Caribbean Festival!!!

Day 5

Goals:

1. The students will learn about some of the history and characteristics of Caribbean carnivals.

2. Students will interact with each other and faculty in a mini-Caribbean festival at the school.

3. Students are encouraged to invite friends and family to the event.

Time:

3-3 1/2 hours

Resources/Materials:

Internet websites for information on Caribbean carnivals and locations:


http://www.marlin.co.uk/marnet/cacarniv.htm




http://www.nfb.ca/FMT/E/MSN/34/34751.html




http://www.discoveredmonton.com/Cariwest/




http://id.wing.net/~cvoice/pan.htm


Gymnasium, speaker system and visual display for karoke, dunk tank for faculty members to sit on and get soaked, make believe coconuts to throw at dunk tank, soccer field (or in gym), costumes provided by resource of website:



http://www.discoveredmonton.com/Cariwest/


(numbers to call for costumes), music to be played at the festival can be accessed through the same net address (has group names for steelband music), another site for Caribbean food recipes;



http://seek-p.infoseek.com/Titles?qt=Caribbean+recipes&col=WW&sv=N3

Procedure:

1. The object of this lesson is for students to get a sense of a Caribbean festival by having people get together, including teachers, students, friends, relatives, and administrators.

2. Before the festival begins, discuss some of the aspects that are common in Caribbean festivals. Discuss the use of costumes and "playing mas." Carnival street dance includes jumping up and "wining." The sound of pan invites people to dance and become a part of the culture. 10-15 minutes.

3. The rest of the lesson is intended to be an activity day with different events and happenings. Various group names and kinds of music can be accessed via the internet websites listed above. Caribbean calypso and steelband music should be played during the mini-carnival. Costumes may be used if persons at above websites could be contacted, as they are resources for actual costumes. The instructor could choose to imitate costumes with pictures of them. The instructor could prepare Caribbean food or have students prepare food using recipes from website - http://seek-p.infoseek.com/Titles?qt=Caribbean+recipes&col=WW&sv=N3

4. The instructor will need to write up permission/invite slips for the students to take home prior to this day of activities. The day is intended for friends and relatives along with the students and members of the school. Invite people to try Caribbean foods prepared and enjoy music that is being played. These activities should continue throughout the lesson and carnival.

5. Allow for a segment of the lesson to encourage students to participate in a dunk tank activity where students get to throw make-believe coconuts (any solid object) at a target that releases a seat that their most or least favorite teacher is sitting in and dunks them in water. This is intended to get some kind of more informal relationship between teachers and students.

6. Allow for a portion of the lesson for participation in karoake. Setup a sound system and visual display so students can sing some songs with friends and have some fun.

7. Use the remainder of the time to have an informal soccer game between the faculty and the students. It may be necessary to organize this prior to the lesson. Possibly invite other guests of the carnival to play as well.

Assessment:

This lesson is intended as a social gathering activity for teachers, students, family, and friends. No assessment is necessary.

Curricular Strands:

Social Studies - characteristics of the Caribbean festival and culture

Art - food and music during mini-carnval

Physical Education - dunk tank and soccer game

This page submitted by St. Norbert College Ocean Voyagers Program