| Title: The Making of a Legend
|
| Subject: Social Studies |
| Grade
Level: 7 |
| Overview: |
| All throughout Louisiana’s history stories have been told about
how things came to be, how life was long ago, and about family’s
heritage and history. Some stories are fanciful, some sad, some have
a lot of truth and other you can barely find any truth at all.
Students will create their own legend about a natural feature of the
state. |
| Approximate
Duration: three 90-minute classes additional time
to type st |
Content Standards:
- History: Time, Continuity, and
Change
Students develop a
sense of historical time and historical perspective as they study
the history of their community, state, nation, and world.
|
Benchmarks:
- H-1B-M3
describing the
interactions among Native Americans, early Europeans, and Africans
in the Americas;
- H-1D-M6
examining
folklore and describing how cultural elements have shaped our
state and local heritage. |
Interdisciplinary Connections:
- English/Language Arts : Standard
Two
Students write
competently for a variety of purposes and audiences.
- English/Language Arts : Standard
Three
Students communicate
using standard English grammar, usage, sentence structure,
punctuation, capitalization, spelling, and handwriting.
- English/Language Arts : Standard
Six
Students read, analyze,
and respond to literature as a record of life experiences.
|
Educational Technology
Standards:
- Use multimedia tools and desktop publishing to develop and
present computer-generated projects for directed and independent
learning activities.
|
Objectives:
The learner will:
select a natural feature of Louisiana.
The learner will:
create a story about how that feature can to be here in our state.
The learner will: write a rough draft and final draft of
their story
The learner will: type their story in
Microsoft publisher to be published along with stories from the rest
of the class.
|
Lesson Materials
and Resources:
Books/Magazines with Louisiana legends
(see below)
Writing rubric
Sample stories
Sample story
ideas for lower level students
Writing checklist |
Technology Tools
and Materials:
Hardware:
Computer(s)
Projection unit to show
samples (optional)
Software:
Microsoft Word
Microsoft Publisher
Websites:
•Student Samples
http://http://www.Louisiana101.com/legacy.html
•Define
Folktales -
www.infoplease.com/ce6/ent/A0819070.html
•Afro-American
Folktales
www.toptags.com/aama/tales/tales.htm
•Folktales
from around the world
www.aaronshep.com/stories/folk.html
•Folktales
from Louisiana
www.lpb.org/programs/swappingstories/
•What is
a folktale?
falcon.jmu.edu/~ramseyil/tradcarney.htm
•TrackStar
Link Site
http://http://trackstar.hprtec.org/main/track_text.php3?track_id=129869&nocache=512552471
•Teacher
Info
web.infoave.net/~tnorris/lesson.htm
•Teacher
Guide to Folktales
mcs.k12.in.us/les/ihnen/folktale.htm
|
Background
Information:
All throughout Louisiana’s history stories
have been told about how things can to be, how life was long ago,
and about family’s heritage and history. Some stories are fanciful,
some sad, some have a lot of truth and other you can barely find any
truth at all. As humans we tell stories to our children when they
are little and as adults we tell “stories” to other adults (dat fish
dat got away was dis long!).
In ancient times people saw
many things that they could not explain or understand. They created
stories to explain these things and passed them down from generation
to generation. Traditional stories that have been handed down over
the years are called legends.
The early Louisiana Native
Americans observed things in their world such as Spanish Moss that
lived in trees yet didn’t seem to hurt the tree, terrible winds and
storms that appeared out of nowhere, fog, the sun disappearing in
the middle of the day. They created stories to explain these. Today
many of these stories have finally been published so that they won’t
get lost forever."
Students should be familiar with family
stories they have heard. They should be comfortable with the
computer, keyboardin, Microsoft word, and Publisher.
|
Lesson
Procedures:
1. Discuss with students the
differences between stories and legends.
a. Stories: A telling
of some event, written down, may be true or not
b. Legend: A
story handed down through the years and connected to some real
event, but probably not true in itself
2. Explain that
these stories are similar to the stories their parents and
grandparent tell when they talk about their life as a child.
3. Explain to students what ‘natural features' are.
4. Read several short excerpts from various books and
samples of other students work.
(Sample story: "It seems that one-day a sudden flood came
upon a mother and her two children. They hurriedly climbed a tree to
save themselves. Twilight Game, and the mother realized they would
have to spend the night in the tree, because the floodwaters had not
yet receded. The children huddled close to their mother to keep
warm, but still they shivered. The mother prayed to the moon to
shine its warmth on her children. Suddenly they were shrouded in a
warm, gray blanket of moss. The children exclaimed that the moon had
heard their mother's prayers and had shredded clouds from the sky to
keep the family warm. Moss has grown in the trees of Louisiana ever
since."
© 1999 Steck-Vaugh Co., Louisiana – A Study in
Diversity, teacher’s black line master, pg
42
5. Explain to the students that they each produce a
short legend about some natural feature here in the state of
Louisiana.
6. Go over the writing rubric, explaining word
count, proper grammar, proper topic selection, rough draft, peer
editing, rewriting, 2nd peer editing, typing, peer proofing, and
printing.
7. Explain that the end result will be a
booklet of all students’ stories to be published by the school’s
print shop and that some of the best work will be published online
on the school’s web page.
|
Assessment
Procedures:
Students will be presented with a writing
rubric before the lesson begins. It contains information explaining
word count required, proper grammar requirements, proper topic
selection, rough draft, peer editing, rewriting, 2nd peer editing,
typing, peer proofing, and final printing. |
Accommodations/Modifications:
Accelerated
students will be used to assisted lower level students in writing
their story in proper grammatical form. They will also assist
students in typing and editing. Students who have writing problems
will be allowed to create rough draft on the computer. Word counts
will be modified for lower level students. Extended time will be
given were warranted. |
Reproducible
Materials:
|
Explorations and
Extensions:
Students who have mastered the use of
Microsoft Word and Publisher will peer tutor those students who do
not have the computer skills appropriate for seventh grade. These
experienced students will also be assigned to do final editing,
helping select legends for publication, creating page layouts and
cover designs, before booklet is sent for printing. |
Lesson
Development Resources:
Louisiana A Study in
Diversity, Steck-Vaughn Company
How and Why Stories
by Aline Rothe, Century II Printing Company
The Indians of
Louisiana, by Fred B. Kniffen, Pelican Publishing ISBN
0-911116-97-4
Haunted Louisiana, by Christy Viviano, Tree
House Press, Inc ISBN 1-881490-01-7
Louisiana Legacy, a
collection of student’s stories, by Greg English
www.Louisiana101.com (student work) see above |
Reflections:
Over the years my students
have always enjoyed this lesson. Even though they grumble at first
about the word count (anything over 10 words is too long) they
almost always go way over what is required. The peer editing works
well once I explain that they get credit on their own grade if the
person they edited does well. I am always amazed at the stories they
produce. I collect these legends, Louisiana poetry we write, art
that they draw and publish it at the end of the year as Louisiana
Legacy from them to their class. Copies are put in the school
library for future reference. Below is another sample of previous
student work:
The Legend of Ka-Tun by Tai H.
The
people of the village respected the Great Spirit Ka-Tun very much.
They loved to do things to please him. However, one day, after a
great festival, there was much talk. They decided that they wanted
to do something for their Great Spirit because he had provided such
good crop.
They thought and thought and finally they knew
what they would do. They would weave rugs and such things to honor
the Great Spirit and all that he did for them.
As soon as
they started they realized that the wood that they used for baskets
would not work. They needed something soft, something like fur.
Deerskin didn't work either because it was rough on one side.
So they all gathered together to pray to the Great Spirit.
He knew that in their hearts they wanted to please him and when he
heard their prayers he was truly very happy.
He too thought
long and hard and finally came up with something. Something very
soft. He made one gigantic cloud, then he plucked little pieces from
it and let them fall to Mother Earth.
The people rejoiced at
what the Great Spirit gave them. They used the material wisely,
planting some pieces in the ground for the future.
They made
their beautiful rugs and creations to honor the Great Spirit and
since that time the Spirit Ka-Tun's gift has been known as
cotton.
|
Contact
Information:
Greg English
greg.english@cpsb.org
Oak Park Middle School |
| MarcoPolo
Lesson: No |
| |