Case Study: Latin America (Cultural Diversity & Resource Exploitation)

Active learning helps students grasp the complexity of Latin America’s cultural and economic landscape by moving beyond abstract facts. Role-plays and jigsaws allow them to experience the tensions between tradition and modernity, while maps and debates make environmental and social impacts visible in real time.

• Grade 11
• Geography
• 4 activities
• 40 min–60 min

Learning Objectives

1. Analyze the historical and contemporary impacts of resource exploitation on the environment and societies in Latin America, citing specific examples.
2. Evaluate the effectiveness of indigenous movements in advocating for environmental and social justice in Latin America, using case study evidence.
3. Compare and contrast the cultural contributions of indigenous, European, and African peoples to the diverse identities of Latin America.
4. Explain how colonial-era land distribution and economic policies continue to influence present-day inequality in the region.

Jigsaw

⏱ 60 min·Small Groups

Jigsaw: Country Profiles

Assign small groups one Latin American country to research cultural diversity and a major resource issue, using maps and articles. Regroup into expert teaching teams to share findings. Class creates a shared digital wall of insights.

Prepare & details

Analyze how colonial legacies continue to shape the cultural and economic geographies of Latin America.

Facilitation Tip: During the Jigsaw Country Profiles, assign each expert group a specific dimension to research (language, art, religion, economy) so students notice overlaps and gaps across countries.

Setup: Flexible seating for regrouping

Materials: Expert group reading packets, Note-taking template, Summary graphic organizer

• Understand
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Relationship Skills
• Self-Management

Socratic Seminar

⏱ 50 min·Small Groups

Role-Play: Extraction Negotiation

Divide class into roles: indigenous leaders, mining companies, government officials, and NGOs. Groups prepare arguments on a real case like Yanacocha mine. Hold a simulated negotiation with voting on outcomes.

Prepare & details

Evaluate the environmental and social impacts of resource extraction in the region.

Facilitation Tip: In the Role-Play Extraction Negotiation, provide clear role cards with conflicting goals but limited information to force students to ask questions and negotiate.

Setup: Chairs arranged in two concentric circles

Materials: Discussion question/prompt (projected), Observation rubric for outer circle

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Social Awareness
• Relationship Skills

Socratic Seminar

⏱ 40 min·Pairs

Impact Mapping: Amazon Deforestation

Pairs draw base maps of the Amazon, layering causes like soy farming and logging, effects on biodiversity and communities, and proposed solutions. Gallery walk for peer feedback and class synthesis.

Prepare & details

Explain the role of indigenous movements in advocating for environmental and social justice in Latin America.

Facilitation Tip: For Impact Mapping: Amazon Deforestation, have students code their maps with colored dots representing different drivers (mining, agriculture, logging) to reveal spatial patterns.

Setup: Chairs arranged in two concentric circles

Materials: Discussion question/prompt (projected), Observation rubric for outer circle

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Social Awareness
• Relationship Skills

Formal Debate

⏱ 45 min·Whole Class

Formal Debate: Resource Sovereignty

Whole class splits into two sides to debate nationalizing resources versus foreign investment, using evidence from cases like Bolivia's lithium. Moderator tracks arguments; vote and reflect.

Prepare & details

Analyze how colonial legacies continue to shape the cultural and economic geographies of Latin America.

Facilitation Tip: During the Debate: Resource Sovereignty, assign a timekeeper and a judge to model structured discussion and ensure all voices are heard.

Setup: Two teams facing each other, audience seating for the rest

Materials: Debate proposition card, Research brief for each side, Judging rubric for audience, Timer

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Self-Management
• Decision-Making

Teaching This Topic

Start with students’ prior knowledge by asking them to list three Latin American countries and what they associate with each. Avoid overwhelming them with too many case studies; focus on 2–3 countries with contrasting resource and cultural profiles. Use visuals—maps, protest photos, festival posters—to ground abstract concepts in lived experiences. Research shows that when students analyze primary sources like indigenous testimonies or corporate reports, their understanding of power and inequality deepens.

What to Expect

Successful learning looks like students confidently articulating the diversity of indigenous and blended cultures, tracing resource chains from extraction to inequality, and evaluating trade-offs in policy debates. They should connect historical patterns to present-day injustices with evidence and empathy.

Watch Out for These Misconceptions

Common Misconception

During Jigsaw: Country Profiles, watch for students defaulting to national stereotypes or oversimplifying cultural diversity within countries.

What to Teach Instead

Use the expert group presentations to highlight internal diversity; prompt students to compare two regions within one country (e.g., Quechua speakers in the Andes vs. Afro-Colombian communities on the coast) using shared visual timelines.

Common Misconception

During Role-Play: Extraction Negotiation, watch for students assuming that resource extraction always leads to shared prosperity.

What to Teach Instead

Have each role group prepare a one-sentence rebuttal to common pro-extraction claims (e.g., 'Mining creates jobs') using data from their country profile to ground arguments in evidence.

Common Misconception

During Impact Mapping: Amazon Deforestation, watch for students conflating causes with outcomes or skipping the human dimension.

What to Teach Instead

Ask students to annotate their maps with sticky notes naming specific communities affected by each driver (e.g., 'Yanomami territory near mining site') and the type of damage (air pollution, river contamination).

Assessment Ideas

Discussion Prompt

During Role-Play: Extraction Negotiation, assess learning by listening for students’ use of economic, environmental, and social evidence in their arguments; note whether they adjust their stance based on counterarguments.

Exit Ticket

After the Jigsaw: Country Profiles, have students write a short response identifying one cultural practice from their assigned region and one natural resource, then describe one way colonial history shaped its current exploitation.

Quick Check

After Impact Mapping: Amazon Deforestation, present the three news headlines and ask students to write one sentence connecting each to either resource exploitation, cultural diversity, or colonial legacies; collect responses to gauge conceptual connections.

Extensions & Scaffolding

• Challenge early finishers to research a lesser-known indigenous group in Latin America and prepare a 60-second cultural spotlight to share with the class.
• Scaffolding for struggling students: Provide sentence stems for role-play arguments and a partially completed impact map with key terms filled in.
• Deeper exploration: Invite students to design a public service announcement addressing one environmental or social conflict tied to resource exploitation in the region.

Key Vocabulary

Mestizo	A person of mixed European and indigenous ancestry, a significant demographic group in many Latin American countries.
Resource Curse	The paradox where countries with an abundance of natural resources tend to have less economic growth and worse development outcomes than countries with fewer natural resources.
Deforestation	The clearing or removal of forests or stands of trees, often for agricultural expansion or resource extraction, with significant environmental consequences.
Syncretism	The merging of different cultures and beliefs, particularly evident in Latin America through the blending of indigenous, European, and African religious and cultural practices.
Extractive Industries	Industries focused on the extraction of natural resources from the earth, such as mining, oil drilling, and logging.