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- To engage students in visual analysis of art
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- To use questioning strategy to develop observation and high order thinking skills
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- To use art to gain a better understanding of life in the Caribbean islands
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- To demonstrate literary skills required to identify and analyze visual, oral, and written sources related to the Caribbean area
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- To share in the use of oral tradition of folktales
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- To determine how point of view influences the understanding of history
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- To engage in the writing process
The class will start this unit by building on students’ prior knowledge of the Caribbean Area. Those who have lived on an island will express their views of living on an island. Here in New Haven, there are many students in the class who have lived on, visited an island, or know someone who has experienced living on an island. If this lesson were implemented in an area where students have not had this experience, then I would probably ask them to imagine what island life might be like. This is a grand opportunity for students to reflect on books that they have read or movies they have seen. If necessary, students will be prompted to discuss means of transportation, ways to make a living and get a good education. Who knows, maybe they will ask their parents to spend a vacation on a tropical country located to the south of Florida in order to gain firsthand knowledge.
After discussing what it is like living on an island, students will view the DVD,
National Geographic Video -Jewels of the Caribbean Sea
(1994) that gives an overview of the geography, history and culture of the region. I think it would be interesting for students to note the influence of the British, French, Spanish, and Dutch in that region as they merge with the cultures of the African, Indian, and Chinese immigrants. Such a merger produces a culture that is definitely Caribbean even though each island has its own distinct flair. Students will take notes on the similarities and differences of the various island nations. The information gathered will be included as they research selected islands in the library or on the Internet, and conduct interviews with people who have lived in or visited the selected island.