Warm-up Activity

Break into groups of 4. Without using your phone, try to answer the following:1)How many countries are in the Americas?2)Name as many of those countries as you can.3)Name five of the biggest cities in the Americas.4)Name at least 3 widely spoken languages in the Americas.5)Besides the U.S., what other American countries gained independence from a European monarchy?

Answers

1. 352. Did you remember Costa Rica? Uruguay? Saint

Lucia? Panama? Haiti? Guyana?3. Mexico City; Sao Paulo, Brazil; New York, NY;

Buenos Aires, Argentina; Los Angeles4. English; Spanish; Portuguese; French; Dutch5. A lot! Many broke away from Spain in the early

1800s, Brazil rebelled from Portugal (sort of), Haiti broke away from France by 1804, and Cuba left Spain in 1898.

IB Diploma Programme

• The DP Programme is a rigorous pre-university course of study designed for students 16-19.

• This two-year course encourages students to be knowledgeable and inquiring, but also caring and compassionate.

• Promotes the learning of different cultures and perspectives across many disciplines

Goals of IB History• Promote an understanding of history as a

discipline, including the nature & diversity of its sources, methods & interpretations

• Encourage an understanding of the present through critical reflection upon the past

• Encourage an understanding of the impact of historical developments at national, regional and international levels

• Deveop an awareness of one’s own historical identity through the study of the historical experiences of different cultures

Goals for IB History of the Americas

• Cover major developments in the region from 1760-2000

• Understand the immense diversity but close historical links of the peoples and nations of the Americas

• Study the many different groups that make up the Americas, both in the past and present

Things to keep in mind...

• You will take the STAAR EOC exam at the end of the year. This exam will cover U.S. History from 1877-Present. For this reason, we will be slightly more U.S.-heavy in this course than normal.

• Your Extended Essay is a requirement for the IB Diploma. Start to think about a topic now (it does not necessarily have to be a historical topic, but it can be). Your EEs will be due in January 2015, but better to start early!