Cuba

By: Patricia Villalta

 Cuba is an archipelago of two main islands, Cuba and Isla de la Juventud. South of the United States. Climate is warm and humid. Experiences a dry season from November to April and a hotter wet season from May to October.

Location

 Language: Official language is Spanish. There are different accents and pronunciations within the country. Religion: They are the least religious country in Latin America because its history of communism. Some may practice Catholicism, spiritualism, and brujeria (witchcraft). General Attitudes: Friendly, warm, communicative, enthusiastic, and hospitable. Patriotic and value their national dignity. Cleanliness is important.

The People

 Greetings: Men greet with a handshake with everyone upon entering a home or greeting a group. Women kiss each other once on the cheek and offer a verbal greeting. Gestures: Often use hand gestures to reinforce ideas and emotions while talking. It is not considered rude to interrupt during a conversation. People stand close while talking and maintain eye contact. Eating: Eat a light breakfast in the morning. At night the family comes together to eat.

Customs

 Family: Cubans maintain strong ties. Families live close to one another. Life Cycle: At 12, children tend to be given more responsibilities. At 18, they officially become adults and can serve in the military or get a job. Recreation: Most popular sport is baseball. Women do not usually play sports. The Arts: Music and dance are essential to Cuban culture.

Lifestyle

 They may feel that it is not wrong to interrupt the teacher while talking. They are very outgoing and charismatic so it may pose a problem with distracting other students. In the morning they may not have a lot of energy because of their light breakfast so they may not pay attention.

Possible Student Needs

Loud Machista Bossy Rude Controlling (Men) Cheaters

Stereotypes

 The lesson should include more group work and discussions in order for these students to be able to talk without interrupting the lesson.

Changes/Modifications

 They were once mainly clustered in Spanish Harlem but they have been absorbed by Puerto Ricans.

Other Information