Culture Project - Africans in the Caribbean

Day 3

Goals:

1. Introduce students to early African life in the Caribbean through literature and discussion.

2. Students will become more familiar with concepts of slavery and racism with a slavery simulation activity.

3. Students reflect on why slavery occurred (motivations), what it was like to live in that sort of system, and the consequences.

Time:

1 and one half hours

Resources/Materials:

chalk, chalkboard, class map, research materials, computer access, library, pens, paper, Caribbean literature book - Afro-American Folktales by Roger D. Abrahams

Procedure:

1. Begin the lesson by reading a selected short story or tale from Afro-American Folktales. A suggestion would be "Anansi Climbs the Wall." This short tale is from Jamaica and was told among Africans stemming from their culture in Africa. Colorful reading will help the students become interested.

2. When you finish reading one (or more) stories, ask the students to write down what they think the story means to them. Then ask them what it might have meant to Africans in the Caribbean. It would be appropriate here to explain where this story comes from in Jamaica and add possible uses of stories like these. Collect the interpretations of the story(s) from the students. 10-15 minutes

3. Next, give the students a brief background for the plantation experience in the Caribbean. Discuss both plantation owners and slaves. Give short description of each role in the system of the Caribbean. Touch upon the relationship between the two. Give students key words on the board to help them in their search for information in the next step of the lesson. Ask questions of the students during this time so they can make either educated guesses or analyzed suggestions. Ask the students to write them down in their notes. 15-20 minutes

4. Divide the class into two or more groups, assigning the groups either the role of slaves or plantation owners. Allow the students to research the group they have been assigned while taking notes on the important things they discover. Possible focuses would include labor, economics, profitability, conditions, indentured servants v. slaves, rebellion, and perspectives of their group and what they think about the situation they are in.

5. Allow students 20-30 minutes to research either plantation owners or slaves. Follow up the students by guiding their searches while in the library, computer lab, or classroom. Point out important key ideas to help them in their search.

6. Gather the students into the original classroom and have them share the information that they found with others that are researching the same thing. Students should note down the things that classmates give to them. Take 5-10 minutes for this.

7. Students can now figure out what they want to explain to the class in a short skit on slaves and owners. Students from each group could choose to take a topic, such as farming, and explain what types of crops were yielded by slaves. Another student from the plantation owner group could explain daily activities. Another 5- 10 minutes should be sufficient to arrange a short skit.

8. Have the students perform their presentations for 10-25 minutes. Students observing should write down some of the information given to them. The students are to take notes at this point. Allow questions and answers if necessary and as the instructor, help with anything that the students don't know.

9. For the remainder of the class, discuss and ask questions about how Africans are an important part of the Caribbean culture originating from the slavery period. Ask the students what some of the consequences of slavery are and write the ideas on the board. Suggestion: involuntary move to the New World. Could be affective here to mention how music has been an important part of the culture of the Caribbean coming from African heritages and the mixing of cultures in the Caribbean Islands during the slavery era. Suggestion: Caribbean Calypso.

Assessment:

First, the students should turn in the notes they took from their research and then the information that was given to them in the short skits. This is to make sure that the students were active taking down what they thought was important.

4 The student clearly communicates his/her ideas of his/her play or short skit, in a creative and insightful manner regarding his/her interpretations of the stories.

3 The student is effective in explaining his/her retrieved, and learned information and explained his/her interpretations.

2 The student demonstrates an attempt to communicate his/her interpretation of the information on the group he/she researched, but has significant problems in explaining what he/she thinks.

1 The student demonstrates no purpose to his/her information through his/her communication, shows little effort, and does not work toward group goals of performing a skit.

(Adopted from Green Bay Area Public Schools)

Curricular Strands:

Literature - reading of Caribbean folktales

History - slavery era in the New World

Sociology - relationship between European-Americans and African-Americans

Extensions:

For math, the instructor could use the influence of slaves in the Caribbean, by sheer numbers, to show the growing population of slaves in the New World, specifically the West Indies. The instructor could choose to use props and costumes for the skits or take into a school play. Discussion of interpretations that the students have of each side's perspectives. Choose different Caribbean folktales.

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