This activity not only provides students with practice using locational skills, it also develops understandings related to the themes of place and movement. In order to complete all aspects of the activity, students need some experience working with latitude and longitude.

Objective: Students will be able to a:
  a. Locate places in the United States that have Spanish terms in their names.
  b. Understand why Spanish terms have been used as place names in the United States.
  c. Give the absolute location of places having Spanish names.

Time required: 1-2 class periods

Materials and preparation: You will need a copy of  the vocabulary handout which follows and a student atlas for each class member.

Procedure:
  1. Write the following Spanish terms on the chalkboard: mesa, boca, costa, laguna. Ask students if they know what these terms mean. The answers are: mesa (high table); boca (mouth); costa (coast); and laguna (lagoon). Explain that each term has a geographic meaning and is also used to name a place in the United States.
  2. Tell students that in some areas of the U.S., especially in the West and the Southwest, there is a strong connection to Spanish language and culture. One way to determine the extent of this connection is to see how many places have Spanish terms in their names.
  3. Distribute the vocabulary handout, and with the atlases as a reference, ask the students to find a place in the United States that incorporates each term in its name. That place name should be written in the blank next to the term.
  4. In the space next to each place name, students should write in the correct latitude and longitude for the center of that particular place. An example is presented in  the handout.
  5. Conclude by discussing with students, the reasons why these names were chosen and how they reflect the geographical features of the location.

Follow-up
 1. Have teams of students us ether atlases to identify other places in the U.S. where non-English terms are included in the names. Each team should give the absolute location (latitude and longitude) of the place found; teams could then trade lists and find the locations described by the other team.

 2. Ask students to locate places in the U.S. that have been named after places in other countries. Students should give the absolute locations for the U.S. site and for the place for which it was named..

Vocabulary handout
Spanish terms in U.S. place names

1. amarillo (yellow): Amarillo, Texas   101^o W  35^oN

2. arroya (brook, dry stream bed) _______________________________

 3. blanco (white): ___________________________________________

4. boca (estuary):____________________________________________

5. cerro (hill):_______________________________________________

6. colorado (reddish):_________________________________________

7. costa (coast):_____________________________________________

8. del (of):_________________________________________________

9. este (east):_______________________________________________

10. grande (big):_____________________________________________

11. laguna (lagoon):___________________________________________

12. los (the):________________________________________________

13. mesa (high table):__________________________________________

14. nevada (snowfall):__________________________________________

15. norte (north):______________________________________________

16. paso (pass) :______________________________________________

17. pueblo (town, village):_______________________________________

18. sierra (mountain):___________________________________________

19. sur (south) :_______________________________________________

20. vegas (plain):______________________________________________