Natural Resources and Sustainability in Latin America

Active learning works for this topic because migration and resource use are human-centered subjects, where empathy and analysis grow from direct engagement. When students role-play, map connections, and debate dilemmas, they move beyond abstract facts to understand real people’s choices and consequences in Latin America’s changing landscapes.

• Grade 11
• Canadian & World Studies
• 3 activities
• 30 min–60 min

Learning Objectives

1. Analyze the environmental consequences of deforestation in the Amazon rainforest, identifying key drivers and affected ecosystems.
2. Evaluate the social and environmental impacts of large-scale mining projects in Latin America, considering local communities and biodiversity.
3. Explain the concept of the 'resource curse' and its manifestation in Latin American economies, citing specific examples.
4. Compare the sustainability of different agricultural practices in Latin America, assessing their economic, social, and environmental trade-offs.
5. Synthesize information to propose sustainable resource management strategies for a specific Latin American country.

Inquiry Circle

⏱ 60 min·Small Groups

Inquiry Circle: The Migration Story

Groups research a specific migration 'wave' (e.g., the Underground Railroad, the 'Boat People' from Vietnam, or modern migration from Central America). They must identify the 'push' and 'pull' factors and present the 'human impact' of the journey.

Prepare & details

Analyze the consequences of deforestation in the Amazon.

Facilitation Tip: During the Collaborative Investigation, assign each small group one Latin American country to research, ensuring varied resource types are represented in the room.

Setup: Groups at tables with access to source materials

Materials: Source material collection, Inquiry cycle worksheet, Question generation protocol, Findings presentation template

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Self-Management
• Self-Awareness

Simulation Game

⏱ 50 min·Pairs

Simulation Game: The Immigration Interview

Students act as 'Immigration Officers' and 'Applicants' with different backgrounds and reasons for moving. They must use Canada's 'Points System' to decide who is eligible to enter, discussing the 'values' and 'needs' that drive immigration policy.

Prepare & details

Evaluate the social and environmental impacts of large-scale mining projects.

Facilitation Tip: For the Immigration Interview simulation, provide role cards with clear but conflicting motivations so students practice listening for nuance in push-pull factors.

Setup: Flexible space for group stations

Materials: Role cards with goals/resources, Game currency or tokens, Round tracker

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Social Awareness
• Decision-Making

Think-Pair-Share

⏱ 30 min·Pairs

Think-Pair-Share: The 'Brain Drain' Dilemma

Pairs discuss whether it's 'fair' for wealthy countries like Canada to recruit doctors and nurses from developing nations. They brainstorm the pros (for the individual) and cons (for the home country) and share their 'ethical' verdict.

Prepare & details

Explain the concept of 'resource curse' in the context of Latin American economies.

Facilitation Tip: In the Think-Pair-Share on the 'Brain Drain,' give students two minutes to jot notes before pairing, so quieter voices have space to organize their thoughts.

Setup: Standard classroom seating; students turn to a neighbor

Materials: Discussion prompt (projected or printed), Optional: recording sheet for pairs

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Self-Awareness
• Relationship Skills

Teaching This Topic

Teachers approach this topic by grounding abstract concepts in real stories, using role-play to build empathy and case studies to develop critical thinking. Avoid framing migration as a problem to solve, since that can oversimplify complex human experiences. Instead, focus on the trade-offs people make when resources or opportunities shift in their communities.

What to Expect

Successful learning looks like students using evidence to explain how economic opportunities, environmental changes, and policies shape migration decisions. They should connect specific natural resources to social and environmental impacts, and articulate why solutions require balancing multiple perspectives.

Watch Out for These Misconceptions

Common Misconception

During the Collaborative Investigation, watch for students assuming all immigrants are refugees fleeing immediate danger.

What to Teach Instead

Use the country profiles to highlight that most migration in Latin America is economic or environmental, and ask groups to categorize their findings by type of immigrant stream before sharing.

Common Misconception

During the Simulation: The Immigration Interview, watch for students treating migration as a permanent, one-way move.

What to Teach Instead

Have interviewees ask follow-up questions about ties to home countries, and debrief by mapping connections on a shared board to visualize ongoing relationships.

Assessment Ideas

Discussion Prompt

After the Collaborative Investigation, pose the question to small groups: 'Imagine you are advising a government in a Latin American country heavily reliant on copper mining. What are two key social and two key environmental challenges you would highlight, and what is one policy recommendation for each category?' Collect their top recommendation and use it to assess their ability to connect resource use to multiple impacts.

Quick Check

During the Simulation: The Immigration Interview, circulate with a checklist to note whether students identify one primary driver of migration, one environmental impact of resource extraction, and one social consequence for local populations in their role-play answers.

Exit Ticket

After the Think-Pair-Share on the 'Brain Drain,' collect index cards where students write one specific example of a natural resource in Latin America and one consequence of its extraction to gauge understanding of the core topic.

Extensions & Scaffolding

• Challenge early finishers to research a remittance economy in Latin America and present how money sent home affects local development within one week.
• Scaffolding for struggling students: Provide sentence stems like, 'One push factor in [case study] is..., which leads to...' to structure their responses.
• Deeper exploration: Invite a guest speaker from a Latin American immigrant community to discuss how natural resources in their home country influenced their family’s migration decision.

Key Vocabulary

Deforestation	The clearing, removal, or destruction of forests or stands of trees from land that is then converted to non-forest use, such as for agriculture or ranching.
Resource Curse	A situation where a nation rich in natural resources experiences slower economic growth and worse development outcomes than nations with fewer natural resources, often due to corruption and mismanagement.
Biodiversity Hotspot	A biogeographic region with a significant amount of endemic biodiversity that is threatened by human habitation, which is widely affected by resource extraction.
Subsistence Agriculture	Agriculture primarily aimed at feeding the farmer's family and local community, often with little surplus for sale, contrasting with large-scale commercial operations.
Ecotourism	Responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment, sustains the well-being of local people, and involves interpretation and education.