|
TEACHER INFORMATION DESCRIPTION
& RATIONALE
STATE STANDARDS
OBJECTIVES |
|
The History of Mardi Gras |
Type of teaching unit: Lesson Plan
Grade Levels: 3-4
Time Frame: 5 Lesson Unit (45-60 minutes each)
Subject Matter: Social Studies/Traditions/Mardi Gras
Name: Amy Reiter and Michelle Isaacs
School: Whiteside School District #115
AAM affiliation: Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
Email Address: areiter@stclair.k12.il.us or misaacs@stclair.k12.il.us
|
This unit covers the history, traditions, and culture
of Mardi Gras. The unit consists of
five lessons that include modalities such as bodily-kinesthetic, verbal,
interpersonal, intrapersonal, and musical.
These lessons will provide students with a historical understanding of
Mardi Gras. |
|
|
·
Students will
gain knowledge about the history, traditions, and culture of Mardi Gras. ·
Students will
apply the content they learned to make related projects and complete
assignments. |
|
|
|
WEBSITES: http://members.aol.com/accrdnmn/cajun.html Mardi Gras Music http://www.rexorganization.com/index.htm
Rex Organization http://www.holidays.net/mardigras Mardi Gras Information for kids http://www.mardigrasday.com/mardigras/mini.php
Mardi Gras shoebox float |
|
|
|
Mardi Gras scenery, New Orleans, La.. CREATED/PUBLISHED Taking
the Long View: Panoramic Photographs, 1851-1991 [http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?ammem/pan:@field(NUMBER+@band(pan+6a28003))] (March 2004) |
|
Lesson
Plan Reproducible Documents: |
|
Day #1 Activity ·
Make a KWL
chart with the students about what they know about Mardi gras. ·
Read one of the following books about Mardi
Gras. Going to New Orleans
to Visit Weezie Anna When a little girl hears about her
upcoming trip to New Orleans, Louisiana, she tries to
imagine a place with snowballs in the summer, king cakes, and shotgun houses. Mimi’s First Mardi
Gras Seen through Mimi’s eyes, this
pictorial tour of Mardi Gras in New Orleans provides a pleasing introduction
to the holiday. Though the inclusion of abundant details may strike some as
forced, readers can glean snippets of history and such traditions as the King
Cake, a sizable confection with “a tiny baby doll” hidden inside. Preparations
for the annual festivities include the all-important choices of costume;
though her parents are dressing as clowns, “Mimi had her heart set on being a
beautiful princess.” The depiction of the parade—with its gaudy carnival
atmosphere—vividly highlights the Fat Tuesday food, the trinkets thrown to
the crowd and the arrival of Rex, King of Carnival. When the parade is over,
an exhausted Mimi joins her cousins for gumbo and jambalaya. While Rougelot’s
watercolor illustrations are not particularly distinctive, they manage to
evoke the many facets of this time-honored extravaganza. Mardi Gras: A
Pictorial History of Carnival in New Orleans This book makes use of many pictures and historical references to past celebrations of Mardi Gras. ·
Add information
to the KWL chart, after reading the story. Day #2 Activity ·
The students
will view a PowerPoint about Mardi Gras. ·
The teacher
will discuss aspects of Mardi Gras with the students. Day #3 Activity ·
The students will
view pictures on PowerPoint Presentation 2.
This presentation displays pictures of Mardi Gras Costumes, a costume
shop, crowds at the Mardi Gras Parade, and other events at the Mardi Gras
parade. ·
The teacher
will tell the students that they will be making items that could be used at a
Mardi Gras celebration. ·
The first item
that they will make is a Mardi Gras mask. ·
The following
information is directions to completing a mask. 1. The
teacher needs to hand out the photocopied mask. (See resources) 2. Cut
out the two part mask from construction paper 3. Glue
the mask part to the crown part 4. Cut
out the eyes to fit 5. Decorate
with paint, markers, crayons, sequins, glitter, or feathers 6. Staple,
tape or glue an elastic strip that fits around the head to both sides of the
mask Day #4 Activity ·
The students will listen to music similar to what is played at Mardi Gras. ·
The Music can be downloaded from the following site: http://members.aol.com/accrdnmn/cajun.html ·
Next, the
students will randomly be put into groups to prepare a parade march, dance,
or scarf routine. ·
The students
can then demonstrate their Mardi Gras presentation to the class. Day #5 Activity ·
Tell the students that they will be making a shoebox float. ·
Directions to make a shoebox float can be found on http://www.mardigrasday.com/mardigras/mini.php
. (An example of a shoebox float is displayed on this site.) ·
There could even be a contest for the best parade float! ·
When the students are done they could display their float on their
desk. ·
Next, the students could walk around the room and look at each others
floats. |
|
· Students
will demonstrate their knowledge about Mardi Gras through projects and
assignments completed in the lessons.
· The teacher will observe the students during discussion and activity to determine the knowledge that was gained. |
|
Mardi Gras, parade, float, celebration, February, |