WHY LOUISIANA AIN'T MISSISSIPPI... OR ANY PLACE ELSE!

OBJECTIVES

1. Students will learn about how passports work and why they are necessary to travel from one country to another.

2. Students will discover which countries fed into Louisiana to develop it as a state.

3. Students will research the cultures of other countries and how they relate to Louisiana’s culture.

4. Students will learn how to better use presentation software as a tool and interactively with documents and spreadsheets.

EDUCATION STANDARDS: SOCIAL STUDIES and ELA

• Louisiana Technology Standards: 8.1H, 8.3G
• Louisiana ELA Standards:
  • Reading Informative Text: 8.1, 8.2, 8.3, 8.4
  • Language: 8.1(a-d), 8.2c, 8.3a, 8.4(a-d), 8.5(a-c), 8.6
• Louisiana Social Studies Standards: 8.1, 8.2, 8.3, 8.4, 8.5, 8.7(a-d)

MEDIA RESOURCES & WEBSITES

• Why Louisiana Ain't Mississippi... Or Anyplace Else Video Clips
  • France
  • Native American Tribes
  • Africa
  • Spain
  • French Acadians (Cajuns)
  • St. Domingue
  • Gumbo - Native American Influences
  • Gumbo - French Influences

MATERIALS NEEDED

• Computer, Internet
• Passport Instructions
• Link to Presentation Instructions
• Maps of Areas of LA and Settlements

SUGGESTED TIME

Students will need at least three to four class sessions to research and complete the presentation. Presentations may be done in front class (teacher using) a rubric for easy grading.

VERIFICATION

Checks for Understanding - additional questioning, observations

ACTIVITY/LESSON:

Culminating Writing

1. Students are issued a map of Louisiana to see which parts of the state were specifically affected by which nationalities having settled there. Maps LA

2. Students will travel virtually to other countries that have fed into Louisiana.

3. Teachers will decide which countries to study based on time and number of students. (France, Spain, African continent, Haiti, Canada, Italy, Germany…) They may work individually or in groups.

4. Students will be given a country to research and will follow instructions on the link provided. Link to Presentation

5. As students present their country, the class will ‘travel’ to that country and have their passports stamped. Passport Instructions

6. As students or groups present, they may want to bring items or food from the country to share with classmates.

7. Part of the assignment is to allow students to use presentation software to its fullest. Students should be encouraged to use features of the software to enhance the presentation, not as a distraction.

VOCABULARY