Teacher's Guide for FACES ^® Creole and Cajun Culture

For "Creole and Cajun Culture" (pages 8-10)

1. You might want to begin by
   1. discussing the maps on pages 4 and 5
   2. reading aloud the "Editor's Message" on pages 2-3
   Emphasize the differences in the use of "creole" with both a lower and uppercase "c" and the differences in the people and languages as summarized on page 5.
2. Ask students to skim the "Creole and Cajun Culture" article and find the point at which the article switches from a discussion of the Creoles to a discussion of the Cajuns.
3. Ask students to scan page 8 as follows (using highlighters on copies of this article works well):
   1. Paragraph #1: Look for dates and proper nouns.
   2. Paragraph #2: Read the first sentence and note the words "many types" and look for examples of those types in the remainder of the paragraph.
   3. Paragraph #3: Look for dates and proper nouns.
4. Point to the first sentence of the new paragraph on page 10 as both a topic and transitional sentence. Ask students to skim the remainder of the article as in a-c above.
5. Using discussion (or paper and pencil) try to reconstruct major ideas working from the highlighted items.
6. Other activities:
   • From the box on page 11: Discuss why historically the events listed for 1968 make sense for that decade.
   • Read aloud some lines from Evangeline.

For "Creole Language" (pages 12-15)

Explain that Creole is not spoken much in Louisiana anymore, but that there are still some speakers left--and that it is a fascinating and fun language to play around with.

Activity: Pair students and ask them to prepare a short dialogue with actions. Students should include at least five different phrases from pages 14-15. Ask each pair to present their dialogue to the class, first in French, then in Creole.

For "Creole Traditions" (pages 16-19)

Ask students to write two pages in the imaginary journal they kept during their visit with a Creole family. Using material from pages 16-19 and writing in first person, students should describe in detail what they saw, heard, smelled, tasted, and felt. (Remember it's hot!)

For "Lagniappe" (pages 20-21)

1. Ask students to answer (on paper) three questions:
   1. What is lagniappe?
   2. Where might the word have come from?
   3. What are six examples (from the article) of lagniappe?
2. Review the answers together and then ask students (on the other side of their paper) to come up with their own (factual or made up) examples of lagniappe that might be found in each of the following:
   • an advertisement
   • a thank you note
   • a bumper sticker
   • a cruise
   • a gift
   • the morning paper
   • a meal
   • a phone conversation
   • a movie
   • a concert

For "All that Jazz" (pages 22-25)

Ask students to create a "recipe" for jazz:

Directions:

1. Beginning of recipe will say "Mix together the following ingredients." Find, from pages 23 and 24, at least a dozen different ingredients (traditions, instruments, cultures, types of music) which contributed something to jazz. Write these in list form.
2. Middle of recipe will contain the writer's paraphrase of the article's explanation of improvising (page 24).
3. Third part of the recipe will begin "Served by" and will list some famous jazz musicians each followed by an appositive (a few words of explanation about that musician).

Note: You might want to discuss the following terms before students begin: zydeco, spirituals, quadrille, flamenco, and ragtime.

For "Haitian Creoles" (26-29)

Before beginning, you might want to point out Haiti on a map.

After reading this article, ask students to participate in a discussion on the following questions: Do students go to school in Haiti? Why would kids have problems in school? Since for 90-95% of Haitians creole is the only language, why isn't it the official language used in schools? What are possible solutions for the education of children living in Haiti?

For "Shrimping in Louisiana" (pages 36-39)

Study Questions:

1. Shrimp have been fished in New Orleans for how many years?
2. Shrimp were made into what two dishes?
3. What happened to the shrimp that weren't eaten in homes?
4. Who introduced drying platforms which allowed shrimp to be shipped all over the world?
5. How big is modern "canot"?
6. In what five months do shrimpers generally not fish?
7. What are three differences between shrimping on the smaller boats and shrimping on offshore boats?
8. Explain what is happening in the illustration at the bottom of page 38.
9. What are two changes that have taken place in the shrimping way of life?
10. What changes are needed for the future?

Home

Back

Print

Updated: 11/21/08 02:46 pm
Log In