GIVEAWAY & Blogiversary Guest Post #6 from Mia from Putting Words In Your Mouth - Mardi Gras and Louisiana rocks!

The party is definitely not over folks!  We have another guest post today that is simply fun and fantastic!  It is from our friendly Cajun friend, Mia McDaniel, from Putting Words in Your Mouth.  She tells us all about her lovely southern life and we are simply jealous! Enjoy this wonderful post everyone and please know that Mia  has donated two copies of her super Mardi Gras document that targets reading and listening skills to be given away.  So, enter the rafflecopter giveaway at the end of the post so that you may become one of the two lucky winners of her well- written, interesting, useful, and fun Mardi Gras reading and responding document! 

Also don't forget to visit Mia at her terrific blog, Putting Words in Your Mouth, Facebook site, Pinterest, Instagram, and her fantastic TpT store where she has a whopping 84  helpful documents for sale for you to pick up at this very minute! 

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Congrats to Manda and Shanda on your first Blogiversary! 

I'm thrilled to be part of the celebration! 

Even though Halloween and Thanksgiving is looming, I wanted to share a different theme that is close to my heart- even though it won't come around until March :)

I live in Louisiana's capital city of Baton Rouge, but I grew up in the heart of Cajun country.

I'm so glad I grew up in a small town.

And not just any old small town.  I'm blessed to have grown up in a little town rich in culture and tradition and with parents who showed me that preserving and celebrating my culture is important. 

If you've ever had crawfish, it very well may have come from my hometown of Mamou.  Here is a rice field flooded for crawfish season- that trap and its bait are what lure the scrumptious crustaceans in! 

I can even say I've had the pleasure of "crawfishing," shaking the soon-to-be-dinner crawfish from their traps and rebaiting. 

My little hometown is also known as the Cajun Music Capital of the World, but what we're most known for is our Mardi Gras custom,  Le Courir de Mardi Gras, or what most people call "chasing chickens." 

Le Courir de Mardi Gras is a tradition that started with rural Catholics who wanted to indulge before the start of Lent but couldn't afford the extravagant feasting found in New Orleans.  The goal was to gather enough ingredients to make a community meal; the costumes and dancing meant to show thanks. 

The tradition lives on.  

My parents work to preserve the little town of Mamou (ironically nicknamed Big Mamou)

and it's unique culture.  

My husband and I work to preserve our culture at home.   

When he's not in his lab coat you will probably find him in his LSU cap...playing one of his prized, handmade accordions, 

and even though I complain about the constant stream of Cajun music coming from our home....I'm secretly proud. 

Oh! and of course, everyone knows that Louisiana is known for the 

wild and lavish Mardi Gras celebration in New Orleans! 

At my school each year,  I go around to the third grade classes to teach about our state's Mardi Gras traditions {because they are learning Louisiana history}, and I also focus on this in my speech and language therapy sessions. 

No matter what your culture may be or what the culture of your area may be,  it's important to pass it along.  

This year all of my own students will get a healthy helping of Mardi Gras traditions 101- 

the New Orleans AND Cajun versions of Mardi Gras.  

All the facts {with some fun rolled in} are all part of my 

Mardi Gras Reading & Responding packet.

This is the first year that our district is fully implementing Common Core.  

See all that NON-fiction text below?   

Activities like this are all part of me getting on board. 

 

I use these 22 non-fiction passages (and questions) about our unique Mardi Gras celebrations to practice reading (or listening) and responding. 

I even learned something doing the research for this activity....

The FIRST Mardi Gras took place in Mobile, Alabama!!  (gasp!)

Mardi Gras is all about the fun, and so am I!  

When learning is fun, kids wanna do MORE OF IT! 

 That's where the board game comes in.....

I use this as reinforcement for articulation drill, answering questions, and other skills oriented practice. 

And here's some lagniappe 

(that means a little extra, y'all)

Who doesn't love a little dot art?  

And a good VENN diagram always comes in handy! 

If you want to add a little culture in your lessons, I'd love if you would share our Mardi Gras traditions with your students... 

or better yet- one of your areas' festivals or traditions!

Which tradition makes your neck of the woods special? 

And if you ever get the chance, come on down to the Mardi Gras, cher. 

All you need for your Mardi Gras lesson can be found HERE, and I'm giving away this lesson to a couple of lucky winners in honor of the Twin Sisters' Blogiversary!! 

Good luck! 

-Mia

a Rafflecopter giveaway