THE LOS EAM TC H S NATIONAL BANK POPEJOY SCHOOLTIME SERIES TEACHING GUIDE DR CA ER Osebo s Drum How The Turtle Got Its Shell Presented by Robbi K. & Friends / BaliDali Productions, Inc. February 5, 2018 Grades: K - 5 Dreamcatchers Teaching Guides align with the Common Core State Standards and New Mexico State Learning Standards.
Standards Addressed By Attending the Performance NMCCSS ELA-Literacy.SL.2 New Mexico Content Standards: Fine Arts/Theatre: Content Standards 3 & 5 SYNOPSIS Parents Choice Award-winning storyteller Robbi K s spirit is clearly contagious, and the entire audience is soon singing and clapping along with Osebo s Drum aka How the Turtle Got Its Shell. There s interactive movement, singing, chanting, and humor as Robbi moves about the stage constantly, appealing to the audience as she acts out the many characters. Osebo, the Leopard, has built a huge and magnificent djembe drum that everyone can hear. He won t permit anyone to try the drum, not even Nyame, the Sky-God. Nyame promises that anyone who can bring Osebo s drum to him will receive a wonderful reward for teaching the leopard a lesson about his greedy, disrespectful ways. Many animals, including Tembo the Elephant and Kinyanga the swift Ostrich, try to get the drum, but Osebo s sharp claws, teeth, and terribly loud growl scare them all away. Finally, the soft-shelled Turtle, Akykiegie, goes to Osebo to get the drum, even though no one believes he can succeed. Akykiegie uses his wits and teases Osebo, telling him his drum is not as large as Nyame s, and that it is not big enough for him to crawl into. Trying to show off and prove the turtle wrong, Osebo squeezes himself into the drum and gets stuck! The turtle presents not only the drum to Nyame, but Osebo himself! Nyame asks the little turtle what he would like in return. Akykiegie asks for a hard shell to protect his back from the sharpness of Osebo s claws. From this story, children learn that cleverness and wits can be more powerful than size or strength. 2
Vocabulary Learn some of the Swahili words found in the story. Akykiegie (A-kee-kee-uh-GEE-uh) - Turtle Jambo (JAHM-boh) - A greeting; hello Kinokero (kee-noh-kay-roh) - Antelope Kinyanga (kin-yahn-guh) - Ostrich Nyame (NYAH-may) - Sky God Osebo (oh-say-boh) - Leopard Tembo (TEM-boh) - Elephant Other helpful words. accents - beats that sound stronger than others. In most American music, beats are arranged in groups of two or three with the accent often on the first beat djembe - a hand carved, rope-tuned, skincovered, and goblet-shaped drum played with bare hands, originally from West Africa. Djembe comes from the saying Anke djé anke bé, which translates to everyone gather together in peace. Griot storyteller, poet, or historian in West Africa. Griots maintain the oral traditions of West African peoples and can serve as advisors and diplomats as well. percussion - musical instruments (such as drums, cymbals, or xylophones) that you play by hitting, striking with a mallet, or shaking rhythm - a pattern of long and short sounds organized by beat, accent, and tempo tempo - the speed at which the beats are played Fun Facts About African Drums Throughout Africa, the talking drum (djembe) has been used as a way of communicating. Even though there are now modern communication systems, drums are still used in rituals and ceremonies. In African languages, each word has a proper sound. The djembe drum can mimic these sounds to create messages. Djembes are usually made from wood, metal, earthenware, or large gourds, which are fruits with hard rinds. They come in different shapes - tubular drums, bowl-shaped drums, and friction drums. Some have one head, or drumming surface, while others have two. They come in different sizes, too. The bigger the drum, the lower the note. The more tension in the drum head, the higher the note. These drums are played using hands, sticks, or both. They sometimes have rattling metal and jingles attached to the outside or seeds and beads placed inside the drum. They are sometimes held under the armpit or with a sling. 3
ABOUT THE DJEMBE DRUM The djembe drum was created in West Africa during the Malian Empire by the Mandé people. Their empire spanned the modern-day regions of Senegal, southern Mauritania, Mali, northern Burkina Faso, western Niger, the Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Guinea, the Ivory Coast, and northern Ghana. According to the Bambara people in Mali, the name of the djembe comes from the saying Anke djé, anke bé, which translates to everyone gather together in peace, which defines the drum s purpose. In the Bambara language, djé is the verb for gather and bé translates as peace. The djembe has a body (or shell) carved from wood and a drum head made of untreated goatskin. It has been made in the same way for thousands of years. The making of the drum was spiritual, and the artisan was obliged to make offerings to the spirits of the trees he cut down. Africans say that the drum contains three spirits: the spirit of the tree from which it was made, the animal whose skin is played, and the people who assemble, carve, and cut the tree for the drum. A djembe is normally 23-25 in height, but can be smaller. It can produce a wide variety of sounds, making it a most versatile drum. The drum is very loud, allowing it to be heard clearly as a solo instrument over a large percussion ensemble. The Malinké people say that a skilled drummer is one who can make the djembe talk, meaning that the player can tell an emotional story. The djembe player is then not just a drummer, but a vessel through which the spirit of the djembe comes through. To play djembe means to stay true to the history of the djembe, including the traditions of magic, knowledge, and an open heart. 4
AN OVERVIEW OF AFRICAN STORYTELLING Africa is a continent rich in folktales. During the early years of African civilization, most people did not read or write. Instead, griots told stories of the tribes. They memorized hundreds of years worth of tales and legends. They shared them by singing or speaking. They often played music with stringed instruments while they shared their stories. The job of the griot was very important. They were like living books. Without them the stories might have been forgotten. Even though Africa has modernized, the tradition of telling a story orally in a dramatic way is alive and well. African culture has lots of trickster tales. A trickster tale is a folktale whose main character is an animal that tricks other animals. The character is often lazy or mischievous. Storytelling is older than all other creative arts, and some say it is older than history. Storytelling transcends time, continents, and civilizations. It originated on the African continent and spread throughout the world. Stories may differ from place to place. In many cultures, such as in Uganda, the teller is expected to repeat a story as it has been told for generations. It is not unusual to find a storyteller being interrupted by a listener if the style or content of a traditional story has been altered by the teller. In other instances, stories change to fit the time and context in which they are being told, but the original stories often fill the same basic social and individual needs throughout time. The early storyteller was established as a bringer of good news, historian, disperser of culture, upholder of religious belief systems and morals, and entertainer. In many West African cultures, there was a resident storyteller (griot, djali, or Jali) who was assigned to chiefs, royalty, and others with status in the community. His position was one of high honor, great respect, and power. The traveling storyteller went from village to village with tales, anecdotes, fables, accounts of natural disasters, births, deaths, successions, songs, and any event that affected the welfare of the people. In the mid- to late 1800s, folklorists began to seek out and preserve traditional African tales in written form. Collections of narratives became an important part of preserving oral tradition. Many anthologies of African and African American folktales came from the work of folklorists and researchers such as Roger Abrahams, Harold Courlander, B.A. Botkin, and William Faulkner. Stories are: the way in which the history, traditions, and cultural values are passed on from generation to generation. the way in which the rules of the community are reinforced with children. a way of explaining natural phenomena ( why or pourquoi stories). a fundamental unit of knowledge. the foundation of memory. essential to the way we make sense of our lives: the beginning, middle, and end of our personal and collective trajectories. 5
ABOUT THE PERFORMERS Robbi Kumalo Robbi Kumalo s beautiful voice has graced TV & radio commercials as well as numerous live venues nationwide. She has sung back-up for such superstars as Diana Ross, Aretha Franklin, Rod Stewart, and Jewel, among others. She speaks and sings in Spanish, French, German, and Italian and incorporates a host of accents, dialects, and idioms of Zulu. Robbi is very passionate about arts education. She has spent nearly 30 years performing and teaching in schools all over the globe as a Teaching Artist for Aesthetic Education. Using the arts as a means to connect to Core Curriculum, history, culture, and character, Robbi demonstrates her calling in life through her ease of performance and love of nurturing young people. She was a Teaching Artist with Lincoln Center Institute, New Jersey State Council for the Arts, NJPAC, and The Tilles Center. Hasan Bakr Hasan a percussionist, singer, and composer, has been performing most of his life. He is a multi-instrumentalist, though his focus is in African and diasporic percussion, including the djembe, shekere, mbira, and more. Displaying a true gift as a vocalist as well, he has forged a sound that is integral to two of New York s most popular percussion groups, Spirit Ensemble and Heritage O.P. He has toured with several popular artists including Snow, Thomas Mapfumo, The Winard Harper Sextet, and Hasan Hakmoun. 6
Grades 2-6 NMCCSS: ELA-Literacy.RL.7 ELA-Literacy.SL.2 NM State Standards: Fine Arts/Music: Content Standards 3, 4, 5, & 6 Introducing African Music Lesson 1 Objectives Students will: come to appreciate African music and the rich culture it represents. identify at least two characteristics of African music. Materials Book: Seeger, Pete. ABIYOYO. Illustrated by Michael Hays. Scholastic Inc. 1989. C.D./ Tape: Zimmer, Hans, Lebo M. and Jay Rifkin. The Power of One with Bulawayo Church Choir, Teddy Pendergrass. Warner Brothers, 1992. Instruments: Drums, Rattles, and Clappers (optional) Video: Lancit Media. (1986). Reading Rainbow. No. 94 Abiyoyo. (optional) Procedure 1. Play the song The Power of One as class begins. 2. Introduce the lesson with: Many songs which you heard as a small child, such as Rockabye Baby, Jingle Bells, and Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star, have been passed down by parents to children for many years. These songs become a part of our lives and mark the events we remember. African people use music in their everyday activities, as well. Their music marks important events in their lives just as it does in ours. Their songs can teach us not only about African music, but also about African culture. 3. Explain that they are going to be learning more about African music and exploring the sounds and patterns within the music so that they will be able to identify two specific characteristics. 4. Read or watch the video of the South African folk story of Abiyoyo. This story is about a brave little boy who helps his father conquer the terrible monster, Abiyoyo, who is threatening to destroy their village. The little boy sings the song of Abiyoyo and the father makes the monster disappear. 5. Teach students how to sing the South African Lullaby Abiyoyo (the music is provided). Talk about the repetition of the melody. Add instrumental accompaniment if desired: drums, rattles, clappers, etc. Explain how African music often involves improvisation. Explain how a singer might add some improvisation, or point to examples in recorded music, and encourage a few students to try improvising at certain times during the music. 6. Listen to the soundtrack The Power of One and identify as a class the components that are characteristic of African music (i.e. repetition, improvisation, short melodic theme, accompaniment). The following songs are particularly appropriate for this study: Senzenina, Mother Africa, Limpopo River Song, and The Rainmaker. 7. End the lesson by summing up that they have listened to and identified characteristics present in African music. Have them make an entry in their journals describing two common characteristics present in African music. Continue playing African music in the background. Extensions/Modifications Choose additional pieces of African music and have the students identify at least two of the characteristics in those pieces. Have the students write in their journals about important events in their lives or that they have attended that had music. What type was it? What role did it play in the ceremony or event? Did the music add to the event, and if so, how? Assessment Quality of participation 7
Story Map & Story Writing Lesson 2 Grades K - 6 NMCCSS: ELA-Literacy.W.3 ELA-Literacy.W.4 ELA-Literacy.W.8 ELA-Literacy.SL.2 ELA-Literacy.SL.5 NM State Standards: Social Studies/Geography: Content Standard 2. Objectives Students will: compare folk tales they have encountered to the book and/or the performance. identify the beginning, middle, and end of a story. analyze the moral of the story, and explain how it relates to their own personal experience. develop their storytelling abilities by sequencing events in a story, creating a story map, and writing a folktale of their own. Materials How the Turtle Got Its Shell: An African Tale by Sandra Robbins Blank paper for story maps Lined paper and writing instrument for story writing Procedure 1. Talk to students about situations where they have had to think their way through a task in order to activate previous learning experiences. Discuss what they do before they get the task completed, what they did during the task, and when they finished the task. This will establish a connection between the beginning, middle, and end of their endeavor. Note: discussion about trying to get something accomplished that seems overwhelming (and perhaps too much to handle) is an enjoyable conversation that will create interest in the book. 2. Read How The Turtle Got Its Shell to or with the class. Discuss the story as it is read. 3. Have students predict whether or not each animal will borrow the drum. How do students think Osebo will react and why? Have the class discuss why they are making their predictions. What other predictions about Osebo and Akykiegie do they have? These may be supported by personal feelings and previous experiences. 4. Have the students make a story map listing the important events from the book in order. These can be numbered. This exercise can be done as a class, in small groups, or individually, depending on your classroom structure and remaining time. 5. Have them decide which events are part of the beginning, middle, and end of the story. 6. Invite the class to discuss their lists of the important events in the story as they occurred. 7. Write them on the board and number them. 8. Ask the students to alter their story maps based on the board. 9. (Optional) Discuss examples of situations in the book they might change. For example, at the end of the book students may want to explore what would have happened if Akykiegie did not obtain the drum. 10. Students can create a new story map with these changes to the original story. They can also use another color writing instrument and adapt their story map to show how, when, and where the story changed. Each new story should have a title. 11. Students will then write a story based on the new story map. 12. Students will share with the rest of the class or in small groups. Extensions/Modifications Elaborate the stories by adding dialogue. Illustrate the stories with a book cover. Compare and contrast How the Turtle Got Its Shell: An African Tale by Sandra Robbins with Osebo s Drum by Jessica Souhami. Assessment Quality of participation Evaluate the story maps and stories. Story maps should have identifiable changes made to the beginning, middle, or end. Stories should correspond to the map. 8
Questions to Engage & Connect After seeing the show, ask your students to answer these questions: What surprised you most about the show? How would the story have felt without music? Without props? Did the music make the storytelling more or less effective? Could you picture/imagine yourself in Africa with the actor as each of the animals? What was that like? Which animal was your favorite? Why? Why do they think this story has two names - How the Turtle Got its Shell and Osebo s Drum? Was there any part of the show you did not like? Why? What aspects of the performance impressed you the most? Why? Bonus Explorations LESSONS & ACTIVITIES By telling the story of How the Turtle Got Its Shell to an audience, Robbi K brings the book to life on stage. Ask the students what other works of fiction have been adapted to theatre, film, dance, or musicals. Use an example that many students have both seen and read such as Harry Potter, A Series of Unfortunate Events, and Beauty and the Beast. Incorporate list making and Venn Diagrams to describe the book, film, etc. In what ways are they the same? How are they different? Discuss the stories characters, their emotions and motivations. What does it feel like to be defensive and angry? How does this affect the others around you? Are the animals in the story clever? Why is it so hard to confront Osebo the leopard? Is Akykiegie afraid? Does the leopard think about what he is doing or feel that he is part of his community? Five Minute African Dance Lessons Five video lessons each five minutes in length from the Kennedy Center. You can t have African dance without music. The two are inseparable; the dancers are drumming and the drummers are dancing. Learn about two drums the cajon (cah-hone) and djembe (JIM-bay) and how to play a rhythm called Funga (FUNgah). African Patterned Kente Cloth African textiles are as varied as the different countries on the continent. Learn about kente cloth, the symbols of the patterns and colors, and then create your own designs. Have the students observe the dress choices during the show. What do they think the choices represent to the artists? Resources BOOKS Aardema, Vera. Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People s Ears: A West African Tale. Illustrated by Leo and Diane Dillion. Puffin Books, 1975. Katz, Avner. Tortoise Solves a Problem. New York: HarperCollins, 1993. A Classic Aesop s Fable with a famous artist s illustrations. London, Jonathan. Fire Race: A Karuk Coyote Tale. Illustrated by Sylvia Long. San Francisco: Chronicle, 1993. A folktale about how fire was brought to earth by different animals including Turtle. Onyefulu, Ifeoma. A Is for Africa. The Penguin Group, 1997. From A to Z, stunning color photographs depict everyday life in Nigeria Robbins, Sandra. How the Turtle Got Its Shell: An African Tale. Illustrated by Iku Oseki. New York: See-Mores Workshop, 2001. An African folktale about how the turtle earned its shell. It includes a music CD and scenes appropriate for classroom dramatics. Souhami, Jessica. The Leopard s Drum: An Asante Tale from West Africa. Illustrated by Publishers Group West, 1995. Osebo the leopard has a fine drum which all the animals covet, but he won t let anyone else have it, not even Nyame, the Sky-God who offers a big reward to the animal that brings him the drum. WEBSITES The Art of Storytelling-will help you learn how, and includes hints on techniques, contacts with online story resources, websites and blogs, and storyteller s and associations. Contains a list of Sandra Robbin s other books. Download free Sandra Robbins books or you can read them online. Children s Book Press was the first independent press in the United States to focus on publishing children s literature by and about people of color. See a list of awardwinning bilingual books. Putumayo - world music and resources for introducing African music into the classroom. Interactive Map of Africa allows you to locate countries and then select and read corresponding National Geographic articles about those nations and their people. VIDEOS The World Drum Club teaches two popular djembe rhythms. Video. (12:52) 9
Schooltime SERIES The Schooltime Series is a proud member of The LANB Popejoy Schooltime Series is supported in part by awards from: The Eugene & Marion Castiglia Popejoy Children s Schooltime Endowment The Popejoy Schooltime Education Endowment About the Schooltime Series The Los Alamos National Bank Popejoy Schooltime Series brings you national and international touring companies and performers you can t see anywhere else in or around Albuquerque. Each touring company is selected with youth and family audiences in mind, and our repertoire reflects the cultural diversity of our global community. The Schooltime Series includes new plays, familiar stories, literary works, biographies, mythologies, folk tales, music, dance, and puppetry. These professional performing artists create educational experiences designed to encourage literacy, creativity, communication, and imagination. Send an email with your name and email address to schooltime@ popejoypresents.com requesting to be added to the mailing and monthly newsletter list. Visit us at schooltimeseries.com and facebook.com/ schooltimeseries. Popejoy Hall Popejoy Hall is New Mexico s premier nonprofit venue for the performing arts and entertainment. Our misssion is to provide access to the performing arts for all New Mexicans. Etiquette The inside of a theatre is called a house and to get along, have fun, and enjoy the shows, there are rules to follow. Schooltime provides a wonderful opportunity to learn how good behavior in a live theater is different from watching television at home. For guidelines to practice with your class and chaperones go to schooltimeseries.com/house-policies. House Policies Please visit our website for detailed information about House Policies. This includes our guidelines on safety, special needs, food and drink, backpacks, cell phones, photography, recordings, and more. Credits Dreamcatchers are Teaching Guides produced by the Education Department of Popejoy Hall, Albuquerque, New Mexico. Selected Dreamcatchers Teaching Guide materials provided by Robbi Kumalo, Do You Speak Djembe?, Merriam Webster, The Drum Connection, Mesa Public Schools Creative Arts Department, Bali Dali Productions and other resources noted throughout this guide. The University of New Mexico The Los Alamos National Bank Popejoy Schooltime Series is a program of The University of New Mexico. POPEJOY HALL: UNIVERSITY FOUNDED ~ COMMUNITY FUNDED