Lesson Plans
The following information applies to LSM's sites in New Orleans. For information on programs at other sites, please contact those sites directly.
Louisiana Gumbo: A Recipe for Empowerment
Teaching with primary sources and the LOUISiana Digital Library
Louisiana Gumbo: A Recipe for Empowerment provides educators, students, and independent learners across the nation with a taste of Louisiana's hidden treasures held by the State Library of Louisiana, Louisiana State Museum, and The Historic New Orleans Collection.
At the heart of the Louisiana Gumbo lessons is the belief that students achieve success when they are engaged in authentic, active-learning classroom activities. Each Louisiana Gumbo lesson is correlated to the Louisiana Comprehensive Curriculum and utilizes inquiry and collaboration as springboards for successful teacher-student interaction with relevant primary materials.
2007-2008 School Brochure
denotes a downloadable
PDF file.
Introductory Lesson
Introduce your students to the LOUISIana Digital Library and digital artifacts with the following lesson plan:
The
LOUISiana Digital Library: An Introduction
VISUAL PERSPECTIVESThese lessons trace the evolving role and status of women, African Americans, and children in Louisiana society as reflected in vintage photographs of the mid-19th through mid-20th centuries. |
|
|
|
|
STRUGGLES FOR JUSTICE: CIVIL RIGHTS IN LOUISIANAStudents use oral history narratives and transcripts to explore Louisiana's Civil Rights Era. Narratives examine events related to the desegregation of Louisiana universities and the impact of the Brown v. Topeka as well as civil rights organizations and leaders of the 1950-1970 period. |
|
|
|
|
CANE RIVER CIVIL RIGHTSThe Cane River oral history narratives highlight the experiences of Native Americans and African Americans in mid-20th century rural Louisiana. Lessons explore stories about segregated buses and schools as well as tribal lifestyles and leaders. |
|
PHOTOGRAPHY FOR THE AGESStudents investigate the role of photographers as visual historians, capturing images of the people, places, and events that shaped Louisiana history. Eras explored include the Civil War, Jazz Age, World War I and II, and the Great Depression. |
|
|
|
LOUISIANA MILITARY HISTORYThe Battle of New Orleans, Civil War, and World War I and II provide the backdrop for these lessons. Students examine vintage photographs, sheet music, letters and official government documents. |
|
|
|
|
A GUMBO OF LESSONSFlivers, tailfins, the Great Depression, and political cartoons are some of the topics explored through these lessons. |
|
|
|
|
Rubrics and Resources |
|
|
|
|
Student Activities
Louisiana History at the Cabildo
Designed for students in grades 6-8, these 9 activity sets incorporate digital images of artifacts from the Museum's Cabildo. Using artifacts such as historic paintings, weapons, decorative arts, clothing, furniture, musical instruments, maps and documents, the Cabildo explores Louisiana history from Native American settlement through Reconstruction. In each activity set, students will examine some of these artifacts--a technique we call artifact reading--and describe its physical attributes. From this description they can then develop ideas about the artifact's use, meaning, and the society that produced it..