GRANTS FOR INNOVATIVE TEACHING

A project funded in part by the Junior League of Dallas, Inc.

Kakilambe/Yanga Project	Malinche Project	Mirabal Project	Celia Cruz Project

Project Summary

During the 2004-05 school year Molina High School dance students  worked on an interdisciplinary project exploring the meaning of the hero’s journey as explained in Chapter V, “The Hero’s Adventure,” The Power of Myth by Joseph Campbell. Students selected and studied the lives of several historical Hispanic heroes (Yanga, Malinche, the Maribal sisters) one contemporary hero (Celia Cruz). In addition each student selected a personal hero to interview. Students celebrated the heroes by producing a theatrical presentation in honor of their selected heroes.

 Student Achievement  

Molina undertook the most amazing cultural investigation to date. The Yanga historical investigation that began with a study of the African heritage of Vera Cruz lead students to Guinea and to the study of Kakilambe.

Molina broke the 2003 Dance for the Planet Festival participation record of 84 students with 96 Molina students participating in the Festival.

Molina won first place in Cinco de Mayo parade  with 89 students participating. Ten folklórico and 49 salsa girls danced project excerpts  in the parade.

Molina Set new standards for percussion and vocal accompaniment.

Special Thanks to

S-ankh Rasa, artistic director of Kumaasi African Ensemble for his assistance in the production of the Kakilambe/Yanga Project.

 Grupo Cualli Tepec Danza Azteca Chichimeca Conchera for their assistance in the production of the salute to Malinche, Adoracion al Sol.

Francisco Ramirez, principal Molina High School, for the reinstatement of $10,000 lost grants with funds from our school store. 

The Junior League of Dallas for funds provided.

Related Subject Areas

An interdisciplinary project incorporating the study of creative writing, history, current events, Spanish, music, dance, drama, technology, and women’s studies.

 Levels, Special Population Targeted

 Students who aspire to reach goals outside of the neighborhood will need to take a hero’s journey. The grant directly benefited 300 students enrolled in dance classes levels I-IV in 9th-12th grade, the Spanish Honor Society, the Mariachi band, choir, drama, selected English and ESL students. The school is located in a portion of Dallas County that has the third highest incidence of teen pregnancy and juvenile delinquency.  The school is 89.1% of Hispanic origin with 65% of the student body living below the poverty line. The special population targeted will be students in the Limited English Proficiency (LEP) program. The goal of the project is to engage all students in the project.   

Number of Students Affected

Approximately 300 students were directly affected.  A conservative estimate of the students indirectly affected is 5,000.  The project students performed the entire project at four school assemblies. Excerpts were presented  during the Cinco de Mayo tour, at a convention for dance teachers, and at two festivals. Portions of the project have been added to the Molina dance company repertoire. The methodology, student research,and action photos are published on the Internet.

Project Funds

Addition to the funds granted by the Junior League of Dallas, the Molina dance students raised  funds from concessions sales, garage sale, performance honorariums, and community donations.

Project Description

Héroes sin Estatuas / Heroes Without Statues,  Work on this project began in October and continued of and on throughout the year.

Research Procedures

 Divide class into cooperative language groups including English only, Spanish only and bilingual members in each group thus allowing all students to participate

All classes will visit the library to conduct research in books and on the Internet.

Each group will write a bilingual report and share reports orally.  Students comfortable in Spanish will present in Spanish and students comfortable in English will present in English

 After all reports have been completed they will be posted in the room for all to share.

  Work with computers

1.        Work in established cooperative language groups.

2.        Reduce the text into a bilingual power point presentation including original illustrations using digital camera and Photoshop.

3.        Create one power point presentation using the best elements of as many students as possible.

4.        Research news articles on the Internet concerning Subcomandante Insurgente Marcos and his fight for justice and the Indigenous Bill of Rights in Chiapas.

5.        Read selected writings from Our Word is Our Weapon and Homage to Chiapas

6.        Discuss.

  Creative writing

1.        Identify a person who is a hero in the community

2.        Write a creative essay on the person’s life.

3.        Select the best essays to celebrate with music, lyrics, dialogue, poetry, choreography

4.        Edit essays for publication on Internet.

 Creative Expression

1.        Research the music and dance styles of each of the time period of each of the heroes

2.        Work with music and dance specialists

3.        Each class will select music that celebrates the era of one of the heroes.

4.        Create choreography in the style of the period

5.        Create posters using photo images to advertise the performance.

 Technology

1.        Present a bilingual power point introduction for each hero using original photo illustrations. The demonstration will include a dramatization, monologue, choreography, poetic readings,  

2.        Present an evening concert for family, friends, our feeder schools, and community

3.      Present a school wide assembly celebrating Cinco de Mayo

4.        Video tape performance to keep as a  record for the purpose of allowing students to teach their peers the following year (an excellent opportunities to develop leadership)

5.        Share power point and video recording of the interdisciplinary unit to teachers at a conference in Arlington, Texas and in other staff development sessions.

6.        Perform the modern dance on the personal hero and one of the historical heroes at the Dance for the Planet Festival and the Folklórico Festival of North Texas 

7.        Publish power-point presentation on the Internet using photo digital images of the presentation.

 Evaluation of the project

1.         Students will develop a rubric to evaluate individual performances and the project as a whole.

2.        Using a video recording, students will evaluate their performances individually and collectively.

3.        Present the project at the Folklórico Festival of North Texas and receive a professional critique

        on the choreography and performance

4.      Students will reflect on their experiences in a journal

Goals and Objectives

1.        To implement the TEKS in a creative and meaningful manner utilizing a curricular approach that applies methodology from many disciplines and utilizes students’ talents and skills

2.        To support the effort to improve TAAS scores through creating a team effort to utilize reading, writing, language, higher level thinking in a creative project

3.        To create opportunities for meaningful dialogue on the heroes journey, the role of women in the past and in the present and to develop awareness of the on going struggle for civil rights.

4.        To create opportunities for meaningful dialogue on the interpretation of history, such as, " Was La Malintzin a traitor or the mother of the Mexican nation?"

5.        To give students in the intensive English program an opportunity to participate fully

6.        To give students the opportunity to perform on stage.

7.        To create the feeling of belonging to the school through participation in extra-curricular performances in the community.  We hope this will build self-esteem and appreciation of the Hispanic culture.

Effectiveness

1.        We can tangibly evaluate the students’ experiences through their  participation in project events such and through the expression of feelings and thoughts.

2.        The quality of their inventiveness, the depth of their research, and the enthusiasm of their performance will also be observable.

3.        The evaluation based on the rubric created by the students and teacher to evaluate the quality of their creative efforts.

4.        Depth of the discuss on “Why do these the historical heroes do not have statues?”

5.        Develop awareness of the Latin American struggle for justice and civil rights and the struggle for human rights around the world.

6.       Recognizing the hero’s journey as evidenced in the creative essays composed by the students.