Sharing Stories

Lesson 23: Tradition as Innovation: La Calavera don Quijote, Mexico

Summary and Objectives

Students use the imagery of don Quixote to examine how literary themes can be reinterpreted across artistic disciplines. In working with the story of don Quixote they explore the notion of satire and parody, and use these literary devices in their writing. They also research the satirical poetry (calaveras) of José Guadalupe Posada (which inspired the featured work of art), experiment with elements of satire in their writing, and illustrate their own calaveras centering on issues of concern in their lives. Finally, activities extend to students’ exploration of the Mexican Days of the Dead, in which skeletal arts play a key role in beliefs and familial and community celebrations. Students will

  • Explore through discussion and writing the themes of the novel Don Quixote de la Mancha.
  • Discuss the purpose and character of satire and develop these literary techniques in their writing.
  • Create a satiric calavera poem about a current issue or person.
  • In the spirit of the hero don Quixote, students construct paper cutouts or papier-maché images of their own heroes, or original interpretations of literary works.

 

THIS LESSON IS PART OF:
Curriculum Resource for Intersections: World Arts, Local Lives.
Unit 4: Art and Transformation

Lesson 21: Arts for Spiritual Intervention: Honoring Patron Saints with Retablos, Mexico

Summary and Objectives

Students learn about the meanings of retablos and ex-votos in Mexico and discuss the significance of these to the individuals and families who use them in ritual practice. They create individual votive-inspired expressions of wishes and/or thanks. The lesson also includes a closer look at the representational imagery of Catholic saints and the impact such images may have in students’ lives. Students will

  • “Read” and interpret retablos and ex-votos from Mexico through discussion and writing.
  • Create retablo- and votive-like offerings.
  • Discuss individuals’ beliefs about ancestors and family patron saints as intercessors with the divine.

 

THIS LESSON IS PART OF:
Curriculum Resource for Intersections: World Arts, Local Lives.
Unit 4: Art and Transformation

Lesson 14: Negotiating Gender: Powerful Mother: Ere Gelede, Nigeria

Summary and Objectives

Through a study of gelede masquerades of the Yoruba peoples of Nigeria students explore art as a powerful medium for commentary on issues of concern to the community. Students will discuss gender roles among the Yoruba and in their own communities. Creative writing activities provide opportunities for students to compose praise poetry and to explore the expressiveness of proverbial speech. Students will

  • Explore gelede masquerades of the Yoruba peoples of Nigeria and gain understanding of the power of art as it comments on social, political, and historical issues.
  • Discuss the limits and freedoms of gender in both their own communities and in Africa. Students write homages to women they respect.
  • Engage in creative writing activities to explore the power of proverbial speech, as related to masquerade traditions.
  • Practice skills of visual literacy as they analyze gelede mask types.

 

THIS LESSON IS PART OF:
Curriculum Resource for Intersections: World Arts, Local Lives.
Unit 3: Art and Power

Lesson 13: Negotiating Gender: Portrayal of a Hunter: Ere Egungun Olode, Nigeria

Summary and Objectives

In this lesson students explore the use of egungun masks in rituals devoted to honoring ancestors, as practiced by Yoruba peoples from Nigeria and Benin. They discuss family rituals that celebrate their own ancestors, construct special dress ensembles to honor them, employ poetry as a way to memorialize loved ones, and discuss contrasts between cultures, as inspired by the experiences of Nigerian writer Wole Soyinka. Students will

  • Consider traditions of respect and honor for elder relatives and ancestors and compare these to practices of the Yoruba peoples of Nigeria.
  • Explore egungun masquerades of the Yoruba peoples of West Africa and its diasporas through discussion, artmaking activities, and creative writing.
  • Use the writing of Nobel laureate Wole Soyinka to reflect on the challenges of growing up in two cultures. 

 

THIS LESSON IS PART OF:
Curriculum Resource for Intersections: World Arts, Local Lives.
Unit 3: Art and Power

Lesson 11: Performing Knowledge: Education as Entertainment: Asian Puppetry, Burma

Summary and Objectives

Students explore Burmese puppetry and as they do so they will make puppets and create and perform puppet plays. Their studies extend to Burmese poetry traditions and to Jataka Tales, around which much of the puppet theater in Burma is based. Students will

  • Experiment with the art of puppetry as they write scripts, create puppets, and perform plays of their own making.
  • Extend their exploration of Burmese arts by creating poetry in the style of Burmese climbing rhymes.
  • Analyze the literary structure of Jataka tales, retell selected tales, and create stories inspired by the tradition.

 

THIS LESSON IS PART OF:
Curriculum Resource for Intersections: World Arts, Local Lives.
Unit 2: Art and Knowledge

Lesson 6: Memory and Cosmology: Mother of the Band: The Ntan Drum, Ghana

Summary and Objectives

Students study the iconography of a Ghanaian drum and investigate its meanings in terms of the history and cultural traditions of Ghana. As students “read” the drum, they come to understand the verbal/visual messages of the drum’s iconography. Activities also include creative writing and problem solving as students work with the imagery on the drum. Students will

  • Study the many images on a Ghanaian drum and investigate their multiple meanings.
  • Explore Akan oral literature and proverbs through creative writing activities.
  • Collect, document, and then use examples of proverbial language in conversation and creative writing.

  

THIS LESSON IS PART OF:
Curriculum Resource for Intersections: World Arts, Local Lives.
Unit 2: Art and Knowledge

Lesson 4: Encounters of Ideas, Time, and Place. Textiles of Southeast Asia

Summary and Objectives

A study of Southeast Asian textiles affords students opportunities to examine Pacific migration, the effects such movements have on family and community traditions, and the roles played by certain norms and beliefs. Activities encourage students’ exploration of simple weaving techniques and patterning and design options. This lesson introduces the notion that works of art themselves can reflect cultural dynamism, transaction, interaction, and change. Forms are constantly updated and reinvented to meet changing social circumstances, accommodate new media and technologies, and reflect the vitality of arts and cultures throughout the world. Students will

  • Understand through discussion that works of art reflect a multitude of influences and encounters.
  • Explore fabrics—both familiar and unfamiliar—and research the materials, their sources, and new uses for textiles in contemporary industrial or scientific contexts.
  • Consider “objects of encounter” that reveal the interplay of external influences and tradition-based artistic practice.
  • Analyze patterning in the material culture around them and experiment with creating patterns by simple weaving techniques.
  • Weave with words in a word-search game.