Title: Changes in Communities (Lesson will be spread over the course of several days.)

Materials: data-retrieval charts, materials to make thank-you notes for guest speakers, survey chart on the board

Objectives:

• In groups, students will compare the Caribbean islands of the past with how they are in the present, based on how the past and present are represented in the story Isla.
• Each student will have a member of the community complete a survey on how their community has changed over time.
• Students will list on specific thing they learned from the speaker on community change in a thank-you note.

Procedures:

Data Retrieval:

• Ask the students to think about how the Caribbean island discussed in the story had changed since when the grandmother had lived there to when the girl and grandmother "visit" the island.
• Group students in fours.
• Hand out the data retrieval chart shell. (see Appendix)
• Instruct students to fill in the information to compare the past and the present of the Caribbean islands in terms of 1) types of jobs, 2) cities, 3) the selling of food, and 4) the types of people on the island.
• Ask students to choose a spokesperson for their group.
• Have the group representatives come to the front of the class and report their group's ideas.
• Point out the similarities and differences between the groups' answers.

Survey:

• Brainstorm with the class specific questions the class could ask about changes in their own community. List ideas on the board.
• Encourage questions dealing with 1) specific events of the past 2) contributions of various cultures to the community 3) factors that have influenced change in the community 4) what skills have been developed to increase in production within the community and 5) how supply and demand has changed the effect on jobs within the community.
• Type up the questions and run off copies for each of the students.
• Give each student a copy of the survey.
• Send a letter home with the students explaining their assignment to have someone in their community fill out their survey.
• Give the students a period of about a week to have their surveys completed.
• On the day that the assignment is due, have a chart drawn on the board with the specific questions running across the top.
• Go over each question, and have students contribute answers people gave them on their surveys. Call on students randomly.
• Write answers in the appropriate column on the chart.
• Discuss findings pointing out the dominant factors in community change.

Guest Speakers:

• Invite an older community member to speak to the class on how the community has changed over time.
• As a class, brainstorm questions that students can ask when the speakers come.
• Enjoy the presentation!
• Prepare thank you notes for the speakers. Instruct students to include at least on thing they learned from the presentation.

Evaluation: Check off each groups' data-retrieval charts and each student's completed survey. Collect students thank you notes and check for inclusion of at least one thing each student learned.