Multicultural Play Festival Keisha John Zee Santiago ED 200 Curriculum Project Spring 2006 Multicultural Play Festival Keisha John & Zaydee Santiago ED 200 Curriculum Project Trinity Spring 2006

~Introduction~ Our main objective with this curriculum project is to introduce students to a more transformative approach to learning by having them analyze the lives of historical figures from minority groups. Students will research the lives of an assigned figure and write, direct and perform an original play.

~Context~ Hartford Magnet Middle School 7 th Grade Classroom Social Studies / Academic Literacy 80 min. / 5 days Week 2 in a 4 week project

~Objectives~ Students will learn how to collect and organize information about their historical figure for their understanding and later application Students will apply their linguistic and intrapersonal intelligences to work collectively on writing and performing an original play about their historical figure Students will use their inter- /intrapersonal skills as well as their body kinesthetic intelligences to act out their plays for their peers who will be analyzing and evaluating their performance. Students will analyze the lives and accomplishments of historical figures

~Justifications~ Bloom’s Taxonomy Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligences CT Framework

~Activities~ Day 1- Research –Students will be given a choice (short bio) of 8 historical figures from minority groups and instructed to indicate their top 3 choices –4 person groups will be assigned based on interest –Students will spend class time in the media center researching general info on their figure

~Activities~ Day 2 ~ Group Work –Students will teach their group members about their research –Students will analyze the information that they researched and fill out a worksheet on their figure –As a group the students will pick their favorite life experience of their historical figure

~Activities~ Day 3 ~ Report –Group will write a report on the life experience that they chose – including an explanation as to why they chose it

~Activities~ Day 4 ~ What makes a good play? –Class will watch a short play –Whole class will talk about what they saw and discuss important components of a play – students will also create their own evaluation sheet –Students will break up into their groups and make a list of what makes a good play Good play = entertaining & informative

~Activities~ Day 5~ Play Writing –Using their report and research as references and list from Day 4, students will begin to write their 5-10 min. 1 Act plays

~4 Week Project~ Students will continue to work on/edit plays - at end of week students will perform for classmates and fill out evaluation sheet which will be used for grading Wk. 4 Students will work on plays and get peer reviews/peer editing Wk. 3 Students will conduct research their historical figure and start work on their original plays Wk. 2 Students will learn researching skillsWk. 1

~Evaluation~ Students will create their own evaluation sheets Students will evaluate each other on creativity, performance and content at the end of the project

THE END The evaluations students complete will determine the winners of the HMMS Tony awards, which will end the four- week project