Supplemental Materials

Looking at Brazil

Objective—Students will:

  • Identify characteristics of contemporary Brazil
  • Formulate ideas and hypotheses about contemporary Brazil using selected visual images

Pictures of Life in Brazil

Image 1:
Brazilian Children		   Image 5:
Carnaval Celebrant

Image 2:
Religious Assembly

  Image 6:
Futebol

Image 3:
Social Gathering

  Image 7:
The Favelal

Image 4:
Sao Paulo
   Image 8:
Children at Play

In the Classroom

1. Focus Question—"Is a picture worth a thousand words?"

2. Thinking about Brazil—Put the word "Brazil" in the center of the blackboard or on a large piece of paper. Give student five minutes to approach the board and write whatever comes to mind when they think of Brazil—statements, questions, people, etc. Instruct the class to do the exercise in silence. Encourage students to add to each other's postings as well as write their own independent postings.

3. Examining Brazil—Divide the class into four groups and assign each group two photos from the selection above. Ask students to study each of their assigned photographs for two minutes. Instruct groups to form an overall impression and then examine individual elements of the photographs and answer the questions that accompany these photographs.

These photographs have been chosen to reflect some of the themes and ideas that appear in the curriculum unit including race, economic, and social conditions, and the importance of religion. Some students may need hints about what details to focus on.

Note: Students may need to be reminded that it is important to be careful about drawing conclusions from potographs. Remind students that they can not be certain that what is in the photograph is an accurate or complete reflection of reality.

4. Group Responses — After small groups have completed the questions, have everyone come together in a large group. Call on small groups to share their responses to the questions. Ask students to comment on similarities. Are there recurring themes and ideas that appear? Ask the students if they feel they have enough information to offer hypotheses about contemporary Brazil. Why or why not? If yes, what might they be? Add some of them to the board. Ask students if any of the photos changed their ideas or assumptions about Brazil. Have the photographs raised any new questions about Brazil? Where do students think they might find answers to these new questions?

NOTE: This activity is an introductory lesson plan from the published unit, From Colony to Democracy: Considering Brazil's Development.