De Cuento en Cuento Writer’s Workshop
Educator: Lisa Cook, ENL Teacher
Teaching Artist: Adriana Devers, writer/artist
School: Hampton Newfield High School, 11-12th grade and Oxhead Elementary School
District: Middle Country Central School District
Summary:
High School Native Language Arts Students, ENL classes, and Heritage Speakers worked with teaching artist and author Adriana Devers and Lisa Cook to explore self-awareness, mental illness, immigration, character development and loss through creative writing of their own short stories and reading and analyzing Devers’ book De Cuento en Cuento.
Big Idea/Guiding Question(s):
How do our stories (and art in general) bring meaning that transcend and allow us to connect with others?
What learning goals/standards did this meet?:
Arts
- Creating: Conceiving and developing new artistic ideas and work.
- Responding: Understanding and evaluating how the arts convey meaning.
- Connecting: Relating artistic ideas and work with personal meaning and external context.
CCCR
- Communication, Collaboration, Critical Thinking and Creativity. Exploratory enrichment and arts in ed - How do we convey meaning from artistic work?
- Critical thinking - How do our individual stories, history and culture, assist in developing a better understanding of the world we live in? / The power of collective narrative/literature.
- College & career readiness - understanding personal strength, importance of written and oral expression as it relates to interpersonal communication.
CR-S
- Welcoming and affirming environment, high expectations & rigorous instruction, inclusive curriculum and assessment.
Anticipated Outcomes
KNOW:
Ways that prior knowledge, cultural traditions and customs, can influence original art expression and serve as a connection across artistic disciplines, while also acknowledging students’ individual stories and personal experiences.
UNDERSTAND:
That literature and other art forms can have a powerful impact in our society by acknowledging the importance of our family history and personal experiences.
Students will also recognize and celebrate the diversity within our Latinx/Hispanic communities, in this case learning about a local author, her upbringing and personal journey as an immigrant and English language learner herself.
ARE ABLE TO DO:
Conceive and write their own literary work, communicate individual messages, identify and emphasize meaningful cultural influences, family traditions, language, etc.
Share their understanding in a multidisciplinary cultural presentation of literary work, poetry, storytelling, music, and rhythm & movement.
