Performance Assessment Mardi Gras Indian Music and Culture Becky Wasden IS_LT 9458 Technology and Assessment 1. CONTEXT a. This assessment is designed for 5th through 8th grade students. b. The subject area is Music Arts Education. c. Standards: i. Louisiana State Music Education Standard Benchmarks: 1, 2, 6 ii. Common Core State Standards: ELA Language Progressive Skills a. L.3.3a Choose words and phrases for effect. b. L.4.3a Choose words and phrases to convey ideas precisely. c. L.6.1e Recognize variations from standard English in their own and other’s writing and speaking, and identify and use strategies to improve expression in conventional language.
Transcript
Performance AssessmentMardi Gras Indian Music and Culture
Becky WasdenIS_LT 9458 Technology and Assessment
1. CONTEXTa. This assessment is designed for 5th through 8th grade students.b. The subject area is Music Arts Education.c. Standards:
i. Louisiana State Music Education Standard Benchmarks: 1, 2, 6
ii. Common Core State Standards: ELA Language Progressive Skillsa. L.3.3a Choose words and phrases for effect.b. L.4.3a Choose words and phrases to convey ideas precisely.c. L.6.1e Recognize variations from standard English in their
own and other’s writing and speaking, and identify and use strategies to improve expression in conventional language.
d. L.6.3a Vary sentence patterns for meaning, reader/listener interest and style.
d. Learning Objective: Students will be able to identify specific cultural traits related directly to Mardi Gras Indians including costume designs, parading traditions and musical foundations.
2. ESSENTIAL QUESTION
Who are the Mardi Gras Indians and why are they significant to New Orleans music and culture? !3. GRASPS
GOAL
• Your task is to research the folklore and history of the Mardi Gras Indians.• The goal is to learn their stories and understand where they came from,
why they were created, and how their legacy has changed and shaped modern cultural traditions in New Orleans, Louisiana.
• The problem or challenge is that since we are not part of the generational family lines, it is difficult to access substantial information about the Indian culture.
• The obstacle to overcome is to respectfully discover oral history and photo and video archives to give accurate historical depiction of the Mardi Gras Indian lifestyle.
ROLE
• You are a reporter for the local newspaper. • You have been asked to photograph and interview Mardi Gras Indian
tribes that will be parading and performing at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival.
• Your job is to acquire digital footage (by permission of the Indians) to share with your widespread reading audience that spans the globe. You will use this documentation in an article written for the paper.
AUDIENCE
• Your clients are the local people of New Orleans and surrounding areas, and people from around the world. Since you will be posting your written article with photo or video documentation online, it will be accessible to anyone via the world wide web.
• The target audience covers a large spectrum. Many people are curious to learn more about Mardi Gras Indians will want to see and read your article.
• You need to convince your audience that you are familiar with the traditions, stories, histories and cultures of the Indians to make your article legitimate and interesting.
SITUATION
• You will find yourself in a festival setting where many sounds, sights, and smells can be potentially distracting and overwhelming.
• Your challenge is to remain focused on the collection of stories and digital artifacts that can make your newspaper article exceptionally enlightening!
PRODUCT, PERFORMANCE, PURPOSE
• You will create a one page newspaper article that has at least two photographs or short video clips of Mardi Gras Indians. You will contribute a minimum of three short stories that relate to one another concerning past and modern traditions of these icons in order to show relevance to our musical and cultural development today.
• You need to develop a personal understanding of how these indian tribes were first formed to help your reading audience feel a connection to your own life in your presentation of the material.
STANDARDS AND CRITERIA FOR SUCCESS
• Your performance needs to be personalized and persuasive. We will want to know what the Mardi Gras Indian culture means to you as an individual living in the city and (potentially) experiencing Indian activities throughout the year.
• Your work will be judged by your peers, your reading audience, your teacher and yourself.
• Your work must meet the following standards:
• Identify historical aspects of the music, costumes, parades, celebrations, ceremonies, events and traditions involving Mardi Gras Indian culture.
• Write in an informed way by using precise words, variety of phrases, personal style, proper standard English (except when culturally significant to a story or quote and identify the language difference). Convey ideas that you (yourself) would be interested in learning.
4. PERFORMANCE TASK VIGNETTE!Mardi Gras Indian Music and Culture (Music Arts for Grades 5-8)You’ve been asked to attend the Jazz and Heritage Festival in New Orleans as a student reporter to document the performances and parading of a few tribes from the Mardi Gras Indian subculture. You will be taking photographs and video footage of the Indians and interviewing members of the tribes about their experiences as Mardi Gras Indians. (If the Indians are not available for interviews, feel free to interview people from the audience about their understanding of the historical significance of the Indians in New Orleans music culture.) You will create an online newspaper article that has at least two photographs or short video clips. Include a minimum of three short stories pertaining to Indian history and current events, and some insight to your own experiences learning about the Indians.
5. PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT PLAN
Activity 1: Learning Objective Summary and Introduction to Mardi Gras Indian Music and Culture Unit (one class period)
To begin this project, I would have an informal whole class discussion about student experiences with Mardi Gras Indians.
Questions I would ask to generate participation~• Has anyone seen the Indians recently (or ever)? • Does anyone know someone who is a Mardi Gras Indian, or have a
relative who is an Indian, or lives in or near a neighborhood that has a tribe (or gang) that congregates close by? Why do some groups call themselves tribes and others gangs?
• When do the Indians come out “masking”? (parading in costume for the public to see and participate)
• What’s the difference between Uptown Indians and Downtown Indians?• Why do they wear those heavy, sparkly, hot suits that take years and
years to hand-make every piece of the outfit? • Is it only men and children that are allowed to be Indians?• How does someone become a Mardi Gras Indian?• Where do their music roots come from and why does their music matter
so much to people who live here?• Why do we have Mardi Gras Indians in New Orleans, anyway?
*Open forum discussions provide informal assessment towards student’s prior knowledge of the subject targeted for the performance assessment.
Activity 2: BackStreet Museum Video Archives (one class period)
This is a follow-up to the in class discussion about Mardi Gras Indians. I will be providing stories from past and present situations of the tribes. I will facilitate more discussion by showing short video clips, photos and music files from a variety of different Indian groups. Students will have an opportunity to ask questions and gain deeper insight to the historical significance of the Indians in their lives today.
Activity 3: Building Alliances (Roleplaying with Native American and African American History) (one class period)
Background information that I will share with the students:
Mardi Gras Indians are a fusion of the native people living in southern Louisiana in the late 1700’s and the slaves that were brought here from Africa during the turn of the century (early 1800’s). The native people were masterful at surviving in the swamps, and helped slaves escape captivity for many decades. They came together to celebrate music at Congo Square and formed very close family ties and friendships through hardship and perseverance of survival.
Students will be assigned different roles (such as “12 year old African American Slave” or “40 year old Native American”) and given a scenario to act out in pairs or groups. The goal is to solidify their understanding of the camaraderie of these two unique subsets of people and give a foundation of how African Americans were submerged into Native American culture. Whole class role-playing with historic prompts will show similarities in our modern ability to make friends with others who are diverse and different then ourselves.
Activity 4: Jazz and Heritage Festival (Half-Day Field Trip)
It is a special honor to be allowed to attend the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Music Festival as a school group. We would spend a half-day at the festival grounds seeing and hearing numerous musical acts that span the genres of gospel, blues, jazz, funk, R&B, rock and much more.
Some school groups are allowed to participate in ‘behind the scenes’ tours with festival employees. I would coordinate a meeting with the Mardi Gras Indian tribes performing the day of our attendance.
The student would be granted permission to use personal devices (such as cellphones) to document their festival experiences, particularly for their performance assessment to be completed the following week. I would provide cameras or other devices that have photo capabilities for students who may not have a personal device. Students will also be allowed to share one device and encouraged to conduct interviews in pairs.
Activity 5: Digital Newspaper Article Creations (three class periods)
Students will be given a laptop computer or iPad to complete the performance assessment. They will have the option of using any software that provides a newspaper or newsletter style template. I will suggest the following online tools for the project.
In the third class session, students will provide informal face-to-face peer reviews of one another’s newspaper articles. They will be given the opportunity to present their project to the class and give an oral reflection on their experience seeing the Indians and learning about their culture.
6. SCORING GUIDE
Researchand
Response
Informationand
InterestingItems
Topicsand
Themes
Grammarand
Gravitas
Newspaper article supports three or more short stories including personal insight to your experience learning about Mardi Grad Indians. 5 points
Use of two or more digital media files such as photographs or short video clips are included in your newspaper article. Credit is given to the owner of the digital files.5 points
Content of stories and digital media pertain to the Mardi Gras Indians of New Orleans and include culturally significant themes such as music, costumes, ceremonies and traditions. 5 points
Grammatical errors were not found. Writing style was original and unique to the author. Proper standard English was used, slang was quoted where appropriate.Words and phrases used effectively to convey ideas.5 points
Newspaper article supports two short stories and includes personal insight on your experience, but may lack depth or detail. 3 points
Use of one digital media file such as a photograph or short video clip is included in your article. Credit is given to the owner of the digital file.3 points
Content of stories and digital media pertain to the Mardi Gras Indians of New Orleans, but lack clarity or detail to significant cultural themes such as music, costumes, ceremonies and traditions. 3 points
Minor grammatical errors were found.Writing style was original to the author. Proper standard English was used, slang was quoted were appropriate. Words and phrases usedsomewhat effectively. 3 points
Researchand
Response
Informationand
InterestingItems
Topicsand
Themes
Grammarand
Gravitas
Newspaper article includes one or no short stories and lacks personal insight to your experience.Depth/detail significantly missing. 1 point
There are no digital media files included in the article.Consideration for written media such a quote would be reviewed. 1 point
Contents of stories and digital media do not pertain to Mardi Gras Indians and lack significant themes for the project assigned. 1 point
Major grammatical errors were found. Writing style and use of proper English questionable. Words and phrases are ineffective. 1 point
Point Total: _______ Point Total: _______ Point Total: _______ Point Total: ________
OVERALL SCORE: _________ /20
7. NARRATIVE
• Students will use digital media devices to create photo and video files of the Mardi Gras Indians. They will incorporate these files into an online newspaper or newsletter article involving three short stories. The writing criteria includes insight about the history of the Indians in costuming, ceremonies, music and traditions. There will also be a personal reflection included in the article to document meaningful understanding of the historical significant of the Indians in New Orleans.
★ Facet 1: Explanation• I want to provide a platform for the students to convey their own “big
ideas” that will expand as they become more knowledgable about the Mardi Gras Indian culture. To “show their work, make connections, and explain their reasoning” (pg.161), I felt a story-telling style approach and photo documentation opportunity would be meaningful for performance assessment.
★ Facet 2: Interpretation
• For students to “make sense of stories, art work, data, situations or claims” (pg. 164), this performance assessment allows students to ask questions that lead to factual interpretation and self-interpretation of prior knowledge and new information through open discussion, research and hands-on interaction with the subject matter.
★ Facet 3: Application• Applying student knowledge of technology use (digital devices and
online software) and meaningful understanding of subject matter are combined in this performance assessment.
★ Facet 4: Perspective• Seeing something from a different point of view is a highlight of this
project design. Students within these grade levels are at an age when solidifying relationships between friends and family become a crucial part of their personal development. The centuries’ old connection between Native Americans and African Americans shows the possibility of creating deep love, respect and understanding for others who are not the same as yourself.
★ Facet 5: Empathy• A wonderful compliment to the area of perspective, empathy can be
shown in student work through the reflective aspect of the written assignment. “The goal is not to have students accept the way of others, but to help them better understand diversity of thought and feeling in the world; that is, to develop their capacity to walk in someone else’s shoes.” (pg. 166) It is my hope that by learning about the challenges and rising of this unexpected subculture, students will ‘walk’ a step or two in the moccasins of these unique people.
★ Facet 6: Self-Knowledge• Students will have prior knowledge of the Mardi Gras Indians through
personal experience, previous exposure by family, friends or educators, and an overall awareness of their cultural recognition in the New Orleans community. The goal is to expand their views, ideas and insights pertaining to the significance the Indians hold in the history of New Orleans music and arts culture.
SELF-ASSESSMENT
In reflecting on my process of designing this assessment, I find myself keenly aware of bad habits that would take me a significant time to restructure when moving forward with UbD assessment planning-namely my intrinsic mode to create “activity-based” units that do not show meaningful understanding of a concept or topic.
It’s been very easy for me in the past to incorporate technology in any lesson plan because I already know my students will love any tech that is at their fingertips. The challenge for me now is to prove (not just to myself, my students or administration) that they are taking away a much deeper understanding of the material.
I kept thinking back on years of teaching where I thought I was assessing my students in a ‘fun’ way (where they got to play a game or give a presentation to show competency in a subject, which was easy to implement and easy to grade...). Now, the enlightenment of how important the virtue of true, authentic learning has showered upon me, and I’ll never be the same educator (nor be able to view old classic testing style) the same way again.
How to reconcile this in the moment is difficult. I know several other educators in this course are having similar reflections. I am grateful for the exposure of new and exciting ways to provide more substantial educational experiences for students. How I will manage it in the future is the question I now contemplate towards UbD.
PEER REVIEW
April Burton gave me an outstanding peer review. Her comments were insightful, precise and objective. I was able to make both subtle and significant changes to my performance assessment with her guidance. I particularly love the editing software she chose for my paper (Microsoft Word Bubble Comments). She even provided me with a fantastic online resource for my technology component (smore.com). I find the peer review process to be extremely helpful; April was a wonderful asset.
Mardi Gras IndiansBig Chief Monk Boudreaux and The Golden Eagles
