"song cousins" lesson plan

Title: “Song Cousins”

Topic: recognizing text features, Eskimo culture, performance arts

Goals/Objectives:

• Students will identify text features such as: stanzas, refrains, punctuation, definitions, glossary, index, novels, medical charts etc...
• Students will compare/contrast how cultural practice and belief are identified through text features.
• Students will reenact verbally through and artistic performance a song or poem from contemporary culture in America.

GLEs: Fine Arts

• AP.3.A.HS Level 4. Analyze and evaluate art using art vocabulary to interpret the meaning of the work. (subject, theme, symbolism, message communicated)
• HC.5.B.HS Level 4. Compare and contrast artworks from different historical time periods and/or cultures. Describe the evolution of an artist’s body of work over time and explain an artist’s place in historical context.
• IC.4.A.HS Level 4. Explain the connections between Visual Art and Communication Arts, Math, Science or Social Studies. Explain how contemporary events and social ideas are reflected in student artworks.
• HC.5.A.HS Level 4. Compare and contrast artworks from different historical time periods and/or cultures. Select and research periods/movements of art that align with portfolio development.

GLEs  For Information and Communications Technology Literacy:

• T.1.A. Process Components. Grade 9-12 Follow, monitor, and evaluate inquiry processes: Identify an information need, Access prior knowledge relevant to the needed information, identify additional information to meet the need, locate relevant sources and select information appropriate to the problem or question, seek feedback from others, exchange knowledge and ideas in appropriate formats, evaluate the results, use critical thinking skills to adapt process, as necessary, to fulfill purpose
• T.1.B. Process Approach. Grade 9-12 Follow an inquiry process to construct new understanding, draw conclusions, and create new knowledge. Contribute to the construction and exchange of ideas through independent, cooperative, and/or collaborative work
• T.2.A. Purpose and Audience Grade 9-12 Determine nature and intent of information needed in order to identify how intended audience and purpose affect information is needed.
• T.3.A. Source Selection Grade 9-12 Access information efficiently and effectively by locating multiple sources of various media using appropriate organizational tools and selecting material appropriate to student’s reading ability
• T.5.A. Information Recording Grades 9-12 Use information effectively and creatively. Record relevant information using a self-selected note taking or organizational strategy.

Grade: 9^th- 12^th  grade

Length of Class Period: 55 minutes

Frequency of Class Period: five days a week

Time Needed: five class periods

Facility & Equipment Requirements:

• One computer lap top
• Room with good lighting
• Large tables, approximately ten, each seating four students
• Two sinks
• Dry erase board
• Drying racks
• Cabinets for storage
• Projector for viewing computer video, CDs and DVDs

The Spoken word Revolution

Resources Needed:

• Canadian Journal for Traditional Music (1973) Imagery and Structure in Eskimo Song Texts by Beverly Cananaugh
• Power Point about Eskimo Song Performance
• Samples of Text Features
• The Spoken Word Revolution by Mark Eleveld and Marc Smith (comes with CD recording of performances)
• Youtube video of Eskimo Native Music: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JXE0BAJn4F4&feature=related , http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ETKv6hIzmg&feature=rela

Materials Per Student:

•      Packet containing chapter assignment per small group and CD recording

Vocabulary/Terminology: most terms from free dictionary or encyclopedias

1. Song Cousins – an ancient ceremonial rite of passage among the Eskimo in which two opponents try to out wit, out sing , and generally deliver a superior performance describing their hunting prowess.
2. Performance Art - is a performance presented to an audience; either scripted or unscripted, random or carefully orchestrated; spontaneous or otherwise carefully planned with or without audience participation. The performance can be live or via media; the performer can be present or absent. It can be any situation that involves four basic elements: time, space, the performer's body, or presence in a medium, and a relationship between performer and audience. Performance art can happen anywhere, in any venue or setting and for any length of time. The actions of an individual or a group at a particular place and in a particular time constitute the work.
3. Slam Poetry - A poetry slam is a competition at which poets read or recite original work (or, more rarely, that of others). These performances are then judged on a numeric scale by previously selected members of the audience.
4. Hip Hop - A style of popular music of US black and Hispanic origin, featuring rap with an electronic backing. 
5. Oral Traditions – An oral tradition is a method of keeping a culture alive without relying on writing or recording media.
6. Eskimo - A member of an indigenous people inhabiting northern Canada, Alaska, Greenland, and eastern Siberia, traditionally living by hunting (esp. of seals) and by fishing.

Motivation- Looking and Talking Activity: Students will participate in a game that requires skill and focus about “Text Identification”

• The teacher posts in the front of the room prior to class a variety of text formats. These formats only use the lower or upper case letter “a.” to demonstrate a point. Legible words and or sentences do not need to be understood in order for text formats to be distinguishable to informed students.
• There are many text formats that the teacher could use such as: drama script, poem stanzas, novel, index, glossary, dictionary, or even a medical chart. Teachers could also post musical text formats like: stanzas, refrains, rhymes and rhythmic symbols.
• Teacher should assign to students partners and allow each team five or six minutes to determine between themselves which text features belong to those definitions listed on the chalkboard.
• Students will then be called upon to identify at least one text feature per team. After a feature has been identified correctly, it can no longer be included by a opponent team.
• Define all of the text feature illustrations until they have been eliminated from the list of definitions.

Step-by-Step Classroom Activity Specifics:

1. Students will view a Power Point presentation about, “Song Cousins”
2. Students will listen to CD recordings from “The Spoken Revolution.”
3. Students will be assigned to small groups and each group will review a chapter from, “ The Spoken Word Revolution.”
4. Each small group will select one member from their group to present a brief demonstration of the poetry topics covered from their chapter.
5. Small groups join the larger class to share their findings.
6. Each individual student will then need to select a poem or music selection to perform in a competition at the end of the week. This competition will be judged by their peers within a similar context used by the Eskimos during their competitive performances known as “Song Cousins.”

Health & Safety Concerns: There are no health and safety concerns for this project.

Special Needs Adaptations:

• Student will be seated closer to instructor so they will be better equipped to hear instructions or read lips
• Student will be provided with written instructions so that they read about the discussions and demonstrations
• The instructor may use a amplification devise provided by the school or student’s parents
• Deaf students will be expected to sign their performance

Cleanup Time & Strategy: Students will be instructed to put away art materials neatly in their containers, clean off their tables, and recycle their trash two minutes prior to dismissal.

All jpgs. and lesson plans are copyrighted by Grimm, 2011