Crazy International Fast Food

Dried Pork and seaweed donut from Dunkin Donuts in China

Check out this list of Outrageous fast foods you can't have in the United States. Answer Hot Tamale Activities below via email bordner@cityhigh.org.

• Which food on this list would you try? Why?
• What fast food in the U.S. do you think is the craziest? 
• Find other "crazy" food from around the world. Describe the food and where it's from.

Below is a trailer about a documentary about how Bolivia kicked out McDonalds. You can read more about it here. Read the article/watch the video and answer the Hot Tamale Activities below. 

• Describe in your own words what you see in the video. How do Bolivians dress? How do they buy food? How is it different than the U.S?
• If you're a sophomore, how does this connect to what you have read in The Omnivore's Dilemma?
• Research - what other countries did McDonalds leave? Why do you think McDonalds was not successful there? 
• What kind of culture does a country need for a McDonalds to be successful? Is it possible for a society to be healthy if there are many McDonalds? 
• Should the government be involved in regulating fast food? Explain your answer.
• What are alternatives to fast food?

Confusing World Geography Explained

As we are learning Central and South American Geography, I wanted to share with you some information about World Geography.

Hot Tamale Activities - email bordner@cityhigh.org

• Summarize one or both of these videos in your own words. What did you learn that you did not know before?
• Create and label a map identifying the places described in the videos
• Create your own infographic explaining this information
• Play other geography activities on this page. When you get 80% or better take a screenshot of your score and email it.

Bruce Reads!

Get it? Send an email to bordner@cityhigh.org explaining why this is funny for Hot Tamale points.

Mexican barbie

Do you think this is offensive?

Here are three separate articles about the new Mattel Mexican Barbie with Chihuahua and passport. Read the articles then email bordner@cityhigh.org with a persuasive paragraph explaining your opinion. 

• Time - Mexican Barbie Sparks Online Controversy  (text)
• NPR - Toy or Trouble? (text)
• NBC Today - Is Mexico Barbie a stereotype or stylish? (video and text)

Songs about immigration

You all know I am a Spanish nerd, but I am also a music nerd too. Before I taught full time (and back when print media was still a thing,)  I wrote for music magazines in St. Louis and Illinois.

Every week I listen to two podcasts created by NPR, All Songs Considered and Alt Latino.

Over April break Alt Latino had an episode about songs about immigration. You can listen to the 24 min. episode here, (you can also scroll down and just listen to a song or two).

Listen then answer the Hot Tamale Activities below (email your response to bordner@cityhigh.org)

• Pick a song and describe it in detail. What is the story? Where is the artist from? What instruments do you hear? You can also fill our this document.
• Summarize one or more of the songs/stories. Why did the immigrant select that song?
• Is there a song or person you could relate to? Did one of the songs/people remind you of someone you know? Who? Why?
• Which of the stories of immigration did you find most powerful? Why? (For me, it was the musician in the band who cannot travel with his band because he does not have documentation.)
• If you had to pick a song to tell your story, what song would you select? Why?
• How has listening to the songs/stories changed how/what you think about immigration? 

There are also more songs and videos about immigration here. You can watch and summarize the the videos, find the lyrics on the internet. The 2nd and 3rd songs are hip hop songs about immigration.

Beware of Google Translate!

This is what can happen if you over-rely on Google Translate



Hot Tamale Activities - email your answers to bordner@cityhigh.org

• Summarize the video - What happens? 
• Try out what they did in the video with a different popular text/phrase. It could be from a song, or poem, or from something else in pop culture Ms. Bordner would recognize. Have it go through 5 languages. Label each translation and copy and paste each translation into an email. 
• When do you think it is OK to use Google Translate? When should you use something else? What else could you use?

Two AWESOME movies related to Spanish

Here are two trailers for movies related to Spanish that have been released recently. Watch both and then answer one or more of the Hot Tamale Activities below.


Harvest of Empire - Official Trailer from EVS Communications on Vimeo.



Hot Tamale Activities - email your answers to bordner@cityhigh.org

• Summarize what you think the movie is about. What kind of movie is it? What is the topic? Where is the movie set? What are some other movies you know about that are similar?
• Which movie would you be more likely to watch? Why?
• Find more videos of the movie and watch them. Summarize them and send links.
• SUPER BONUS AWESOME POINTS - contact the movie and request that they present their film in Pittsburgh. Suggest the Harris Theatre or Regent Square Theatre. (Copy and paste what you wrote to the movie people in an email to me)