Teaching Central America Week in Ohio: 2022-2025

Ruben Darío’s Poetry in a Spanish Classroom

Abra Koch, Spanish teacher at Loveland High School, taught a lesson about Ruben Darío. Students read Darío’s bio at the Teaching Central America website, then discussed the historical context of the poem "A Roosevelt/To Roosevelt" and the reaction of Darío to the intervention of the United States in Latin American politics and economics, including the separation of Panama and Colombia to allow for the construction of the Panama Canal. Students identified the lines in the poem that expressed Darío's pride in his heritage and chose lines to illustrate and post on the wall for others to see. [2023]

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Studying Oscar Romero

Abra Koch, Spanish teacher at Loveland High School, taught a lesson about Oscar Romero. Students first discussed the economic, political and social circumstances of the majority of the population of El Salvador in the 1980's. Then students watched the film Romero and discussed, orally and in written responses, the role of the church in a community and the impact of the idea of Liberation Theology. Students created an infographic of El Salvador around the time of the assassination of Archbishop Romero. Then students used the "When we Were Young There Was a War" website to learn about the aftermath of the civil war in El Salvador. Students presented about their findings after completing their research. Students also read the poem “Like You / Como Tú” by Roque Dalton. [2022]