Carnival

      Having delved into photography and Visual Studies at university, I've nurtured an interest in visual information, how it's promulgated, how it communicates and is interpreted, how it interacts with text, where/how we see it, etc. So, it's no surprise that I'm interested in its use in the classroom and particularly, its potential within language learning.

      Inspired by this post by Ceri Jones, I made a lesson plan revolving around the Carnival in Cádiz, a huge event for the city and the people. I had two objectives: the first was to work with a topic that was relevant to my students' lives and needs. The second was to hone my "question-asking" skills in regards to encouraging the students to hypothesize narratives or additional imaginary information. My experience with image-use so far has led me to realize the importance of asking the 'right' questions (the 'obvious' ones get obvious answers), and choosing the 'right' images. (i.e. even though I think awkward family photos is amazing doesn't mean my students will). The lesson plan is specific to Cádiz but can be adapted to any local/national festival.

Lesson Plan: Carnival 

Level: B1 +

1. Tell the students that since Carnival is coming soon, you've found some images and you want to ask them some questions to get a better idea for yourself. But first, a few questions:

      a. What are some popular costumes? For women? For men? Children?

      b. How long does Carnival last?

© 2011 Andrea Mitchell

Men in Drag:

1. Where do you think this is? City/neighborhood? 
2. When do you think this is? Year? Day (of carnival)?
3. What is his/her costume? Explain/Describe. (This is what women in the Holy Week parades usually wear in the processions.)
4. Why are all the other people wearing the same costume? Is it normal for groups of people to wear the same costume?
5. What is he wearing around his neck? (It's a kazoo. This should elicit that they are in a "chirogota", or group of singers that perform unofficially, or "illegally", in the streets.)

© 2011 Andrea Mitchell

Float ladies:
1. Where are these women? What are they standing on?  
2. When does this event usually happen? (The first Sunday of Carnival)
3. They're wearing the same costume - does this mean they're in a singing group? (No, they've probably volunteered to work on the floats).
4. How much money do they get paid for their work? (As volunteers, they often pay up to 150 euros for the costume, i.e. to participate). Why do they volunteer?
5. Who do you think they're talking to? What might they be saying? Is this before, during, or after the parade? How do you know?

© 2011 Andrea Mitchell

Balloon Lady:
1. Where is this woman? What is she doing? (resting, waiting for somebody?)
2. What time of day is it? (This should lead into the deduction that this depicts a moment before the parade has started, as she has all her balloons and there's no trash in the streets.)

       In my lesson with B2/C1 students, I used more images, including one of a parade in Murcia (to talk about the different ways of celebration in different parts of Spain/the world), but this is the general gist.

       At the end, I told the students that I'd lied just a little, because I myself took the photos in last year's carnival. 

       At this point, the lesson can branch off in a number of ways. Because the lesson is based on students explaining the tradition of carnival to an "ignorant" foreigner, I thought it was most logical to continue in that line of thought.

     I asked my students to imagine that they were members of the city council and to create the text of a brochure (or information for the Cádiz website, e.g.) directed to outside visitors. I showed them the questions below in case they needed extra ideas. 

       Students can also talk in groups about their favorite costumes, years, experiences, etc. Or how they typically celebrate and with whom. One student brought up the idea that Carnaval has been changing since she was a child in terms of costume design/choice, the best nights to go out, the historical meaning, etc. If this thread had developed, I could have asked the students to write an essay about these changes (if this lesson was a segue from a writing lesson), prepare interview questions for famous public figures of Carnaval and have students act as the public figure and answer the questions, translate lines of songs from 'Chirigotas' into English, design costumes, etc.

      Because the students have a lifetime of experiences and memories associated with Carnaval, this was a rich topic and prompted a lot of conversation in my class. Also, the format can be easily applied to other festivals/practices. I find using material that prompts the students to share their own knowledge helps them feel empowered as language learners and hopefully, is a more effective means for memory retention in the long run.