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hePeople Lesson Plans



Here's to the Fort That Never Fell! A Song and Skit for the Castillo.
Prepared and with music and lyrics by Diane D. Whitney

Intended Grades: 3rd to 5th

Subject Areas: Social Studies, Music, Theatre and Visual Arts

Correlation to National and Florida State Sunshine Standards:
Social Studies: The student understands the history of Florida and its people (SS.A.6.2).
Music: The student understands the relationship between music, the other arts and disciplines
outside the arts (MU.E. 1.2).
Theatre: The student acts by developing, communicating and sustaining characters in
improvisation and formal or informal productions (TH.A. 1.2).

Visual Arts: The student understands and applies media, technique and processes
(VA.A. 1.2).

Objective:
Students will develop a sense of the strength of the fort known as the Castillo de San Marcos
by participating in an interdisciplinary classroom activity: creating the scenery, acting the
parts and singing the song. Students will be drawn into a personal sense of history by use of
music and drama.

Approximate Time Required: Varies
This two part lesson is designed to be an exciting closing activity for students after they have
learned about the Castillo de San Marcos, which was built from slabs of coquina stone, and
managed to avoid destruction, despite numerous attempts. The song highlights the 1702
attack by the English of Carolina under the command of Governor James Moore. One period
will be needed to teach the song, explain the activity and have students choose parts
(townspeople, soldiers, drummers, and chorus.
For an enhanced performance, add costumes and drum effects for the entrance of the soldiers,
and loud drum strikes for the "firing" of the "cannonballs"! If you don't have drums, you
can use large cans, which can be covered and decorated, struck by sticks, or plastic water
jugs from water coolers!

Materials Required:
Sound equipment required: A computer which will support midi files.
Art materials required: Cardboard (one panel of a refrigerator box) and grey and black paint
to make the fort, five to six styrofoam balls, painted black, one piece of black poster board
curved and taped into the shape of a cannon.

Instructions:
Students should listen to the accompaniment all the way through, then read through the song









once, aloud, with a steady rhythm. (It is quickly learned!) Challenge them to think of ideas
for dramatizing as they sing. They should create solutions for where to place the fort, those
hiding in the fort, the cannon, the soldiers, and entrances and exits, especially the exit of the
soldiers when their attack fails. (Extension: have the students create lines to introduce the
song and to follow the attack. Examples: "Hide! The British are coming! Everyone into the
fort!" and "That went badly!")

Resources:
Web resourcesfor costumes: www.artcyclopedia.com
Paintings by Velasquez (Old Woman Cooking Eggs, Peasants' Dinner and Three Men at a
Table and Murillo (Two Women at a Window).

Cobblestone Magazine (November 1995) "St. Augustine; America's Oldest City," especially.
pp. 5-8. Florida Humanities Council website: www.flahum.org.
Florida Museum of Natural History website St. Augustine: America's Ancient Cities
http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/staugustine/unit4.htm

Supplementary materials: midi file and the following lyrics:

(Refrain)
Here's to the fort that never fell, because, you know, it was made so well!
Those walls of coquina were tougher and meaner than anything that came their way!

The first forts were wood, but they didn't last long, "Make it stone!" the Crown did cry!
So, with tools sent from Spain, they quarried coquina, from Anastasia Island nearby!

They built a central courtyard and four strong bastions, a drawbridge and a moat all around!
Then in 1702 the English battalions decided to knock the fort down!

They were led by a governor whose name was James Moore, and he vowed that the Spanish
must go!
He would wipe out every trace of their power in that place: he would give them a royal show!

They lined up the cannon and then gave the orders for cannonball firing to start.
Then they stood and they watched and they waited for the fort to start falling apart!

There were fifteen hundred people hiding inside, cows, mules and horses too.
And they prayed and they prayed through the cannonball raid, and the fort held through!

(Refrain)
So, here's to the fort that never fell, because, you know, it was made so well!
Those walls of coquina were tougher and meaner than anything that came their way!


Evaluation:
Videotape the performance, and have the class view it and then write a critique of the project.









Sample: My part was soldier (or drummer, singer, fort actor) and I had to (actions required
for the part) and wear
I think that we could improve our performance if we