TEACHER TIPS 5 ADVENTURE N U M B E R Vamos, Buster! tm Episode Description Buster s trip to Chile is action packed a little too action packed for his tastes! Buster s nerves are rattled as he walks across a dizzying mountain bridge, rides up a steep mountain on a funicular, climbs in the Andes, and kayaks on the ocean. As Buster explores Chile s diverse natural beauty, he grows worried that he s not brave and daring enough to keep up with the locals. But when his new friend Carolina takes him to her favorite place the poet Pablo Neruda s house Buster realizes that sometimes the best adventures are those that take place in the imagination. Inspired, he writes an Ode to Chile, capturing what he loves about the country. Chile Santiago Before Viewing Explore Buster s world map. Use the map (or a wall map) to have a discussion about Chile s geographic location. Ask students to: 1. Locate Chile on the map and draw an arrow from the country to the matching postcard. 2. Locate their own country on the map and draw a star there. 3. Use their finger to fly across the map from their country to Chile. 4. Use the Internet or a world wall map to locate Santiago within Chile. Discuss what you know. With your students, create a K-W-L chart with three columns: 1. Know 2. Want to Know 3. Learned Fill in the first two columns, recording what they know about Chile and what they want to know. After viewing the episode and completing the four activity sheets (see below), return to the chart and fill in the final column, what they learned. K W L Know Want to Know Learned After Viewing Complete the activity sheets. When your students have finished, discuss as a class. You may need to replay portions of the episode to help students recall some of the events. ACTIVITY 1 Buster and Friends in Chile This activity helps students understand the similarities and differences they share with children from another culture.
TEACHER TIPS (continued) ACTIVITY 2 Extreme Action, Chilean Style As Buster finds out, discovering new places and experiences can sometimes seem scary. In this activity, students explore Buster s fears and acknowledge some of their own as well as recognize times when they were brave. The last section examines how cultures imbue their art and the natural world with spiritual properties in Chile, clay pigs (chanchitos) and the spirits in a waterfall are said to bring luck. Students are invited to explore what they consider lucky. Extension: After visiting the poet Pablo Neruda s house, Buster is inspired to write an ode to Chile: O Chile, land of adventure,/ Older than the dinosaurs,/ Home to ammonites and penguins./ You are a dangerous place,/ Full of rodeos, kayaks, and funiculars./ But you protect me/ With clay pigs and magic spirits. Have your students recite the poem. ACTIVITY 3 Write Your Own Adventure Story In the episode, Carolina writes an adventure story about being abandoned in the rainforest and rescuing dolphins from an oil spill. Students are asked to write their own adventure story about Chile, using at least three words from the episode. ACTIVITY 4 Postcard from Buster In this activity, students create a picture postcard for Buster, drawing something he saw or did in Chile. Students also fill in Buster s speech bubble with a Spanish phrase. Optional: Have students write a message and address the postcard, and then mail it to their family. KEY VOCABULARY Review these terms as you discuss the episode and lead students through the activity sheets. ammonite: a spiral fossil shell of an extinct marine animal Andes: a mountain range along the western coast of South America empanada: a turnover made from dough with a spicy or sweet filling funicular: a cable railway car used to transport people or cargo up mountains ode: a poem, typically addressed to a particular subject Pablo Neruda: a famous Chilean poet Santiago: the capital of Chile Make More Connections (optional) Compare a related episode. Show students a related Postcards from Buster episode. In Rodeo Cowgirl (Episode 108), Buster meets Tayler in Houston, Texas. She s a self-described rodeo rat and granddaughter of retired African American rodeo star Cornelius Cleveland. Buster goes on an adventure into the heart and history of cowboy country. Ask students to compare the Texas rodeo and the one they saw in Vamos, Buster! What are the similarities and differences between the two rodeos? WATCH POSTCARDS FROM BUSTER ONLINE AT: PBSKIDSGO.ORG/BUSTER/VIDEOS Postcards from Buster is produced by WGBH Boston in association with Marc Brown Studios. Funding is provided by The National Endowment for the Humanities and the Weezie Foundation. 2011 WGBH Educational Foundation and Marc Brown Studios. All rights reserved. All animated characters and underlying materials (including artwork) copyright by Marc Brown. Buster and the other Marc Brown characters are trademarks of Marc Brown. All third party trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Used with permission.
ACTIVITY 1 Buster and Friends in Chile Here are some of the friends Buster makes in Chile. Explore the ways you are similar to or different from them. Carolina Javier Ema A Visit from Chile Buster s friends Carolina, Javier, and Ema are active and adventurous. If they came to visit you, what kinds of activities would you do with them? Carolina takes Buster to a place that serves giant empanadas. What unusual foods have you tried? Javier takes Buster horseback riding along a mountain path and they visit a beautiful waterfall. If you could go horseback riding, where would you want to go? Ema shows Buster how to hunt for fossils. If you found a fossil, what kind of fossil would you want it to be? Describe or draw it below.
ACTIVITY 2 Extreme Action, Chilean Style DANGER! There are lots of things in Chile that make Buster nervous. What scares him? Fill in the chart using the clues at the bottom of the page. Then write down some things that scare you. WHAT SCARES BUSTER? WHAT SCARES YOU? BRAVERY! Buster is also brave. He rides horses, jumps into ice-cold water, and goes kayaking in the ocean. Name something you ve done that was brave. LUCK! Buster felt he could use some luck on his adventures. Fill in the chart with things that bring luck in Chile, using the clues at the bottom of the page. Then write down things you think bring luck, or draw pictures. THINGS THAT BRING LUCK IN CHILE THINGS YOU THINK BRING YOU LUCK CLUES: mountain bridge funicular chanchito (clay pig) rodeo magical spirits in the waterfall
ACTIVITY 3 Write Your Own Adventure Story Buster read his friend Carolina s book, which describes how she rescued dolphins from an oil spill. He can t believe how brave she was! But Carolina tells him that she just made up that story. I m not an adventurer, says Carolina, I m a writer. Now it s your turn to use your imagination to make up an adventure. Pretend you just returned from an amazing trip to Chile. Write your story, using at least three of the words below. YOUR NAME HERE EXCELLENT ADVENTURE IN CHILE You ll never believe what happened to me in Chile! Use at least three of these words. rodeo fossil penguins ammonite kayak giant empanada Andes Mountains waterfall s chanchito (clay pig) funicular
ACTIVITY 4 Postcard from Buster Cut out the postcard and fold it in half. Draw a picture on the front from Buster s trip to Chile, and have him say a phrase in Spanish, using the vocabulary below. Then write a message and address on the back. To mail, tape closed and add a stamp. Vocabulary Hola amigos!: Hello friends! Esta muy bueno!: It s really good! Vamos!: Let s go! Buena suerte!: Good luck! Se habla español?: Do you speak Spanish? gracias: thank you adios: goodbye FIRST CLASS POSTAGE postcard "