South America Geography Quiz: 13 questions http://www.lizardpoint.com/fun/geoquiz/samericaquiz.html
****South America Capitals Quiz http://www.lizardpoint.com/fun/geoquiz/samericacapquiz.html
Interactive South America maps. A question is asked and the student chooses the correct country on the map.

****South and Central American Geography Map Activities

Historical Maps

1833 Map of Peru and Bolivia http://www.boliviaweb.com/mar/sea/map1.htm
1833 Map of Peru and Bolivia when Bolivia still had a seacoast- before the War of the Pacific (1879-1884)

1856 Map of Peru and Bolivia http://www.boliviaweb.com/mar/sea/map2.htm
1856 Map of Peru and Bolivia. Questions to pose: What role did the U.S have in Bolivia’s loss of its seacoast? What role did Simon de Bolivar and José Antonio de Sucre play in originally gaining access to the Pacific for Bolivia, through Chile?

Flags

Bolivian Flag and Coat of Arms http://flagspot.net/flags/bo.html
Graphic and information.

****Bolivian Flags and Coat of Arms http://www.boliviabella.com/flags.html
Information and graphics of flags past and present.

****Colored Flag (no coat of arms) and basic information for Enchanted Learning members http://members.enchantedlearning.com/southamerica/bolivia/flag/index.shtml

Colorable Bolivian Flags (without arms)
Small (about 1/8 page) http://flagspot.net/misc/bo-s.gif
Medium (about 1/2 page) http://flagspot.net/misc/bo-m.gif
Large (about 3/4 page) http://flagspot.net/misc/bo-l.gif
****Flag/Quiz printout for Enchanted Learning members http://members.enchantedlearning.com/southamerica/bolivia/flag/flagquizbw.shtml

Culture and History

****Bolivian Population http://www.boliviabella.com/population.html

****Schools and Education http://www.boliviabella.com/education.html

Tanzgruppe BOLIVIA- Folk dances from Bolivia http://www.unet.univie.ac.at/~a9750175/englisch/ebolivia.htm
This is a great cultural link to costumes of the many indigenous regions of Bolivia . You can see examples of weaving, masks and feather art in addition to wonderful photographs of landscapes and daily life. There are also a couple of nice but grainy videos of traditional dances. Some of the pages are in German or Spanish, but it is mostly wonderful photos.

Events, Festivals and Holidays in Bolivia http://gosouthamerica.about.com/od/holidaysinbolivia/Events_Festivals_and_Holidays_in_Bolivia.htm
List of festivals in brief.

****Festivals in Bolivia http://www.boliviabella.com/festivals.html
Information on festivals with fabulous kid-friendly links to much more information about Bolivia. This site is mentioned multiple times on this list and the listings have not exhausted the rich information found here.

History of Simon Bolivar http://www.bolivarmo.com/history.htm
Brief history. Simon Bolivar was one of South America 's greatest generals. His victories over the Spaniards won independence for Bolivia , Panama , Colombia , Ecuador , Peru , and Venezuela . He is called El Liberator (The Liberator) and the "George Washington of South America ."

The United States and the Bolivian Seacoast http://www.boliviaweb.com/mar/sea/index.htm
Internet book in English translation: The United States and the Bolivian Seacoast by Jorge Gumucio Granier Ph.D. A study of the political actions that robbed Bolivia of its seacoast. This site is more for those adults interested in informing themselves on some important Latin American history and U.S. intervention at that early time. This information could be used when studying U.S. history. What was going on at the same given time in Bolivia (founded in 1825).

Ché Guevara in Bolivia: The Ché Guevara Trail http://www.boliviabella.com/ruta-del-che.html
Read a short biography of Che Guevara and watch a short video of sights along the Che Guevara Trail in Bolivia . Ruta del Che means Che Guevara Trail. Follow in the footsteps of Che Guevara (literally). Hike the paths he and his famous band of guerrilla fighters took on their quest to make Bolivia a central hub for social revolution in Latin America.

Tourism and Travel in Santa Cruz http://www.boliviabella.com/tourism.html

Lesson and Unit Plan Ideas

****Baleros in the Classroom http://www.lessonplanspage.com/LASSPEMDBalerosInTheClassroomK12.htm
Primary Subject - Language Arts, Secondary Subjects - Social Studies, Health / Physical Education, Multi-Discipline
Grade Level - K-12
Objective / Lesson Overview / Goals:
Teach balero skills along with course material. Teaching language and culture while having fun. Students learn Spanish while playing with baleros. Achieve better retention of Spanish and better student / teacher relations.
Rational:
Baleros are an excellent interest stimulator for students. The Spanish language becomes a more interesting and acceptable subject for students when practiced with Balero. Numbers, words, phrase and sentence structures all become easier to remember because the Balero is something real, physical and interesting that students can associate with the language.

****Bolivia/Rain Forest http://slim.emporia.edu/kschool/research/evidencebased/pdf/Bolivia%20Rain%20Forest.pdf
Grade 2 Lesson. Bolivia offers a wide range of geographical wonders plus a rich history. The students will study Bolivia and the rain forest where many exotic plants and animals live. They will ask questions and find answers, use library resources and the internet. The students will write poems, a newspaper, and a final report. They will also do a reader’s theater production of The Great Kapok Tree and an oral presentation to parents.

Atlantis - Discovery Education Video Clip and Lesson Plan:
For centuries, archaeologists have searched for the legendary lost city of Atlantis. Is it possible the city really existed, and in South America, no less? Join a Discovery Channel-led expedition to the high plains of Bolivia, where scientists unearth evidence of an ancient culture.

****Plate Tectonics http://www.geosociety.org/educate/LessonPlans/E_tecton.htm
Links to Elementary Geology lessons, including information on the Andes mountains and volcanoes in the Andean chain. Also includes a link to “Towel Geology” where you use folded and twisted towels to demonstrate plate tectonic principals. It is written using the Rockies as an example, but the Andes could be easily substituted using a tiny bit of research and imagination.

Mountain Adventures http://www.kidsgardening.com/TMI/teachers/m1.html
Wonderful series of lesson plans on mountains, mountain building, topography and the Andes in relation to other mountain chains. Information on the “Ice Maiden” who was an Incan girl sacrificed (they think) many years ago and buried in the permafrost. She was actually buried in what is now Peru, but Andean culture transcends current political boundaries. Just be clear which country you are talking about and use your maps!
Especially go the Andes Expedition link: http://www.kidsgardening.com/TMI/module3/m3p1.htm

****Geography of South America http://school.discoveryeducation.com/lessonplans/programs/geo_southamerica/
Discovery Education lesson plans about the Andes Mountains. (Gr. 3-5).
Objectives: Students will:
*Become familiar with physical maps and their functions by reading a physical map of South America and creating a physical map of a portion of the Andes; and
*Learn about the geography, environment, and human cultures of the Andes by researching and presenting oral reports on a specific region of the mountain range.

****Tour of South America http://school.discoveryeducation.com/lessonplans/programs/toursouthamerica/
Discovery Education lesson plans for Gr. 6-8 on Geography of South America. Could substitute Bolivia for South America for the research project.
Objectives: Students will:
* Become familiar with a famous city or landmark, ancient ruin, or natural wonder found in South America
* Create a slideshow with images and facts about the significance of that South American site and present it to the class

****Resources for K-12 Earth Science Educators http://www.geosociety.org/educate/resources.htm
K-12 Earth Science lesson links from the Geological Society of America. Many include information about Bolivia, including water use and degradation. Lessons are divided by level: Elementary, Intermediate and high school.

"Thirst" Lesson Plan http://www.pbs.org/pov/pov2004/thirst/for.html
PBS lesson plan on thirst and water use. Designed for high school but may be modifiable for middle school students.

Language Arts

****Bolivia activities at EdHelper.com http://www.edhelper.com/geography/Bolivia.htm
Sally has a subscription to EdHelper this year. There are wonderful language arts activities here. She has printed some of them out and will make them available in the library. Activities included Reading Comprehension articles with questions about Bolivian history, geography and culture. Word searches and other vocabulary and spelling games as well.

Stories from the Upper Bolivian Rainforest (available in English and Spanish)
Includes glossary of terms and colloquialisms.

Folktales

Fox and Monkey http://www.native-languages.org/aymarastory.htm
Aymará foltale of Fox and Monkey. Very similar to other tales of Fox seeing the moon reflected in a lake and thinking it was cheese. Compare and contrast with a story from another culture (look amongst Native American tales)

Performing Arts

****Children's Songs and Nursery Rhymes http://www.mamalisa.com/?p=466&t=es&c=5
Bolivian children’s song with audio file and written notation. Spanish words with somewhat singable English translation.

Musicia Bolivianisima http://bolivianisima.com/musica_boliviana/musica_bolivianisima_alfabetico.htm
Fabulous virtual jukebox of Bolivian popular music. Great for Bolivian background music. Compare to American popular music. In fact, you could have students pretend to be alien anthropologists who have discovered recordings from two American cultures: United States and Bolivia. You could have them compare the music without judgment as to the quality of the music. But the comparisons should include discussion of rhythms used, the feelings that are evoked, and how the history, culture and geography might have affected how each of them sound.

Mestizo Manta, Music from the Andes http://mestizomanta.tripod.com/
Web site, music and video link to Mestizo Manta who will be performing at PCS on April 9^th. Have your students listen to the music. Video shows them playing their indigenous instruments in several settings. They also discuss the culture and the music.

Introduction to the Panpipe http://www.teachervision.fen.com/musical-instruments/lesson-plan/6742.html
A lesson for middle school on Sikus or panpipes. Includes a printable set of directions for making them out of PVC pipe. I have tested out the instructions and they do work. The pipes are playable, but need to be tuned with plastecine clay, not bubble wrap. It may also be possible to use Fimo or Sculpy to tune them, then bake them in the oven to fix the tuning.

The Quills: the forgotten American folk woodwind http://www.sohl.com/Quills/Quills.htm
Information about the American version of the panpipe, or Quills. Fun information if a student wants to compare traditional Bolivian panpipes and the music they play with those played by descendants of slaves in the U.S.

Voces de los Andes www.vocesdelosandes.com
Indie group - Andean music.

Wildlife and Ecosystems

****Bolivian Wildlife Trivia http://www.boliviabella.com/wildlife-trivia.html
This website has games, lessons, photos, and much more. A great source for information. Wildlife Trivia questions.

Threatened and Endangered Species of Bolivia http://www.animalinfo.org/country/bolivia.htm
Listings of threatened animals in Bolivia.

Exploring Bolivia’s Biodiversity http://www.amnh.org/education/resources/rfl/web/bolivia/bolivia.xml.en.html
Text and photos.

Guinea Pig http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guinea_pig
Wikipedia’s information on the Guinea Pig which was first domesticated in the Andean highlands. Students who have pet guinea pigs might write a story about the history of their pets, tracing their ancestors back to the Andes .

Guinea pig- Cavia porcellus http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Cavia_porcellus.html
More guinea pig statistics from the Univ. of Michigan Museum of Zoology.

Games& Activities

****Bolivia Jigsaw Puzzles http://www.boliviabella.com/puzzles.html
Pictures of wildlife and fabrics.

****Bolivian E-cards http://www.boliviabella.com/bolivia-ecards.html

Current Events

Links for News and Current Events http://www.boliviabella.com/bolivia-news.html

Bolivia and Its New Constitution http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2009/02/bolivia_and_its_new_constituti.html
The story in photographs. (29 photos, The Boston Globe, Feb. 4, 2009)
On January 25th, Bolivia held a referendum to adopt a new national constitution, one that dramatically shifts the country, reversing discriminatory practices and granting many rights and self-determination to the 36 indigenous nations within Bolivia . After a lengthy count, officials announced that the referendum passed with over 60% of the vote. Much political and legal work remains to implement the changes, but soon most of the country's natural resources will be state-owned, land ownership will be capped at 12,000 acres, and Morales will be able to run for a second term. Challenges still lie ahead, as Bolivia remains South America 's poorest country, and - after recently expelling all agents the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency - it has lost preferred trade status with the United States . President Evo Morales welcomed the constitutional win by saying "Here begins the new Bolivia ", claiming the changes would work to "decolonize" Bolivia .

Sell the rain- How the privatization of water caused riots in Cochabamba, Bolivia http://www.cbc.ca/news/features/water/bolivia.html
The issue of water privatization in Bolivia. CBC link with audio files and news reports about the riots in 2003 in Cochabamba (where Cece Csouke was born) caused by privatizing water. Good middle school topic. Compare with US water rights. Who has the right to use it? Do we have to pay for water use?

Sept. 2008 AP article about unrest in Bolivia http://observertoday.com/page/content.detail/id/59475.html?isap=1&nav=5022
Students could follow up on these reports. What are the policies of President Morales that protestors disagree with? Why would they disagree with Morales? Who is Morales? What is his background? Why would U.S. supporters dislike his policies? Who do you think would agree with his policies and why?

Bolivia related news articles in The Guardian http://browse.guardian.co.uk/search?search=Bolivia&sitesearch-radio=guardian&go-guardian=Search
Good place for articles on current events in Bolivia. A British perspective on the news.

Bolivia Times http://www.wn.com/bolivia
In English

Bolivia will most likely be in the news quite a bit this year due to tensions between the indigenous faction led by President Evo Morales and the Latino faction with multi-national interests. Following this ongoing news would be a good year-long project for an interested student. First they should try to find out how the US has been involved in Bolivia over the last nearly 200 years.

http://www.democracyctr.org/blog/
Up to the minute news and commentary by an American Journalist and Activist living and working in Bolivia. The Democracy Center, based in Cochabamba Bolivia and San Francisco California, works globally to advance human rights through a combination of investigation and reporting, training citizens in the art of public advocacy, and organizing international citizen campaigns.

PCS Travels to Bolivia