The following curriculum unit has been designed as a cultural supplement to language learning (grammar, vocabulary, etc . . . ) in high school Spanish III classes. The curriculum is not meant to replace the existing Spanish III curriculum based on the oral proficiency standard, rather it will take a magnified look at a specific time period (1960 - 1990) in one Spanish-speaking country, Chile. During this time of tremendous political activity, Chile became the first country in Latin America to elect a Socialist government in 1970 only to see it fall to a violent golpe de estado (coup d’etat) three years later. The curriculum unit will examine the events leading up to the election of Dr. Salvador Allende, the overthrow of his government with the covert help of the Nixon administration, and the ensuing rule of the military junta led by General Augusto Pinochet. In addition to learning about the politics of this era, students will have the opportunity to listen to music related to the political climate and study poetry by two of Chile’s most influential and Nobel Prize winning poets, Gabriela Mistral and Pablo Neruda.

The current trend in World Language learning emphasizes spoken proficiency. The Pittsburgh Public Schools World Language standard states that "all students converse, at a minimum level of ‘Intermediate Low,’ as defined in the oral proficiency guidelines developed by the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL), in at least one language other than English, including the native language if other than English." Currently there is no graduation requirement in oral proficiency for students in the Pittsburgh Public Schools (although in order to graduate with an academic diploma from a Pittsburgh Public high school, a student must pass two years of a World Language), but all students are tested at the end of level III of the language they are learning. The test consists of 10 situations partially illustrated on transparencies that the students look at while a tape recorder gives instructions in English, followed by a question in the target language. Students have a few minutes to review the picture and collect their thoughts before recording their answers onto a tape. The situations were developed by Pittsburgh Public School World Language teachers and were designed to allow students to answer "open-ended" questions in the target language, using the grammar and vocabulary learned in the classroom. The situations range from students introducing themselves, to making plans with a friend, to describing their neighborhood, to giving directions. Basically, the goal is for our students to be proficient enough in the target language to "survive" in a Spanish-speaking country. The tapes are evaluated by Pittsburgh Public Schools World Language teachers who have been trained to listen for certain types of responses. The teachers rate each student as "novice," "partially proficient," or "proficient" at the Intermediate Low level.

The rationale for the recent emphasis on spoken proficiency is primarily that "foreign" language students (as we were formerly called) could have spent four or five years studying a language without being able to utter a sentence that was not memorized. According to contemporary thought, if students are taught properly and are given sufficient opportunity to practice speaking in class for three years, they should have the skills necessary to communicate with a native speaker either here or in another country.

In the 1970s the four skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing were considered to be equally important, and daily lessons were to incorporate all skills (appropriate to the language level) into a class period. Today, with speaking being the main part of the daily lesson, teaching the other skills has certainly not disappeared, but they are not supposed to be emphasized as much as the speaking component.

In the 1980s, culture was the fifth component to officially become a permanent part of the foreign language classroom, although it did exist before then. Food was (and continues to be) immensely popular. Music, art and sports were among the many cultural topics, in addition to food, that found places in the language classroom. Students enjoyed culture, whether in English or the target language, but how much cultural instruction was authentic and how often was it integrated into the daily lesson?

For example, did students learn that when they made tacos they were eating Mexican food and not food from Spain, that Cinco de mayo is a Mexican holiday not celebrated in the rest of the Spanish-speaking world, and that the Aztecs who once inhabited Mexico were not the same native peoples that inhabited Peru?

In the 1990s, the priority in second language learning shifted to speaking. As we begin the 21^st century, speaking continues to be the skill around which World Language curricula are designed. However, the other learning components should not be excluded from instruction. Realistically, it is difficult enough to get through the necessary material each year so that students are ready for the next language level. Add a disproportionate helping of speaking practice daily and you have language teachers wondering if there is enough time for listening, reading, writing and culture. Current textbooks include activities for all skills, but it is and always has been the teacher’s responsibility to supplement the text with cultural instruction. The basis for this curriculum unit is based on the following questions:

1. How can a student learn a language without learning about the people and places where that language is spoken?

2. Is learning to speak the target language the only skill necessary for a student who may spend part of his/her future either in another country or in another or in another part of the United States that is culturally different from Pittsburgh?

I do not believe that language and culture can be separated, and in addition to the symbiotic relationship between language and culture, I also believe that teaching a language transcends compartmentalized schooling. I have always said to my students that life is not a seven or eight period day where school subjects are neatly separated in our daily lives. It is important that students are able to make the connections between learning a second language and the other subjects they study year after year. For some students, Spanish class is the only class where they learn about Latin America, our neighbors to the south with whom we share the term "America." Until recently, when students studied "World History" or as it is called today, "World Cultures," the word "world" was synonymous with "European." With this in mind, and depending upon how the teacher uses this curriculum unit, in addition to the World Language Content Standard, it could also be used to fulfill the following Pittsburgh Content Standards: Communications standards three, four, six, and eight, Arts & Humanities standards two and three, and Citizenship standards one and two.

In addition to the previously mentioned Pittsburgh Public School Content Standards, this curriculum unit will fulfill three of the four PSMLA (Pennsylvania Modern Language Association) standards for World Languages:

Standard one: Students communicate and create in a second language.

Standard two: Students apply knowledge of the second language cultures.

Standard three: Students use World Languages to connect with other subject areas and acquire information.

Finally, on the national level, this curriculum unit accommodates the ACTFL (American Council of the Teaching of Foreign Languages) standard which states that "students will be able to function (read, write, understand, speak) as accurately as possible within contexts and situations they encounter with native speakers," and teachers will be able to integrate the five national standards of "Communication, Culture, Connections, Comparisons, Communities" especially well.

When studying contemporary Latin America, there are certain topics that are crucial to understanding the people, the culture, and ultimately the language. Even though each Latin American country is unique regarding its dialect of Spanish, population, geography and natural resources, the countries have much in common. Some of the recurring themes that have been part of our seminar discussions include: indigenous populations, history (colonial Spanish rule/independence), land distribution, religion, sovereignty, the attitudes/roles of men and women. These themes appear in the textbook, videos, and literature that we have read and discussed. It is around these themes that my curriculum unit is designed for students in Spanish III. I will focus on the time period between 1960 and 1990 in Chile.

I generally begin each school year by teaching or reviewing all of the Spanish-speaking countries of the world. One of the positive things about introducing students to all of the Spanish-speaking countries is that I have the opportunity to point out the uniqueness of each country as best I can. It is sometimes difficult for students to understand this since many have never traveled to a Spanish-speaking country, nor have they had any contact with a Hispanic person. The stereotypes abound--Cinco de mayo, tacos, fiestas, piñatas--all with a very Mexican flavor, and very logical since Mexico is our closest neighbor to the south. However, the word Hispanic encompasses so much more and as a Spanish teacher it is important for me to impart that information.

I currently teach Spanish I PSP, Spanish II CAS and Spanish III CAS. The students I teach are primarily in grades nine and ten although I do have several students in grades 11 and 12. The students in PSP (Pittsburgh Scholars Program) classes are considered to be average or above average. The CAS (Curriculum for Advanced Study) students are gifted. This curriculum unit is designed as a supplement for Spanish III CAS although portions of the entire unit can be adapted for students at any level. The textbook currently used in Spanish III CAS is Spanish for Mastery 3 (D.C. Heath). The same series is used for Spanish II CAS. The mainstream and PSP classes use the Heinle and Heinle series ¡Ya verás! The editors and publishers of both series include maps of the Spanish-speaking world immediately following the tables of contents. To me, the message is that when learning Spanish it is important to know, at the very least, where the language is spoken, in addition to teaching toward an oral proficiency standard. Also, in each and every unit of each and every textbook there is reference to a Spanish-speaking country. The examples may take the form of a grammatical exercise using the name of a place in the Spanish-speaking world, such as: ¿Va Raquel a Barcelona? No, Raquel no va a Barcelona. Ella va a Pamplona. Or there may be a separate section of the unit set apart to teach something cultural, for example: Buenos Aires, la capital de la Argentina. I believe that the authors, editors and publishers truly want to represent all of the Spanish-speaking countries, but they too have limitations with high school textbooks. Having used and acquired many different textbooks and ancillary materials during my career, I have concluded that there is generally more information about Mexico and Spain. The remaining Spanish-speaking countries are mentioned less frequently, and it would be quixotic for any Spanish teacher to think that she or he could cover the required textbook material as well as teach specific information about every Hispanic country given 180 school days. However, narrowing the focus to one specific time period in Chile’s history, is not as overwhelming. This curriculum unit will consider the students’ proficiency in Spanish, accommodate the current World Language standard for the Pittsburgh Public Schools, and enhance the World Language curriculum in Spanish III CAS in addition to the previously mentioned PSMLA, ACTFL and national standards. The curriculum can be taught as one, long unit, or it can be broken up into smaller sections and taught to coincide with a particular part of the existing Spanish III CAS curriculum during any part of the school year.

Why Chile? Why the historical period between 1960 and 1990? Students are initially fascinated by Chile’s unique geography, an unusually long and narrow country that Chile’s Nobel prize winning poet Pablo Neruda described as "a long petal of sea, wine and snow." The Andes mountains extend from north to south. At Chile’s southernmost point, the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans meet and the submerged mountains form fjords like those in Scandinavia. The driest desert on earth is located in northern Chile, yet there are lush rain forests further south with an abundance of vegetation. Because of its mountainous terrain, Chile has been struck by over 20 major earthquakes in the last century that have killed thousands and destroyed cities. Chile also has over 600 volcanoes, many of them active. Chilean territory extends into the Pacific to Polynesia where Easter Island (Isla de Pascua or Rapa Nui) is located. The Islas Juan Fernandez, located several hundred miles west of Valparaíso in the Pacific are also part of Chile.

The time period encompassing the decades of the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s was as turbulent as Chile’s geography is diverse.

Most children in the United States who began elementary school in the late 1950s and early 1960s, learned about the threat and danger of the spread of communism following World War II. The Communists were the enemy and the United States had to defeat them politically, intellectually, economically, and physically. When the Soviets launched their first rocket into space, it sent scientists in our country racing not to equal, but to surpass that feat. At all Olympic competitions it was the ultimate success for the United States to win more medals than any other country, but more (especially gold) medals than the Soviet athletes. It was a time when the general belief was that the government of the United States knew what was best, not only for its citizens, but for people the world over. It was a time of when the balance of international power was a contest between two powerful nations, the United States of America and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. We, the democracy, were charged with preventing more Communism from spreading to other parts of the world in order to maintain the balance in our favor. The Bay of Pigs incident in Cuba and the subsequent attempts to assassinate Fidel Castro were futile attempts by the United States to overthrow the new, Soviet supported Communist government. However, it was not even close to being the first time that the United States military had been sent to intervene in a Spanish-speaking country in the Americas.

The 1960s were chaotic times in the United States, but also in other parts of the world. By 1970, the Vietnam war still had not ended and more young men continued to be drafted. On May 4, 1970, the Ohio National Guard fired upon and killed four students on the campus of Kent State University during an antiwar protest. The Kent State shootings signaled the end of a turbulent decade, marked by a generation of people who became increasingly aware and more distrustful of the power of the United States military, of the United States government’s foreign policy, as well as its domestic social policy.

During this time of political and social unrest in the United States over the war in Vietnam and civil rights, Chile was another place in the world where there was political and social unrest, although not in opposition to a war in southeast Asia or racial inequality at home. In his book Americas, Peter Winn states: "The years from 1960 to 1990 were unprecedented in Chilean history. They were decades in which the political spectrum shifted from the center to the left, before the pendulum swung abruptly to the far right, where it remained for sixteen years, and then moved decisively back to the center. They were years of reform, revolution, and counterrevolution, of deepened democracy and repressive dictatorship." (1)

The Christian Democratic Party candidate Eduardo Frei was elected in 1964. During his tenure, he promised to institute an agrarian reform program, but by the time he left office, his attempts to provide land for the disenfranchised had not materialized quickly enough. The centuries old vestiges of the Spanish colonial period had not yet disappeared in Chile by the last third of the twentieth century. In 1970, the Popular Unity party’s candidate, Salvador Allende, won the election, however with less than 40 percent of the vote. Even though it was not a majority victory, Allende was the first Socialist president elected in a country in the western hemisphere. The United States reacted similarly to the events unfolding in Chile as they had done ten years earlier in Cuba. In a series of recently declassified documents released by the CIA, there is evidence that the United States tried unsuccessfully to prevent Allende from taking office after his election. Once again the United States was flexing its muscle in order to prevent the spread of communism as it had done so many other times in Latin America during the twentieth century. The two issues that are apparent when comparing the involvement of the United States in Chile or any of the other Spanish-speaking countries are:

1) the sovereignty of independent countries, and

2) the commitment of the United States to countries that had made agreements with them based on economic conditions that would benefit large corporations from the United States and the very small, wealthy elites in those countries.

Allende was committed to making Chile a better land for all of its citizens. Upon becoming president, he began to redistribute land and income, raise wages, and nationalize the mineral industry, businesses and foreign banks. The United States was opposed to the Allende government, not only because of the plan to nationalize American business interests in Chile, but also because of Allende’s Socialist ideology. The declassified documents confirm the United States’ involvement in Chile during this time period and explain how the United States planned to "destabilize" the economy after Allende’s election by limiting trade with Chile and by intervening with organizations such as the World Bank, to terminate loans and/or fail to extend credit to the Allende government. It took over 30 years for these documents to become public even though many people knew what had transpired in Chile during the short tenure of the Allende government. The United States’ position that it was defending its part of the world from Communism, had rarely been questioned, much less challenged. However by the late 1970s, after the end of the United States’ unsuccessful involvement in Vietnam, many Americans began to wonder if intervention in other countries was necessary and/or appropriate. After all, there may be another point of view.

As citizens of the United States of America, the way that we are taught and the way we perceive our history is naturally quite different from the way others perceive it. It must then be the same for the way people from other countries learn and perceive their histories. For example, would it not make sense that the Mexican-American War is viewed differently in Mexico and in the United States? Manifest Destiny and the Monroe Doctrine mean nothing to Mexicans, while both justify the expansion of the United States to its current continental borders and its commitment to "defending" its neighbors to the south by eliminating European colonization in Latin America. Could it have been possible that in the mid-1840s, the United States sent troops into a young and weak Mexican nation knowing that it had the strength and capital to cause a defeat, facilitating the cession of land without intervention from Europe? At the end of the nineteenth century, the stage was set for the United States to begin its ascent to becoming a major world power, while other nations, whose influence had been felt in many parts of the world for centuries, began to decline. According to Winn, "it was the age of imperialism and the United States was a latecomer to the race for overseas colonies. Africa and Asia had already been carved up, leaving Latin America as the remaining site for a U.S. place in the sun." (2) Thus began the United States’ unending involvement in Latin America and the Caribbean. During most of the last century, beginning with the Spanish-American War, the United States military or other sectors of the United States government have been involved either covertly or overtly with the domestic issues of the independent nations of Latin America and the Caribbean. Many times during the twentieth century, our government supported and financed suppressive dictatorships, or tried to help to overthrow left-leaning governments in the following Spanish-speaking countries: Cuba, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Guatemala, Uruguay, Chile, Peru, El Salvador, and Colombia. That is not to say the other nations making up Spanish-speaking America have eluded influence from the United States. Argentina, Bolivia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Venezuela, Honduras, and Costa Rica have all felt either the economic, political, or military impact of the United States. During the first half of the 1970s, the economic and military presence of the United States in Chile was equal to or greater than any other country in South America.

It is impossible to learn about one period in a nation’s history out of context. Therefore, before Spanish III CAS students learn about Chile from 1960 - 1990, they will have to have some basic information about the country and its history. In Spanish III CAS, a major part of this part of the unit could be taught in Spanish by the end of the first semester, since after two years of Spanish students know the present and past tenses.

After listening and reading about the geography of Chile, students will be able to:

1. Locate and identify Chile on a map, along with several cities, surrounding countries, bodies of water and other geographical landmarks.

2. Learn and memorize new vocabulary describing Chile’s geography.

3. Discuss the geographical characteristics of Chile and compare with other South American countries and/or the United States.

It is probably safe to assume that by the time most students are in Spanish III CAS they realize that Chile, along with eight other countries in South America, was once a colony of Spain. Early in their study of the Spanish language, students find out that there are differences between the "Castillian" Spanish of Spain and the Spanish in Latin America. Grammatically, the main difference is that in Latin America the "vosotros" form is not used. Thus, students can compare the two ways of speaking to American and British English. Also by the time the students are in Spanish III CAS, they have most likely learned at least a little about several Spanish-speaking countries. At this point, instruction would begin on Chile’s history with an introduction explaining that independence came at various times and was led by various people in all Latin America nations. This part of the unit includes general but noteworthy topics from the pre-conquest era through independence. If adapted to what the students are supposed to know, this part of the unit could also be taught in Spanish.

After listening and/or reading about significant events in Chile’s history, students will be able to:

1. Identify the important time periods in Chile’s history from the pre-conquest era through independence.

2. Name several people and explain their contributions to Chile during this time period.

3. Compare what was happening in Chile with what was going on in the United States at the same time.

The next part of the curriculum unit’s objectives will make up the central part of the unit: Chile from 1960 - 1990. Students will still need to know about the history during the years between independence and 1960, but only in the context leading up to the time period to be studied. It may be necessary to teach this part of the unit in English, but it will ultimately depend on the ability of the students and how much information the teacher wants them to master.

Background

From the time of independence and for the next century, Chile, like many of the other former Spanish colonies, was a country trying to chart its own path, but it was not easy. There were wars with neighboring countries Bolivia and Perú (1865-1869 and 1879-1883), as well as a civil war in Chile (1891) between conservatives and liberals. The conservatives were allied with the Roman Catholic Church and were led by a naval officer named Jorge Montt, who eventually overthrew Liberal Party President José Manuel Balmaceda. Montt assumed the presidency and a relatively peaceful period followed for the first time in many years. However, during the first two decades of the twentieth century, the strife between the conservatives and liberals began once again. There were many ideologically diverse political parties vying for power which resulted in many presidents and many coups d’etat. The instability continued through the 1940s and 1950s until 1958 when Jorge Alessandri Rodriguez was elected. He was the son of the former Liberal Party President Arturo Alessandri Palma whose election to the presidency in 1920 was cut short in 1924 when he was ousted by a group from the military. After the younger Alessandri managed to stay in office for his six-year term, Eduardo Frei Montalva was elected in 1964, but both the liberal and conservative parties in Chile became increasingly dissatisfied with his policies. A centrist from the Christian Democratic Party, Frei tried to please both conservatives and liberals. Frei’s policies were too radical for the conservatives, yet too conservative for the radicals. He began to institute an agrarian reform program and set out to nationalize the copper mines owned by the United States. However, his goals were only partially realized and this set the stage for a more radical candidate to run in the 1970 election in order to try to accelerate land reform and the nationalization of businesses and natural resources. The candidate from the Popular Unity party was Salvador Allende and his platform espoused a "democratic road to socialism." He ran against a more conservative candidate, the former president Jorge Alessandri. Allende won the election in 1970, but he only received 37 percent of the popular vote. Allende promised to do more than his predecessor and he immediately initiated an aggressive land reform program. He also initiated a redistribution of income, raised wages and controlled prices to help Chile’s poor, which did not make him popular with Chile’s small middle and upper classes. Finally, Allende instituted state control of banks and other businesses in addition to the expropriation of copper mines owned by the United States. The Nixon administration in the United States did not look favorably upon the election of Allende. As many of the recently declassified documents indicate, there was an attempt by the United States (CIA) to subvert the election by trying to convince then-President Frei to annul the election. Other tactics were also attempted in order to "reelect" Frei, such as offering him substantial amounts of money. The election results stood and according to one of the declassified documents written by then CIA director Richard Helms, "On 3 November 1970, Dr. Salvador Allende became the first democratically elected Marxist head of state in the history of Latin America, despite the opposition of the U.S. Government. U.S. prestige and interests . . . are being affected materially at a time when the U.S. can ill afford problems in an area that has been traditionally accepted as the U.S. ‘backyard.’"(3) Even before the election, the United States began its covert operations in Chile to prevent the election of Allende. But, in spite of their planning and monetary leverage, the CIA had failed to induce a coup prior to Allende’s installation as president. Furthermore, the military and the country temporarily rallied behind Allende’s ratification.

A socialist government did not belong in the western hemisphere according to the President Nixon and his advisors, and so the CIA with help from military advisors from the United States and Chile, began to implement plans to destabilize and if necessary, overthrow the Allende government. After three years of planning, on September 11, 1973 there was a successful coup d’etat in Chile. The Chilean military, supported by United States funds and intelligence advisors, stormed the presidential palace, arrested Allende, and began a 16-year rule in Chile. Allende committed suicide rather than be killed by the opposing forces. The ruling junta eventually chose one man, General Augusto Pinochet Ugarte as its leader. The role that the United States played in this military action was naturally not disclosed to the public, but as the years passed, stories surfaced, accusing the United States of complicity during the Chilean coup in 1973. Even more distressing, was the realization years later, that the United States government may have concealed information from families concerning the arrest and deaths of two American citizens in Chile, Charles Horman and Frank Teruggi. The story of these two Americans living in Chile during the time of the coup is loosely retold in the 1982 film Missing starring Cissy Space and Jack Lemmon. Furthermore, the declassified documents suggest that because of the close relationship the United States had with the Pinochet government, it may have had at least some prior knowledge regarding the car bomb explosion on September 25, 1976 on Embassy Row in Washington, D.C. that killed former Chilean ambassador Orlando Letelier and his American associate Ronni Moffitt.

General Pinochet became Chile’s dictator on September 11, 1973. As soon as he assumed power, he immediately suspended the constitution, dissolved Congress, imposed strict censorship, and banned all political parties. The Chilean police and military detained thousands of citizens who were considered to be threats to the new government. Many were tortured and killed or simply died in detention centers.

In 1980, on the seventh anniversary of the coup, a new constitution was accepted by referendum. It legalized Pinochet’s regime until 1989, but by 1984, civil unrest and a failing economy forced Pinochet to impose another state of siege. The unrest, followed in 1986 by an unsuccessful assassination attempt on his life, prompted Pinochet to tighten his grip on Chile once again.

In August 1988 the state of siege was lifted and for the first time since the coup, Chileans were permitted to hold a plebiscite to decide whether to extend Pinochet’s term until 1997. It was a simple "YES" or "NO" vote. Both sides were permitted to broadcast their daily campaigns on television during fifteen minute time slots during the months preceding the October vote. On October 5, 1988, "NO" won with 55 percent of the vote compared to 43 percent voting "YES." Pinochet’s term was extended to 1990 to accommodate elections to be held December 1989-- the first presidential election in 19 years. In 1990, the Christian Democrat candidate, Patricio Aylwin became Chile’s new president, and the country moved slowly toward democracy once again. Pinochet remained commander-in-chief of the armed forces.

As a postscript to the thirty tumultuous years between 1960 and 1990, Chile has seen its history repeat itself. Elections were held again in 1993. The son of former President Eduardo Frei, Eduardo Frei Ruiz-Tagle was elected president, also as a Christian Democrat. He challenged Chile’s fragile democracy to uphold a Chilean Supreme Court decision to sentence two of Pinochet’s former secret police for masterminding the assassination of Orlando Letelier and his associate Ronni Moffitt in 1976. Pinochet denounced the decision, but after a brief period of tension between the military and the civilian government, the decision was upheld.

In 1998, Pinochet became a "senator for life" when he retired from the army. Chile’s constitution was written while Pinochet was in power and it provided for past presidents to maintain an active role in Chile’s government by being appointed to that post. More important, along with the title, it gave him immunity from being prosecuted for crimes carried out during his tenure as president. Six months after declaring himself "senator for life," Pinochet was detained and charged with human rights crimes during his regime by a judge in Spain, while he was in London seeking medical treatment. Spain requested his extradition, but after 16 months of arguing and appeals in England, Pinochet returned to Chile, old and frail from his illness.

Meanwhile, during Pinochet’s detention in England, elections were held in Chile (December 1999) and the people elected Ricardo Lagos, a Socialist who began his political career associated with Allende. Lagos left Chile for several years after the coup, but he returned in the late 1980s. Lagos gained notoriety during the plebiscite referendum in 1989. He was an important spokesperson for the "NO" campaign and as a result of his successes he was able to garner support for his presidential campaign. He is 62 years old and was inaugurated in March 2000. While taking the oath of office, he stated, "I will make a tremendous effort to show the world that this is a democratic country where power is in the hands of authorities, elected by the people, and where the armed forces are obedient to him."(4)

After learning about Chile from 1960 through 1990, students in Spanish III CAS will be able to:

1. Use new vocabulary in Spanish relating to the time period.

2. Identify people who were important during this era and why they were important.

3. Explain the involvement of the United States during this time period and why you agree or disagree.

4. Analyze the political, social and economic conditions in the United States and Chile during the thirty years between 1960 and 1990 and compare and contrast them.

5. Discuss the probabilities/possibilities for Chile’s future, including but not limited to the trial of Pinochet.

Background

The previous objectives cover information regarding the political, social and economic life in Chile from 1960 through 1990. In order to bring the cultural part of this era alive to students, they will listen to music by Victor Jara, Inti-Illimani and Los Prisioneros. Students will need to know a little about each of the artists prior to listening to their music.

Victor Jara, a cultural icon in Chile, was born in 1932 and died in 1973. After a somewhat tumultuous childhood and adolescence, in 1954 he began to study acting at the University of Chile. At the same time, he began to sing and study folk music after meeting the famous Chilean singer, Violeta Parra. In 1966 he recorded his first solo album, "Victor Jara." His music provided a voice for Chile’s working class and farmers. He strongly supported the Communist Party and the Popular Unity Coalition candidate, Salvador Allende. After the coup in 1973 he was arrested, first taken to a prison and then to the soccer stadium along with thousands of other Allende supporters. Jara was eventually killed, but not before they broke his hands for playing his guitar to encourage the other detainees in the stadium to sing the song of the Popular Unity Party. There are over 16 CDs available, many produced posthumously. Jara’s widow Joan, originally from Great Britain, was able to leave Chile after the coup with many of Jara’s tapes. In addition to his own CDs, folk singers such as Arlo Guthrie and Pete Seeger have recorded Jara’s songs. Ironically, the place where Victor Jara was executed, the National Stadium in Chile is now called "Victor Jara Stadium."

The Chilean group Inti-Illimani, together since 1967, takes its name from the Aymara Indians of Bolivia. The founding members met while studying engineering at Santiago Technical University. Though not as vocally political as Victor Jara, the new military junta would not accept them back into Chile after they toured in Europe during the coup in 1973. They were forced to live in exile until they were invited to perform in Chile in 1988. The group moved back to Chile permanently in 1990. Inti-Illimani uses instruments that are similar to the ones used by the indigenous Andean populations and although there are lyrics to some of their songs, many of them are instrumental. The music is suitable to play while students are working at their desks or in small groups as an introduction to the curriculum unit. Inti-Illimani has also recorded many traditional songs from the other South American countries such as Perú, Bolivia, and Ecuador. They have recorded over 30 CDS, many of them while in exile. They continue to record and perform. Currently they are on tour in Chile.

Students will also listen to selections from the pop group from the 1980s, Los Prisioneros. Their music became popular among young people in the 1980s and was used during early television ads for the "NO" campaign for the plebiscite. This group is noteworthy because during the Pinochet government, rock music was an underground outlet for those opposed to the dictatorship. The trio formed while they were high school students and they recorded their first CD in 1984, aptly named La voz de los’80 which means "the voice of the 80s." Subsequently, they released another CD in 1986 called Pateando piedra, and yet another in 1987 called La cultura de la basura. Songs from La cultura de la basura were used during the for the "NO" television campaign ads. The group broke up in 1991. Since then, two other compilation CDs have been released, Ni por la razón...ni por la fuerza in 1990 and Grandes éxitos in 1991.

After listening to the musical selections and reading the accompanying lyrics to the selections, students will be able to:

1. Understand the general meaning of the lyrics by identifying familiar vocabulary and grammatical structures.

2. Compare and contrast the genres of the musicians.

3. Discuss their personal preferences after listening to the music.

4. Discuss the music and lyrics relating to the time period from 1960 to 1990 in Chile.

Background

A curriculum written about Chile for students learning Spanish would not be complete without reading the poetry of Chile’s Nobel Prize winning poets, Pablo Neruda and Gabriela Mistral. Gabriela Mistral is the pseudonym for Lucila Godoy Alcayaga. The name was chosen from two of her favorite poets, Garbriele D’Annunzio and Frederic Mistral. She was born in Vicuña, Chile in 1889. She was an elementary and secondary school teacher until she became a well-known poet. It was while she was a teacher that she met a young Pablo Neruda and encouraged him to become a writer. Although Mistral died in 1957, before the decades highlighted in this curriculum unit, she is an important figure in Chilean history and it logically leads to the poetry of Neruda since she was his teacher. Mistral was the first Latin American to win a Nobel Prize in Literature (1945) when women did not even have the right to vote. Mistral moved from Chile in the 1920s and lived in Europe and the United States until her death. Central themes in Mistral’s poetry are love, a mother’s love, and sorrow.

Ricardo Eliezar Neftalí Reyes Basoalto chose the pseudonym Pablo Neruda. He chose "Pablo" because he liked the sound of it and "Neruda" because his favorite Czech poet was Jan Neruda. He was born in Parral, Chile in 1904 and is one of Latin America’s finest poets. He is the most widely read of the Spanish-American poets. Neruda was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1971. Like many Latin American writers, Neruda was appointed to various diplomatic posts in the 1920s and 1930s. Neruda joined the Communist Party and in 1945 he was elected to the Chilean Senate. He lived in exile while the Chilean government was controlled by General Ibáñez. Neruda continued to ally himself with other Communists and traveled to the Soviet Union and Cuba. When Allende was elected president, he appointed Neruda as Chile’s ambassador to France. Neruda had a prolific career, producing over forty volumes of writings. His poetry was diverse and included love sonnets, political and historical themes, and poetry for the masses. He died of leukemia in Santiago, two weeks after the Pinochet coup. It has been suggested that the events relating to the coup hastened his death.

After reading poems by Mistral and Neruda, students will be able to:

1. Understand what the poem literally means.

2. Understand the symbolism in each of the poems.

3. Compare and contrast the two poets, their styles and messages.

4. Relate the themes of the poetry, if possible, to the time period of this curriculum unit.

Since there are many components to this curriculum unit, students will be able to achieve the objectives in various ways. Strategies for teaching and learning include, but are not limited to: inductive and deductive methods, higher order thinking skills, independent research, small and large group work, classroom discussion, and teacher centered instruction. Assessments will include the four language skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing in the form of written quizzes, oral presentations, and classroom discussions in the target language as much as possible. As always, it is important for the teacher to be aware of the strengths and weaknesses of the students in a particular class so that the strategies maximize learning. For example, when learning about Chile’s geography, students will be given a vocabulary list with words and places relating to Chile’s geography. They will also receive a map to fill in selected landmarks. Students will be able to do this by looking on a map in an atlas or by using any number of relevant sources, and by working individually or in small groups with teacher direction.

In order to achieve the objectives for the historical period from the pre-conquest through independence, students will receive an outline of vocabulary, people and events that highlight this time period. With teacher-made materials relevant to the time period, students will listen to and read about the significant events and people during this time period. Again, students will be able to work in small groups or individually. They will also be able to search the Internet or research print materials independently to find out additional information on a person or a topic during this time period.

Because of the involvement of the United States in Chile during the Allende and Pinochet governments, there have been many articles, essays, papers, and books written in many languages that reflect different points of view. There have also been films made about the coup and its aftermath. A greater availability and variety of materials will enable students to find and choose sources more easily. It would be appropriate for students to do their own searches (supervised by their teacher) for information, and then exchange information among themselves perhaps by working in teams determined by their personal analyses of the time period.

The objectives and corresponding strategies to the previous components of the curriculum unit could be best achieved by using both Spanish and English. Spanish III CAS students, while above average in intelligence, cannot read long historical narratives once and then be expected to comprehend and retain all of the information. Likewise, listening to historical information one time in Spanish and then being asked to comprehend and talk about what they listened to is probably more frustrating than educational. However, listening to songs in Spanish with the lyrics printed is easier than simply reading. Just as they do when listening to music in English, students associate the lyrics with a tune and learn it more quickly. Learning lyrics in Spanish is not as easy as in English, but Spanish III CAS students have learned enough vocabulary and grammar to make sense of the lyrics. After listening to several selections and reading the lyrics by the various artists several times, students will be able to use their knowledge of Spanish to interpret the literal and symbolic meanings of the songs.

From an educational standpoint, the component of the curriculum unit including the poems of Mistral and Neruda has the closest connection to traditional World Language instruction. Although not stressed nearly as much as it was even ten years ago, reading authentic works by renowned writers was a part of the World Language curriculum as early as level II. The emphasis on spoken proficiency has changed that, but it is still important for students to become familiar with the famous writers from Spanish-speaking countries and when possible, read their works in Spanish. After spending the time to learn about the people, places and history of Chile, reading the works of Mistral and Neruda would place them in a context so that their poems would be more clearly understood by students learning Spanish. Discussion and interpretation of the selected poems facilitated by the teacher would help the students’ understanding of the poems and their ability to speak in Spanish about what they have read.

This curriculum unit is meant to be flexible enough so that teachers can use the individual components at different times during the school year, or as an entire unit to be taught over a period of two or three weeks. Each of the components is independent of the others and they can be used separately or together and taught either in conjunction with or apart from the regular curriculum.

Introducing Students to Chile (one to three days)

The materials needed for this component are: a map of Chile and South America; pictures (from books, Internet, etc . . . ) or slides of Chile; a vocabulary list with geographical terms in Spanish, e.g., el país, la capital, las montañas, el desierto, el clima, el océano, la nieve, la lluvia, las islas, la cordillera, la frontera, el terremoto, el volcán, estrecho, largo, alto, along with the names of cities, rivers, etc...

The vocabulary for this part of the unit can be taught using content-based methodology because the use of visuals helps students to understand the subject matter. Working in small groups or individually, students will identify and locate specific places on the map of Chile and add any new vocabulary to the existing list. Since the World Language Standard of oral proficiency should be kept in mind while making lesson plans, there should be sufficient time allowed for students to talk about Chile’s geography among themselves in small groups and with the entire class. Also, the lesson could be used to supplement and enhance the vocabulary and grammar of an already existing chapter or unit in the textbook. The teacher can decide how much time to spend on this component A question/answer speaking and/or written assessment developed by the teacher and based on what was covered in class would bring closure to this component of the curriculum.

A Historical Look at Chile from Pre-conquest through Independence (two to four days)

The materials needed for this lesson are: a map of Chile; pictures or slides of the work of native artisans in Chile; handouts written in Spanish and in English that explain the history during this time period; information and open-ended questions for student discussion; a vocabulary list; an outline of people and events that shaped this period in Chile’s history; markers and other supplies to create a game; print resources about Chile during this time period.

Students will have been assigned to read two selections on this period in Chile’s history (one in Spanish, one in English) prior to the first day that this component is taught in the classroom. The teacher can decide if the material should be the same, but in the two languages, or it can be divided so that the students learn some of the information in English and some in Spanish. Regardless of the language used to introduce this component, the following subjects will make up the outline:

1. Pre-Columbian civilizations. The term "arucano" is used to describe all of the indigenous populations living in Chile. However, there were separate tribes living throughout Chile and the cultures were all distinct. The tribes included the Aymara, Atacameño, Diaguita, and Mapuche.

2. Francisco Magellan (1520)--first known European discoverer.

3. Pedro de Valdivia (1540)--came from Perú and founded Santiago, the capital of Chile. During this time, Chile was technically part of Perú.

4. Uprising against Valdivia and other Spaniards (1553-1558) by the Mapuches living in the southern part of Chile.

5. Wars of Independence (1810-1818)--Bernardo O’Higgins, José de San Martín.

6. Vocabulary used to describe the people of Chile: mestizo, peninsulares, criollos.

7. The effect of 300 years of Spanish rule on Chile.

First, the teacher must introduce the vocabulary for the component, e.g., numbers, dates, vocabulary relating to explorers, Spanish royalty and government officials, and verbs such as luchar, ganar, morir, matar, gobernar, liberar, etc . . . In order for students to understand this period more completely, the class would be divided into groups and each group would be responsible for learning about one of the topics on the outline and then report back to the class. Students could find their information on-line or by using the resources in the school or public library. After the entire class was finished exchanging information, students could play an answer/question game like "Jeopardy," to review the lesson. Each group would be responsible for making up its own list of five answers and questions. As an assessment, students could discuss in either Spanish or English, the similarities and differences between the United States and Chile during this time period, or they could take a written assessment on the same topic. Again, if it is possible for the teacher to integrate this lesson with what is normally covered during the school year, the connections between language and the "real world" that students make while learning a language are invaluable. It should also be made clear once again, that teachers may use only a part or the entire component.

Chile: 1960 - 1990 (three to five days)

The materials needed are: television; VCR; the video Missing; pictures of Allende and Pinochet; vocabulary lists for all students; Internet and print resources about Chile from 1960-1990; other videos made during or about this time period in Chile.

On the first day or two of this component I would show excerpts from the movie Missing. The film is two hours long, so showing it in its entirety would take three class periods. In one or two class periods students will have ample time to understand what is taking place in the film. After viewing it, students would have enough background information to understand the objectives for this part of the curriculum unit. As in the other component lessons, a vocabulary list would be distributed to each student with words generated by the teacher. The list would include: el golpe de estado, la junta, los partidos, el gobierno, el apoyo, los derechos humanos, los negocios, nacionalizar, detener, etc... Students have the option of adding vocabulary if they feel it is necessary.

Using the film as a starting point to talk about the events in Chile that led to the election of Allende and then the military coup, students will choose either Pinochet or Allende and find information that presents both the positive and negative aspects of each government. Students will debate in class, most likely in English. If the teacher decides to extend this part of the unit or chooses to have more than one discussion or debate topic, other options are: agree or disagree with the United States’ involvement in Chile during this time; compare and contrast the political, economic and social conditions in Chile and the United States between 1960 and 1990; and speculate about what the future holds for Chile. After the initial presentation of the subject by the teacher, students will find their own information on whichever subject they choose to discuss or debate. The teacher will offer suggestions on where to find information, but the research will be done by the students. Additionally, depending upon the Social Studies department in the school, it might be interesting to use an interdisciplinary educational approach to this subject by coordinating the debates or discussions with a grade-level appropriate World Cultures or Civics class. Students from the Spanish classes would be assessed on this component by choosing one of the topics previously mentioned for debate or discussion and write their point of view on the topic in Spanish, since most of the class discussion will most likely have been in English.

Chilean Music (one to three days)

The materials needed are: CDs by Victor Jara, Inti-Illimani and Los Prisioneros; CD player;

Spanish-English dictionaries; copies of the following lyrics in Spanish:

Victor Jara: Preguntas por Puerto Montt (1969), Vientos del pueblo, Aquí me quedo, and Estadio Chile o Canto que mal me sabes (1973).

Inti-Illimani: Yendo y viniendo, La patria prisionera, La pajita, Fina estampa, El arado, Chile Resistencia.

Los Prisioneros: La voz de los ‘80, We are sudamerican rockers, Tren al sur, Pa pa pa, Jugar a la guerra, Zombie.

These songs were chosen because they relate closely to the time period studied in this curriculum unit. Also, in some cases there is a connection between the musicians and the poets Mistral and Neruda. For example, the Inti-Illimani song El arado was written by Victor Jara, the song La pajita by was written by Gabriela Mistral and Horacio Salinas, and the song La patria prisionera was written by Pablo Neruda and Sergio Ortega. The Victor Jara selection Aquí me quedo was written by Pablo Neruda, Patricio Castillo and Jara.

More than any of the other components, this section can be presented on almost any day during the school year. Prior knowledge of grammatical structures and vocabulary is helpful, but not necessary.

Sometimes during the school year, there are days when lesson plans do not take as much time as anticipated, or it is too late in a class period to begin a new concept, or it is Friday, or the day before a holiday weekend. Regardless of the circumstances, students love to hear music, whether or not they understand the words. I have used this extra time during class to play music by a variety of Hispanic musicians. This component can serve as a formal lesson using the lyrics to review vocabulary and grammatical structures as well as simply listening to the different types of music at the beginning or end of a class period.

The basic classroom activity is to listen to the music with or without the lyrics. Students can sing along with the music if they desire.

The three musicians/groups chosen to represent different genres of Chilean music are: Victor Jara, Inti-Illimani, and Los Prisioneros. Background information about each of the artists can be specific or general, in Spanish or in English. The music can be played on several different occasions before the lyrics are distributed. Once the lyrics are distributed, students can look for familiar vocabulary and grammatical structures. The musical selections chosen can be used as a culminating activity to correspond to a unit in the regular curriculum that covers specific vocabulary and/or grammar. If the teacher chooses to augment the lesson, the students can discuss the connection between the music of each of the artists and the impact that they have had on Chilean popular culture. A listening assessment would be appropriate to identify the different artists and to test for comprehension of some of the lyrics.

Chile’s Nobel Prize Winning Poets: Gabriela Mistral and Pablo Neruda

(three to five days)

The materials needed are: copies of the La Manca and Pan by Gabriela Mistral and Poema 20 and La Standard Oil Co. by Pablo Neruda; pictures of Mistral and Neruda; bibliographical resources; other works by both poets; short answer and discussion questions about the poems; Spanish-English dictionaries.

Students will first read the two poems by Gabriela Mistral. After reading them, the class will discuss the literal meaning of the poems. The students will be given biographical information about the poet to help them understand the themes and symbolism in Mistral’s poetry. Students will answer questions about the two poems to reinforce their reading comprehension and facilitate discussion. The questions will be answered in class and the discussions will take place in class, using Spanish as much as possible.

Students will read the two poems by Pablo Neruda and discuss the literal meanings of the poems. Again, students will be given biographical information about the poet to help them understand the themes and symbolism in the poems. They will answer questions about the two poems to reinforce their reading comprehension and facilitate classroom discussion. Because Neruda played an active role in the Allende government, students will be asked to make connections between his political life and his life as a poet. Once more, the questions will be answered in class and the discussions will take place in class, using Spanish as much as possible. Students may prefer to work in pairs while reading and answering the questions about the poems during the study of each poet.

The opportunity arises again for interdisciplinary lessons, this time between Spanish language classes and English classes studying poetry. The potential exists for both groups to discuss the poems or compare the Spanish poems with poems written in English with the same symbols, metaphors, and themes.

After at least three, but no more than six days of working in large and small groups, the students would be ready for an assessment. Part of the assessment would be testing the students’ speaking ability during class discussions. The other part of the assessment would be to give students a choice to read one of two different poems-- one by Mistral and one by Neruda. After choosing one or the other, they would be assessed on their reading comprehension by answering written questions about the poem.

In addition to the classroom activities mentioned, current events topics about Chile should be ongoing during the course of the school year. Also, since this curriculum unit has been written mostly for Spanish III CAS students, perhaps studying about Chile would inspire a few students to do their Long Term Projects (LTP) for their Individual Education Plans (IEP) on Chile.

1. Quoted in Peter Winn, Americas: The Changing Face of Latin America and the Caribbean (Los Angeles: The University of Berkeley Press, 1999), p. 329.

2. Quoted in Ibid., p. 451.

3. Quoted in NACLA Report on the Americas, May/June 1999, p. 38.

4. Quoted in AP Worldstream, March 11, 2000.

, Encarta97 Encyclopedia, Microsoft Corporation, 1993-1999.

Allende, Isabel, House of the Spirits, New York: Bantam Books, 1982.

A semi-ficitional account of the time period covered in this curriculum unit.

Allende, Isabel, Of Love and Shadows, New York: Bantam Books, 1984.

Another novel about living in a country governed by the military.

Fitts, Dudley, ed. An Anthology of Contemporary Latin-American Poetry, New York: New Directions, 1947.

An old book of poetry by over 50 poets from Latin America, published at a time of tremendous literary growth

Fuentes, Carlos and Ortega, Julio, ed. The Vintage Book of Latin American Stories, New York: Random House, Inc., 1998.

A wonderful sampling of many Latin-American writers, including two Chileans, José Donoso and Antonio Skármeta.

Neruda, Pablo. Alturas de Machu Picchu. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1966.

One of Neruda’s greatest works. It is a bilingual edition in Spanish and English.

Skármeta, Antonio, No pasó nada. Barcelona: Gráficas M. Pareja, 1980.

The author was forced to leave Chile after the coup because of political reasons. He was asked to teach in Germany and this book is a story about leaving Chile and adjusting to a new culture, from an adolescent’s perspective.

Varona-Lacey, Gladys M. Introducción a la literatura Hispano-Americana: de la conquista al siglo XX. Chicago: National Textbook Company, 1997.

A college level or very advanced high school level text that is a chronological anthology of some of Latin America’s most famous poets and writers. For each entry there is a biography of the poet/writer, "themes to consider" before reading and activities for students after completing the reading. There is also a glossary and a short reference list included.

Winn, Peter. The Americas: The Changing Face of Latin America and the Caribbean. Los Angeles: The University of Berkeley Press, 1999.

This is the best comprehensive book on Latin America and the Caribbean that I have read throughout my entire career!

Web site listing a plethora of periodicals. The following articles that were used in the curriculum unit were found at this web site:

, Chile’s First Socialist President since Allende Takes Power, AP Worldstream, March 11, 2000.

Dinges, John, Pulling Back the Veil on Condor, Nation, July 24, 2000, p. 26.

Reveals United States involvement in Operation Condor.

Komisar, Lucy, Documented Complicity, Progressive, September 1999, p. 24.

Reviews United States’ policy toward Chile and Pinochet before and after the coup in 1973.

Kornbluh, Peter, Declassifying U.S. Intervention in Chile, NACLA Report on the Americas, May/June 1999, p. 36.

Commentary on the declassified government documents.

Kornbluh, Peter, Chile Declassified, Nation, August 9, 1999, p. 21

More declassified commentary and United States involvement in Operation Condor.

Mattern, Mark, Popular Music and the Redemocratization in Santiago, Chile, 1973-1989, Studies in Latin American Pop Culture, 1997, p. 101

The disintegration and re-emergence of music in Chile.

Rodriguez, Carmen, Remembering the Future, New Internationalist, November 2000, p. 34.

Exiled Chilean’s reaction to past and present political developments in her native country.

The following search engines and web site provided information on Chile’s geography and history:

http://www.google.com (key word: Chile)

http://www.yahoo.com (key word: Chile)

http://www.infoplease.com/ipaA0107407.html

The following web sites provide information on Chile’s government and politics:

http://www.tni.org

The following web sites provide information on film:

http://www.frif.com/new98/boc.html

The following web sites provide information on music:

http://www.segegob.cl/secc-ingl/rev4ing/rock.htm

http://www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/Cabaret/9928

http://www.members.aol.com/sreyes2/vjreview.htm

The following web sites provide information on Gabriela Mistral and Pablo Neruda:

http://netsrq.com/~dbois/mistral.html

Standards

This curriculum unit meets many of the 62 Pittsburgh Content Standards, first and foremost, the World Language Standard that states that "all students converse at a minimum level of ‘Intermediate Low,’ as defined in the oral proficiency guidelines developed by the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL), in at least one language other than English, including the native language if other than English."

This unit is designed to promote "out of the ordinary" discussions in Spanish. The unit also meets Communications Standards three, four, six and eight which consist of reading, writing, listening and speaking, four of the language skills that are the basis for first as well as second language learning. In the Arts and Humanities, this unit meets Standards two and three. Students will be learning about the history and culture of Chile, related to literature and performing arts. Finally this curriculum unit meets Citizenship Standards one, two, four and eight. The stated standards relate to geography, historical developments in other nations, evaluation of world problems, and working effectively with others in a classroom, which are all integrated into this unit. Additionally, this curriculum unit was written to meet the PSMLA (Pennsylvania Modern Language Association), ACTFL (American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages) and "5Cs" national standard of "Communication, Culture, Connections, Comparisons, Communities."