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The 1st Digital Library of the Caribbean (dLOC)
Lesson Plan Competition






2nd Place







"Carifesta"

by
Ericka Gainor
Temati00@yahoo.com
Carol City Middle School
Miami Gardens, FL









Carifesta

This instructional agenda encourages tolerance, mutual respect and unity. During

this lesson student will become familiarized with Carifesta, a culturally diverse occasion

organized by countries of the Caribbean. The primary focus of this lesson is to acquaint

students with the diversity of the United States as well as the Caribbean Islands. Also,

pupils will be exposed to several methods of propelling unanimity within a country or

region while closely examining the objectives of Carifesta. Last, patriotism will be a

primary component in this lesson.

Lesson Goals and Objectives

According to the Florida Sunshine State Standards there are required ideologies

that must be taught in all middle grades (6th- 8th) Social Studies classes in Florida. This

ensures that no child is left behind when transferring from one school district to another

within Florida. The topics addressed in the Sunshine State Standards are known

as benchmarks and each benchmark is assigned a number. For example, the following

benchmark number and standard correlates with the instructional lesson, Carifesta:

SS.7.C.4.2- Demonstrate an understanding of contemporary issues in world affairs, and

evaluate the role and impact of United States foreign policy.

The goal of today's lesson is as follows: Exemplifies understanding of the

purpose of Carifesta as well as recognizes diversity of the Caribbean Islands and the

United States of America. The objectives that will allow the goal to be manifested are as

follows: 1) 95% of the students will be able to illustrate the goals of Carifesta and 2) 95%

of the students will be able to demonstrate knowledge on the diversity of the Caribbean

Islands and the United States of America. Through an intensive look at the symposiums
expressed at the Caribbean Festival of the Arts, such as: global marketing and trading,









prejudices, health concerns and regional alliances, students will acquire knowledge of

contemporary issues in world affairs. This lesson will be administered from the historical

perspective of the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade and colonization which clearly explains the

diversity in the Americas. Thus, all aspects of benchmark, SS.7.C.4.2 will be discussed

when this lesson is completed.


Historical Background

The Caribbean is a region consisting of the Caribbean Sea and its' islands.

Throughout history most of these islands were territories of larger countries such as:

France, Great Britain, the Netherlands, Spain and the United States. A few Caribbean

countries still remain as territories.

Before the Columbian Exchange, the invasion of Europeans in the Americas,

Native Americans were plentiful in the United States and the Caribbean Islands. After

contact with the Europeans war and disease led to a decrease in Native American

population. During the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade it is estimated that about half of the

10 million slaves brought to the Americas had been taken to the Caribbean Islands. The

majority of the Caribbean has a population of mainly West African descent. In contrast
to

the United States of America which has a population of mostly European ancestry. Due

to the past of the two regions they are extremely diversified.

Carifesta, or the Caribbean Festival of the Arts, was designed to embrace the

many cultures of the Caribbean in an effort to forge closer ties between peoples of the

region. There is various community activities throughout the United States intended to

enhance awareness of one's culture. For example, New York City's Puerto Rican Day









Parade and Miami's Goombay Festival. Unlike the Caribbean, there is not a single

event in the United States where all races and ethnicities are invited to take part in an

effort to build closer relations between people.

After the Columbian Exchange, named for Christopher Columbus, the world

ceased to remain the same. New ideas, goods and people were transported to the

Americas. After this land was discovered, cities, countries and continents arose with

people of all different nationalities. In the Americas persons of different ethnicities

intermarried linking the entire world together. South America heavily colonized by
Spain

experienced intermarrying among the Native Americans, Spaniards and West African

slaves. In the United States of America and the Caribbean Islands Britons, Dutch,

French, Native Americans, Spaniards and West African slaves all intermarried and

procreated.

This exchange of ideas, people and goods gave birth to the United States of

America, a land founded upon the principles of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

Although some instances of the past have not always echoed the principles of our

founding fathers, provisions have been set in place to make past injustices easier to bear.

For example, The Civil Liberties Act of 1988 awarded each surviving Japanese American

forced to live in Interment Camps during World War II $20,000.

The world is far more advanced than it was over 500 years ago when the

Columbian Exchange began or even 70 years ago at the start of World War II. There is a

need for "preventive healthcare". Cultural differences must not only be addressed in the

Caribbean Islands but, also in the United States and the entire global community.

The Caribbean Festival of the Arts, known as Carifesta, started in 1952, is an










excellent beginning to connecting the world's people through their differences.





Works Cited

McPherson, James M., et al. The American Journey. New York, New York: The
McGraw- Hill Companies, Inc., 1998.









Target Audience

The Caribbean Festival of the Arts Educational Agenda may be presented to all

Middle Grades Social Studies Classes. Middle grades usually include 6th 8th. Social

Studies curriculums taught in middle grades include, but are not limited to, World

Geography, Civics & Government and United States History.

Required Materials

The required materials for the Caribbean Festival of the Arts Instructional Agenda

are as follows: The History and Evolution of Carifesta (DLOC), Civics Today textbook, a

publication of the McGraw- Hill Companies, Inc. and one worksheet explaining a brief

synopsis of each Caribbean island.

Teaching Activities (90 minutes)

Step I: Review goal and objectives of the Caribbean Festival of the Arts
(Carifesta) Instructional Agenda. (5 minutes)

Step II: Teacher will introduce the lesson Carifesta, a multicultural event, by using
a K-W-L chart (a three column worksheet where each tier presents a
different idea). The subject that will be displayed on this handout is the
Caribbean Islands.
K- What you know; W- What you want to know; L- What you learned
Instruct kids to complete L- What you learned at the close of the
assignment (10 minutes)

Step III: Read "The History and Evolution of Carifesta" through the process of
chunking. Chunking is a technique where sections of the text are divided
for better understanding. The text may be divided into 4-6 sections among
4-6 groups of evenly distributed students. Next, students will discuss their
findings with the entire class. During this step students may also refer to
the Caribbean islands worksheet for a brief synopsis of each island.
(25 minutes)

Step IV: Read Civics Today textbook (pages 19-23) using the Reciprocal Teaching
method.
1) Predicting, 2) Questioning, 3) Clarifying and 4) Summarizing
(25 minutes)
Step V: Creative Writing Assessment: Create an annual event similar to Carifesta









that may be used in the United States to unify diverse groups of people.
Be creative. Who will be invited? What are your goals? Where will the
celebration take place? How long is the event going to be? (25 minutes)

At Home Activities/ Home learning: Research an event in the United States that
celebrates diversity {one page summary}.

Grading Assessments

This is an imaginative assignment. Assessments will vary based on the child's

creative ability. The following rubric within this instructional packet will fairly assess all

projects.



Reflection (Measured Impact of Lesson Plan)

The instructional agenda, Carifesta, was presented to an Eighth Grade United States

History class. Out of 30 students enrolled in the course 28 were present. 16 were males and 12

were females. The students range between the ages of 13 15 years old. About 25% of the

pupils' parents were born in the Caribbean Islands. Most of them had never heard of the

Caribbean Festival of the Arts or Carifesta.

The curriculum proved to be both appealing and thought provoking. The majority of the

students were not aware of the diversity within the Caribbean Islands. They assumed all people

from the West Indies were ancestors of West African slaves. Students were unfamiliar with the

many settlers from all over the world that established a "new beginning" in the Caribbean

Islands. They were also unaware of the countries that once colonized the region. Furthermore, a

small number of countries in the Caribbean still remains as territories of much larger countries.

As the lesson progressed; they began to compare the diversity of the Caribbean to the United

States of America. This was one of the goals of the lesson being manifested.

After reviewing background information with the students, I began using a teaching

strategy known as Socratic Questioning in an effort to introduce United States foreign policy.










"Why do you think Great Britain, France or the United States would want to possess another

country?" Most students declared for financial gain. There were others who believed the larger

countries only interfered when the well-being of another nation was at stake.

The students read about Carifesta with enthusiasm. They viewed the Caribbean Festival

of the Arts as a 2-3 weeks party. I immediately focused their attention on the symposiums held at

this event. This discussion allowed the second goal of the lesson to be obtained, students being

able to exemplify the purpose of Carifesta. This instructional agenda provided me with

information about the Caribbean Islands that I was not aware of. I enjoyed teaching it and due to

the creativity of the assessments I received, the students enjoyed learning about the Caribbean.