CORE Knowledge Experience Behind the Eyes Justification Forms

Contributed by Johnny Benavidez

Trip Destination: Visit by artist Gabor Schoffer and trip to San Antonio Museum of Art.

Date: November

Grade Level: 2nd Grade

CORE Topics: Latin American Folk Art

Name of Unit: Foundations

Objective of Field Experience: The YMCA will schedule visits to the afterschool program by artist Gabor Schoffer. The students will experience the Andean culture through listening to traditional folk tunes played on authentic hand-built musical instruments. Students will hear and feel the sounds and rhythms of the Inca civilization and recognize within themselves the distant memory of ancient primal sounds. This recognition creates a bridge that spans through time and creates a link with history. History becomes alive!

Pre-Activities: The teachers will introduce the students to the Inca civilization, its culture, music and folk tales. The YMCA staff will review the information during the afterschool program.

Day Activity 1: To develop listening skills, the artist will have the students close their eyes and listen to a song played on the kena flute. By allowing their imaginations to wander freely, students can recognize the sounds of a rainforest, of birds, wind, and echoes. The music will create mental images that the students will later share with each other in the classroom.

In another piece on the ceremonial Toyo panpipes, the lights are turned off to make this ancient traditional sound realistic, to enhance the effect of ritual music.

By describing to the students how these instruments are made with the use of locally available materials, the students become aware of the uses of bamboo, wood, animal skin, seashells and the tools that are required to make the instruments. Thus the concept of actually making something useful and artistic is introduced and will demonstrate how an average person with very simple tools can make folk art.

Students will be encouraged to ask questions that pertain to geographical locations, culture, art, social issues and historical events.

Day Activity 2: The students will visit the San Antonio Museum of Art. When the students enter the museum they will hear a distant familiar sound. Gabor will be playing the same instruments students saw in the afterschool program at the school, but in a different setting. The students will be led to the source of the music, the second Latin American Folk Art Exhibit. Once at the exhibit, students will view a variety of folk art pieces from various Latin American artists who use different media - clay, wood, bone, metal, paint, and weavings.

Using a note pad, students will write about their favorite art object, which they will share in a subsequent discussion where they learn the purposes for which the objects were created.

Further discussion of the role of music in folk art culminates in a jam session. Students will have the opportunity to play some of the instruments and understand the dynamics of group playing, improvising and creating a song spontaneously. This group activity demonstrates the bonding possible through cooperation and harmony.

Post Activities: Teachers will continue to teach about the Inca civilization, its culture, music and folk tales and the YMCA staff will have the students do journal writing about the afterschool visit and museum experience during the afterschool program.

Evaluations: Oral and written responses on teacher-made tests, teacher observations, journals on participation of activities.

Teachers: Ms. Garza - Ms. Shaughnessy - Ms. Virrueta - Ms. Paris - YMCA Staff

Vocabulary:
Andes	mountain range in South America
Altiplano	Andean highlands
Inca	highly advanced ancient civilization
Quechua	present day descendants of the Incas
Terraces	method of farming on mountains
Cuzco	capital city of the Incas
Llama	beast of burden related to the camel
Alpaca	smaller than llama with very fine wool
Chaski	Inca runners – messengers
Inti	native word for sun
Pacha-mama	mother earth
Kena	end blown flute – pre-hispanic
Siku	double row panflute
Antara	single row panflute
Toyos	very long ceremonial panflute
Bombo	drum made out of hollow tree trunk
Charango	10 string instrument, mandolin-like
Pinkillo	beak flute, similar to recorder

Books:

The Grandchildren of the Incas by Matti A. Pitkanen

Journey to Ollantaytambo: In the Sacred Valley of the Incas by Ethan Hubbard

Lost Empire of the Incas by Loren McIntyre

Maps

Indian of South America produced by the Cartographic Division of the National Geographic Society

South America produced by the Cartographic Division of the National Geographic Society.