Puerto Rico is a beautiful island in the Caribbean Sea, only 100 miles long and about 40 miles wide. It was one of many islands formed about 185 million years ago when a great land shift sank some parts of the earth and pushed others upward. Puerto Rico is actually the top of a range of mountains which has been pushed up from the floor of the Atlantic. The island lies on the rim of the Caribbean Sea, 300 miles south of the Tropic of Cancer and about 1000 miles southeast of Miami. It is the eastern most island of the four great Antilles, the other three being Cuba, Jamaica and Hispaniola. The mountain slopes are green and fertile, good for growing coffee, citrus fruits and tobacco. Along the coast are plains. Because of the rich soil washed down from the hills and plenty of rainfall, it is an ideal place for growing sugar cane and pineapples.
Most of the time the climate is sunny and warm. On most of the island the northeast winds keep the weather from getting uncomfortably hot. Rains are sudden and short. The surest sign of winter is the arrival of thousands of tourists who flock the island.
Puerto Rico is a peaceful island. At night one hears the pleasant peeping of the tree frog called “
Coqui
”. Most of the violence has been caused by nature. The earliest settlers heard the Indians speak of the great wind they called
hurracan
. The natives said that such storms were caused by the evil God
Juracan.
These storms were what we call hurricanes. In Puerto Rico, hurricanes are not given women’s names, but are named for the saint’s days on which they fall.
The first inhabitants of Puerto Rico were the
Taino
Indians, one of the Arawak peoples who may have come by raft from the South American mainland to the greater Antilles. They were peaceful and not very energetic. It was these people who gave Puerto Rico the first name we know of. They called the island
Boriquen
which means “Land of the Noble Lord”.
Activities
1.
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Introduce new vocabulary.
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1.
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Puerto Rico
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2.
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island
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3.
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hurracan
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4.
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Juracan
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5.
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hurricanes
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6.
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natives
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7.
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coqui
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8.
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Tainos
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9.
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inhabitants
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10.
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Boriquen
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2.
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Locate Puerto Rico on a map. Identify principal cities and boundaries. Have children make a map of Puerto Rico.
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3.
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Discuss the geological formation of the island of Puerto Rico. Write an essay describing the geological evolution of the island of Puerto Rico.
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4.
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Discuss and locate the four mainland regions.
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1.
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The Coastal Lowlands
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2.
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The Coastal Valleys
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3.
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The Foothills
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4.
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The Central Mountains
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5.
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Introduce the National Anthem of Puerto Rico “
La Borinquen
”, music by Felix Astol y Artes. Children will learn lyrics in Spanish and English.
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6.
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Discuss and display the flag of Puerto Rico. Have students make flags.
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Research and Study
(The following sources may be obtained from the Bilingual Office, New Haven Public Schools. These materials include additional information about Puerto Rico and pictures to color. These materials may be reproduced for students.)
1.
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The Indians of Puerto Rico
— Connecticut State Department of Education
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2.
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The Music of Puerto Rico
— Connecticut State Department of Education
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3.
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Puerto Rico
— by Thomas J. Foran
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4.
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Dedicatioria
— by Martin J. Stuart, Editor
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5.
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Puerto Rico En Mi Corazon
— by Federico Ribes Tovar
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6.
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Puerto Rico
— by Miriam L. Transue
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Use of Computer
Have students use Jostens Learning Corporation—
Compton’s Multimedia Encyclopedia
. This system will be used as a reference source for further information.