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Subject

English Language Arts (2005)

Learning Context/ Introduction

The Haitian folktale, Tezen (Teen), is about a young girl’s friendship with a fish. The fish allows her to get cool, clear, sweet water from the spring. The girl’s father becomes aware of this special friendship, is upset by it, and decides to end it. The story focuses on this friendly, pure relationship, which rendered the girl’s father concerned and her brother jealous. The girl is eventually driven away from her family into the fins of her friend, Tezen, who also happens to be king of the waters. This is an excellent story for adolescent children whose parents are uncomfortable with a new culture and environment, and are prevented from interacting socially with others as a result of their own prejudices. Metaphorically, the ending of this story tells how we sometimes lose those we love and overprotect.

The learning experience brought about a great sense of pride in these sixth-grade Haitian Creole-speaking students whose native language proficiency spanned a wide range of abilities (the group included students with a special education classification).

After the story was read in class, the students had to do research by asking family members about the folktale. The students used their native language to learn about literary devices such as metaphor and simile, as well as to discuss the concepts of prejudice and cultural differences and similarities in our world.

Student Work

Procedure

Teacher Activities

1. The teacher initiated a discussion about friendship, and then, together with the students, made a concept map.
2. The teacher used prompts from the story to stimulate predictions from the students.
3. The teacher read the story aloud to the class.
4. The teacher discussed the story with the students, using multi-level questioning involving inference, opinion, and analysis.
5. The teacher elicited discussion about the relationships among the members of the girl's family.
6. The teacher generated a discussion of how language, cultural awareness, and cultural relevance affect the story.
7. The teacher helped the students to summarize what they learned from the story.
8. The teacher selected a group of vocabulary words for the students to use in their written reactions.
9. The teacher assigned a writing task in which the students were asked to provide a review or personal reaction to the story, using the new vocabulary.
10. The teacher created small groups of six students to work on writing a script that they would act out.
11. The teacher guided and facilitated the development of the scripts through the students' writing process.
12. The teacher videotaped the performances.

Student Activities

1. The students brainstormed with the teacher the many forms of friendship.
2. The students made predictions about the story using their experiences and prior knowledge.
3. The students listened to the story and responded to the teacher's questions.
4. The students participated in a discussion of family relationships and cultural traits and patterns.
5. The students discussed important linguistic and cultural variations among groups who share the same language.
6. The students wrote a personal response or review of the story incorporating the new vocabulary learned.
7. The students worked in groups of six to create a script of a dramatic performance based on the text of the story and on related personal experiences.
8. The students incorporated stage directions in their scripts and music and props in their performances.
9. The students subsequently revised their work in order to clarify it or make it more effective in communicating the message or thought.
10. The students performed their plays, using appropriate body language, speech, and intonation to deliver their lines.
11. The students assisted in videotaping their performances.

Instructional/Environment Modifications

• Students were grouped to complement their abilities.
• They had visual aids such as cue cards; recordings of music and other props were also made available.
• Recording equipment was used to facilitate review of student work as it was discussed.
• Environmental modifications were made as needed for the performances.

Materials and Supplies

• Tape recorder
• TV and VCR
• Camcorder
• Blank audio-cassettes/videocassettes
• Scanner
• Notebooks, pencils, etc.
• Computer
• Poster board
• Other supplies as needed for the project presentation
• Books:
  • Tezen, by Mimi Barthelm
  • The Magic Orange Tree: and Other Haitian Folktales, by Dianne Wolkstein
  • Bouki Dances Kokiyoko, by Dianne Wolkstein
  For more information on Tezen, click here
  For more information on The Magic Orange Tree, click here

For more information on Bouki Dances Kokiyoko, click here

Assessment Tools and Techniques

The teacher assessed the work of the students on an ongoing basis throughout the learning experience on a number of dimensions:

• direct observation of the students;
• review of students' work;
• fluency in reading, participation in group discussions, and conferencing with students; and
• ability to transform the story into a script for performance.

Time Required

• Planning: Eight to fifteen hours
• Implementation: Six to eight weeks
• Assessment: Ongoing throughout implementation of the learning experience

Student Work

Selected Examples:

Reflection

"The students were elated and totally committed to this project. They became more knowledgeable about the Haitian culture as they interacted with family members, who sought the opportunity to tell more stories and to engage them in the morality embedded in our stories. The link that the story brought between family members was priceless. The students’ play was also spectacular. Throughout the process their growth in writing, character analysis, vocabulary and script writing was continuous and evident. The students discovered their talents as actors, artists and playwrights. They beamed with pride."

Author

Marie Jose Bernard, Haitian Creole Bilingual Teacher
Community School District 17, P.S. 22
Brooklyn, NY.

Source

Bernard, Marie Jose. "A Haitian Folktale." The Teaching of Language Arts to Limited English Proficient/English Language Learners: Learning Standards for English as a Second Language. New York State Education Department, 73-76.

Related Academic Standards

New York State

5R9 Use established criteria to categorize texts and make informed judgments about quality; make connections to other texts, ideas, cultural perspectives, eras and personal experiences. (RI&RL)

5W3 Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective techniques, descriptive details, and clear event sequences.

5W3a Establish a situation and introduce a narrator and/or characters.

5W4 Create a poem, story, play, art work, or other response to a text, author, theme, or personal experience.

6R9 Use established criteria in order to evaluate the quality of texts. Make connections to other texts, ideas, cultural perspectives, eras, and personal experiences. (RI&RL)

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