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Celebrating Haitian Heritage Booklet

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Celebrating Haitian Heritage Booklet School District of Palm Beach County, Florida Department of Multicultural Education Department of Public Affairs CELEBRATING HAITIAN HERITAGE A Teacher’s Resource Guide Palm Beach County Florida Prepared by Bito David, Public Affairs Specialist Department of Multicultural Education - Department of Public Affairs [email protected] April 2005 The School District of Palm Beach County, Florida Mission Statement The School Board of Palm Beach County is committed to excellence in education and preparation of all our students with the knowledge, skills and ethics required for responsible citizenship and productive employment. School Board Members Tom Lynch, Chairman William Graham, Vice Chairman Monroe Benaim, MD Paulette Burdick Mark Hansen Dr. Sandra Richmond Debra Robinson, MD Superintendent Arthur C. Johnson, Ph.D. Chief Academic Officer Ann Killets Chief Officer of Administration Gerald Williams Assistant Superintendent, Curriculum and Learning Support Wayne Gent Executive Director Chief Public Information Officer Multicultural Education Department Public Affairs Department Margarita P. Pinkos, Ed.D. Nat Harrington ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS HAITIAN HERITAGE COMMITTEE MEMBERS Bito David, Public Affairs Specialist, Department of Public Affairs Jacques Eric Toussaint, Translator/Interpreter Department of Multicultural Education Roody Barthèlemy, Translator/Interpreter, Department of Multicultural Education Bernadette Guirand Léger, Executive Director, Joseph Laurore Foundation Roger Pierre, President, Bel’Art Promotions Florence Elie, Community Liaison Kettly Denis, Secretary - Building Department Sandra Mondesir Leonard, Project Analyst - Department of Public Affairs Nuncia François Lowery, Manager - Department of Multicultural Education Maryse Glaze, Specialist - Employment Services Lisa Lee, Program Planner - Department of Multicultural Education Connie Berry, Specialist - Department of Multicultural Education Charlemagne Baptiste, ESOL Recruiter - Department of Multicultural Education ESSAY CONTEST JUDGING COMMITTEE MEMBERS Jenny Porro, Resource Teacher - Department of Multicultural Education Thérèse Legitime, Resource Teacher - Department of Multicultural Education Sheila Acevedo, Manager - Alternative Education Dr. Aurora François, Assistant Principal - Atlantic High School Mark Ntem, Resource Teacher - Department of Multicultural Education Theomane Dorleans, John I. Leonard High School BOOKLET EDITOR Deborah Stewart, Communications Specialist - Department of Public Affairs Lisa Lee, Program Planner, Department of Multicultural Education GRAPHICS DESIGN AND LAYOUT Bito David, Public Affairs Specialist - Department of Public Affairs TABLEBLE OF CONTEENNTS SECTION I: TEACHERS’ RESOURCES Why Celebrate Haitian Heritage Month? 1 Suggested School Activities 2 The Haitian American Studies in the Multicultural Curricula 3 Sample Lesson Plan 4 Lesson Plan Ideas 6 Topics for Lesson Units 8 Frequently Asked Questions About Haiti 15 End of Lesson Units Assessment: Quiz Questions and Answers 19 Haitian Creole Basic Expressions for Teachers 23 SECTION II: HISTORY OF THE HAITIAN HERITAGE MONTH Haitian Heritage Celebration Historical Background 27 Haitian Heritage Month Past Activities 29 Success Stories: Yearly Programs and Activities Showcasing the Haitian Culture 30 APPENDICES A. Haiti’s Flag and Coat of Arms 33 B. Map of Haiti 34 C. Age/Grade Level Comparison Between the Haitian and the U.S. System of Education 35 D. The Haitian Heritage Month Resolution 36 E. The April 2003 Press Release 37 F. Proposed Statewide Haitian Heritage Month Resolution in Florida 38 G. Photographs of School/District Activities 39 H. Quiz Answers 41 I. References 42 SECTION I: TEACHERS’ RESOURCES WHY CELEBRATE HAITIAN HERITAGE MONTH? Currently, the School District of Palm Beach County, Florida, serves approximately 13,000 Haitian students which represent the highest student population from a single country, about 8% of the total student population. Haitian students speak Haitian Creole as their native language, the second largest minority language spoken in the schools. It is important to recognize that these figures only refer to students who were born in Haiti and do not reflect all the students of Haitian heritage born outside of Haiti. Recognizing the contributions of Haitian and Haitian American students to the diversity of our district, the School Board of Palm Beach County has designated the month of May as Haitian Heritage Month. The celebration of the Haitian Heritage Month provides students and community members the opportunity to share and demonstrate pride in Haitian culture and history while maintaining self-esteem and self-identity. Haitian students bring a rich cultural heritage and pride in the epic history of their country, which brilliantly marks the history of the world. These students overcome major challenges, study, and work hard in order to succeed in their new environment, with the goal of becoming responsible citizens. Haiti is the country formerly known as “The Pearl of the Antilles,” a place of beauty, a magic land, and the beacon of Black freedom in the Western hemisphere. Due to the lack of consistent political stability, Haitians continue to battle to sustain economic growth, social progress, and international recognition. This resource guide was developed to assist teachers in celebrating Haitian Heritage and integrating Haitian history and culture into the curriculum throughout the year. The guide is divided into two sections: • Section I: Teachers’ resources • Section II: The history of the Haitian Heritage Month 1 SUGGESTED SCHOOL ACTIVITIES To celebrate the Haitian Heritage Month at the schools, teachers, staff and students can or- ganize any type of activities geared towards sharing the Haitian culture and history. Here are some suggestions: 1. School marquee/banner or front office display remind- ing everyone that May is Haitian Heritage Month Haitian Heritage Month Celebration Highlights 2. Display of flag, map of Haiti, pictures of outstanding Haitians, Haitian artifacts, Haitian icons, historical places, Haitian paintings, Haitian books etc. 3. Morning trivia about Haiti 4. Morning presentation on Haitian history and culture 5. School essay contest about Haiti’s history and culture 6. Class research and activities related to Haitian culture, geography, history, etc. Download lesson plans from www.palmbeach.k12.fl.us/multicultural/ 7. Special presentations by community cultural groups 8. Special presentations by storytellers 9. Presentation by artists, musicians, school groups 10. Special presentations by cultural consultants 11. Invitation of motivational speakers for presentation 12. Invitation of education supporters and community leaders for speech 13. Organize cultural night with a rich and varied agenda 14. Utilize the Palm Beach Post Insert on Haiti 15. Have students participate in the Haitian Heritage Month essay contest organized by the district 16. Have students participate in the Haitian Heritage Month poster contest organized by the district 2 THE HAITIAN AMERICAN STUDIES IN THE MULTICULTURAL CURRICULA • The studies reflect the district's commitment to the Haitian population that lives in South Florida and other parts of America. • Palm Beach County-like Dade County-has the distinction of being among the top areas in America that claim large numbers of Haitian nationals. • Conducting research and developing curriculum about Haitian history; organizing and implementing teacher and student training about Haitian culture and history; working with Haitian community organizations that are interested in supporting student learning; and identifying sources for references about Haitian culture and history for use in schools are all part of the Haitian and Haitian American Studies initiative. • They are downloadable, one-day lesson plans that include historical/cultural reading pas- sages and quizzes for student FCAT practice in reading and writing. For more information, contact Lisa Lee, Multicultural Curriculum Program Planner, at 434-8774. THE HAITIAN AMERICAN STUDIES CURRICULUM MATRIX The Haitian American Curriculum Matrix contains lesson units in the area of Social Studies and Language Arts, covering grades K through 12. The units are as follows: SOCIAL STUDIES K 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th Haiti: How I’ll Fly Away Haitian Art The Pirates How many Letters from do we get of the days to Haiti there? Caribbean America? 6th 7th 8th 9th 10th 11th 12th African The Early Jean Baptiste Failing Haiti: Expansionist Democratic Slaves in History of DuSable Ecosystems Exploration Era of the and Haiti Haiti and Spanish/ Authoritative Colonization French Era Rule in Haiti LANGUAGE ARTS K 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th Tap-Tap “Horse and Running the Painted Please The Magic Toad” Road to ABC Dreams Malese Orange Tree 6th 7th 8th 9th 10th 11th 12th The Magic The Magic The Magic Invisible Edwidge René Patrick Orange Tree Orange Tree Orange Tree People Danticat Depestre Sylvain With the lesson plans there is a “K-12 Haitian and Haitian American Teacher Resource” package. You can get a copy by visiting: http://www.palmbeach.k12.fl.us/multicultural 3 SAMPLE LESSON PLAN: The Early History of Haiti * Content/Theme: Explorers Grade: Seventh Grade Textbook Connections: Western Hemisphere. 2001. Prentice Hall. • Chapter 12, section 3, pages 313-317 After reading about European Conquest, explore the early history of Haiti. • Chapter 15, section 2, pages 383-387 After reading about Haiti’s search for democracy, explore the early history of Haiti. Benchmarks:
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