Insights

From the Field

UNDERS TANDING 

GEOGRAPHY, CULTURE, 

AND SERVICE

worldwise

Paul D. Coverdell

schools
This guide contains materials that were written by educators and others.The views presented here are not official opinions

of the United States government or of the Peace Corps.

worldwise

schools

Paul D. Coverdell
Insights From the Field 3

Introduction

The Purpose of this Curriculum............................................................ 5

About the Peace Corps...........................................................................6

Coverdell World Wise Schools................................................................ 7

A Standards-Based Approach.................................................................. 8

Content Standards Addressed in this Guide.............................................13

Unit One: Geography: It’s More Than Just a Place

Introduction:The Unit at a Glance.........................................................15

Module One:Where We Live Influences How We Live......................... 20

Module Two: Understanding Demographics........................................... 37

Module Three: Beyond Demographics....................................................43

Module Four: Life in a Hurricane Zone................................................ 48

Culminating Performance Task............................................................... 59

Unit Two: Culture: It’s More Than Meets the Eye

Introduction:The Unit at a Glance.........................................................62

Module One: Understanding Culture..................................................... 68

Module Two: Culture Is Like an Iceberg.................................................79

Module Three: Understanding Differences..............................................91

Module Four: It Depends on Your Point of View....................................102

Contents
Module Five: Context and Cultures..................................................................... 113

Module Six:The Cultural Universals That Bind Us............................................... 130

Culminating Performance Task.............................................................................142

Unit Three: Service: You Can Make a Difference

Introduction:The Unit at a Glance.......................................................................144

Lesson One:Working for the Common Good......................................................147

Lesson Two:Who Works for the Common Good in Our Community?................ 151

Lesson Three: Peace Corps Service Projects..........................................................153

Lesson Four: Conducting Interviews in the Community.......................................159

Lesson Five:Why Does Service Matter?................................................................163

Lesson Six: Planning a Service Project..................................................................164

Culminating Performance Task.............................................................................170

Appendix

A. Curriculum Framework: Understanding by Design..........................................171

B.The Dominican Republic:An Overview...........................................................173

Map of the Dominican Republic......................................................................... 180

Bibliography of Print and Electronic Resources................................................... 181

Acknowledgments................................................................................................184

4 Coverdell World Wise Schools
Insights From the Field 5

Welcome to Coverdell World Wise Schools’ Insights From the Field:

Understanding Geography, Culture, and Service.We’ve designed this guide for

use with students in grades 6-12. Insights From the Field uses primary

source materials from the experience of Peace Corps Volunteers in countries around

the globe to make the study of geography, culture, and service come alive—and to

help your students achieve important curriculum standards.We hope the book will

help you engage your students’ minds, stir their hearts, and broaden their perspectives

on our diverse and interconnected world.

The Purpose of This Classroom Resource

The purpose of this book is to help you engage your students in an inquiry about

the themselves and others as they focus on a culture other than their own.We’ve put

together learning activities and performance tasks to help your students

● Learn important lessons about geography.

● Increase their understanding of other cultures.

● Broaden their perspectives on the world.

● Appreciate how they are connected to their world.

● Become inspired to engage in service to others.

Insights From the Field contains three instructional units—on geography, culture,

and service. We use the example of primary-source materials from Peace Corps

Volunteers serving in the Dominican Republic. Firsthand accounts of their lives and

work in the Dominican Republic serve as a vehicle for teaching content about geography, culture, and service. Keep in mind that your students will also be learning about

issues and concepts that can be applied to any developing country. You can find primary source materials from other countries and cultures (e.g., stories and letters written by Peace Corps Volunteers) on our Coverdell World Wise Schools Web site:

www.peacecorps.gov/wws/educators. These materials can be downloaded for classroom use.

Introduction
6 Coverdell World Wise Schools

The Peace Corps is an independent agency of the United States government that was established

through the vision and efforts of President John F. Kennedy, who challenged Americans to dedicate two years of their lives to helping people in developing countries.The Peace Corps mission

is to promote peace and friendship by making available willing and qualified U.S. citizens to interested countries to achieve the following three goals:

● To help the people of interested countries in meeting their needs for trained men and women

● To help other peoples get a better understanding of the American people 

● To help Americans get a better understanding of other peoples 

Since the first group arrived in Ghana in 1961, Peace Corps Volunteers have served in more

than 130 countries. Although programs vary from country to country based on the host nation’s

needs,Volunteers traditionally offer skills in education, agriculture, small business development,

community development, the environment, and health. Before placement at their sites,Volunteers

receive intensive training in the language and culture of their host countries as well as in technical skills. Cross-cultural training includes the study of the history, customs, and values of the host

country and prepares Volunteers to become part of a local community for their two years of service.By living and working within their communities, Peace Corps Volunteers not only learn about

the people of their host countries, but also offer their hosts around the world a chance to learn

about Americans.

About the Peace Corps

America has a rendevous with

what my friend Joseph

Campbell called a ‘mighty

muticultural future.’ But we

are not alone and the stone is

not at the bottom of the hill.

We have guides—[more than]

163,000 Peace Corps

Volunteers who have advanced

the trip.They have been going

where our country is going.

Out there in the world, as

John F. Kennedy might say, is

truly the new frontier.

Bill Moyers, journalist

and former deputy director of

the Peace Corps
Insights From the Field 7

Coverdell World Wise Schools

An innovative, global education program of the Peace

Corps, Coverdell World Wise Schools provides students in the United States with a real-world glimpse

of life in countries where Peace Corps Volunteers

serve. Since the program’s inception in 1989 at the

initiation of then Director of the Peace Corps Paul D.

Coverdell, more than three million students in 50

states have “put a face on a place” as they have experienced a country through the eyes, ears, hearts, and

minds of Peace Corps Volunteers.

Coverdell World Wise Schools contributes to the

third goal of the Peace Corps: to strengthen

Americans’understanding of the world and its people.

The program exists to engage students in inquiry

about the world, themselves, and others in order to

promote understanding, broaden perspectives, appreciate global connections, and encourage service.

The program provides resources focused on geography, culture, and service. It brings the experience of

Peace Corps Volunteers directly into the classroom

through the use of videos, study guides, curriculum

guides, stories, essays, and correspondence matches

that connect Peace Corps Volunteers with individual

classrooms. Coverdell World Wise Schools resources

are available on the World Wise Schools section of the

Peace Corps website, www. peacecorps.gov/wws.

When Peace Corps Volunteers return from overseas, they bring home knowledge of other peoples and

cultures. They understand that the ability of the

United States to function in the world community

depends on the extent to which the American people

understand life in other cultures, in other countries.

They know that global interdependence is a reality,

not just a catchword. Curriculum rooted in Volunteer

experiences and grounded in what the Peace Corps

knows about living and working effectively with others helps students understand other cultures and develop a respectful and thoughtful worldview based on the

firsthand knowledge and grassroots experience.

It is our hope that at the end of Insights From the

Field: Understanding Geography, Culture, and Service, you

and your students will have captured something of the

Peace Corps spirit and come away with a deeper

understanding of the yourselves and others.
8 Coverdell World Wise Schools

Enduring Understandings

Geography:

● Where you live influences how you live; yet all of us are connected with each other and

the world.

● To gain a complete and accurate picture of a country, you need to draw on multiple

sources of information and evaluate their quality and perspective.

● Natural disasters can be tragic; yet they can bring people together, reinforce interconnections, and reveal surprising traits of heroism.

● There are cultural universals (common needs that unite all people) that, despite our 

geographical and cultural differences, connect us with others in the world in a 

common bond of humanity.

Culture:

● Everyone has a culture. Culture is dynamic and powerful. It shapes how we see 

the world, ourselves, and others.

● Culture is like an iceberg; some aspects are observable, others are beneath the surface.

Invisible aspects influence/cause visible ones.To really understand another culture, you

need to understand both the visible and invisible aspects of culture.To be effective in

another culture, you must first understand your own.

This curriculum guide is standards-based and organized around big ideas (concepts, principles, and enduring

understandings) that cut across and transfer to other subject areas.The term “enduring understandings” comes

from the curriculum framework proposed by Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe in the 1998 ASCD publication

Understanding by Design and in the 1999 publication The Understanding by Design Handbook. Enduring understandings, as defined by Wiggins and McTighe, refer to important ideas or core processes that have lasting value

beyond the classroom. To determine enduring understandings, teachers are encouraged to ask: What do we

want students to understand and be able to use several years from now, after they have forgotten the details?

For a brief overview of the Understanding by Design framework and a definition of terms, see pages 171–172.

We have identified the following enduring understandings for this curriculum guide.

A Standards-Based Approach
Insights From the Field 9

Understanding someone from another culture can sometimes be hard, because people see the

world, themselves, and others in fundamentally different ways. People behave as they do because

of the things they believe in or value. People behave as they do for a reason. Beliefs vary from

person to person and from culture to culture.

● Crossing cultures is a complex process in which the ability to “read the context” and respond

appropriately is everything.The ability to cross cultures respectfully can bring greater harmony

and understanding into your school, community, and the world.

● It’s possible to misinterpret things people do in a cross-cultural setting.To keep from misinterpreting the behavior of others, you have to try to see the world from their point of view as 

well as your own.

● Despite cultural differences, there are cultural universals that unite all people in a common 

bond of humanity.

Service: 

● There is such a thing as “the common good,” and individuals can strengthen the common good

through various forms of citizen action.

● Service matters. People in many communities volunteer to make a difference.

● You can make a difference in your school or community in a number of ways.
10 Coverdell World Wise Schools

Standards,

Enduring

Understandings,

and Essential

Questions

Teachers everywhere are grappling with the realities of raising students’ performance and helping them master state and local content standards.Thus, we have made a special effort to link our

learning activities to key content standards, enduring understandings, and essential questions (see

examples on the opposite page) in the areas of geography, social studies, and language arts.We’ve

based the concepts and skills presented in this guide on the nationally recognized curriculum

content standards developed by the National Council for the Social Studies, the National

Geographic Society, the Corporation for National & Community Service, and the McREL

(Mid-Continent Regional Education Laboratory) database of standards. Visit the Web site

www.mcrel.org to access the database and learn more on how these standards were developed. For

a complete listing of the standards addressed in this curriculum guide, see pages 13 and 14.

Using the work of Wiggins and McTighe (1998, 1999), we related our selected content standards to “enduring understandings” (important concepts and big ideas that have lasting value

beyond the classroom) and “essential questions” (questions designed to provoke student curiosity, focus lessons, and stimulate inquiry).The chart on page 11 illustrates the relationship of standards to the enduring understandings and essential questions that we focus on in this curriculum guide.

The units in Insights From the Field focus on geography, culture, and service, in that order. Each

unit contains one or more modules designed to develop students’ knowledge and skills in a specific curriculum area. In turn, the modules are divided into lessons with specific objectives that

address the knowledge and skills related to the unit’s enduring understandings and curriculum

standards. The lessons contain engaging, real-world learning activities that prepare students to

apply their knowledge in a culminating performance assessment task (see Appendix A, page 171)

at the end of each unit. Each lesson also builds on and connects with the others within each

module.The lessons can be adapted for use with students in grades 6–12.

Within the modules and lessons are worksheets, which include maps, primary source materials for student research (e.g., transcripts of interviews with Peace Corps Volunteers), data charts,

activity guides, performance checklists, and graphic organizers that you can adapt or reproduce

for each lesson. In Appendix A, we provide you with an overview of the Understanding by Design

framework. In Appendix B, page 173, you can find a brief overview of the history, geography,

and culture of the Dominican Republic so that you have the background knowledge to place

the lesson in a broader context. (Keep in mind that we use the Dominican Republic only as a

vehicle for exploring a culture different from our own and for examining issues developing

countries face.) Finally, there is a bibliography of text and electronic learning resources.

Structure and

Organization

of this Guide
Insights From the Field 11

Human systems:The

characteristics, distribution, and complexity of Earth’s cultural

mosaics.

Explain how information and experiences

may be interpreted by

people of diverse cultural perspectives and

frames of reference.

Identify and describe

ways that regional,

ethnic, and national

cultures influence

people’s daily lives.

Recognize and interpret how “the common good” can be

strengthened through

various forms of 

citizen action.

Geography

Social Studies

Service

Where we live influences how we live.

People really do see the

world in fundamentally

different ways. People

behave as they do

because of the things

they believe in and

value. People behave as

they do for a reason.

Culture is dynamic and

powerful. It shapes how

we view the world, ourselves, and others.

There is such a thing as

“the common good.”

Individuals can strengthen the common good

through various forms

of citizen action.

How does where we

live influence how

we live?

What explains why

people see the world

in fundamentally 

different ways?

How does culture

shape the way we

understand the

world, ourselves, and 

others?

What does the 

“common good”

mean, and why does

it matter?

Enduring Essential 

Standards Understandings Questions

Table A
12 Coverdell World Wise Schools

You can use this guide in a variety of ways to meet your own needs:

● As stand-alone curriculum units

● As a resource to enrich your content curriculum

● As individual units you can adapt to meet your students’ needs

● As selected modules and lessons that you can use on an as-needed basis for the study of

many cultures

The video that accompanies this curriculum guide,Destination: Dominican Republic, is one of 12

World Wise Schools videos on countries such as Senegal, Cameroon, Nepal, Lithuania, Poland,

Krygystan, Honduras, and Paraguay.These videos bring the geography, culture, and Peace Corps

Volunteers’ service in another culture to life. Our World Wise Schools videos put a face on a

place and can stimulate students’ interests in thinking about similarities and differences across

cultures. In this book, we have included pre-video and post-video viewing activities to be used

with the vidoe Destination: Dominican Republic.You can use these video-viewing activities with

videos on other countries as well.

Reflection plays an important part in the exploration of concepts and ideas, especially when

your goal is to deepen student understanding of the world. Journal writing provides an opportunity for students to think about their own lives, how they’re connected with others, and questions that often don’t have easy answers. Journaling is a two-way communication vehicle

between teachers and students. It provides a living record of how student thinking is maturing

over time. For these reasons, we have made journal prompts and student journal entries an

important part of each lesson.We’ve used journal writing for a number of different purposes:

● To access students’ prior knowledge

● To help students summarize what they’ve learned

● To provoke student thought

● To have students reflect on their learning

Flexible Use:

Making

Connections:

Student Journals

The Video:

Destination:

Dominican

Republic
Insights From the Field 13

National Geography Standards

The World in Spatial Terms

Geography is the study of the relationships between people, places, and environments by

mapping information about them into a spatial context.

The geographically informed person knows and understands

● How to use maps and other geographic representations, tools (e.g., charts and graphs),

and technologies to acquire, process, and report information from a spatial perspective.

● How to analyze the spatial organization of people, places, and environments on the

Earth’s surface.

Human Systems

People are central to geography in that human activities help shape Earth’s surface, human

settlements and structures are part of Earth’s surface, and humans compete for control of

Earth’s surface.

The geographically informed person knows and understands

● The characteristics, distribution, and complexity of Earth’s cultural mosaics.

National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) Standards

Culture (NCSS Theme I)

Social studies programs should include experiences that provide for the study of culture and

cultural diversity so that the learner can

● Compare similarities and differences in the ways groups, societies, and cultures meet

human needs and concerns.

● Explain how information and experiences may be interpreted by people from diverse

cultural perspectives and frames of reference.

Individual Development and Identity (NCSS Theme IV)

Social studies programs should include experiences that provide for the study of individual

development and identity so that the learner can

● Identify and describe ways in which regional, ethnic, and national cultures influence

individuals’ daily lives.

● Identify and describe the influence of perception, attitudes, values, and beliefs on personal identity.

Civic Ideals and Practices (NCSS Theme X)

Social studies programs should include experiences that provide for the study of the ideals,

principles, and practices of citizenship in a democratic republic so that the learner can

● Recognize and interpret how the “common good” can be strengthened through various forms of citizen action.

● Examine strategies designed to strengthen the “common good,” which consider a

range of options for citizen action.

● Participate in activities to strengthen the “common good,” based upon careful evaluation of possible options for citizen action.

Content Standards

Addressed in 

This Guide
14 Coverdell World Wise Schools

Service-Learning Standards (Adapted from the Corporation for National & Community Service

and the Alliance for Service-Learning Reform)

The learner will be able to design an individual or group project that

● Meets actual community needs.

● Is coordinated in collaboration with a community.

● Is integrated into the academic curriculum.

● Facilitates active student reflection.

● Uses academic skills and knowledge in real-world settings.

● Helps develop a sense of caring for and about others.

● Improves the quality of life for those served.

Language Arts Standards

(Identified by the Mid-Continent Regional Education Laboratory) 

Standard 1: The learner will be able to demonstrate competence in the general skills and strategies of the

writing process.

Standard 4: The learner will gather and use information for research purposes.

Standard 5: The learner will demonstrate competence in the general strategies of the reading process.

Standard 6: The learner will demonstrate competence in the general skills and strategies for reading a 

variety of informational and literary texts.

Standard 8: The learner will demonstrate competence in speaking and listening as tools for learning.
Insights From the Field 15

The Unit at a Glance

We’ve designed this unit to enhance student understanding of the human and physical

aspects of geography, using the Dominican Republic as an example. It’s divided into four

separate modules, each of which contains a number of lessons that can be adapted for students in grades 6-12. Each module is organized around one or more enduring understandings and essential questions. All modules revisit, from a different vantage point, the major

theme Where we live influences how we live. Because of this, you can adapt individual lessons in

a module to the study of any country you wish.This unit is flexible.You can teach the entire

unit, or you can select particular modules, or you can adapt the modules or lessons to meet

your students’ needs. Each of the modules is designed to deepen students’ understanding of

the geography of the Dominican Republic—and of the concept of geography in general.

Together, the lessons “put a face on a place” and help students understand that, despite geographical differences, we are all connected in a common bond of humanity.

This is a standards-based unit, designed to address the standards of the National Council

for the Social Studies and the National Geographic Standards, as well as the Language Arts

Standards identified by McREL (Mid-Continent Regional Education Laboratory).We’ve

also organized this unit around four enduring understandings.As noted in the introduction,

these are important ideas and core skills that have lasting value beyond the classroom.They

involve generalizations that will endure over time (Wiggins and McTighe 1999).

Enduring Understandings

The enduring understandings for this unit:

● Where we live influences how we live; yet all of us are connected with each other

and the world.

● To gain a complete and accurate picture of a country, you need to draw on multiple sources of information and evaluate their quality and their perspective.

● Natural disasters can be tragic. However, they can bring people together, reinforce

interconnections, and reveal surprising traits of heroism.

● Working together to respond to a natural disaster can unite us with others in a

common bond of humanity.

Geography: It’s More Than Just a Place

Unit One 
16 Coverdell World Wise Schools

Essential Questions

We have organized the four modules in this unit to address a number of “essential questions,” related directly to

the enduring understandings above, and intended to guide teaching and evoke student curiosity and interest.

Because they are designed to stimulate student thinking and discussion, essential questions are open-ended and

do not have an obvious “right” answer.The essential questions:

● How does where we live influence how we live?

● Why does where we live influence how we live?

● No matter where we live, how are we all connected with each other and the world?

● How does using multiple sources of information give us a more accurate picture of a place and its people?

● Why do we need to evaluate the quality and accuracy of information we find?

● How is our picture of a country dependent on the sources we use to investigate it?

● How can responding to natural disasters unite a community?

● How can working together to respond to a natural disaster bind people together in a common bond of

humanity?

Topical Questions

Topical questions flow from essential questions, but are more narrowly focused and content-specific (McTighe

and Wiggins 1999).While essential questions can be used for the study of many different countries, the topical

questions in this unit are specific to the Dominican Republic. The table on page 18 shows the relationship

between enduring understandings, essential questions, and topical questions for this unit.

Knowledge and Skills

While organized around enduring understandings and essential questions, this unit also targets specific knowledge and skills.These are listed below.

KNOWLEDGE

Students will know

● The location, topography, and major cities of the Dominican Republic.

● That where you live influences how you live.

● That one data source alone does not present a complete picture of life and people in a country.

● That deep understanding of a country and its people requires us to look at multiple sources of information

and evaluate their accuracy and quality.

● That despite the destruction caused by natural disasters, the disasters can bring people together, reinforce

interconnections, and reveal surprising traits of heroism.

● There exist “cultural universals” that, in spite of differences across cultures, unite us in a common humanity.
Insights From the Field 17

SKILLS

Students will be able to

● Explain how where you live influences how you live.

● Explain why and how, no matter where we may live, we are all connected

with the world.

● Interpret charts that identify the Dominican Republic’s demographics and

reflect on what they reveal.

● Compare the demographics of the Dominican Republic with those of the

United States to expand students’ perspectives about the nature of different

places and cultures.

● Explain the dynamics of hurricanes and demonstrate empathy for the people

in the Dominican Republic whose lives have been affected by hurricanes.

● Explain how natural disasters can frequently bring people together in new

and unexpected ways.

Assessing Student Understanding

We believe that a variety of strategies are needed to fully assess understanding. In

this unit we’ve used the following strategies:

● Written products in response to academic prompts

● Journal reflections in response to academic prompts

● Formal observations of student work on maps, graphic organizers, and

demographic charts

● Student self-assessment checklists 

● Peer review and feedback

● Culminating performance tasks

I can never again stir lumps of very

cheap sugar into a cup of Irish

breakfast tea without reflecting on

the international relations of production and consumption that forced my

old neighbor and friend, Biu,... at

the age of 43 and following 15

pregnancies, to wrap a cloth around

her head and shoulder a focie

(sharp hoe) to work clearing sugar

plantations for $1.25 a day so that

she could try to feed her children.

Nancy Schepher-Hughes 

Anthropologist

(RPCV Brazil) 
18 Coverdell World Wise Schools

Essential Questions

● How does where we live influence how we live?

● No matter where we live, how

are we all interconnected with

one another and the world?

● How does using multiple sources

of information give us a more

accurate picture of a place and its

people?

● Why do we need to evaluate the

quality and accuracy of information we find? 

● How is our picture of a country

dependent on the sources we use

to investigate it?

● How can responding to natural

disasters unite a community?

● How can responding to natural

disasters unite people from different countries in a common

bond of humanity?

Topical Questions

● How does living in the United

States influence how we live?

● How does living in the

Dominican Republic influence

how people there live?

● How is living in an urban area

different from living in a rural

area?

● How are people in the United

States connected with the people

in the Dominican Republic?

● What sources of information will

give us the most accurate picture

of the Dominican Republic?

● How do we evaluate the quality

and accuracy of the information

about the Dominican Republic

that we find?

● How will our picture of the

Dominican Republic be influenced by the information sources

we use to investigate it?

● How did their response to

Hurricane Georges unite people

living in the Domincan

Republic?

● How did responding to the devastation caused by Hurricane

Georges unite people from different countries in a common bond

of humanity?

Enduring Understandings

● Where we live influences how we

live, yet all of us are connected

with each other and the world.

● To gain a complete and accurate

picture of a country, you need to

draw on multiple sources of

information—and evaluate their

quality and their perspective.

● Natural disasters can be tragedies.

However, they can bring people

together, reinforce interconnections, and reveal surprising traits

of heroism.

● Working together to respond to a

natural disaster can bind people

together in a common bond of

humanity.

Table B
Insights From the Field 19

National Geography Standards

The World in Spatial Terms

Geography is the study of the relationships between people, places, and environments by mapping

information about them into a spatial context.

The geographically informed person knows and understands

● How to use maps and other geographic representations, tools (e.g., charts and graphs), and 

technologies to acquire, process and report information from a spatial perspective.

● How to analyze the spatial organization of people, places, and environments on the Earth’s 

surface.

Human Systems

People are central to geography in that human activities help shape Earth’s surface, human settlements

and structures are part of Earth’s surface, and humans compete for control of Earth’s surface.

The geographically informed person knows and understands

● The characteristics, distribution, and complexity of Earth’s cultural mosaics.

National Council for the Social Studies Standards

Culture (NCSS Theme I)

Social studies programs should include experiences that provide for the study of culture and cultural

diversity so that the learner can

● Compare similarities and differences in the ways groups, societies, and cultures meet human needs

and concerns.

● Explain how information and experiences may be interpreted by people from diverse cultural

perspectives and frames of reference.

Individual Development and Identity (NCSS Theme IV)

Social studies programs should include experiences that provide for the study of individual development and identity so that the learner can

● Identify and describe ways in which regional, ethnic, and national cultures influence individuals’

daily lives.

● Identify and describe the influence of perception, attitudes, values, and beliefs on personal identity.

Language Arts Standards (Identified by the Mid-Continent Regional Education Laboratory) 

● The learner demonstrates competence in the general skills and strategies of the writing process.

● The learner demonstrates competence in the general skills and strategies for reading a variety of

informational texts.

● The learner will gather and use information for research purposes.

● The learner will demonstrate competence in speaking and listening as tools for learning.

Content

Standards

Addressed 

in This Unit
20 Coverdell World Wise Schools

The Module at a Glance

By focusing on life in the United States as compared with life in the Dominican Republic,

students will begin to explore the essential question How does where we live influence how we

live?They will locate the Dominican Republic on a map and examine primary source data

on the Dominican Republic in the form of written observations about geography and climate from Peace Corps Volunteers who have served there. This module is organized to

address the enduring understanding, essential question, and content standards listed in the

sidebar on page 21.

Lesson One: Where in the World Is the Dominican Republic?

Objectives ● Students will be able to explain how where they live influences how they live.

● Students will be able to locate the Dominican Republic and its major cities on a

map of the Western Hemisphere.

Instructions 

1. Present students with the essential question How does where we live influence how we

live? Invite responses. Next, ask students to reflect on the place they call home and

how their own physical surroundings (location, population, climate, physical features, etc.) influence the way they live.

2. To further student thinking about where they live, provide categories, such as the

jobs that are available, the type of homes people live in, the transportation systems

available to them, the things they do to have fun, the clothing people wear, the food

they eat, and so on.Ask students to generate examples for each category.

3. Ask students if they lived somewhere else in the world, in a place that was very different, how their lives might be different. Give examples such as, if they lived in

Alaska instead of Florida; if they lived in Los Angeles instead of in a small suburban

town in Kentucky; if they lived in the mountains instead of by the ocean; in Canada

or France instead of in the United States; on a farm rather than in a city.

Geography Unit — Module One

Where We Live Influences How We Live

Afoot and light-hearted 

I take to the open road,

Healthy, free, the world before me,

The long brown path before me

leading wherever I choose.

Walt Whitman, Poet
Insights From the Field 21

4. Ask students to draw conclusions about how where we live influences how

we live.Write their conclusions on the board.

5. Provide students with a copy of the graphic organizer on Worksheet #1:

How Does Where You Live Influence How You Live? on page 22.Ask them to

reflect on the categories listed on the graphic organizer and then to

describe (in writing) life in the United States in those categories, based

on their own experiences.

6. When they have finished writing, students should compare their responses with a partner’s.

7. Using a world map, ask students to locate the Dominican Republic.

Mention that the Dominican Republic shares the island of Hispaniola

with Haiti, that its capital is Santo Domingo, and that it is just 600 miles

south of Florida. Also mention that it is the first place that Columbus

landed in 1492.

8. Ask students, given the location of the Dominican Republic, what

assumptions can they make about how where we live influences how we

live (e.g.,“it’s south of Florida, so it must be warm”). Have students make

a list of assumptions or predictions about what life might be like in the

Dominican Republic.This can be done in small groups or as a class.

9. Show students a map of the Dominican Republic (see page 180). Ask

them to circle the capital, Santo Domingo, and the “second capital,”

Santiago. Next ask them to find and circle Pico Duarte (Duarte Peak), the

highest mountain in the West Indies.

10. Tell the students that, since 1962, approximately 3,200 Peace Corps

Volunteers have served in the Dominican Republic. Currently there

roughly 150 serving there.The projects in which they serve include agricultural improvement, education, environmental awareness, forestry,

health, water sanitation, and small-business development in urban and

rural areas.

11. Ask students to circle on their maps several cities and towns where Peace

Corps Volunteers have served: Moca (north central), Sabaneta (northwest), Samana (east), and Hato Mayor (southeast). Let students know that,

later in the lesson, they will be reading what Peace Corps Volunteers had

to say about life in these areas.

Enduring Understanding

Where we live influences how we live.

Essential Question 

How does where you live influence

how you live?

Standards

National Geography Standards:

● How to analyze the spatial organization of people, places, and environments on the Earth’s surface.

Language Arts Standard:

● The learner will demonstrate

competence in the general skills

and strategies for reading a variety

of informational and literary texts.

Assessments

Journal Entries; completion of graphic

organizers.

Materials

Map of the Dominican Republic;

Primary Source Packet: Interviews with

Peace Corps Volunteers Serving in the

Dominican Republic

Time

Two days
22 Coverdell World Wise Schools

Worksheet #1

You live in the United States. 

How does where you live influence how you live?

● The effect of weather and climate on people’s daily lives

● The effect of geographic features (mountains, rivers, forests, oceans, etc.) on daily life

● The kind of transportation that is available to people

● The ways in which people earn a living

● The types of homes in which people live

● The kinds of roads on which people travel

● The availability of water and other necessities of life

Directions: Please provide examples for each category below.
Insights From the Field 23

Lesson Two: Geography, Climate, and Community 

in the Dominican Republic

Objectives

● Students will be able to use primary source materials on the Dominican Republic to

explore the question: How does where you live influence how you live?

● Students will be able to describe the geography and climate of the Dominican 

Republic.

● Students will be able to describe ways in which life in the Dominican Republic 

is similar to, and different from, life in the United States.

Instructions

1. We’d like to suggest that you introduce the geography of the Dominican Republic to your

students by using scenarios that add purpose, curiosity, and importance to their study.

Scenarios invite students to step into a real-world situation and ask: What do I need to

know about this place? How will this place affect how I live? You’ll find some scenarios

below. Or you and your students can come up with your own.

2. SCENARIOS:Ask students what they would want or need to know if

● They just learned that their family is moving to the Dominican Republic.

● They were going to participate in a student exchange program and live in the

Dominican Republic for a summer or a semester.

● They were about to graduate from college and begin their first job working for an

international business that is sending them to work in the Dominican Republic. Have

students jot down items individually. Follow with a class discussion. Make a list on the

chalkboard or an overhead projector of frequently mentioned items.

3. Inform students that they are now going to learn about life in the Dominican Republic

from the real-world experience of Peace Corps Volunteers who have served there. Mention

that these are primary source documents.Volunteers were either interviewed or asked to

complete a questionnaire that focused on what life was like in the Dominican Republic.

4. Provide each student with a copy of one of the two Primary Source Packets on pages 26–36.

There is one packet for middle school students and another, more extensive one for high

school students.The packets contain primary source material that summarizes Peace Corps

Volunteers’ impressions and feelings about the location and the community where they

served—and also about the geography and climate of the Dominican Republic.
24 Coverdell World Wise Schools

5. We suggest that you organize this learning experience as a cooperative learning “jigsaw” activity. Divide students into groups of three. In their groups of three, each student will be reading different material in the Primary Source Packet. Designate students

in each group as #1, #2, or #3. Student #1 will be reading about “My Location,”

Student #2 will be reading about “My Community,” and Student #3 will be reading

about “Geography and Climate.”

6. Have all #1s move to one table; have all #2s move to another table; and have all #3s

move to another table.Ask students to read their section silently and then, at your signal, have them discuss what they have learned with the others at their table.

7. Provide each table with enough copies of the graphic organizer on Worksheet #2 for

all students.Ask students to record notes on the organizer as they are reading and discussing their assigned section of the Primary Source Packet.

8. After students have read about their assigned topic and recorded their findings on the

graphic organizer, ask them to return to their original group of three with their completed graphic organizer and share their responses with the other two students in their

group. As they are listening to and learning from their partners, ask students to take

additional notes on their graphic organizers.

9. After listening to their partners and searching the Peace Corps Volunteers’ information

for answers, the class should come together to discuss:

● What picture is emerging of the Dominican Republic?

● Is it a complete picture?

● How would your life be different if you lived in the Dominican Republic? How

would it be the same?

● How accurate were your initial assumptions about the Dominican Republic as

compared with what you have learned?

● Have each student add additional information under each question on Worksheet

#2.

Journal Entry

Ask students to reflect on the following two questions and to record their answers in their

journals:

● Compare your life in the United States with life in the Dominican Republic, based

on the categories provided in the two graphic organizers you’ve completed

(Worksheets #1 and #2) and the Volunteer quotes.

● Describe what you’ve discovered about how “where you live influences how you live.”

Each country has its own way

of saying things.The important

thing is that which lies behind

people’s words.

Freya Stark,Author
Insights From the Field 25

Worksheet #2

You live in the Dominican Republic. 

How does where you live influence how you live?

● The effect of weather and climate on people’s daily lives

● The effect of geographic features (mountains, rivers, forests, oceans, etc.) on daily life

● The kind of transportation that is available to people

● The ways in which people earn a living

● The types of homes in which people live

● The kinds of roads people on which travel on

● The availability of water and other necessities of life

Directions: Read the Volunteers’ quotes in your Primary Resource Packet 

and write examples under each category.
Primary Source Packet (Middle School Level)

Interviews With Peace Corps Volunteers Serving in the Dominican Republic 

26 Coverdell World Wise Schools

During my two years of Peace Corps service, I have

lived in two different areas of the country. My first

year of service was in a village, El Arrozal, in the

region of Monte Cristi. Monte Cristi is located on

the northwest tip of the island. My first site was in

a town called Villa Vasquez, in the community of El

Arrozal.Villa Vasquez is located 20 minutes from the

town of Monte Cristi. It is a two-hour ride to

Santiago, the second capital, and an additional three

to Santo Domingo.Traveling from Santo Domingo

to Villa Vasquez was a great way to learn about the

climate and the landscape. You pass through rice

fields, mountainsides, plains, deserts, and various

colors of soil—red, brown, black, and white. The

My Location

I live in the village of La Pina, in the northwest of

the country, in the hills of the central mountain

range. I am nine kilometers south of the town of

Los Almacigos. It is a 25- to 35-minute motorcycle

ride up and down hills on a dirt road. It’s a bumpy

ride, but it’s breathtaking: a view of palms, pines, and

rolling hills of farms. Once in town, it’s another 15-

kilometer ride northeast to the provincial capital of

Sabaneta. It takes an hour, on average, in a crowded

minivan. Once in Sabaneta, it takes anywhere from

four to six hours to get to the capital, Santo

Domingo. It’s a long but beautiful trip through all

parts of the country: mountains, cities, rivers, lush

forests and deforested areas, and fields of rice and

farms of plantains.

—Alexandra Fowler

area of Villa Vasquez is desert, similar to Arizona,

with cacti and few trees.The climate is dry with little to no rain.

My current site is Santo Domingo. I live in a

town about 45 minutes from the center of Santo

Domingo on public buses or cars.The town is not

much different from a large town in the United

States. There are large buildings 20 stories high,

resort hotels, banks, supermarkets, shopping centers,

casinos, fast food restaurants, six-island gas stations

with food marts, and a lot of traffic.The climate is

humid, and there’s a v ariety of trees—from palm

trees to fir trees.

—Michele Stora
Insights From the Field 27

Las Lagunas has a population of about 5,000, and

the town is spread out along a rolling plateau.The

houses are most densely placed at the entrance of

the town.The quality of life worsens as you travel

away from the entrance of the town. Most houses

are constructed of palm-wood planks with concrete

floors. Only the families that live in concrete houses have water running directly to their houses.The

I live about halfway up a mountain in a beautiful

valley. The community is in the south-central part

of the country. It’s about three hours from the capital. For part of the trip to my village, Los Martinez,

I get into a big, old Chevrolet along with eight people, or I use our community’s truck, if it’s a transport day—Wednesday, Saturday, or Sunday. Our

truck is bright red. It’s always full of people sitting

on top of sacks of vegetables and usually has chickens tied on the back. On the trip, you see tall, green

mountains in the distance.When you reach the bottom of the mountain, you either continue up in the

truck or get out of the car and wait for someone

with a horse or motorcycle to give you a ride. Our

road is really steep and winding.When it rains, it is

impassible in a vehicle. But once you reach the top,

you can see the ocean. The scenery is amazingly

beautiful. —Leslie Dominguez

majority of houses have outdoor latrines and zinc

roofs. The primary source of income is farming.

Few farmers are able to produce crops on a large

scale.They produce only enough to feed their families. I would say that my town is similar to the

majority of villages in the Dominican Republic.

—Kristen Caputo
28 Coverdell World Wise Schools

El Arrozal, my first site, was a small barrio (neighborhood) outside of Villa Vasquez. Fewer than 600

people live there. The barrio has three different

housing sectors.The first sector has two-story concrete buildings that contain four three-bedroom

apartments each.The apartments are constructed of

concrete.They are painted in bright colors—usually blue, green, or pink.They have a closed front balcony, a small kitchen, a living room/dining room,

bathroom with modern facilities, and a small utility

room off the kitchen.The second sector, behind the

first, consists of small two-room wooden houses

with dirt floors. Usually one room is used as a bedroom and the other as an all-purpose room. The

kitchen is located outside but is connected to the

house by a roof.The bathroom is also outside and

divided into two separate, sectioned-off areas. One

is the latrine and the other is used for bathing.The

third sector, where I lived, is made up of concreteblock houses. Corrugated zinc is used for the roofs.

The houses have either three or four rooms,a front

porch, and concrete floors.The bathrooms are similar to the wooden-house sector.The neighborhood

has no running water, but does have electricity.The

majority of women are housewives or employees in

other people’s homes.The majority of men work in

the local rice fields. The families who live in the

apartments in the first sector are mainly teachers

and office workers.

My second site, in a town just outside of Santo

Domingo, the capital, is very modern and the exact

opposite of El Arrozal.The town is similar to many

of the larger towns in the country. It has running

water, electricity, paved streets, open-air produce

markets, pharmacies, corner stores, ice cream shops,

hardware stores,and specialty stores.The majority of

houses are constructed of concrete.

—Michele Stora

My Community

About 30,000 people live in Hato Del Yaque now,

but it wasn’t always like this. My community is

called a ‘government relocation project.’ In 1979,

there was a large hurricane in the Dominican

Republic, and all the people who lived alongside

the river in Santiago lost their homes. For the next

two years, these people had to live in a school while

they got their lives back together.The government

tried to help by building a community about 10

kilometers outside Santiago,which is now Hato Del

Yaque.The town consists of six long, straight streets

of concrete duplex houses. Each side of the duplex

is the same. They all have four rooms—two bedrooms, a living room, and a kitchen.There is an outside bathroom with a latrine and septic tank.There

are no paved roads or telephones.There is running

water, but it is available only every few days for a

few hours.When the water comes, we fill our tanks

and then use it as needed.There is also electricity,

but it usually goes out for at least a few hours every

night.

—Niki Scott
Insights From the Field 29

The population of the city of Hato Mayor is

between 50,000 and 60,000. In this small city, there

is a small concentration of upper- and middle-class

Dominicans. The bulk of the population is lowermiddle-class and poor.When I first came here, I was

surprised at the size of the commercial district. In

addition to innumerable corner grocery stores

throughout the town, there are blocks of stores of

virtually any kind, such as hardware, appliances,

I have the good fortune of living in a rural fishing

village off the beautiful Samana Bay.The houses are

brightly colored and made of wood or concrete

blocks with smooth-finished walls.The population

is about 1,500.The main sources of income are fishing and agriculture. The village has lush greenery

year-round due to a propensity to rain in the area,

and a nice breeze coming off the water. I live in a

small, pale-green concrete-block house about 20

yards from the beach. I sometimes worry about

hurricanes, as I live along the ‘hurricane route’ and

my house only has a zinc roof.The village is isolated, with access only through a single poorly constructed dirt road. —Darshana Patel

travel agencies, clothing, and shoe stores. I can buy

the same basic food here as I can in the capital. My

house is made of concrete blocks with a zinc roof.

It can only be described as small.The total inside,

door-to-door measurements are 22 feet by 10 feet,

which is divided into a living room, a bedroom, and

a kitchen. I have a fully functioning indoor bathroom with a shower.The furnishings are basic and I

love it! —Mary Bosy
30 Coverdell World Wise Schools

I live in a hot place, so rain plays an important role

in daily life. It provides drinking water and fills the

rivers for washing clothes and bathing.Yet, people

won’t go out in the rain. Sometimes meetings are

called off because of rain, and children are kept

home from school. This is particularly true in the

countryside.

—James Weglarz

The country is very mountainous and varied. I live

in the northeast, where it is flat and dry. It usually

rains every day from May to January.We have had a

dry year this year, to the extent that rivers dried up,

but it has started to rain again and the rivers are

Geography and Climate

The physical geography and climate dominate the

lives of the people in my community, because the

people are dependent on the land. If there is too

much or too little rain, their lives grow very difficult. If it’s very hot or raining, people stay home. No

work can be done outside when it rains, and children often are kept from school because of the rain.

The climate reflects the physical appearance of my

community: If the weather has been good, the fields

will be filled with healthy crops, the people will be

happy, and the grocery store shelves will be brimming with goods. If the weather has been bad, the

opposite situation occurs.

—Kristen Caputo

flowing and clean. The weather is very hot and

humid most of the time, with winters a little cooler at night.When it does rain a lot, rivers can flood

and lock people in for a week or so.

—Margaret Borelli
Insights From the Field 31

Primary Source Packet (High School Level)

Interviews With Peace Corps Volunteers Serving in the Dominican Republic 

I live in the village of La Pina, in the northwest of

the country, in the hills of the central mountain

range. I am nine kilometers south of the town of

Los Almacigos. It is a 25- to 35-minute motorcycle

ride up and down hills on a dirt road. It’s a bumpy

ride, but it’s breathtaking: a view of palms, pines, and

rolling hills of farms. Once in town, it’s another 15-

kilometer ride northeast to the provincial capital of

My Location 

I live in the town of Hato Del Yaque, just outside of

Santiago, which is the second largest city in the

country. It’s in the middle of the country, so there

are a lot of people who have never even seen the

beach.Although the beach is only a couple of hours

away, most people don’t have money to travel for

pleasure.To get to my town from Santo Domingo,

the capital, I can catch a bus that goes straight to

Santiago along a four-lane highway.The ride takes

about two hours, and the scenery is varied. There

are lots of hills covered with palm trees and even

some pine trees between big green rice fields.When

I arrive in Santiago, I have to catch a public car.

These cars run a specific route like a bus, and stop

so people can get off and on.The big difference is

it’s a car—three people in front (including the driver) and four in the back. At the bridge, I catch a

minivan to my town.We have to wait until the van

fills up before we go.‘Full’ is about 25 people, so it’s

very crowded. It takes about 15 or 20 minutes to

get from the bridge to my house. The road passes

through city neighborhoods and rice and pineapple

fields.

—Niki Scott

Sabaneta. It takes an hour, on average, in a crowded

minivan. Once in Sabaneta, it takes anywhere from

four to six hours to get to the capital, Santo

Domingo. It’s a long but beautiful trip through all

parts of the country: mountains, cities, rivers, lush

forests and deforested areas, and fields of rice and

farms of plantains.

—Alexandra Fowler
32 Coverdell World Wise Schools

I live in the town of Las Lagunas. It is located in the

southwest of the country. It is the closest town to

Pico Duarte, the highest peak in the Dominican

Republic. My town sits on a plateau about 3,000

feet high.The geography is rough. It is forested but

not densely.The main tree is pine. On public transportation, it takes between four and six hours to get

from Las Lagunas to Santo Domingo. From the capital to my place, one takes a bus going to Azua.

During my two years of Peace Corps service, I have

lived in two different areas of the country. My first

year of service was in a village, El Arrozal, in the

region of Monte Cristi. Monte Cristi is located on

the northwest tip of the island. My first site was in

a town called Villa Vasquez, in the community of El

Arrozal.Villa Vasquez is located 20 minutes from the

town of Monte Cristi. It is a two-hour ride to

Santiago, the second capital, and an additional three

to Santo Domingo.Traveling from Santo Domingo

to Villa Vasquez was a great way to learn about the

climate and the landscape. You pass through rice

fields, mountainsides, plains, deserts, and various

colors of soil—red, brown, black, and white. The

area of Villa Vasquez is desert, similar to Arizona,

with cacti and few trees.The climate is dry with little to no rain.

My current site is Santo Domingo. I live in a

town about 45 minutes from the center of Santo

Domingo on public buses or cars.The town is not

much different from a large town in the United

States. There are large buildings 20 stories high,

resort hotels, banks, supermarkets, shopping centers,

casinos, fast food restaurants, six-island gas stations

with food marts, and a lot of traffic.The climate is

humid, and there’s a v ariety of trees—from palm

trees to fir trees.

—Michele Stora

Once in Azua, you take another bus to Padre las

Casas. Then you take a truck up the mountain to

my site. Once you leave the capital and begin to

travel west, the landscape is flat and supports either

mesquite or cactus, or it’s flat farm land. In the far

distance, you can see many mountain ranges. Once

through Azua, you begin to climb in elevation and

the vegetation grows greener. Population density is

highest in the major cities. —Kristen Caputo 
Insights From the Field 33

My town, Hato Mayor, is located 65 miles northeast

of the capital city, Santo Domingo, almost midway

between the Caribbean Sea to the south and the

Atlantic Ocean to the north. Hato Mayor is really a

small city with a population of between 50,000 and

60,000. Physically, Hato Mayor is not very attractive, but the surrounding countryside is lovely.This

is cattle and citrus fruit country, and even with the

I live about halfway up a mountain in a beautiful

valley.The community is in the south-central part of

the country. It’s about three hours from the capital.

For part of the trip to my village, Los Martinez, I get

into a big, old Chevrolet along with eight people, or

I use our community’s truck, if it’s a transport day—

Wednesday, Saturday, or Sunday. Our truck is bright

red. It’s always full of people sitting on top of sacks

of vegetables and usually has chickens tied on the

back. On the trip, you see tall, green mountains in

the distance. When you reach the bottom of the

mountain, you either continue up in the truck or

get out of the car and wait for someone with a horse

or motorcycle to give you a ride. Our road is really

steep and winding.When it rains, it is impassible in

a vehicle. Once you reach the top, you can see the

ocean.The scenery is amazingly beautiful.

—Leslie Dominguez

erratic rainfall of the past few years, the hills and

trees and pastures are green and lush.Travel between

Hato Mayor and Santo Domingo takes about two

and a half hours on a small commercial bus. Along

the way, you see sugarcane fields and various beach

resorts on the Caribbean. Traffic becomes more

congested as you head into Santo Domingo.

—Mary Bosy
34 Coverdell World Wise Schools

La Pina is a small village whose inhabitants are

mainly farmers. Of course, there are teachers and

store owners, but most men spend their days on the

hillsides planting and harvesting sugar cane, yucca,

sweet potatoes, beans, peas, rice, and plantains.The

women spend most of the day cooking and cleaning.They sweep and mop their houses, wash their

About 30,000 people live in Hato Del Yaque now,

but it wasn’t always like this. My community is what

is called a ‘government relocation project.’ In 1979,

there was a large hurricane in the Dominican

Republic and all the people who lived alongside the

river in Santiago lost their homes. For the next two

years,these people had to live in a school while they

got their lives back together.The government tried

to help by building a community about 10 kilometers outside Santiago, which is now Hato Del Yaque.

The town consists of six long, straight streets of

My Community

I live in Los Campachos. It has a population of

about 2,000 people. Closer to the town of Moca,

there are nice looking concrete houses with spacious yards, but also poorer looking wooden shacks.

The primary source of income is agriculture (plantains, yucca, and bananas) and raising animals (pigs,

chickens, and goats). I hear roosters before the crack

of dawn and horses’ hooves in the early morning,

carrying food for the animals. People work very

hard and get up before the sun rises to begin their

daily chores.

—Juvy Bertoldo

concrete duplex houses. Each side of the duplex is

the same.They all have four rooms—two bedrooms,

a living room, and a kitchen. There is an outside

bathroom with a latrine and a septic tank.There are

no paved roads or telephones. Running water is

available once every few days for a few hours.There 

is also electricity, but it usually goes out for at least

a few hours every night. Hato Del Yaque is not just

the government houses any more. Lots of people

have moved here from the country during the last

10 years. —Niki Scott

clothes by hand, and cook over a wood- or

propane-fueled earth stove. The kitchen is almost

always a detached structure. The houses are most

often made of wood. My little cottage is a pine

house with a zinc roof that reaches unbelievably

high temperatures in the summer.

—Alexandra Fowler
Insights From the Field 35

I have the good fortune of living in a rural fishing

village off the beautiful Samana Bay.The houses are

brightly colored and made of wood or concrete

blocks with smooth-finished walls.The population

is about 1,500.The main sources of income are fishing and agriculture. The village has lush greenery

year-round due to a propensity to rain in the area,

El Arrozal, my first site, was a small barrio (neighborhood) outside of Villa Vasquez. Fewer than 600

people live there. The barrio has three different

housing sectors.The first sector has two-story concrete buildings that contain four three-bedroom

apartments each.The apartments are constructed of

concrete.They are painted in bright colors—usually blue, green, or pink.They have a closed front balcony, a small kitchen, a living room/dining room,

bathroom with modern facilities, and a small utility

room off the kitchen.The second sector, behind the

first, consists of small two-room wooden houses

with dirt floors. Usually one room is used as a bedroom and the other as an all-purpose room. The

kitchen is located outside but is connected to the

house by a roof.The bathroom is also outside and

divided into two separate, sectioned-off areas. One

is the latrine and the other is used for bathing.The

third sector, where I lived, is made up of concreteblock houses. Corrugated zinc is used for the roofs.

The houses have either three or four rooms, a front

porch, and concrete floors.The bathrooms are similar to the wooden-house sector.The neighborhood

has no running water, but does have electricity.The

majority of women are housewives or employees in

other people’s homes.The majority of men work in

the local rice fields. The families who live in the

apartments in the first sector are mainly teachers

and office workers.

“My second site, in a town just outside of Santo

Domingo, the capital, is very modern and the exact

opposite of El Arrozal.The town is similar to many

of the larger towns in the country. It has running

water, electricity, paved streets, open-air produce

markets, pharmacies, corner stores, ice cream shops,

hardware stores,and specialty stores.The majority of

houses are constructed of concrete.

—Michele Stora

and a nice breeze coming off the water. I live in a

small, pale-green concrete-block house about 20

yards from the beach. I sometimes worry about

hurricanes, as I live along the ‘hurricane route’ and

my house only has a zinc roof.The village is isolated, with access only through a single poorly constructed dirt road. —Darshana Patel
36 Coverdell World Wise Schools

The Dominican Republic is fairly mountainous,

and there are several different climates. In the

northwest, where I live, it is quite dry.As you go farther north, you find cactus forests and desert. In the

central area, the land is flat and has become the

largest, most productive farming area.The southeast

is much more humid and lush. The intense heat

From April to October, the Dominican Republic

has temperatures in the 90s with comparable

humidity. Everyone, regardless of nationality, complains of the heat, particularly when coupled with a

power outage, making electric fans useless. If at all

Geography and Climate

The climate here is fairly regular all year round.The

average temperature is about 85 degrees Fahrenheit.

It can be as hot as 100 degrees during the summer

and as cold as 65 degrees during the winter. It rains

more during hurricane season (July to November).

Certain areas of the country have different climate

norms.Some areas are very dry and require lifestyles

suitable to lack of water. Other areas get so much

rain that schools and stores close due to road conditions. It is cooler at higher elevations in the

mountainous regions.The people most affected by

the climate are those in agricultural communities,

who depend upon rain for harvesting and planting.

—Michele Stora

possible, walking is discouraged between noon and

4 p.m. Personally, I avoid bus travel during this same

time period, simply because the excessive heat

becomes so uncomfortable for me in the overcrowded bus. —Mary Bosy

slows life down here. People move at a more

leisurely pace. There is a large migration to the

major cities from the countryside. People move to

find jobs and food, because the mountains that they

have farmed for so long are no longer producing,

due to deforestation. Soil erosion is taking its toll.

—Siobhan Foley 
Insights From the Field 37

The Module at a Glance

This module is designed to help students understand that demographic data are one

of many information sources about a country. Students will see that demographic

information can help answer the question How does where we live influence how we live?

from the vantage point of data. Students will compare demographic information from

the United States and the Dominican Republic.They will also examine the strengths

and limitations of data as an information source about a country and its people.

Lesson One: Understanding Demographics

Objectives

● Students will be able to explain the term “demographics.”

● Students will compare demographic data from the United States and the

Dominican Republic.

● Students will be able to describe the difference between learning about a country from numbers (data) and from observations by people who have been there.

Instructions

1. Begin this learning activity by reminding students that one of the questions

we’re focusing on in this unit is How does where we live influence how we live?

As they’ve seen, one way to learn about a country is to look at maps and listen to what people have to say in interviews.Another way to find answers to

the question is to look at demographics—numerical data and statistical characteristics of human populations. Statistics deals mainly with numbers. And

numbers can tell stories—about a class, a school, a community, a population,

a nation, and the world.

2. Clarify the meaning of the word demographics by noting that you can collect demographic data about your class.To do this, you need to determine the

categories of information you want to collect about the class. For example,

you can collect data on

● What percentage of the class is male.What percentage is female.

● What percentage of the class was born between January and June.

Geography Unit—Module Two

Understanding Demographics
38 Coverdell World Wise Schools

● What percentage of the class has grandparents who moved to the

United States from another country.

3. You may want to have students collect data on the questions above

and convert the information into percentages. Explain to students

that this represents demographic data about their class.Ask students

what the numbers tell us.What don’t the numbers tell us? Are they

accurate? Do these data give us a small snapshot of our class or the

big picture? What other questions do you want to ask? What else

might be needed to give a complete picture of our class?

4. Give students a copy of Worksheet #3,The Fact File for the Dominican

Republic.

5. Walk students through the following categories as an introduction

to what you can learn about a country from numbers: population,

birthrate (per 1,000), death rate (per 1,000), life expectancy at birth,

age distribution, literacy, religions.

6. Ask students what does this demographic information tells them

about the Dominican Republic that they didn’t learn from reading

the interviews with Peace Corps Volunteers or by looking at maps.

What did the interviews and maps tell them about the Dominican

Republic that the demographics do not? What can numbers tell

them? What can’t numbers tell? Note: You may want to stop this lesson here for middle school students.The activities suggested below

may be more appropriate for high school students.

7. Suggest to students that numbers can sometimes “tell a story.” Give

students a copy of Worksheet #4,a data sheet adapted from a portion

of The World Bank’s World Development Report for 1999/2000, Entering

the 21st Century. If students are interested in looking at more demographic data on the Dominican Republic, they can find it on the

World Bank’s website: http://devdata.worldbank.org. The World Bank

(http://www.worldbank.org/html/extdr/regions.htm) has extensive data

on each developing country, updated annually. Once you have selected a country, choose the “Country Data Profile” link to see a table

with complete information about the country.

Enduring Understandings

● Where we live influences how we

live.

● Demographics are one source of

information about a country.

Essential Question

● How much information do we need

to gain a complete picture of a

country?

Standards

National Geography Standards:

● The World in Spatial Terms

How to use maps and other geographic representations, tools (charts,

graphs), and technologies to acquire,

process, and report information.

● Human Systems:The characteristics,

distribution, and complexity of

Earth’s cultural mosaics.

Assessments

Demographics Matrix; Journal Entries

Materials

Fact File for the Dominican Republic;World

Bank Data Chart; Graphic Organizer: A

Comparison Matrix.

Time: One or two days 
Insights From the Field 39

Worksheet #3

Fact File for the Dominican Republic

Name: Dominican Republic

Geographic 

Coordinates: 19o 00'N, 70o 40'W 

Land Area: 18,680 square miles, slightly 

more than twice the size of New

Hampshire 

Land 

Boundaries: Haiti 

Coastline: 1,288 km along Caribbean Sea 

and North Atlantic Ocean 

Highest Point: Pico Duarte 10,420 ft 

Principal Towns: Santo Domingo (capital),

Santiago de los Caballeros,

La Vega 

Percent Urban: 56 

Date of 

Independence: 27 February 1844, from Haiti 

Suffrage: Universal and compulsory at age

18 or all married persons regardless of age (members of the

armed forces and police cannot vote) 

Ethnic Groups: Mixed 73%, white 16%,

black 11% 

Population: 8.3 million (mid-1997) 

Birthrate 

(per 1,000): 27 

Death Rate 

(per 1,000): 6 

Life Expectancy 

at Birth: 70 years 

Age Distribution: 36% under age 15, 4% over 65 

Literacy: 82.1% over age 15 (1995) 

Language: Spanish 

Religion: Roman Catholic 95% 

Natural 

Resources: Nickel, bauxite, gold, silver 

Main Exports: Ferronickel, sugar, gold, coffee,

cocoa 

Currency: 1 Dominican peso = 100

centavos 

Environmental 

Issues: Water shortages; soil eroding 

into the sea damages coral reefs;

deforestation 

Natural Hazards: Subject to occasional hurricanes 

(July to October) 

Peace Corps Entry: 1962 
40 Coverdell World Wise Schools

7. Provide students with a copy of Worksheet #5: A Comparison Matrix.

Students will be able to use this comparison matrix to compare data on

the United States and the Dominican Republic.

8. Have students review the abbreviated World Bank Data Chart with

selected information on both the United States and the Dominican

Republic. Ask students to work in pairs to complete the Comparison

Matrix, using the data sheet as a reference point.

9. When they have finished, ask students to pair with another set of students to compare and discuss their findings. Next, ask students what

story these numbers tell us. Looking at data from the United States and

the Dominican Republic, what conclusions can they draw now about

the question How does where we live influence how we live?

10. In a class discussion, have students draw conclusions row by row in the

Comparison Matrix and in the World Bank Data Chart.

Journal Entry

Ask students to respond in their journals to these questions:

● How does where we live influence how we live?

● How have maps, interviews, and numbers helped you answer this 

question? 

● What other information sources do you think you need to gain a 

complete picture of the Dominican Republic? 

Choices and Explorations Extension Activity

If your students enjoy working with data, have them visit the World Bank website (www.worldbank.org) to research other data categories that provide information about the Dominican Republic.
Insights From the Field 41

Worksheet #4

World Bank Data Chart

WORLD BANK WORLD DEVELOPMENT INDICATORS

Dominican Republic U.S.A.

Prevalence of child malnutrition (% of children under age 5) 6% 1%

Life expectancy (males in 1997) 69 73

Life expectancy (females in 1997) 73 79

Urban population in 1998 (% of total population) 64% 77%

Public expenditure on education in 1996 (% of GNP) 2.0% 5.4%

Net enrollment in primary school (% of relevant age group) 81% 95%

Net enrollment in secondary school (% of relevant age group) 22% 90%

Expected years of schooling in 1995 11 16

Number of daily newspapers in 1996 (per 1,000 people)* 52 212

Number of radios in 1996 (per 1,000 people)* 177 2,115

Number of TVs in 1997 (per 1,000 people)* 84 847

Number of telephone main lines in 1997 (per 1,000 people)* 88 644

Number of mobile phones in 1997 (per 1,000 people)* 16 206

Number of internet hosts in 1999 (per 10,000 people)* 6 1,131

Number of high technology exports in 1997 (% of mfg. exports) 23% 44%

Unemployment rate in 1996–1997 30% 4.9%

*The population of the Dominican Republic is 8.2 million.

*The population of the United States is 275.9 million

Data presented in this table are from the World Bank publication Entering the 21st Century:World Development

Report 1999/2000. Oxford University Press, 1999.
4

2 Coverdell World Wise Schools Worksheet #5 Graphic Organizer: A Comparison Matrix Category Dominican Republic U.S.A. What Conclusions What Questions Can You Draw? Do You Have? Prevalence of malnutrition in children under 5 Enrollment in primary school Enrollment in secondary school Expected years of schooling Number of television sets (per 1,000 people) Number of telephone main lines (per 1,000 people) Life expectancy
Insights From the Field 43

The Module at a Glance

This module is designed to help students see that each new information source that is used

provides another and more complete picture of a country. Students view a video produced

by the Peace Corps about life in the Dominican Republic.The video helps the country

come alive by focusing on the people, customs, sights, and sounds of the Dominican

Republic. After viewing the video, students are helped to see how necessary it is to draw

on multiple sources of information (maps,direct observations,demographic data,and video

data) to gain a complete and accurate picture of a country. Each new source of data provides a new lens for them as they investigate the Dominican Republic and its people.

Objectives

● Students will be able to explain life in the Dominican Republic.

● Students will describe the emerging picture of the Dominican Republic as viewed

through multiple data sources (the video, demographic data, maps, and direct

observations of Peace Corps Volunteers).

● Students will examine the essential question How is our picture of a country dependent

upon the sources we use to investigate it?

Instructions

1. Explain to students that this lesson will focus on these essential questions:

● How is our picture of a country dependent on the sources we use to investigate

it? 

● How does using a variety of information sources help us gain a more complete

picture of a place and its people? 

● No matter where we may live, how are we all connected with each other and

the world?

2. Remind students that we’ve been talking about how where you live influences how

you live.We’ve formed a general impression of the Dominican Republic through

maps and demographics.We’ve read Peace Corps Volunteers’ statements about the

geography, climate, location, and communities they live in. Each source of data gives

us a part of the picture.

Geography Unit—Module Three

Beyond Demographics
44 Coverdell World Wise Schools

Ask students to form pairs and respond to the following question:

● What did you learn about the Dominican Republic from the

quotes of Peace Corps Volunteers? 

● How was this different from what you learned from analyzing

demographic data?

3. Once students have had a chance to respond to these questions, ask

them: If you wanted to get a sense of what the Dominican Republic

really looks like—a sense of the faces, sounds, lives of the people, especially those your age—where would you go to get that kind of information? Hold a brief class discussion. Answers might include: take a

trip, ask a friend, look at photos, watch a video.

4. Inform students that shortly they will be seeing a Peace Corps video

about the Dominican Republic and its people.The video will “put a

face on a place” because places are more than geographic features and

demographic numbers.

5. Before showing the video, ask students to imagine again that they are

in one of the following scenarios presented earlier:

● They just learned that their family is moving to the Dominican

Republic.

● They are going to participate in a student exchange program and

live in the Dominican Republic for a summer or a semester.

● They are about to graduate from college and begin their first job

working for an international business that is sending them to

work in the Dominican Republic.

6. Ask students what more they would need to know about the

Dominican Republic before going there? Write student responses on

the board.

7. After a brief class discussion, inform students that they will be viewing three different locations in the Dominican Republic: a small city,

Hato Mayor; a town, Los Toros; and a small village, El Jamo.

8. Provide students with a copy of theVideo Matrix.

9. Review the matrix with students. Let them know that, as they view

each location, you will give them time to fill in the appropriate boxes

in the matrix. Let them know that there may not be answers to each

and every category listed, and it is all right to leave a box blank.

Depending on the age and ability level of students, review the vocabulary and meaning of phrases.

10. To help students process the information in the video, you may wish

to show it in three segments.The first segment focuses on life in the

Enduring Understandings

● To gain a complete and accurate

picture of a country, we need to

draw on multiple sources of information and evaluate their quality

and their perspective.

● Where we live influences how we

live.Yet all of us are connected with

each other and the world.

Essential Questions 

● How is our picture of a country

dependent on the sources we use

to investigate it? 

● How does using a variety of information sources help us gain a more

complete picture of a place and its

people? 

● No matter where we may live, how

are we all connected with each

other and the world?

Standards

National Geography Standards 

● Human Systems:The characteristics, distribution, and complexity of

Earth’s cultural mosaics.

National Council for the Social Studies 

● Culture (NCSS Theme I): Students

can compare the similarities and

differences in the ways groups,

societies, and cultures meet human

needs and concerns.

Assessments: Video Matrix; Journal

Entry; Performance Checklist

Materials: Destination: Dominican

RepublicVideo;Video Matrix

Time: One or two days 
Insights From the Field 45

I was having doubts about my abilities as a science teacher until I found

a diagram in the back of one of my

students’ notebooks.The diagram

changed my perspective. In her notebook, my student had drawn the

unlikely comparison of an animal

cell to her homestead in Swaziland.

She had given the grandmother of

the homestead the role of the nucleus.The mitochondria, the organelle

which supplied energy to the cell,

was represented by the sisters.

I called her into the staff room

and asked her to explain what she

had written. She said that she had

given the grandmother the role of the

nucleus because the grandmother

decides when and how things get

done.

As she continued, I began to see

that she had indeed understood the

intimate workings of the cell. I was

proud of her.“But, Miss,” she said,

“I don’t know why you’re happy. I

only did this from my own mind to

help me understand this better.”

“I know,” I said.“That’s why

I’m so proud of you.”

Laura Stedman,Teacher

(RPCV Swaziland) 

city of Hato Mayor. The second focuses on Los Toros, and the third on El Jamo.

After viewing each segment, stop the video and ask students to work in small

groups to complete the column of the matrix that deals with the particular location shown.

11. Before students view the first segment of the video, ask them to focus on the 

questions:

● What am I learning about the Dominican Republic from the video that I 

didn’t learn from the other data sources in Modules 1 and 2? 

● How does using a variety of information sources help me to gain a more

complete picture of a place and its people?

12. Show the video in segments and give students time to fill in the Video Viewing

Matrix.After showing the video, have students complete the Video Matrix in pairs

and conduct a class discussion on the questions in #11 above.

13. Then pose the following questions for class discussion:

● What did you learn about the Dominican Republic that you didn’t know

before? 

● How is where you live similar to or different from what you saw in the video? 

● How do you think you would feel if you couldn’t count on having electricity

every day? 

● How would you feel if you were the boy who had to walk one hour to get 

to school? 

● How would you feel if you were a Peace Corps Volunteer living in Los Toros? 

● If you were to move to Hato Major, how would your life be similar to the

way it is now? 

● How would it be different? 

● What did you learn from the video that you didn’t learn from the interviews

and demographics? 

● After seeing the video, how do you think where we live influences how 

we live? 
46 Coverdell World Wise Schools

Assessment: 

1. Ask students to recall one of the scenarios they selected before viewing the video:

● They just learned that their family is moving to the Dominican Republic.

● They are going to participate in a student exchange program and live in the Dominican

Republic for a summer or a semester.

● They are about to graduate from college and begin their first job working for an international business that is sending them to work in the Dominican Republic.

2. Ask students to pretend they are the person in one of the scenarios. In this role, have students

write a narrative account in response to the following question:

● If you were the person in one of the three scenarios, how would what you have learned

so far about the Dominican Republic help you to adjust to life in the Dominican

Republic? 

3. Ask students to write their narrative account in a way that would also help others who are

going to the Dominican Republic. Provide them with the checklist below to help them structure their narrative accounts.

Checklist for the Narrative Account

● Use what you learned from the maps, the interviews, the demographic data, and the video as

you are writing your narrative account.

● Support your opinions with evidence from what you have read and seen.

● Describe how living in the Dominican Republic would be similar to and different from 

living in the United States.

● Explain what else you would want to know about life in the Dominican Republic in 

preparation for your experience there.

● Remember that your report will be used to help others who are going to the Dominican

Republic.
Insights From the Field 47

Worksheet #6

Video Matrix

Hato Major Los Toros El Jamo

What do young people do?

What seems most important?

What environmental challenges 

do people face?

How do young people get an 

education?

How do families earn a living?

What is the way of life like?

Even though you live in a 

different place, how are you similar to

and connected with the people 

you meet in the video?
48 Coverdell World Wise Schools

Life in a Hurricane Zone

The Module at a Glance

This module will use the example of a hurricane in the Dominican Republic to illustrate

the fact that natural disasters can have a devastating impact on the lives of people. At the

same time, they can also bring people together, reinforce interconnections, and reveal surprising traits of heroism. Students will explore the impact of Hurricane Georges [pronounced ZHOURZH] and the way that people in the Dominican Republic and the international community responded to the devastation it caused. They will see that working

together to respond to a natural disaster can unite people, no matter what their country,

in a common bond of humanity.

Objectives ● Students will be able to use primary source documents to determine the impact of

natural disasters on developing countries, like the Dominican Republic.

● Students will be able to explain the way in which physical systems (e.g., a hurricane) can affect human systems (e.g., the life of a community or country).

● Students will be able to describe how working together to respond to a natural

disaster can unite people from diverse countries in a common bond of humanity.

● Students will write a press release describing the impact of Hurricane Georges on

the people of the Dominican Republic.

● Students will assume the role of Dominican citizens who are being interviewed

about the impact of Hurricane Georges by a reporter from an international television network.

Instructions

1. Remind students that they have looked at maps, interviews, demographics, and

videos to answer the question How does where you live influence how you live?

2. Explain to students that, in this lesson, they will explore the following essential

questions:

● How do natural disasters affect the life of a country and its people?

● How can responding to a natural disaster bring a community together and

unite people, no matter what their country, in a common bond of humanity?

Geography Unit—Module Four
Insights From the Field 49

3. Ask students to form pairs to discuss how they think a natural 

disaster might bring a community together.Then address the question in a class discussion.

4. Explain to students that in this module, they will read newspaper

accounts regarding the impact of Hurricane Georges on the

Dominican Republic. They will also read firsthand accounts from

Peace Corps Volunteers who were in the Dominican Republic when

the hurricane struck. They will explore the question How can

responding to a natural disaster bring a community together and unite people, no matter what their country, in a common bond of humanity?

5. Ask students whether anyone in the class, or in their families, has

experienced a natural disaster such as a hurricane, tornado, earthquake, avalanche, typhoon, or forest fire. If so, how did it affect their

lives? How did it affect their community?

6. Help students see the connection between natural disasters and the

place where you live. Are there some places that are more vulnerable than others? Focus on the impact of the disaster on the community.

7. One of the realities of living in the Dominican Republic is living in

the path of Atlantic, Caribbean,and Gulf of Mexico hurricanes during hurrican season (June 1–November 30).

8. This is an opportunity to look at the physical system of a hurricane

(i.e., what a hurricane is, how it forms, why it is capable of doing

widespread damage, the kinds of damage it can do, and when and

where hurricanes may strike) to address the National Geography

Standard: Students will be able to explain how physical systems affect

human systems.

9. Ask students to read the information on the handout “What Is a

Hurricane?” In addition, have them access the National Hurricane

Center’s website, www.nhc.noaa.gov, on the Internet. A list of related

websites may be found at the end of this unit.

10. Have students underline the most important information using a

highlighter.

11. Ask the students to write a “two-minute paper” summarizing the big

ideas they have learned about hurricanes.

Enduring Understandings

● Natural disasters can be tragic.

However, they can bring people

together, reinforce connections, and

reveal surprising traits of heroism.

● Working together to respond to a

national disaster can bind people in

a common bond of humanity.

Essential Questions

● How do natural disasters affect the

a country?

● How can responding to a natural

disaster bring a community together and unite people, no matter

what their country, in a common

bond of humanity?

Standards

National Council for the Social Studies

Culture (NCSS Theme I): Social studies

programs should include experiences that

provide for the study of culture and cultural diversity so that the learner can 

● Compare similarities and differences in the ways groups, societies,

and cultures meet human needs and

concerns.

National Geography Standard

● Environment and Society.The geographically informed person knows

how physical systems affect human

systems.

Language Arts Standards

● The learner demonstrates competence in the general skills and

strategies for reading a variety of

informational texts.

● The learner demonstrates competence in the general skills and

strategies of the writing process.
50 Coverdell World Wise Schools

12. Explain to students that, now that they know about hurricanes in general, they

are going to have the opportunity to learn about Hurricane Georges, a hurricane that had a devastating impact in 1998 on the people of the Dominican

Republic.

13. Have students search the Internet for the USA Today articles “Hurricane Death

Toll in Caribbean Climbs to 370,” and “Hurricane Georges’ Damage Reports.”

Ask students to record information, such as lives lost, homes damaged, crop

damage, impact on the economy, and impact on the country and its people.

Students can find more information on the National Hurricane Center’s website.

14. Explain to students that in this part of the lesson they will write a press release

on Hurricane Georges, as if they were Peace Corps Volunteers in the

Dominican Republic in 1998 when the hurricane struck.The press release is

designed to be sent home to their local newspaper.

15. To prepare students for writing the press release, read to them, or have them

read, the transcript of the interview with Peace Corps Volunteer Mary Bosy,

who was living in the city of Hato Mayor in the Dominican Republic at the

time that Hurricane Georges struck. Remind students they have already “met”

Mary Bosy in the Dominican Republic video.

16. Read to students, or have them read, excerpts from the interview with former

Peace Corps country director for the Dominican Republic Natalie Woodward,

who also was in the Dominican Republic during the hurricane. Please note:

There is a condensed version of the Natalie Woodward interview for use with

middle school students and a more extensive version for use with high school

students.

17. As students read the interviews, they can prepare for writing the press release by

looking for the answers to the questions provided in Worksheet #7.

18. Provide students with a self-assessment checklist (Worksheet #8) for writing

the press release.

Assessment

Performance Task:The student

will demonstrate the ability to

“step into the shoes” of a

Dominican citizen (e.g., child,

teenager, parent, teacher,

farmer, etc.) who has experienced Hurricane Georges.As

if he or she were a

Dominican, the student will

respond to questions about

the impact of the hurricane in

an interview with a TV

reporter.The student will also

select one way to portray how

he or she felt before, during,

and after Hurricane Georges.

Materials Needed

Excerpts from articles found

on the websites of USA Today

and the National Oceanic and

Atmospheric Administration.

Excerpts from interviews with

Peace Corps Volunteers.

Time: Three days
Insights From the Field 51

Hurricanes ... Unleashing Nature’s Fury

A PREPAREDNESS GUIDE

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 

National Weather Service 

March 1994 

NOAA, FEMA, and the American Red Cross

What is a Hurricane?

A hurricane is a type of tropical cyclone, the general term for all circulating weather systems over tropical

waters (counterclockwise in the Northern Hemisphere).Tropical cyclones are classified as follows:

● Tropical Depression:An organized system of clouds and thunderstorms with a defined circulation and

maximum sustained winds of 38 mph (33 knots).

● Tropical Storm:An organized system of strong thunderstorms with a defined circulation and maximum sustained winds of 39 to 73 mph (34–63 knots).

● Hurricane:An intense tropical weather system with a well-defined circulation and sustained winds of

74 mph (64 knots) or higher. In the western Pacific, hurricanes are called typhoons, and similar storms

in the Indian Ocean are called cyclones.

Hurricanes are products of a tropical ocean and atmosphere. Powered by heat from the sea, they are steered

by the easterly trade winds and the temperate westerly trade winds as well as by their own ferocious energy.

Around the core of a hurricane, winds grow with great velocity, generating violent seas. Moving ashore, they

sweep the ocean inward while spawning tornadoes and producing torrential rains and floods. Each year, on

average, 10 tropical storms, of which six become hurricanes, develop over the Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea,

or Gulf of Mexico. Many of these remain over the ocean; however, about five hurricanes strike the United

States coastline every three years. Of these five, two will be major hurricanes, category 3 or greater on the

Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale.

Timely warnings have greatly diminished hurricane fatalities in the United States. In spite of this, property damage continues to mount. There is little we can do about the hurricanes themselves. However, the

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) National Hurricane Center and National

Weather Service field offices team up with other federal, state, and local agencies, rescue and relief organizations, the private sector, and the news media in a huge warning and preparedness effort.

Please go the NOAA National Hurricane websites, www.nws.noaa.gov/om/hurrbro and www.hurricanes.

noaa.gov/prepare/winds, for detailed information on how hurricanes form, their potential for damage from both

high winds and flooding rains, and what can be done to prepare for them and reduce the destruction they can

cause.
52 Coverdell World Wise Schools

20. After students have written their press release, have them share it

with a partner for proofreading and feedback. Ask students, as

they are reading their partner’s press release, to refer to the selfassessment checklist to determine whether all items have been

addressed.

21. Provide time for students to revise their press release, based on

their partner’s comments and feedback. Ask them to give their

revised press release to you.

22. Once you have read students’press releases and provided comments

and feedback, give students one more opportunity for revision.

23. Then, lead a class discussion on the following questions:

● How would you have felt if you had been in the Dominican

Republic when Hurricane Georges hit? Why? Which relief

efforts would you have wanted to be involved in?

● If you had been a Peace Corps Volunteer in the Dominican

Republic at the time of Hurricane Georges, how would you

have felt?

Choices and Explorations 

for Extended Learning 

1. To reinforce oral communication skills, organize a “press conference” on Hurricane Georges. For example, four students might

serve on the panel, and two students might serve as the interviewers from the press. The interviewers could ask the panelists

such questions as those listed above. If all four panelists are

“stumped” on a particular question, the interviewers can take

responses from the rest of the class. When they are responding,

students must cite the source of their information, and exactly

where it can be found.

2. Have students research the impact of powerful hurricanes in their

own country.Ask them to compare their findings with the information they have about Hurricane Georges. Have them look for

evidence of the enduring understanding: Natural disasters can be

tragic. However, they can bring people together, reinforce connections, and

reveal surprising traits of heroism.

Note to Teachers

There is a culminating performance

task for this unit on pages 59–61.

Help your students prepare for this

activity by asking them to complete

one of the following activities:

● Create a series of diary entries,

written during the week of

Hurricane Georges.Write about

the days preceding the hurricane, during the hurricane, and

after the hurricane.

● Create a series of drawings or

sketches made before, during,

and after the storm.

● Write a script for a short play

that enables you and one or two

other fellow Dominican “citizens” to act out what happened

for the reporter.

● Access a series of photographs

and news articles about the hurricane from the Internet. Use

them to tell your story.

● Write a letter that you, as a

Dominican citizen, wrote to relatives living in the United States

immediately after the hurricane,

describing to them what happened and what it felt like to

live through a hurricane.
Insights From the Field 53

Worksheet #7

Questions to Guide Your Reading 

of the Hurricane Interviews

● What kind of damage did Hurricane Georges do?

● How many lives were lost?

● Did the people have water, food, or electricity?

● What damage was caused by the floods?

● How did international organizations work together with the leaders of the Dominican

Republic to meet basic needs?

● What are some examples of Dominicans helping Dominicans?

● How did people pull together for the common good of all?

● Despite cultural differences, are there basic needs that we all share in common? 
54 Coverdell World Wise Schools

Primary Source Document 

Interview With Peace Corps Volunteer Mary Bosy 

on the Impact of Hurricane Georges 

Hurricane Georges, which hit the Dominican

Republic September 22, 1998, was a defining experience in my life.This was my third hurricane, but

never had I personally seen, heard, or felt winds of

150 mph. God willing, I never will again.

I opted to remain at my site, Hato Mayor del

Rey, and for five solid hours Georges tore, pummeled, and destroyed this area. Eighty percent of the

homes in this town of 50,000 to 60,000 were damaged or destroyed; 30 percent of the 80-plus schools

in the district were destroyed and 30 percent badly

damaged. Never had I witnessed such destruction by

a natural force.

By 4 p.m. that day, the winds and rain had abated enough so we could go out and survey the

destruction. I was staying with friends, and about a

third of their zinc roof was gone. Rain was pouring

in everywhere.

A neighbor across the street had one of the few

houses with a concrete ceiling and, when she saw us,

she immediately called to tell us to bring what we

could save to her house.There were easily 30 to 40

people in her modest home, but there we came with

armload after armload of clothing and bedding.

Everyone brought whatever edible food they could

find for all to eat. (I remember contributing bread,

cheese, coffee, and Honey Nut Cheerios.)

We knew there was no hope for electricity for a

long time, but by the third day with no water, this

became critical. My friends and I had small reserves

and everyone collected all the rainwater they could.

Neighbor lent to neighbor, sometimes only enough

to brew coffee or boil a pot of rice.

In Hato Mayor, the Peace Corps established

three rural food distribution centers, rented a large

truck, and made a total of four round trips from

Santo Domingo to rural areas to distribute some

7,000 food bags. My schoolteacher friend and a

friend of his worked 15-hour days with me, and

never once did I hear a complaint. People were

hurting and they had found a way to help. No further incentive was needed.

My boss at the Peace Corps office had asked me

to survey the schools and assess possibilities of

repair.Within one month after Georges, a comprehensive program was in effect; through donations,

the Peace Corps would supply materials to repair

eight rural schools and the communities provided

free labor. I also contacted private schools in Santo

Domingo, which were generous in supplying textbooks and school supplies to replace what had been

lost or destroyed. By the end of 1998, 1,500 rural

students were back in newly renovated schools.The

Peace Corps program to rebuild hurricane-damaged schools was a perfect example of community

strength pulled together for a common cause. At

community meetings prior to the renovation of a

school, we worked with community leaders and set

up committees. The result was awe-inspiring.

People were nailing on zinc sheets for a new school

roof while others were painting, repairing windows, and hauling debris.

I was most fortunate to have been able to be a

part of all this, to have been able to witness firsthand the generosity and concern of one human

being for another.
Insights From the Field 55

Primary Source Document

Interview With Peace Corps Country Director Natalie Woodward 

About the Impact of Hurricane Georges 

(Short Version for Students in Middle School)

On September 22, 1998, Hurricane Georges hit the

Dominican Republic. The hurricane did serious

damage to the country: Homes, roads, bridges,

dams, and airports were destroyed or seriously damaged.The official death toll was approximately 300.

When the storm passed, a huge number of trees

fell and the roads were closed. Of course, there were

also electrical wires down.The damage was extensive. You could actually see how the rivers had

flooded their banks. People came to us and said

they had lost their town, they had lost their way of

life, they had lost their way of living.They had no

idea what to do. But they wanted to continue to

stay together.They asked: Could you help us? 

We soon realized that there were people isolated—on “islands,” so to speak, created by the

rivers—without water and without food. So we

chartered a plane.And that night we began packing

two-and-a-half-pound bags of food.We packed all

night. The next morning, the first plane took off.

We flew out into one of the worst hit areas and

dropped the food, because we couldn’t land. For a

week, we dropped the food to people who were in

pretty bad shape.

The staff at the Peace Corps office in Santo

Domingo realized very quickly that we had people

who could help.We had Peace Corps Volunteers—

people who were experienced in community

organization, spoke Spanish, were well-educated,

and who could step forward and do something.We

worked with the Dominican government, and we

joined with the Red Cross to assist them in setting

up their refugee shelters. For a period of time, we

managed 16 of the shelters.We worked together.
56 Coverdell World Wise Schools

Primary Source Document

Interview With Peace Corps Country Director Natalie Woodward 

About the Impact of Hurricane Georges

(Long Version for Students in High School)

On September 22, 1998, Hurricane Georges hit the

Dominican Republic. The hurricane did serious

damage to the infrastructure of the country: Homes,

roads, bridges, dams, and airports were destroyed or

were seriously damaged.The official death toll was

approximately 300.

Most of the people who died in the storm were

poor. Many of them lived in lowlands and had built

their houses in dry riverbeds.The storm was unusual, in that it carried a large amount of rain into the

mountains. And when it hit the mountains, it

dropped a tremendous amount of water in a very

short period of time. This caused mudflows and

severe flooding, and was a serious threat to the people who lived in villages close to the base of the

mountains. The people I talked with in the shelter

said they had less than a minute to run out of their

houses before the homes were destroyed by the

mudflows pouring down the mountain.

The damage was extensive. You could actually

see how the rivers had flooded their banks destroying whole towns. People came to us and said they

had lost their town, they had lost their way of life,

they had lost their way of living.They had no idea

what to do. But they wanted to continue to stay

together.They asked: Could you help us?

The staff at the Peace Corps office in Santo

Domingo realized very quickly that we had people

who could help.We had people who were experienced in community organization, spoke Spanish,

were well-educated, and could step forward and do

some things. We joined with the Dominican government and the Red Cross to assist them in setting

up refugee shelters. And for a period of time, we

managed 16 of the shelters.We worked together.

During that time we were able to acquire a small

plane and do an initial flyover to assess the damage.

We did this for several days thereafter. People were

isolated in the rivers—on “islands,” so to speak—

created by the rivers. We knew that international

assistance might take a while.And we also knew that

people needed water and food immediately. So we

worked with AID (the U.S.Agency for International

Development) and chartered a plane to drop food to

people who were stranded.

We began packing two-and-a-half-pound bags

of food the night before the flyover. We packed

throughout the night.The next morning—I think it

was six or seven o’clock—the first plane took off

with the bags of food.We flew out into one of the

worst hit areas and dropped the food. We couldn’t

land yet; for a week, we dropped the food to people

who were in pretty bad shape.

The most amazing thing to me—the most gratifying thing—is that by the time the first flight had

returned, the news had gotten out in the local

Dominican media and people were coming from

everywhere to try to help. Dominican businesses

offered help. People who sold sausage and people

who had milk companies donated food. People

appeared at the airport to help us pack the food

bags. The U.S. Embassy employees helped. People

from other organizations, like the Red Cross and

Habitat for Humanity,and people from other coun-
Insights From the Field 57

tries volunteered to help get food to those who

needed it. People put aside a lot of their differences

to help: to rescue people, to donate water, to get

them to a shelter.

International nongovernmental organizations

were also coming in to help.The French arrived

with Puma helicopters at the end of the week.

Now the airlift was able to go on for two or three

weeks.There’s an amazing photograph that shows

the French pilot, the American pilot, and the

Dominican all hugging. It was a hugely emotional

moment. People were feeling like they made a difference and were able to get food out in drastic

conditions.

You experience enormous amounts of generosity during a disaster like this.
58 Coverdell World Wise Schools

Worksheet #8

Self-Assessment Checklist 

for the Hurricane Press Release

Note to students: Before you submit your press release, make sure you have checked for the following:

1. Your headline catches the attention of the reader.

2. Your first sentence, or “lead,” sums up the main idea of the article.

3. The specific area (city and country) is listed in the first paragraph.

4. Your first and second paragraphs answer the questions: who, what, when, where, and why?

5. The body of your article tells the extent of the damage and how the disaster affected:

● The people

● Their homes

● Their schools

● Electricity and water

● Transportation

● Agriculture

● The economy

6. You provide details and examples from primary source documents.

7. Quotations (you can make these up) are used to add interest and support.

8. You illustrate ways that Dominicans helped Dominicans.

9. You give an example of the world community coming together to help the Dominicans after the

hurricane.

10. You describe, from your own viewpoint, the way in which a natural disaster can unite people, no

matter what their country or culture.

11. Your spelling, punctuation, and grammar are error-free.
Insights From the Field 59

The culminating performance task provides students the opportunity to apply what they have

learned in this unit in a real-world context. The Understanding by Design Handbook (McTighe

and Wiggins, 1999, p. 140) provides useful guidelines for designing a performance assessment

task. For information on the Understanding by Design process, please refer to page 171 in

Appendix A.An example of what the performance task for the Geography Unit would look

like using the GRASPS format is provided below. Then, you can give students a copy of

Worksheet #9 on page 61.

GOAL: To give students the opportunity to demonstrate their comprehension of the

following enduring understandings:

● Where we live influences how we live. No matter where we live, we are all 

connected with each other and the world.

● Natural disasters can be tragic. However, they can bring people together,

reinforce interconnections, and reveal surprising traits of heroism.

● Working together to respond to a natural disaster can unite people from diverse 

cultures in a common bond of humanity.

ROLE: You are a Dominican citizen (adult, child, parent, teacher, farmer, or teenager).

AUDIENCE: Parents and community members.

SITUATION: An international television network is planning a series on natural disasters

and how, despite the tragedies, they can strengthen common bonds of humanity.The network

is sending television reporters to the Dominican Republic.You are one of the individuals they

plan to interview.

PRODUCT OR PERFORMANCE: Stepping into the shoes of a Dominican child,

parent, teacher, farmer, etc., answer the following questions the reporter will ask during the

interview:

● Describe life in the Dominican Republic.What was it like before and after Hurricane

Georges? 

● How did Hurricane Georges impact your life and the life of your family?

● How did Hurricane Georges impact the life of your community?

● How did people work together to deal with the devastation caused by Hurricane

Georges?

Culminating Performance Task 

Geography Unit 
60 Coverdell World Wise Schools

Interview Quality Checklist

✓ My interview responses demonstrate that I have “stepped into the 

shoes of a Dominican citizen” and experienced life as a Dominican

would have experienced it.

✓ My interview responses express feelings as well as facts.

✓ My interview responses demonstrate that I have read all of the

Hurricane Georges materials provided in this unit.

✓ My responses demonstrate that I have an understanding and 

appreciation of a culture other than my own.

✓ I state my responses clearly and support them with data.

✓ When I listen to and respond to questions, I speak clearly, look

directly at the reporter, and make eye contact.

● How did the international community help?

● Some say that Hurricane Georges united people from different countries and cultures in a common bond of humanity.Would you agree or

disagree with this statement? Why?

Your interview will take place in front of a live audience of parents and community members. You will have an opportunity to rehearse your responses

with a classmate.You will receive feedback and coaching from other classmates

to ensure that your responses demonstrate careful thought and thorough

understanding.

STANDARDS FOR SUCCESS: Your interview must meet the following standards:

● Demonstrate a thorough knowledge of the physical and human 

geography of the Dominican Republic.

● Demonstrate that you have used primary source materials to formulate

your answers to the interview questions.

● Demonstrate that you have empathy with what Dominicans 

experienced during and after Hurricane Georges.

● Demonstrate your mastery of the enduring understandings of this

geography unit.

Hurricane Websites

National Oceanic and

Atmospheric Administration

Hurricane Research Division

www.aoml.noaa.gov/hrd

Hurricane Basics

www.hurricanes.noaa.gov/prepare

The Hurricane Hunters

www.hurricanehunters.com

USA Today

Hurricane Information

www.usatoday.com/weather/

stormcenter/front.htm

Hurricane Georges Page

Wikipedia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/

Hurricane_Georges
Insights From the Field 61

Worksheet #9

Performance Task: 

Preparing for a Television Interview

An international news network is planning a television series on natural disasters. Their focus will be 

1) To determine the impact of the disaster on the life of a community and a country, and 2) To test the hypothesis that natural disasters can often bring people together, no matter what their culture, and unite them in a

common bond of humanity

The network is sending a reporter to the Dominican Republic to interview Dominicans about the impact

of Hurricane Georges on their community and country.You are a Dominican citizen (student, parent, young

child, teacher, farmer) and one of the people the network’s reporters plan to interview.

Your interview will be nationally televised to an American audience.You will rehearse your interview first

before classmates and then before parents and community members.

To prepare yourself to step into the shoes of a Dominican, recall all you have learned about the Dominican

Republic in this unit (maps, interviews, videos, newspaper articles, and data charts).Then think about how you

would answer the following questions from the network’s reporter:

Reporter’s Questions

1. Describe life in the Dominican Republic.What was it like before and after Hurricane Georges? 

2. How did Hurricane Georges impact your life and the life of your family?

3. How did Hurricane Georges impact the life of your community?

4. How did people work together to deal with the devastation caused by Hurricane Georges?

5. How did the international community help?

6. Some say that Hurricane Georges united people from different countries and cultures in a common

bond of humanity. Would you agree or disagree with this statement? Support your response with 

evidence.

Your interview must meet the following standards. It must demonstrate:

● A thorough knowledge of the physical and human geography of the Dominican Republic.

● That you have used primary source materials to formulate your answers to the interview questions.

● That you have empathy with what Dominicans experienced during and after Hurricane Georges.

● Your mastery of the enduring understandings of this geography unit.

You will have an opportunity to rehearse your responses with a classmate, and then in a small group.You will

receive feedback and coaching from other classmates to ensure that your responses demonstrate careful thought

and thorough understanding. Use the Interview Quality Checklist on page 60 to self-assess your 

performance.
144 Coverdell World Wise Schools

The Unit at a Glance

This unit flows directly from Unit Two and the enduring understanding Despite cultural differences, we are all united in a common bond of humanity. Students will extend

their understanding of this principle by exploring the concept of the common

good.They will consider such questions as:What is the common good, and how

can I contribute to it? How do volunteers in our own community contribute to

the common good? How do Peace Corps Volunteers who serve in the Dominican

Republic work for the common good? How can I contribute to the common good

in my school and community?

Students will go out into the community and conduct interviews with community volunteers. They will explore the ways in which volunteer community

organizations work for the common good of their own community.They will identify criteria for conducting service projects, and they will use primary source documents to identify examples of a wide variety of Peace Corps service projects.As a

culminating activity, students will plan, implement, and evaluate service-learning

projects in their own school or community.The unit is flexible.You can teach the

entire unit, you can select particular lessons, or you can adapt the lessons to meet

your students’ needs.The unit can be adapted for use with students in grades 6–12.

This unit is standards-based and divided into six lessons organized around one

or more of the enduring understandings and essential questions listed below.The

learning activities are designed to meet the National Council for the Social Studies

standards; Service-Learning standards adapted from the Corporation for National &

Community Service and the Alliance for Service-Learning Reform; and Language

Arts and Civics standards identified by McREL.This unit has a strong interdisciplinary focus, integrating social studies, service learning, and language arts.

Enduring Understandings

● There is such a thing as the common good, and individuals can strengthen

the common good through various forms of citizen action.

● Service matters. People in our community volunteer to make a difference.

● You can make a difference in your community in a number of ways.

Service: You Can Make a Difference

Unit Three
Insights From the Field 145

Essential Questions

● What does the common good mean, and why does it matter?

● How do people in our community work for the common good?

● Why serve? 

● Why does service matter? 

● What can we do to support the common good in our school and community?

● What have I got to give? What have I received from the service of others?

● How far am I willing to go to make a difference?

Topical Questions

● How have Peace Corps Volunteers serving in the Dominican Republic worked for the common

good?

● How did the Dominican people work for the common good in the aftermath of Hurricane Georges?

● How did international volunteer agencies work with the Dominican government for the common

good in the aftermath of Hurricane Georges?

Knowledge and Skills

Students will know

● What is meant by the common good, and how volunteer organizations contribute to it.

● That the common good extends from their family, classroom, school, and community to the entire

world.

● That needs exist within and beyond their community—and that they can do something about them.

Students will be able

● To explain the concept of the common good.

● To identify examples of the common good.

● To explain how various voluntary organizations contribute to the well-being of their community.

● To conduct interviews with community volunteers to better understand the meaning of the common

good and how needs are met in their community.

● To use primary source materials to identify various ways volunteers have served abroad.

● To explain why existing community and human needs call for action.

● To explain how they might serve their school, neighborhood, or community.

● To apply the service-learning process to the design and implementation of a service-learning project

in order to make a difference.

Assessing Student Understanding

A variety of assessment methods will be used: student journal entries in response to academic prompts; demonstration of interviewing skills; graphic organizers; graphic representations, performance checklists, and rubrics.

As a culminating activity, students—guided by a rubric—will plan, conduct, and evaluate a service-learning

project that helps promote the common good in their school or community.
146 Coverdell World Wise Schools

Content

Standards

Addressed 

in This Unit

National Council for the Social Studies

Theme X: Civic Ideals and Practices

● The learner will recognize and interpret how the common good can be

strengthened through various norms of citizen action.

● The learner will participate in activities to strengthen the common good, based

on careful evaluation of possible options for citizen action.

Civics Standards (Identified by McREL)

● The student understands the role of volunteerism and organized groups in

American social and political life.

Service-Learning Standards (Adapted from the National Corporation for

Service and the Alliance for Service-Learning Reform)

The learner will be able to design an individual or group project that

● Meets actual community needs.

● Is coordinated in collaboration with a community.

● Is integrated into the academic curriculum.

● Facilitates active student reflection.

● Uses academic skills and knowledge in real-world settings.

● Helps develop a sense of caring for and about others.

● Improves the quality of life for those served.

Language Arts Standards (Identified by McREL)

The student demonstrates competence in the general skills and strategies of the 

writing process:

● The learner gathers and uses information for research purposes.

● The learner gathers data for research topics from interviews.

● The learner uses a variety of primary sources to gather information.

● The learner demonstrates competence in speaking and listening as tools for

learning.
Insights From the Field 147

Essential Questions

● What does the common

good mean and why

does it matter?

● How did the Dominican

people work together for

the common good in the

aftermath of Hurricane

Georges?

● How did the Peace

Corps and other international agencies work

with the Dominican

government for the

common good in the

aftermath of Hurricane

Georges?

Materials

In the Aftermath of Hurricane

Georges;Working for the Common

Good

Service: You Can Make A Difference

Lesson One: Working for the Common Good

Objectives

● Students will be able to explain the concept of the common good.

● Using primary source documents from Peace Corps Volunteers serving

in the Dominican Republic, students will identify examples of how people can work for the common good.

Instructions

1. Write the following questions on the chalkboard:

● Is there such a thing as the common good?

● What does the common good mean?

● Why does it matter?

2. Ask students to reflect on their studies of the Dominican Republic and,

in particular, the incidents that occurred in the aftermath of Hurricane

Georges. If you have not used Unit One on geography, explain to students that a devastating hurricane struck the Dominican Republic in

1998. Have students read, or tell students the stories on,Worksheet #1, In

the Aftermath of Hurricane Georges on page 148 and Worksheet #2, Working

for the Common Good on page 150. As they read, ask students to think

about this question:

● In how many different ways did people work together for the common good after Hurricane Georges? Why did it matter?

3. Conduct a class discussion on this incident. Use the following guiding

questions:

● In how many different ways did people work for the common good

after the hurricane?

● Why did working for the common good matter in the Dominican

Republic after Hurricane Georges? 

● What difference did it make?

● Think of a time in your classroom, school, home, or community

when everyone had to put aside their own needs, think of the needs

of others, and work together for the common good (e.g., food and

clothing drives).
148 Coverdell World Wise Schools

Worksheet #1

In the Aftermath of Hurricane Georges 

Hurricane Georges, which hit the Dominican

Republic September 22, 1998, was a defining experience in my life.This was my third hurricane, but

never had I personally seen, heard, or felt winds of

150 mph. God willing, I never will again.

I opted to remain at my site, Hato Mayor del

Rey, and for five solid hours Georges tore, pummeled,and destroyed this area. Eighty percent of the

homes in this town of 50,000 to 60,000 were damaged or destroyed; 30 percent of the 80-plus schools

in the district were destroyed and 30 percent badly

damaged. Never had I witnessed such destruction by

a natural force.

By 4 p.m. that day, the winds and rain had abated enough so we could go out and survey the

destruction. I was staying with friends, and about a

third of their zinc roof was gone. Rain was pouring

in everywhere.

A neighbor across the street had one of the few

houses with a concrete ceiling and, when she saw us,

she immediately called to tell us to bring what we

could save to her house.There were easily 30 to 40

people in her modest home, but there we came with

armload after armload of clothing and bedding.

Everyone brought whatever edible food they could

find for all to eat. (I remember contributing bread,

cheese, coffee, and Honey Nut Cheerios.)

We knew there was no hope for electricity for a

long time, but by the third day with no water, this

became critical. My friends and I had small reserves

and everyone collected all the rainwater they could.

Neighbor lent to neighbor, sometimes only enough

to brew coffee or boil a pot of rice.

In Hato Mayor, the Peace Corps established

three rural food distribution centers, rented a large

truck, and made a total of four round trips from

Santo Domingo to rural areas to distribute some

7,000 food bags. My schoolteacher friend and a

friend of his worked 15-hour days with me, and

never once did I hear a complaint. People were

hurting and they had found a way to help. No further incentive was needed.

My boss at the Peace Corps office had asked me

to survey the schools and assess possibilities of

repair.Within one month after Georges, a comprehensive program was in effect; through donations,

the Peace Corps would supply materials to repair

eight rural schools and the communities provided

free labor. I also contacted private schools in Santo

Domingo, which were generous in supplying textbooks and school supplies to replace what had been

lost or destroyed. By the end of 1998, 1,500 rural

students were back in newly renovated schools.The

Peace Corps program to rebuild hurricane-damaged schools was a perfect example of community

strength pulled together for a common cause. At

community meetings prior to the renovation of a

school, we worked with community leaders and set

up committees. The result was awe-inspiring.

People were nailing on zinc sheets for a new school

roof while others were painting, repairing windows, and hauling debris.

I was most fortunate to have been able to be a

part of all this, to have been able to witness firsthand the generosity and concern of one human

being for another. —Mary Bosy
Insights From the Field 149

4. After a class discussion, introduce a second story about Hurricane Georges in the

Dominican Republic. Have students read it, or tell the story to the class. As they

are listening to the story, ask students to look for examples of people and organizations in the Dominican Republic pulling together and putting aside their own

needs for the good of the country.

5. Conduct a class discussion on the following questions:

● What motivated so many people in this situation to pull together and work

for the common good?

● What difference did it make?

6. Ask older students to respond to this question in their journals:

● How is the idea of the common good related to the idea we explored in the

culture unit: Despite our differences, we are all united in a common bond of humanity.

Assessment Activity

Have students work in small groups to create a poster illustrating the concept of the common good. Explain to students that they can use examples from their own experience

and examples from the Dominican Republic. Ask students to title their posters “The

Common Good” and illustrate them in such a way that they will be able explain to

younger students what the idea of the common good means.

To leave the world a bit 

better, whether by a healthy

child, a garden patch, or a

redeemed social condition, to

know even one life has

breathed easier because you

have lived—this is to have

succeeded.

Ralph Waldo Emerson,

Author
150 Coverdell World Wise Schools

Worksheet #2

Working for the Common Good

The damage was extensive. You could actually

see how the rivers had flooded their banks destroying whole towns. People came to us and said they

had lost their town, they had lost their way of life,

they had lost their way of living.They had no idea

what to do. But they wanted to continue to stay

together.They asked: Could you help us?

The staff at the Peace Corps office in Santo

Domingo realized very quickly that we had people

who could help.We had people who were experienced in community organization, spoke Spanish,

were well-educated, and could step forward and do

some things. We joined with the Dominican government and the Red Cross to assist them in setting

up refugee shelters. And for a period of time, we

managed 16 of the shelters.We worked together.

During that time we were able to acquire a small

plane and do an initial flyover to assess the damage.

We did this for several days thereafter. People were

isolated in the rivers—on “islands,” so to speak—

created by the rivers. We knew that international

assistance might take a while.And we also knew that

people needed water and food immediately. So we

worked with AID (the U.S.Agency for International

Development) and chartered a plane to drop food to

people who were stranded.

We began packing two-and-a-half-pound bags

of food the night before the flyover. We packed

throughout the night.The next morning—I think it

was six or seven o’clock—the first plane took off

with the bags of food.We flew out into one of the

worst hit areas and dropped the food. We couldn’t

land yet; for a week, we dropped the food to people

who were in pretty bad shape.

The most amazing thing to me—the most gratifying thing—is that by the time the first flight had

returned, the news had gotten out in the local

Dominican media and people were coming from

everywhere to try to help. Dominican businesses

offered help. People who sold sausage and people

who had milk companies donated food. People

appeared at the airport to help us pack the food

bags. The U.S. Embassy employees helped. People

from other organizations, like the Red Cross and

Habitat for Humanity, and people from other countries volunteered to help get food to those who

needed it. People put aside a lot of their differences

to help: to rescue people, to donate water, to get

them to a shelter.

International nongovernmental organizations

were also coming in to help.The French arrived

with Puma helicopters at the end of the week.

Now the airlift was able to go on for two or three

weeks.There’s an amazing photograph that shows

the French pilot, the American pilot, and the

Dominican all hugging. It was a hugely emotional

moment. People were feeling like they made a difference and were able to get food out in drastic

conditions.

You experience enormous amounts of generosity during a disaster like this.

—Natalie Woodward,

former Peace Corps country director,

Dominican Republic
Insights From the Field 151

Essential Questions

● How do people in our community work for the common good?

● What difference do they make?

Materials/Resources

1. In advance of this lesson you

will need to contact 3 or 4 members of volunteer community

organizations and invite them prepare a 5–10 minute presentation

to your students addressing the

following issues:

● The purpose of their service

organizations

● The needs the organization

addresses

● The way the organization

works for the common

good

● Why the volunteer chose to

serve

● A special story illustrating

the impact of serving

Volunteer community organization representatives may also wish

to provide students with literature

about the organization and the

ways in which students might get

involved.

2. Presentations by Community

Volunteers Worksheet

Lesson Two: Who Works for the Common Good in Our

Community?

Objectives

● Students will be able to explain the ways in which service organizations

work for the common good in their own community.

● Students will be able to explain why working for the common good matters

in their own community.

Instructions

1. Tell students you have invited representatives from volunteer and community service organizations in your own community to visit the class to help the

class better understand what the common good means.

2. Preview for students the kinds of things the volunteers will be talking to

them about:

● The purpose of their service organization

● The needs the organization addresses

● The way the organization works for the common good

● Why the volunteer chose to serve or work in the organization

● A special story illustrating the impact of serving

Let students know that the community organization representatives will

provide ideas about the ways in which students might get involved.

3. Ask students, as they are listening to the speakers, to take notes using

Worksheet #3, Presentations by Community Volunteers, on page 152.

4. Following the presentations, allow time for questions and answers. After the

speakers have left, ask students to respond to the these questions:

● What would happen if there were no people or organizations who

worked for the common good in our community?

● What are some ways our class could pull together and begin working for

the common good of our school or community?

Journal Entry

Ask students to respond in their journals to the prompts below.Afterward, have

students share their responses in small groups.

● What does the common good mean? Why does it matter in our own 

community?

● What would happen if there were no volunteers working in our community?
152 Coverdell World Wise Schools

Organization #1 Organization #2 Organization #3

● What is the purpose 

of the service organization?

● What needs does the 

organization address?

● How does the organization

do its work?

● Why did this speaker choose 

to serve or work in this organization?

● What story did the speaker tell 

that illustrated the value and

impact of service?

Worksheet #3

Presentations by Community Volunteers
Insights From the Field 153

Essential Questions

● Why does service matter?

● How have Peace Corps

Volunteers serving in the

Dominican Republic worked for

the common good?

Materials

Peace Corps Criteria for a Strong

Service Project; Peace Corps Service

Projects in the Dominican Republic 

Lesson Three 

Service Projects in the Dominican Republic

Objectives

● Students will read primary source documents and be able to identify

several kinds of service projects conducted by Peace Corps Volunteers.

● Students will be able to identify criteria used by the Peace Corps for

conducting service projects for the common good.

Instructions

1. Tell students that they will be looking at examples of seven kinds of

service projects conducted by Peace Corps Volunteers in the

Dominican Republic.

2. Explain that there are five categories of projects:

● Agriculture (helping Dominican farmers improve their farming

techniques and methods)

● Small business development (helping Dominican villagers start and

maintain a small business);

● Education (helping Dominican teachers learn new teaching 

methods)

● Environmental education (helping Dominicans become aware of

environmental issues)

● Health (helping rural community dwellers develop ways to provide

their villages with safe drinking water)

3. Explain that the Peace Corps has identified four criteria for service

projects that contribute to the common good.The best service projects

● Increase local capacity and skills (i.e., local people develop the skills

to carry on the project after the Peace Corps Volunteer has left).

● Address the expressed needs of a group that has limited resources

of its own.

● Seek sustainable results (i.e., results that will last long after the

Volunteer has left).

● Work with local participants as partners (i.e.,Volunteers do not do

things for people but with people.They help people help themselves).

4. Provide students with a copy of the seven vignettes on pages 156–158

describing Peace Corps projects in the Dominican Republic. Ask students to complete Worksheet #4, Peace Corps Criteria for a Strong Service

Project, on page 154 as they are reading about the projects.

Happiness is when what you

think, what you say, and what you

do are in harmony.

Mohandas Gandhi
154 Coverdell World Wise Schools

Increases

Local

Capacity

Addresses

Expressed

Needs

Seeks

Sustainable

Results

Uses Local

Participants as

Partners

Worksheet #4

Peace Corps Criteria for a Strong Service Project

PROJECT

Agriculture

Business

Education

Environment

Health
Insights From the Field 155

5. Mention to students that not all vignettes will contain enough information

to fill in every cell of the graphic organizer. However they should complete

the graphic organizer in as much detail as possible.

6. Have students share their graphic organizers and what they’ve learned from

the vignettes with a partner. Then have partners share in groups of four.

Finally, conduct a class discussion about the Dominican service projects and

how they are an example of working for the common good.

7. Give students time to add information from these discussions to their

graphic organizers. Then see if they have understood the criteria for a

strong service project.

Journal Entry

Wrap up the lesson with a journal entry in response to the prompt below.Then have

students share their journal entry with the whole group during a class discussion.

● What if there were no volunteers working for the common good in

this world?

In the mountains of Ethiopia,

shortly after John F. Kennedy’s

death, I stopped my Land Rover

to pick up an old man and give

him a lift across the high plateau.

On the side door, he read the

Peace Corps name written in

Amharic script as Yesalaam

Guad. It meant Messenger of

Peace.

I nodded and told him, yes,

Yesalaan Guad. Kennedy’s Peace

Corps. He asked me then if I had

known President Kennedy, and I

told him how I had once shaken

his hand on the White House

lawn.

For a moment he looked out

across the flat brown land at the

distant acacia trees, and then he

grinned and seized my hand and

shook it, shouting ‘Yesalaan

Guad.Yesalaam Guad.’

He was shaking the hand that

had shaken the hand of John F.

Kennedy.

We two, there on the highlands of Africa, as far away as one

could possibly be from Washington

and the White House, shared a

moment, were connected by the

death of a martyred president and

his enduring legacy, the Peace

Corps.

John Coyne,Author

(RPCV Ethiopia)
156 Coverdell World Wise Schools

Primary Source Document

Peace Corps Service Projects 

in the Dominican Republic

Note:The following accounts describe the work of Peace Corps

Volunteers in five different areas: agriculture, business, education,

the environment, and health. Notice that Peace Corps Volunteers

always work with counterparts or partners—people from the local

community who work and learn side by side with them.

On Tuesday, September 22, 1998, Hurricane Georges

devastated the Dominican Republic. The aftermath

of the hurricane created many challenges for the

Volunteers who were serving there.The small business development Volunteers used their organizational skills, creative problem-solving skills, and team

spirit in the hurricane relief effort. One Volunteer

served in a particular town as a consultant to the

local chamber of commerce. The town suffered

tremendous damage from the hurricane and had the

largest loss of life in the country. During the hurricane relief effort, this Volunteer demonstrated strong

leadership skills. He did the following:

● Managed refugee centers in the community

and used surveys and database spreadsheets to

assess and record countless individual needs for

food, clothing, and shelter.

● Assisted with the food distribution system in

the community.

● Served as administrator of a large donation of

money to the Lion’s Club chapter in the town

to rebuild houses in the community. The

Volunteer also worked with the housebuilding work crews.

● Worked with community members to develop

a grant proposal to the Hurricane Georges

Disaster Relief Fund for assistance for hurricane victims.

Agriculture

A Peace Corps Volunteer was assigned to work in a

rural village of 300 people.The village is located in

the northwest corner of the Dominican Republic,

close to the border with Haiti. It is a subsistencelevel farming community that has little of the necessities or luxuries of life: no safe drinking water, no

electricity, and limited availability of transportation.

The Volunteer designed and implemented a program

to teach rural farmers to conserve topsoil through

the use of hillside barriers. He also taught and led

groups to create organic compost and organic pesticides. He was involved in the creation of a successful

tree nursery in the village.The Volunteer developed

a demonstration plot in a model farm in close collaboration with a local farmer, who became a socalled farmer leader.

Business (Small Business Development)
Insights From the Field 157

Environment

Prior to a Volunteer’s arrival in the community of El

Caimito, small farmers were reluctant to work in soil

conservation projects because they didn’t equate

such activity with improving their lives. Before

teaching soil conservation methods to interested

community members, the Volunteer first had to

develop a positive relationship of trust and respect

with them. She was able to do this by teaching gymnastics to the girls and women, and going out into

the fields to pick tobacco with the farmers. Still, she

struggled to find out what would be the motivating

approach that would make the small farmers care

about soil erosion control measures to protect their

soil. She had an idea that, if something were to motivate farmers to work in conservation, it would have

to be an income-generation activity. It occurred to

her to help the farmers grow bamboo which, in

turn, farmers could use to make handicrafts to be

sold in the market. At the same time, they saw that

the bamboo was helping to stop soil erosion. The

farmers were soon willing to start the process of

growing and propagating bamboo. The Volunteer

also solicited help from the Dominican government

agency responsible for hydroelectric resources to

finance a community tree nursery and plant nursery.

Education

A Volunteer has worked as a preschool teacher for 18

months in one of the largest industrial zones of the

country.As a preschool teacher, she has succeeded in

developing working relationships with the 18 preschools in the area.The majority of the teachers who

work in the preschools have not completed high

school.The Volunteer supports the teachers by making bi-monthly visits to each school. She helps

teachers develop low-cost teaching materials, write

lesson plans, and develop better classroom management tools. In addition to her work with individual

Education

A Volunteer worked for 18 months in the eastern

town of Hato Mayor as a teaching resource center

specialist. She developed relationships of trust and

respect with the school district office and formed

strong relationships with individuals and families in

the town and in the surrounding rural communities.

With her Dominican counterpart as a partner, she

has asked the most motivated teachers to provide

examples of what can be accomplished with students

when the resource center’s new teaching methods

are put into practice. She also sought out the poorest and most rural communities, which are traditionally neglected, to encourage their teachers and parent groups to be active in efforts to provide quality

education to their students and children. In an effort

to promote better understanding among children of

different experiences, the Volunteer established an

interchange between students in a rural school and

those in a private academy in the capital city of Santo

Domingo.Together with her Dominican partner, she

developed action plans to ensure that the teaching

methods project will continue to develop and be sustainable in the future, after she is gone. She has also

been active in assisting in a local nursing home.

teachers, the Volunteer planned and facilitated meetings with the parent support groups within each of

the communities, focusing on helping parents better

understand school needs. The Volunteer has been a

member of the Women in Development committee

for the past year and, through her work with the

committee, was able to obtain scholarships for many

of the preschool teachers she works with on a daily

basis.These scholarships were used to help the young

women complete their high school credits and, in

some cases, go to the university to study education.
158 Coverdell World Wise Schools

Health

Angosto is a small, rural community in the mountains of the Dominican Republic. Approximately

200 people live there in 23 homes.A Volunteer there

was a 25-year-old civil engineer from Massachusetts

who worked in the community as an environmental

sanitation promoter. In this community, women and

children had to walk two miles to get water for

Environmental Education

A Volunteer has been a role model for his Dominican

counterpart and the staff members with whom he

works at the Agriculture Institute. His counterpart

expressed it descriptively: “We were here for many

years and didn’t even know how to talk and relate to

the communities surrounding us.This Volunteer, in a

very short time, has created the appropriate communication links between us and the communities.That

household use and most homes were without a

latrine. He worked with community members to

develop a small gravity water system and a latrine

project. He also showed community members how

to develop and maintain similar systems. This

Volunteer recently participated in the inauguration

ceremony for the new water system.

has opened our eyes to many possibilities for

improving our farming and soil conservation methods that could benefit both sides.We didn’t see this

before.The same thing can be said of the teachers in

the local schools.We can be a resource for them in

environmental education, and vice versa, because of

the work initiated by this Volunteer.”
Insights From the Field 159

Essential Questions

● How do people in our

community work for the

common good?

● Why does service matter?

Materials:

Community Volunteer 

Interview Guide 

Lesson Four

Conducting Interviews in the Community

Objectives

● Students will broaden their perspectives on the meaning of the common good by going out into their communities and conducting

interviews with community volunteers.

● Students will develop and practice interviewing skills.

● Students will develop and practice active listening skills.

Instructions

1. Tell students that soon they will have the opportunity to go out into

the community and interview family, friends, neighbors, and others

who work for the common good. These interviews will give them

ideas about ways in which they might eventually work for the common good in their school or community.

2. Together with students, make a list of community volunteers, school

service groups, and others in the community who work for the common good. These are the people students might interview. Provide

examples of community volunteers, and ask students to add to the list:

● Scout leaders

● Soccer, basketball, baseball coaches (who are unpaid volunteers)

● Religious teachers or volunteer groups

● Hospital volunteers

● Volunteers in homeless shelters

● Library volunteers

● Senior citizen volunteers

● Volunteer firemen

● Friends, neighbors, or family members who volunteer their time 

3. Help students select two people whom they will interview.

4. Help students generate a list of questions they want to ask during their

interviews. Provide and elicit examples of questions:

● Why do you serve or volunteer?

● What are examples of ways that you serve?

● How does your volunteering support the common good in our

community?

● What advice or words of wisdom do you have about the value of

serving?

I am a citizen of the world.

Socrates
160 Coverdell World Wise Schools

5. Provide each student with two copies of Worksheet #5, Community Volunteer Interview Guide, on 

page 162.

6. Ask students how they feel about interviewing someone. Have they ever conducted an interview

before? Have they ever seen someone conduct an interview? What are the skills people need to conduct a good interview? Conduct a class discussion focused on these questions

.

7. Explain to students that they will now have the opportunity to practice interviewing skills. Provide students with a list of skills (see Interview Basics on page 129).

8. Once you have reviewed these points with students, provide an opportunity for them to practice their

interviewing skills.

9. Before students practice, model the way an interview might be conducted. Ask two volunteers to

come up to the front of the class. Have them play the role of interviewees from a community service

organization while you interview them using effective interviewing skills.Ask the two students to pretend they are volunteers in a homeless shelter. Begin by using the questions on the Interview Guide on

page 162.

10. Ask the rest of the class to take notes on what you do and say to make the speakers feel comfortable

and at ease (and anything you do or say that they think has caused discomfort).

11. Start by introducing yourself, smiling, and thanking the volunteers for coming. Mention that you know

they are busy and that you don’t want to take too much of their time. After the first question, summarize what they said to make sure you understood it correctly. Summarize in a way that indicates you

have missed several key points.Then ask:“Did I miss anything important?” Allow the interviewees to

add the missing information.Thank them and go on to the next question.

12. When the interview is over ask the interviewees:

● What did I do to make you feel comfortable?

● Is there anything I did to make you feel uncomfortable?

● What have you learned about interviewing from this experience?

13. Then ask the rest of the class to provide their observations on the above questions.

14. Ask students to divide into groups of three. Explain that they will now have a chance to practice their

interviewing skills. Have one person be the interviewer, one person be the interviewee, and one person be an observer. Have students conduct their interviews and ask the observers to take notes on all

the positive things the interviewer did to make the interview go well.
Insights From the Field 161

15. Provide five minutes for each interview, after which the observer will share his or her notes and the

interviewee will comment on what the interviewer did to make him or her feel comfortable. Allow

time for the interviewer to ask if there was anything he or she could have done better.Try to ensure

that there has been positive feedback first.

16. Then have each person in the groups of three assume a new role and begin the process again until all

three students have had the chance to be the interviewer.

17. At the end of this activity, ask students what they’ve

learned about good interviewing. Record

their comments on the chalkboard.

18. Ask students to conduct their

own interviews in the community and bring their completed

interview guides back to class.

We shall not cease from exploration,

And the end of all our exploring

Will be to arrive where we started

And know the place for the first time.

T.S. Eliot, Poet
162 Coverdell World Wise Schools

Worksheet #5 

Community Volunteer Interview Guide

Date of Interview Name of person interviewed and his or her organization

Why do you serve 

or volunteer?

What are examples 

of the way that you serve?

Why do you think serving or

volunteering is important?

How does your service or volunteering

support the common good 

in our community?

Do you have any advice for others

who would like to serve?
Insights From the Field 163

Essential Questions

● How do people in our community work for the common

good?

● How can we, as a class, make

a difference in our school or

community? 

● How can I contribute to the

common good?

Materials

Completed Interview Guides

Lesson Five: Why Does Service Matter?

Objectives

● Students will summarize and explain the results of interviews with

community volunteers.

● Students will describe the reasons people serve and why service matters.

Instructions

1. Students are expected to bring their completed interview guides to

class. In small groups, have the students take turns reporting

● Whom they interviewed.

● How the person serves the community.

● Why the person volunteers.

● Good stories people told about their experiences serving or

volunteering.

2. In class discussion, ask students to respond to the following questions:

● How have these individuals and organizations made a difference in

our community?

● What would it be like to live in a community where no one

served or felt responsibility for contributing to the common good?

Journal Entry

1. In a journal entry, have students respond to the following prompts:

● What about me? What do I have to give?

● Why does service matter?

● How can members of our class serve our community and contribute to the common good?

2. Have students share their journal entries with a partner, then in a class

discussion. Make a list on the chalkboard of all the things students say

they have to give—and the ways in which they feel they can serve.

My worldview developed and solidified during my years as a Volunteer

in Niger.That is to say, an innate

curiosity toward exploring “differences” (for lack of a better term), and

a belief that the world was designed

for me to discover, were already a part

of my life pre-Peace Corps or I 

wouldn’t have signed on for two years

in Africa. My experiences showed

these ideas to be true and confirmed

that there is a definite place for me in

the world beyond home.

Susan Rich, Poet

(RPCV Niger)
164 Coverdell World Wise Schools

Essential Questions

● What can we do to support the common good

in our school, neighborhoods, or community?

● How far are we willing to

go to make a difference? 

Materials

Service-Learning Rubric

Lesson Six: Planning a Service Project

Objectives

● Students will apply what they have learned about service by designing and

implementing service projects.

● Students will brainstorm and come to consensus on five main projects.

Instructions

1. Before this lesson, read the Note to Teachers on Service Learning on page 165.

2. Revisit with students the following key points:

● We’ve thought about the common good—what it is and why it 

matters.

● Community volunteers have shared their experiences with us.

● We’ve conducted interviews in the community to learn more about

how and why people serve—and why it matters.

● We’ve looked at the ways that Peace Corps Volunteers have served and

worked for the common good in the Dominican Republic.

● We’ve thought about ways that we can make a difference as a class.

● Now it’s time for us to take action.

3. Review the preliminary list the class generated in Lesson Five of this unit:

Why Does Service Matter? Go over each item on the list and add the new

ideas that students have come up with.This brainstorming process is important, because eventually students will need to come to consensus on a project that they feel they own.

4. Ask students how they should best put to work their energy, talents, and

desire to make a difference. How can they make a difference in their

school or our community? Remind them of the ideas they came up with

at the end of the culture unit on how to increase understanding and

respect across cultural groups in the school.

5. Tell students that once they have come to consensus on a project they would

like to take on as a class, they will be engaging in a process called service

learning. Provide students with the following definition of service-learning:

a method that combines academic instruction, meaningful service, and critical reflective

thinking to enhance student learning and civic responsibility.

Experience is not what happens

to a man. It is what a man does

with what happens to him.

Aldous Huxley,Author
Insights From the Field 165

Note to Teachers on Service-Learning 

When you are working with your class to plan a service-learning project, there is a lot to think about before you

jump in. Below are guidelines that may make your life easier.

Reality Check

● How much time can you devote to the planning and implementation of the project?

● How involved do you want your students to be?

● Do you want to make a difference in your own community or in the world at large?

● Do you want to work with an established organization?

● Will students raise money? Give of their time, energy, and effort? A combination?

● How will you tie the service project to your curriculum?

Range of Possibilities

● Do a project in your school.

● Do a project for younger students in another school.

● Do a project in your community (team up with a local, a national, or an international service organization.)

● Support the project of a Peace Corps Volunteer by working with the Peace Corps’ Partnership Program

(www.peacecorps.gov).

Words to the Wise

● A well-designed service-learning project can be the most meaningful thing you do all year.

● It has the potential to reach deeply into the hearts and minds of your students for the rest of their lives.

● You can do something for others or use the Peace Corps model of working with others.

● Whatever you do will require careful planning.

● The more responsibility students take on, the better.

● Many parents will want to help.

● It’s worth all the effort.

Use the rubric on pages 168 and 169 for evaluating the quality of a service learning project. It can provide guidance to both you and your students.The rubric is taken from the Coverdell World Wise Schools publication Looking

at Ourselves and Others (Washington, DC: Peace Corps, 1998, p. 6).You can access this publication on the Coverdell

World Wise Schools website at www.peacecorps.gov/wws/publications/looking/.

6. Explain to students that quality service-learning projects meet these criteria:

● They meet actual community needs.

● They are coordinated in collaboration with the community.

● They are integrated into the academic curriculum.

● They facilitate active student reflection.

● They help students use new skills and knowledge in real-world settings.

● They help develop a sense of caring for and about others.

● They improve the quality of life for the person(s) served.
166 Coverdell World Wise Schools

7. Afterward, explain that planning a service-learning project involves these four steps:

● Assessing school or community needs

● Planning a project that addresses the needs

● Implementing the project

● Reflecting on what you’ve learned and evaluating results

8. Point out to students that they now have a list of projects they might like to undertake

and a list of criteria for them.Ask students to look at the list of projects and think about

the importance of the needs each option addresses.

9. Give each student a list of the projects the class has proposed and ask the students to

do the following: On a scale of 1 to 10, indicate how urgent and important the need

is for each project.The numbers 1–3 indicate low; 4–7 indicate moderate; 8–10 indicate a high sense of urgency and importance.

10. Ask for volunteers to count the responses and come up with an urgency and importance tally for each option.Then eliminate ideas that have low scores and retain the rest.

11. Review each item with a high score, and have a class discussion of the pros and cons

of each proposed project. Honor all opinions expressed because the final choice will

need to have the support of all.

12. Conduct a second round of scoring on the remaining items.There will usually be one

or two projects that clearly stand out.Ask the class to discuss the remaining two or three

options and come to consensus on the one project they think would meet an urgent

and important school or community need. (In some cases, students may want to do an

individual service-learning project, or one with a partner.)

13. Once the class has decided on a project, there are many resources on project planning

you can use. Useful websites to visit for service-learning project planning are the sites of

the Corporation for National & Community Service (www.learnandserve.org) and

Coverdell World Wise Schools (www.peacecorps.gov/wws/educators/servicelearning).You will

find detailed guidelines, examples of projects, and links to other service-learning sites.

14. Make special note of the service-learning criteria having to do with facilitating active student reflection.
Insights From the Field 167

Let us examine our attitude toward

peace itself.Too many of us think it is

impossible.Too many think it 

unreal....We need not accept that

view. Our problems are man-made—

therefore, they can be solved by man.

I am not referring to the absolute,

infinite concept of peace and good will

... [but] ... instead a more practical,

more attainable peace—based not on

a sudden revolution in human nature

but on a gradual evolution in human

institutions—on a series of concrete

actions and effective agreements which

are in the interest of all concerned.

There is no single, simple key to

world peace—no grand or magic formula.... Genuine peace must be the

product of many nations, the sum of

many acts. It must be dynamic, not

static, changing to meet the challenge

of each new generation. For peace is a

process—a way of solving problems.

President John F. Kennedy

15. Share with students the following ideas for reflection during the project, and once

the project is completed, be sure they understand that reflection and documentation are parts of the process. Some ideas to facilitate student reflection:

● Put together an album about the project containing photos, drawings, and 

writing.

● Write letters to the people you worked with or for about the meaning of

the project and what you learned.

● Put together a video of the project and write a narration for it.

● Visit other classes in your school to share what you accomplished and

learned.

● Share what you accomplished and learned with the PTA/PTO.

● Write an article for your local newspaper about the project.

16. Give students a copy of the Culminating Performance Task for the service unit

on page 170. Explain each item with examples.

17. Let your students know that once they have carefully planned, implemented, and

reflected on their service-learning project, they will have played an important part

in forging another link in the common bond of humanity.
168 Coverdell World Wise Schools

1. Meets actual

community

needs

2. Is coordinated 

in collaboration

with community

3. Is integrated

into academic

curriculum. 

4. Facilitates active

student 

reflection

Strong Impact

Determined by 

current research conducted or discovered

by students with

teacher assistance

where appropriate

Active, direct collaboration with community by the teacher

and/or student

Service learning as

instructional strategy

with content/service

components integrated

Students think, share,

produce reflective

products individually

and as group members

Good Impact

Determined by past

research discovered by

students with teacher

assistance where

appropriate

Community members

act as consultants 

in the project 

development

Service learning as 

a teaching technique

with content/service

components concurrent

Students think, share,

produce group reflection only

Some Impact

Determined by making a guess at what

community needs

may be

Community members are informed of

the project directly

Service learning part

of curriculum but

sketchy connections,

with emphasis on

service

Students share with

no individual reflective projects

Minimal Impact

Community needs 

secondary to what a 

project teacher wants to

do; project considers

only student needs

Community members

are coincidentally

informed or not

knowledgeable at all

Service learning 

supplemental to 

curriculum, in essence

just a service project or

good deed

Ran out of time for a

true reflection; just provided a summary of

events

Worksheet #6

Service-Learning Rubric

Note to Students: Service learning is a method that combines academic instruction, meaningful service, and critical

reflective thinking to enhance student learning and civic responsibility. Use this rubric to evaluate your progress during

your service-learning project, and once you’ve completed it.
Insights From the Field 169

Source: This rubric is taken from the Coverdell World Wise Schools publication Looking at Ourselves and Others

(Washington, DC: Peace Corps, 1998, p. 6).You can access this publication by going to the Peace Corps World Wise

Schools website at www.peacecorps.gov/wws/publications/looking/.

5. Uses new 

academic

skill/knowledge

in real world

settings

6. Helps develop

sense of caring

for and about

others

7. Improves quality

of life for 

person(s) served

Strong Impact

All students have direct

application of new skill

or knowledge in community service

Reflections show deep

personal understanding

of the importance of

service and his/her ability to make a difference.

Student likely to take

the initiative to serve

again

Facilitate change or

insight; help alleviate a

suffering; solve a problem; meet a need or

address an issue

Some Impact

Some students more

involved than others or

little community service

involvement

Reflections show limited understanding of the

importance of service.

Student likely to serve

again, if asked

Changes mainly decorative, but new and

unique benefits realized

in community

Good Impact

All students have

some active application of new skill

or knowledge

Reflections show

growing understanding of the

importance of service and his/her

ability to make a

difference. Student

likely to serve again

Changes enhance

an already good

community 

situation

Minimal Impact

Skill knowledge used

mostly in the classroom; no active 

community service

experience

Reflections show student largely unaffected by the importance

of service and his/her

ability to make a difference. Student

unlikely to serve

again.

Changes mainly decorative, but limited

community benefit,

or are not new and

unique
170 Coverdell World Wise Schools

Culminating Performance Task

Note to the Students: Below you will find a description of the performance task that will give you

the opportunity to apply what you’ve learned in a real-world setting

GOAL: To apply what you have learned about service in a real-world context.To give you the opportunity

to demonstrate that you have mastered the enduring understandings of this unit.

ROLE:You are a community volunteer.

AUDIENCE:The people you serve in your project—and the people with whom you share your reflections

at the end of the project.

SITUATION: There are human needs in every school, neighborhood, and community that go unmet every

day.Without the generosity of volunteers, most of these needs would never have a chance of being met.This

service-learning project will provide you the rare opportunity to learn—not from a textbook—but in the real

world.

PRODUCT OR PERFORMANCE: A completed service-learning project in which you assess needs,

design a project plan that is related to a topic in your curriculum, implement the project, and actively reflect

on and evaluate the results.

STANDARDS FOR SUCCESS

Your project will be judged against the criteria provided in the Service Learning Rubric on Worksheet #6.

These criteria:

● Meets actual school or community needs.

● Is planned and coordinated in collaboration with the people being served.

● Relates to the academic curriculum.

● Facilitates active student reflection.

● Uses new academic knowledge and skills in a real-world setting.

● Helps develop a sense of caring for and about others.

● Improves the quality of life for the person(s) served.

Service Unit 
Insights From the Field 171

Understanding by Design

We’ve created this curriculum guide using the curriculum design framework, Understanding by Design (Wiggins

and McTighe 1998), developed with the support of the Association for Supervision and Curriculum

Development (ASCD). The Understanding by Design (UbD) approach is intended to deepen student understanding of important concepts and skills in such a way that this knowledge will endure over time. In contrast

to the traditional way of designing curriculum (identifying objectives, planning lessons, and assessing results),

the Understanding by Design framework uses a “backward design process” that identifies assessments before planning learning experiences and lessons.We’ve summarized the process of “backward design”:

1. Identify desired results: What is worthy of student understanding?

2. Determine acceptable evidence: How will students demonstrate their understanding?

3. Plan learning experiences, lessons, and instruction: What will we have students experience and do in order to

achieve the desired results?

Here is a visual organizer for the UbD curriculum design framework:

Stage 1: Identify Desired Results

● What understandings are desired?

● What essential questions will guide this unit and focus teaching/learning?

● What key knowledge and skills will students acquire as a result of this unit?

Stage 2: Determine Acceptable Evidence

● Through what authentic performance task(s) will students demonstrate understanding, knowledge, and

skill?

● Through what prompts/academic problems, or test/quiz items will students demonstrate understanding, as well as more discrete knowledge and skill?

● Through what observations, work samples, etc., will students demonstrate understanding, knowledge,

and skill?

● How will students reflect upon and self-assess their learning?

Stage 3: Plan Learning Experiences and Instruction

● What sequence of teaching and learning experiences will equip students to develop and demonstrate

the desired understandings?

Appendix A
172 Coverdell World Wise Schools

● How will the design

W = Help the students know where the unit is going?

H = Hook the students and hold their interest?

E = Equip the students, explore the issues, and experience key ideas?

R = Provide built-in opportunities to rethink and revise their understandings and work?

E = Allow students to evaluate their work?

Each unit in this study guide contains a culminating performance task to assess the degree to which

students have achieved the desired results of that particular unit.The culminating performance task is

also designed to provide students the opportunity to apply what they have learned in the unit in a realworld context.

The Understanding by Design Handbook (McTighe and Wiggins, 1999, page 140) provides useful

guidelines for designing a performance assessment task.An authentic performance task has the following characteristics:

● It is realistic. It simulates the way a person’s knowledge and abilities are tested in the real world.

● It requires judgment and innovation.A student has to use knowledge and skills wisely and effectively to solve a real-world problem.

● It replicates or simulates the contexts in which adults are tested in the workplace, the community, or the home.

● It assesses the student’s ability to efficiently and effectively use a variety of knowledge and skills to

negotiate a complex task.

The Understanding by Design Handbook uses an acronym (“GRASPS”) to help teachers design performance task scenarios.The meaning of GRASPS.

G What is the goal of the task? What is it designed to assess?

R What real-world role will the student assume as he/she is performing the task?

A Who is the audience for the task?

S What is the situation that provides the context for the task?

P What is the product or performance that is required by the task?

S By what standards will the product or performance be judged?

Each unit in this study guide has a culminating performance task designed using the GRASPS

acronym. McTighe and Wiggins (1999) suggest that teachers and curriculum designers identify the culminating performance task for the unit before they begin to develop a unit’s learning activities. In this

way, the goal of all learning activities is clear: to help all students develop the knowledge and skills to

successfully complete the culminating performance task. This approach to curriculum design is often

referred to as “beginning with the end in mind.”

The UbD model strongly suggests that in performance-based instruction, we let students know—

before they begin work on a performance task—what criteria will be used to assess the quality of a student’s performance on that task.Thus, expectations are known to all, and there are no surprises. For these

reasons, a rubric or performance checklist accompanies the culminating performance task at the end of

each of the three curriculum units in this guide.
Insights From the Field 173

The Dominican Republic: An Overview

This overview of the geography, history, culture, and people of the Dominican Republic will help you

place the primary source information in each of the modules in context.

Geography and the Land

The Dominican Republic, located in the Caribbean chain of islands between Cuba and Puerto Rico,

occupies the eastern two-thirds of the island of Hispaniola.The Atlantic Ocean forms its northern coast;

the waters of the Caribbean forms its southern shores.The country of Haiti occupies the western third

of Hispaniola.

Internationally known for its Spanish ruins, beautiful palm-fringed beaches, and lofty mountain

peaks, the Dominican Republic is the second largest nation in the Caribbean, after Cuba. It is only

slightly larger than Vermont and New Hampshire and about half the size of Ohio. It lies just 600 miles

southeast of Florida and 68 miles east of Puerto Rico.

The Dominican Republic is one of the world’s most topographically diverse nations. Its 19,386

square miles comprise more than 20 distinct regions with a remarkable variety of scenery: everything

from lush tropical jungles, lowlands and valleys, tall mountain ranges, rivers and lakes, and semi-arid

deserts to some of the most agriculturally productive land in the entire Caribbean region.

Santo Domingo, the capital of the country since 1496, is one of the Dominican Republic’s four

major cities.With a population of 2,411,895, Santo Domingo is a modern city and the seat of national

power and administration. It is also the hub of financial and business activity, the home of the country’s

growing middle class, the site of the largest institution of higher learning, and the center of cultural

attractions that include art galleries, libraries, museums, and concert halls.

The country’s second largest city, Santiago (population 400,000), is located in the northwest part of

the country. It is the Dominican Republic’s agricultural center and the heart of the country’s tobaccogrowing region.

Situated on the southern coast toward the eastern end of the island is the city of La Romana, a

provincial capital. La Romana is probably the best example of a medium-sized city that mirrors the

changes in the Dominican economy. Once the center of the country’s sugar industry, La Romana is an

example of the general trend of the Dominican Republic’s movement from a sugar-based economy to

a more diversified one. Unfortunately, it was devastated in 1998 by Hurricane Georges, and its economic

recuperation has been slow.

Appendix B
174 Coverdell World Wise Schools

Puerto Plata, a northern coastal area is the center of the country’s booming hotel and resort industry. Puerto

Plata has a privately built and publicly run international airport, new roads, water facilities, and sewer systems.

Because of the continuing growth of tourism, Puerto Plata’s hotels and resorts are a major source of employment for Dominicans.

Climate

The Dominican Republic has a mild, subtropical climate that varies little throughout the year. Temperatures

range from 64 degrees to 90 degrees F., and humidity is extremely high. Rainfall is generally moderate, except

during the hurricane season. Rains are heaviest in the northeast and in the mountain areas around Santiago,

where as much as 100 inches a year may fall.The rest of the country usually enjoys clear, sunny days with only

an occasional evening or nighttime shower.The Dominican Republic averages 245 days of sunshine annually.

Hurricanes pose a great threat to the island. Routes and patterns of the hurricanes are unpredictable, but

the greatest danger comes in August and September, when hurricanes can last two weeks.The rural areas of

the country, with their simple dwellings of mud, thatch, and wood, are particularly vulnerable to the high winds

and rain.

In 1998, Hurricane Georges battered the island of Hispaniola, and when the storm finally ended, 500 people in the Dominican Republic were dead or missing, 500 others were seriously injured, and 287,000 were left

homeless. In addition, a third of the country’s schools were destroyed, and a third were severely damaged. Losses

amounted to $6 billion.

History 

Hispaniola was first settled by a group of native South Americans between 3,000 and 4,000 B.C. Nearly 3,000

years later, people from the Arawak tribe of Venezuela came to the island, settling on its eastern tip. More

Arawaks arrived over the next centuries, gradually integrating with the original settlers. The original native

peoples, who settled on the island and developed an agricultural society, called themselves the Taino (which

means good or noble).They used this name to distinguish themselves from the Arawaks.

The Taino society was organized into small villages housing 1,000 to 2,000 people, with a village chief

called a cacique.The chief could be either male or female.The villages were grouped into regional chiefdoms,
Insights From the Field 175

each with its own leader.The Taino had no written language, so little is known about how they lived, other

than that they were farmers, cultivating corn, sweet potatoes, beans, squash, cotton, and tobacco. By the time

Europeans landed on the island in 1492, there were at least 500,000 inhabitants living in a peaceful and wellorganized culture.

The island of Hispaniola has been a center of political struggles since the arrival of Columbus on his first

voyage to the West Indies in 1492. Both Spain and France vied for control of the island and its natural resources

(gold, silver, coffee, and tobacco) in the 16th and 17th centuries. By the end of the 18th century, Spain ceded

to France all rights to one-third of the island, its western portion, which today comprises the Republic of

Haiti.The Haitians fought and won against Napoleon’s armies, and Haiti became the second European colony

(after the United States) to become independent from European colonizers in 1804.

In 1822, Haiti invaded the Spanish-speaking portion of the island to the east and ruled it for 22 years. On

February 27, 1844, native revolutionaries in the eastern portion of the island, led by Juan Pablo Duarte, seized

Santo Domingo. Independence from Haiti was declared and the Dominican Republic was born.After a brief

return to Spanish rule, the republic was restored on August 16, 1861. Both dates—February 27 (Independence

Day) and August 16 (Day of the Restoration )—are Dominican national holidays. Duarte is still known today

as the “father of the country.”

Today, the Dominican Republic is progressing as a free and democratic nation.A large number of political

parties exist, and political speeches and demonstrations take place openly in the main streets. Politicians are able

to campaign without being censored,and newspapers provide a relatively free flow of information for the people. On May 16, 2000, Hipolito Mejia was elected president, succeeding President Leonel Fernandez in a

smooth transition of power.

The president, who heads the executive branch of the government, is currently elected to a four-year term

by direct vote. A bicameral legislature, the National Assembly, is divided into the Senate and the Chamber of

Deputies. One senator from each of the 26 provinces (and one from the National District of Santo Domingo)

is elected by direct vote to a four-year term.The Supreme Court of Justice heads the judicial branch, and all

judges serve four-year terms. All citizens 18 years old or older, and those who are under 18 but married, are

entitled to vote.Although there are approximately 20 political parties in the Dominican Republic, only three

dominate: the Christian Social Reformist Party (CSRP), the Dominican Revolutionary Party (PRD), and the

Dominican Liberation Party (PLD).

Population and People

Dominicans are composed of a unique racial and ethnic mix.There are three main population groups in the

country. Mulattos make up about 75 percent of the population; whites and blacks represent 15 percent and 10

percent, respectively. Although the current annual population growth rate is approximately 2.7 percent, the

population skyrocketed from 3 million in 1960 to 6.3 million in 1985 and an estimated 8.2 million in 2000.
176 Coverdell World Wise Schools

The Dominican culture reflects the population’s diversity. From the Spanish, the Dominicans have inherited their language, food, styles, Catholicism, an extended family united by a patriarch, and a view of human

destiny that can be characterized by the phrase,“what will be will be.”The roots of the most popular variety

of Dominican music, merengue, can be traced to African and indigenous Indian cultures. An African influence

is also apparent in Dominican folklore, social activities, handicrafts, and cuisine.

The population density is one of the highest in the hemisphere.About 40 percent of the population lives

in rural areas in small, scattered communities of from 10 to 200 families.The other 60 percent of the population lives in the urban areas of Santo Domingo, Santiago, and the 28 other provincial capitals. It is estimated

that another million Dominicans reside in the United States.The growth of Dominican neighborhoods, such

as Washington Heights in New York City, has made a visible impact on the North American urban and cultural scene. Dominicans who emigrate still keep close ties with their relatives in the Dominican Republic,

sending them money and material goods on a regular basis.

Life in the Countryside

Approximately 40 percent of the Dominican population still lives in the campo (countryside). Many homes

owned by campesinos (farmers and tenants) are built with traditional materials such as the bark, leaves, and the

trunks of the royal palm tree, as well as from stick frames covered with mud. Most lack basic services such as

potable drinking water and electricity.A large number of campesinos work as tenants.Their wages are low, and

poverty and illiteracy are common.

The farmers and peasants who live in the rural areas of the Dominican Republic confront many environmental challenges. In the struggle for arable land, many forests have been decimated. Successive governments have been aware of the needs of the rural poor, and efforts to address these issues continue to be

a national priority.

The Economy

Agriculture, particularly the cultivation of sugar cane and the export of sugar, has been one of the mainstays

of the Dominican economy. Farmers make up more than a quarter of the labor force. Sugar cane, coffee, cacao

and various tropical fruits and vegetables are exported in large quantities, and are also sold in the local markets. Until the early 1980s, sugar accounted for nearly 50 percent of Dominican exports. In 1983, however, the

international price of sugar fell to half the cost of production, resulting in an economic crisis.This situation

stimulated major efforts at economic diversification, especially in the areas of mining, manufacturing, and

tourism.
Insights From the Field 177

A growing number of assembly plants in free trade zones has lured foreign manufacturing firms to the

Dominican Republic. Plants in these zones currently employ more than 140,000 workers. Manufacturing in

these zones contributed over $520 million to the national balance of payments in 1996, and 1996 annual

exports totaled more than $960 million.

Although mining and manufacturing are important sources of income, tourism still remains the major

means of producing national revenue.Tourism has grown dramatically in recent decades, with approximately

1.3 million visitors to the Dominican Republic’s resorts today.The nation has more than 25,000 hotel rooms

with more under continuous construction.Today, tourism has surpassed sugar cane in importance, and now

makes up 13 percent of the Gross National Product (GNP).

According to Wiarda and Kryzanek (1992), the changing character of the economy from predominantly

agricultural to more diversified has had a major impact on the country’s demography.At the end of the 20th

century, more people were living in urban than in rural areas.This trend has substantially increased the number of urban poor in the major cities of the Dominican Republic and placed an increased strain on the national social and economic infrastructure.

Education

Children in the Dominican Republic have access to primary education for 10 years.They are required by law

to attend school for six years.The typical school day is three and a half hours. Children study the traditional

subjects of mathematics, Spanish, English, science, and history, and often participate in sports such as volleyball,

basketball, and baseball.

In the campos, children must often walk long distances to get to school. Many rural areas are unable to offer

all the necessary grades, and rural schools are in need of qualified teachers. Due to the cost of books and the

need for money, some poor children are able to attend school for only a few years. Many parents need their

children to care for younger brothers and sisters while they work. Others need their children to help earn family income. Only 70 percent of children between the ages of 7 and 14 actually attend classes, and many children are unable to continue their education past the eighth grade.

About half the nation’s children go on to the six-year secondary schools. Of these, about 90 percent take

courses that prepare them for college, and 10 percent go on to a vocational or training school. Most Dominican

universities are privately owned and expensive.The state university, however, is inexpensive, and an increasing

number of students are now attending its regional centers.
178 Coverdell World Wise Schools

The Importance of Family, Friends, and Hospitality

Whether rich or poor, the importance of family to Dominicans cannot be overstated. In the Dominican

Republic, family and extended family provide stability in the midst of political upheavals, economic reversals,

and natural disasters.The trust, assistance, loyalty, and solidarity that kin owe to one another are important values in Dominican culture. From early childhood, individuals learn that relatives are to be trusted, cared for, and

counted on.

Relationships with friends and neighbors are also very important. One Peace Corps Volunteer reported,

“The people here really pull together to help out one another.The word ‘neighbor’ seems to mean a great deal

more here. People know, care about, and help their neighbors.”Another Volunteer reports that “people are willing to go out of their way to help you. Dominicans have such a richness about them that comes from the value

they place on hospitality and relationships.”

Despite the poverty that exists in the campo, Peace Corps Volunteers who work there report a certain richness of life that exists among the people.The importance of relationships, friendship, and hospitality is the cultural norm in the campo. One visitor remarked that there seems to be an instinctive desire among the

Dominicans to connect with people. Peace Corps Volunteers have said that, despite poverty, the campesinos

always have food and a cup of coffee they are more than willing to share with neighbors and newcomers.They

also have an extraordinary willingness to help anyone who may need assistance (whether this be with something as simple as giving directions or more complex, like fixing roofs or moving furniture). One Peace Corps

Volunteer noted that “you simply could not get along in life in the campo or urban barrios without relying on

other people. Helping each other is part of their culture.”

Religion

The constitution of the Dominican Republic gives all citizens freedom of religion.Although most of the country is Roman Catholic, Protestant and folk religions are also widespread. More than 95 percent of the people

in the Dominican Republic are Roman Catholic. Every town, large or small, has its Catholic church. The

Spanish brought Catholicism from Europe to the island in the early 16th century. In 1540, the cathedral of

Santa Maria la Menor was completed in Santo Domingo. Six years later, the first archbishop of the island was

appointed.

Peace Corps Volunteers note that religious celebrations are common. For example, each community has a

Catholic saint whom it calls its patron saint.Patron saints are thought to protect the community and bring it

blessings. Each year, communities across the Dominican Republic celebrate a “Patron Saint’s Week” or the feast

of “Patronales.” Different communities celebrate their Patronales at different set times during the year. One

Volunteer reports that Patronales is really a nine-day festival, a celebration for the patron saint of the campo.“The

celebration includes special masses and is a time of community spirit.There are nine nights of musical entertainment, a competition to choose a queen, baseball and softball, speeches, skits, horse races, and lots of dancing every night.”
Insights From the Field 179

Art and Music

The Dominican Republic is home to many internationally renowned artists, such as Clara Ledesma, Ada

Balcacer,Yoryi Morel, and Jaime Colson. Quite a few Spanish-born painters, such as Jose Vela Zanetti, have

become naturalized Dominicans.

Although very little Dominican literature is available in translation or distributed worldwide, a younger generation of Dominican-born authors living in the United States,such as Julia Alvarez (In the Time of the Butterflies)

and Junot Diaz (Drown) are achieving international acclaim.Another celebrated Dominican author is Ramon

Aristy, whose novel, Over, chronicles the lives of sugar cane cutters in the 1940s.

Music and dance occupy an important place in the culture of the Dominican Republic. Among the most

popular and universal dances is the merengue. Its appeal cuts across all social levels of the country, and some say

it typifies the Dominican spirit.“I’m touched by merengue,” Dominican artist Juan Luis Guerra has been quoted as saying,“because it’s the music I have in my heart.” Guerra could be speaking for Dominicans throughout every region of this small, complex, resilient, hospitable, and vibrant island country.
180 Coverdell World Wise Schools
Insights From the Field 181

Reference Materials: Curriculum

McTighe, Jay and Grant Wiggins. The Understanding by Design Handbook.Alexandria,VA:ASCD, 1999.

Storti, Craig, and Laurette Bennhold-Samaan.Culture Matters:The Peace Corps Cross-Cultural Workbook. Peace Corps

Information Collection and Exchange.T0087.

Wiggins, Grant, and Jay McTighe. Understanding by Design.Alexandria,VA:ASCD, 1998.

History and Culture of the Dominican Republic

Brown, Isabel Z., Culture and Customs of the Dominican Republic (Culture and Customs of Latin America and the

Caribbean. Greenwood Publishing Group, 1999.

“Debbie’s Dominican Republic Homework Guide.” http://www.debbiesdominicantravel.com/homework.

html (June 11, 2000).This index page provides lots of user-friendly information for both teachers and students,

from maps to music, and art to recipes.

Georges, Eugenia, and Elaine Georges.The Making of a Transnational Community: Migration, Development and Cultural

Change in the Dominican Republic. Columbia University press, 1990.

Grasmuck, Sherri, and Patricia Pessar. Between Two Islands: Dominican International Migration. University of

California Press, 1991.

Haggerty, Richard A. (Ed.). Dominican Republic and Haiti: Country Studies.Washington, DC: Library of Congress,

Federal Research Division, 1989.

Hispaniola.com.“History of the Dominican Republic.” http.www.hispaniola.com/DR/Guides/History.html.

“Geography of the Dominican Republic,” http.www.hispaniola.com/DR/Guides/Geography.html.

(Basic Facts, http.www.hispaniola.com/DR/Guides/BasicFacts.html. (June 11, 2000).

Bibliography
182

Howard, David. Dominican Republic: A Guide to the People, Politics and Culture. New York, NY: Interlink

Publishing Group, 1999.

Kelly, Robert C., D. Ewing, S. Doyle, and D. Youngblood. Dominican Republic Country Review 1999/2000.

CountryWatch.com, 1999.

Library of Congress. Search “Dominican Republic” at http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/amhome.html. (June 11,

2000).

Pariser, Harry S. Explore the Dominican Republic. Edison, NJ: Hunter Publishing, Inc., 1998.

Pons, Frank M. The Dominican Republic,A National History. Marcus Weiner Pub., 1998.

Rogers, Laura and B. Rogers.The Dominican Republic. New York: Children’s Press, 1999.

Secretaría de Estado de Turismo. “La Cultura Taina,” “Historia,” “Arte y Artesania,” “Musica, Ritmos y Bailes,”

“Tradiciones Religiosas,”“Gastronomia,”“Ruinas y lugares historicos.” Numerous interesting, short articles, most of

which are in Spanish (for use at high school level). http://www.dominicana.com.do/ (June 11, 2000).

Wiarda, Howard, and Michael Kryzanek. The Dominican Republic:A Caribbean Crucible. Westview Press, 1992.

Art and Music

Arte Latino. “Historia,” http://www.arte-latino.com/dominicana/historia.htm; “Artistas Dominicanos,”

http://www.arte-latino.com/dominicana/artistas.html. (June 11, 2000). These pages contain information, in

Spanish, about Dominican artists and the history of art in the DR. Even if you don’t read Spanish well, you

will find the numerous, beautifully reproduced images speak for themselves.

Austerlitz, Paul, and Robert F.Thompson. Merengue: Dominican Music and Dominican Identity. Philadelphia, PA:

Temple University Press, 1996.

Hernandez, Deborah Pacini. Bachata: A Social History of Dominican Popular Music. Philadelphia, PA: Temple

University Press, July 1991.

Stratton, Suzanne (Ed.). Modern and Contemporary Art of the Dominican Republic. University of Washington Press,

1997.
Insights From the Field 183

Maps

Hispaniola.com. “Index of Maps of the Caribbean.” http://www.hispaniola.com/DR/maps/index.html (June 11,

2000).An excellent site.

Library of Congress.“American Memory Map Collections: 1544-1999.” http://lcweb2.loc.gov/ammem/

gmdhtml/gmdhome.html (June 11, 2000).

University of Texas.“Map of Central America and the Caribbean.” http://www.lib.utexas.edu/Libs/PCL/

Map_collection/americas/Cen_America_ref802635_1999.jpg . “Shaded Relief Map of the Dominican Republic.”

http://www.lib.utexas.edu/Libs/PCL/Map_collection/americas/Dominican_Republic.GIF. (June 11, 2000).

Recordings 

Music of the Dominican Republic. Putumayo Presents: Republica Dominicana. 2000.

Additional Resources and Information

Many of the books and albums listed are available for purchase online from www.amazon.com.

Students can search the following sites for information on the Dominican Republic and other Central

American/Caribbean countries: expedia.com, about.com, britannica.com.
184 Coverdell World Wise Schools

The Peace Corps acknowledges the special efforts of the following people in writing, editing, design, review,

and production of Insights From the Field: Understanding Geography, Culture, and Service: Cerylle Moffett, Betsi

Shays, Raquel Aronhime, Laurette Bennhold-Samaan, Jose Bourget, Susan Bloomer, Wayne Breslyn, Susan

Buchanan, Michael Chapman, Beth Giebus, Lani Havens, Donna Molinari, Doug Moors, Joseph Permetti,

Frank Sheed, Mandy Tumulty, Lisa Ward, Mike Ward, Amy Wickenheiser, and Natalie Woodward.

The Peace Corps also wishes to acknowledge John L. Brown, Heidi Hayes Jacobs, Dee Johnson, Lisa Lyle,

Lenore Schneider, Elaine Scott, and Grant Wiggins.

A special thank you to the current and returned Peace Corps Volunteers of the Dominican Republic who contributed to this guide, in particular Mary Bosy, Danielle Garrahan, and Krystal Williams.

The cover photograph for Insights From the Field is courtesy of Shawn Davis.

Acknowledgments