Note: This lesson was originally published on an older version of The Learning Network; the link to the related Times article will take you to a page on the old site.
Overview of Lesson Plan: In this lesson, students identify and describe celebrations held around the world, in terms of culture, geography, and history. They then create designs for parade floats to
represent these celebrations.
Author(s):
Annissa Hambouz, The New York Times Learning Network
Yasmin Chin Eisenhauer, The Bank Street College of Education in New York City
Suggested Time Allowance: 1 hour
Objectives:
1. Learn about the annual Mardi Gras celebration through the eyes of New Orleans native and New York Times reporter, Susan Saulny, by viewing “Mardi Gras Returns” video
segment.
2. Discover some of the ways in which New Orleanians have altered their Mardi Gras celebrations, post Hurricane Katrina, by reading and discussing “Mardi Gras Dawns With Some Traditions In Jeopardy.”
3. Investigate, identify, and describe a location-specific celebration from around the world.
4. Create a design for a Mardi Gras-style float to represent this celebration.
Resources / Materials:
-pens or pencils
-paper
-student journal
-classroom board
-copies of “Mardi Gras Dawns With Some Traditions In Jeopardy,” found online at //www.nytimes.com/learning/teachers/featured_articles/20060301wednesday.html
-computer with projector and speakers
-ten slips of paper, each containing the name of a celebration from around the world and the month in which it is celebrated
-resources on celebrations around the
world, including geography texts, encyclopedias, atlases, and computers with Internet access
Activities / Procedures:
1. WARM-UP/DO-NOW: Students respond in their class journals to the following prompt, “What comes to mind when you think of the word ‘celebration’? What
is your favorite national or regional celebration and why? To your knowledge, which other places in the world, if any, celebrate this event or have similar celebrations?”
Allow students a few minutes
to reflect and write, then project The New York Times Multimedia video feature, “Mardi Gras Returns” (found online, //nytimes.feedroom.com/?fr_story=57cda1644f8259fff4797e00c75058f375bca9d4).
After screening this feature, pose the following questions to students for a brief discussion:
-How does the Mardi Gras celebration featured in this video segment differ from the “celebration”
associations they wrote in their journals?
-What traditions associated with Mardi Gras does New York Times journalist Susan Saulny discuss?
-Why is the community spirit of New Orleans particularly important
now?
2. As a class, read and discuss “Mardi Gras Dawns With Some Traditions In Jeopardy” (//www.nytimes.com/learning/teachers/featured_articles/20060301wednesday.html),
using the following questions:
a. Who is Monk Boudreaux, and how does he prepare for Mardi Gras?
b. What is the Krewe D’Etat, and how did it make reference to Hurricane Katrina for the 2006 Carnival?
c. How have certain New Orleans cultural traditions been threatened by the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina?
d. How has life changed for New Orleans musicians since Hurricane Katrina, according to the article?
e. What are some examples of how former New Orleans residents have continued their traditions in their new home states and cities?
f. How has music education in New Orleans changed since Hurricane Katrina?
g. How has interest in the music of New Orleans changed since Hurricane Katrina?
3. Explain to students that, just as the Mardi Gras celebration is associated with the city of New Orleans, there are other celebrations
around the world that are intrinsically linked to their geographical locations. Their task will be to investigate specific celebrations and the places around the world in which they are observed. Students should
also note the history, culture, and traditions associated with these celebrations.
Divide students into pairs or small groups (depending on your class size), and assign each a celebration from around the world
(printed on slips of paper prior to class). Suggested celebrations include, but are not limited to:
-Guy Fawkes Day (November)
-Gaucho Festival (November)
-Oktoberfest (September-October)
-Barranquilla’s
Carnival (February)
-Fetu Afahye (September)
-Basant Kite Festival (February)
-Ganesh Chaturthi (September)
-San Gennaro (not in New York City) (September)
-Fukuro Matsuri (September)
-Anzac
Day (April)
Once each pair or small group has received its celebration, students may use all available classroom resources to research and respond to the following questions (copied onto a handout for easier
student access):
-Where does this celebration take place? Is it a countrywide celebration, or a regional or local event (such as Mardi Gras in New Orleans)?
-How long does this celebration usually last,
and how often does it take place?
-Is this celebration new or old? What is its history? Does it commemorate a specific event?
-What makes this celebration specific to its location? Could you find a celebration
exactly like it in any other part of the world? Why or why not?
-What traditions, customs, or rituals are associated with this celebration?
-Are there any songs, chants, or poems associated with this celebration?
If so, what?
-What significance does this celebration hold for the region in which it is held? Do many visitors or tourists come to celebrate with the locals? Why or why not?
Though students are researching
in pairs, encourage them to take notes individually as well to use later for the homework assignment.
If time allows, have each pair present briefly on its assigned celebration at the end of class.
4. WRAP-UP/HOMEWORK:
Before leaving class, ask students to recall the Mardi Gras parade floats they saw in the video segment “Mardi Gras Returns” and read about in today’s New York Times article,” Mardi Gras
Dawns With Some Traditions In Jeopardy.” For homework, each student creates a design for a float to represent the celebration researched in class. Float designs should both entertain and educate spectators,
and should clearly represent the country or region in which the celebration takes place. Themes, customs, or traditions associated with the celebration should also be incorporated into their designs.
Further Questions for Discussion:
-How do you think New Orleans residents will continue to celebrate Mardi Gras in the years to come? Why?
-What occasion or event isn’t celebrated that
you would like to see acknowledged, and why?
-If you could take part in any of the celebrations around the world you learned about in class, which one would it be? Why?
Evaluation / Assessment:
Students will be evaluated based on their responses to the initial exercise, participation in class discussion and group research, and creative float designs for homework.
Vocabulary:
anew, frivolous, diversion, continuity, revelers, hazmat, tarpaulins, unanimously, prevail, zydeco, mortality, synonymous, hole-in-the-wall, uninhabitable, expatriates, upheaval, bellicose,
syncopated, pervades, turf, tote up, marabou, plumes, nonprofit, vital, consolidated, pressing, flanked
Extension Activities:
1. Write a historical profile of New Orleans’ multicultural heritage. How did the distinct cultures of Africans, Native Americans, and Europeans come together to make
New Orleans an American city unlike any other?
2. New Orleans is famous for its Creole and Cajun cuisine. Research some classic New Orleans dishes, such as jambalaya, gumbo, and muffuletta, then organize an
after-school Mardi Gras cooking party.
3. Read the official White House report entitled “The Federal Response to Hurricane Katrina: Lessons Learned” (//www.whitehouse.gov/reports/katrina-lessons-learned/index.html)
and write a one- to two-page reaction.
4. Read a story that takes place in New Orleans, such as the Tennessee Williams play “A Streetcar Named Desire” or the Kate Chopin novel, “The Awakening.”
Write a literary analysis of the work, focusing on the setting, language, and “local flavor.”
Interdisciplinary Connections:
American History- Choose an American city famous for jazz, such as New Orleans, Chicago, or New York. Create a timeline tracing the evolution of this distinctly American
musical genre, including key artists and venues, in that city.
Fine Arts- Create a Mardi Gras costume or mask using household, recycled, and other “found” objects.
Teaching with The Times-
Read The New York Times for continuing coverage of Mardi Gras events in New Orleans, as well as local, state, and federal government comments to the residents of the city at this time. Keep a series of news clips
and your comments in your class journal.
To order The New York Times for your classroom, click here.
Other Information on the Web:
For more information on the history and culture of New Orleans, as well as the city as a tourist destination, visit New Orleans Online (//www.neworleansonline.com/).
The site also contains the latest information on festivals and places open for business post-Hurricane Katrina.
Related Times Articles
Academic Content Standards:
Grades 6-8
Geography Standard 6- Understands that culture and experience influence people’s perceptions of places and regions. Benchmarks: Knows how places
and regions serve as cultural symbols; Knows the ways in which culture influences the perception of places and regions
Geography Standard 10- Understands the nature and complexity of Earth’s cultural
mosaics. Benchmark: Knows ways in which communities reflect the cultural background of their inhabitants
Language Arts Standard 1- Demonstrates competence in the general skills and strategies of the writing
process. Benchmarks: Uses style and structure appropriate for specific audiences and purposes; Writes expository compositions
Language Arts Standard 4- Gathers and uses information for research purposes. Benchmarks:
Uses a variety of resource materials to gather information for research topics; Determines the appropriateness of an information source for a research topic; Organizes information and ideas from multiple sources
in systematic ways
Grades 9-12
Geography Standard 6- Understands that culture and experience influence people’s perceptions of places and regions. Benchmarks: Understands why places and regions are
important to individual human identity and as symbols for unifying or fragmenting society; Knows ways in which people’s changing views of places and regions reflect cultural change
Geography Standard
10- Understands the nature and complexity of Earth’s cultural mosaics. Benchmarks: Knows how cultures influence the characteristics of regions; Understands how human characteristics make specific regions
of the world distinctive; Knows the role culture plays in incidents of cooperation and conflict in the present-day world
Language Arts Standard 1- Demonstrates competence in the general skills and strategies
of the writing process. Benchmarks: Writes compositions that are focused for different audiences; Writes compositions that fulfill different purposes; Writes expository compositions
Language Arts Standard 4-
Gathers and uses information for research purposes. Benchmarks: Uses a variety of news sources to gather information for research topics; Synthesizes information from multiple research studies to draw conclusions
that go beyond those found in any of the individual studies
This lesson plan may be used to address the academic standards listed above. These standards are drawn from Content Knowledge: A Compendium of Standards and Benchmarks for K-12 Education; 3rd and 4th Editions and have been provided courtesy of the Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning in Aurora, Colorado.
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