Secondary Lesson

Title: Carnavals & Colonialization

Arizona State Standards

  • Reading: Strand 2-Concept 1 (apply reading strategies) Strand 3-Concept 1 (analyze non-fiction)
  • Writing: Research Document: Strand 1-Concept 1, Strand 2- Concepts 1,2,6, Strand 3–Concept 6.
  • Listening and Speaking: LS-P1 & P5 (shares, presents, listens & responds) VP-P1-P3 (develop, analyze, evaluate, organize)
  • History: 1SS-P1(chronological & spatial skills) 1SS-P2 (research methods) 1SS-P3 (interpretation) 1SS-D1 (historical sources) 1SS-D2 (historical thinking)
  • Geography: 3SS-P1 (using geographic tools) 3SS-P2 (regions) 3SS-P3 (social interaction, migration) 3SS-P5 (applying skills)
  • Arts: 2AV-P1/P2/3AV-P2(cultural & historical relevance) 2AV-P4(role of art in society)

Goals & Objectives:

  1. Students compare and contrast different Carnavals throughout Latin America.
  2. Students become familiar with the geography and colonial history of Latin America.

Length of lesson: 4-6 one-hour lessons

Materials & Preparation:

  1. video of Carnaval in Brazil (see bibliography)
  2. map of the Americas
  3. reading about the history of Carnaval (see attached materials)*
  4. research materials (library, internet, etc.)

*Check to see if appropriate for your classroom.

Lesson

First Period

  1. Show a video of Carnaval in Brazil to your students.
  2. Discuss where and why such a celebration occurs. Keep a list of questions and observations generated by the class.
  3. Have students individually read the History of Carnaval page.
  4. Come back together as a class and review questions and comments from before.
  5. Collect generated questions and comments and display for all to refer back to when needed.

Second Period

  1. Show a map of the Americas, pointing out the location of Brazil.
  2. Through questioning, have students share what they know about the European colonization of the United States and the American continents. Relate what they know about colonization to the reading from the last lesson, drawing from previous questions and comments. (Specifically, what they know about the Spanish conquest of Mexico or the British conquest of the United States of America to the Portuguese conquest of Brazil.
  3. Lead students to discuss if they think Carnaval is the same in all parts of Latin America.
  4. Explain that the tradition of Carnaval in many Latin American countries is an example of the effects of European colonization on the Americas (and in some cases, can show the effects the Americas have had on Europe and the United States.)
  5. In groups of 2 or 3, have students choose a Latin American location. (For example, some famous Carnavals take place in Trinidad, Veracruz, New Orleans, Rio de Janeiro.) Or, if students happen to be from a Latin American country, allow them to explore the tradition from their homeland.
  6. Have students research the Carnaval celebration in this place, identifying the colonial power that penetrated the particular region of their investigation in the 18th century. Challenge students to identify elements of this culture as well as the indigenous and/or African cultures that are evident in the celebration of Carnaval in this area today. Also find what this celebration has in common with other Carnavals in Latin America and how it is unique. (The internet and tourism brochures might be useful resources to begin such research.)

Third-Fifth Periods

  1. Allow students time to research Carnaval in their particular region.

Closure

  1. Have groups of students share what they discovered about Carnaval.
  2. While students are presenting, keep track of the different characteristics they mention.
  3. After all have presented, review the list of characteristics. As a group, generate a list of European, African and indigenous influences that are prevalent in Latin American Carnavals.

Evaluation

  1. Have students develop, verbally or in written form, how Carnaval is an example of the Legacy of Colonialization in Latin America.

Extensions

  1. Invite a samba band to perform for your class. (Instead of beginning the lesson with videos of Brazilian Carnaval.)
  2. Compare Carnaval and how it began to other traditions in Latin America, such as Posadas or Día de Muertos. Make a diagram displaying Latin American traditions and the historical, cultural and ethnic aspects that influenced them.
  3. Have a class Carnaval with groups of students representing the different cultural and ethnic elements of Brazil. Have each group write lyrics for a samba song for this particular element to be sung during the Carnaval.