Cambodian Culture at the B. F. Butler Middle School

Project Description

          1. Keeping it alive!:  Cambodian Culture at the B. F. Butler Middle School is an interdisciplinary, cross-grade level, multi-faceted project celebrating the cultural diversity of the B. F. Butler Middle Schoo of Technology.  The project will consist of several components: curriculum development, teacher workshops and training as well as interdisciplinary arts education planning.  Curriculum development in the academic areas as well as the arts will occur with the 11 participating staff members, two to three hours per week for approximately 20 weeks.  The end result will be a replicable curriculum packet.

            The components are related to each other through several primary goals of our school improvement plan from the teacher school year as well as last year.  In addition, the components are related to each other through the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks.  These primary school improvement goals include maintaining a safe and respecful climate, excellence in teaching, collaborative goal setting, planning and problem solving and continuing to develop strong community and family partnerships.  In addition, these goals are also part of the Five Year Goals and Indicators of the Lowell Public Schools.  In planning this multi-faceted curriculum, the staff will create academic and arts related activities around the issue of equity that raise consciousness about prejudice and stereotyping and ouline instructional strategies to address multi-ability and multi-cultural students both in and out of the classroom.  As stated in the Massachusetts Common Core of Learning, " If students are to succeed in the twenty-first century and meet the future's challenge, they will need to respond and understand people of different backgrounds in our diverse society."

            Keeping It Alive!:   Cambodian Culture at the B. F. Butler Middle School is an outgrowth of our very successful previous and ongoing relationship with the Angkor Dance Troupe and Arn Chorn Pond, a musician and humanitarian.  In the past, students have had opportunities to learn both classical and folk dance from the distinguished and nationally recognized teachers of the Angkor Dance Troupe.  In addition, Arn Chorn Pond has worked with students of the B. F. Butler Middle School, sharing with them his personal experiences as a survivor of the Cambodian Genocide.

        2. The Angkor Dance Troupe will be highly involved in the Cambodian Culture at teh B. F. Butler Middle School Project.  The Angkor Dance Troupe has been chosen for this project for a number of reasons.  First, the B. F. Butler Middle School has a history with the dance troupe.  Since its involvement in the Lowell Public Schools, a large number of Butler School students have become members of the dance troupe.  In addition, it is the only organization that meets the unique needs of our school's student  population which is 42% Southeast Asian.

            Arn Chorn Pond and the Cambodian Master Performance Program will be working with the students.  Arn and his organization are working to maintain as well as preserve the rich cultural traditions of Cambodia.  Arn Chorn Pond will help us reach out to the local Cambodian artists within our community.  Through the use of the World Wide Web, the students of the B. F. Butler Middle School will also be able to connect to the global community.   Through e-mail and video conferencing we will be able to remain in contact with Arn Chorn Pond as he travels to and from Cambodia helping to find the last of the Master Musicians and preserve their talents for future generations to appreciate.  Students will be exposed to the beauty of Cambodiam music through performances by Arn and other local artists.

            The Cambodian Mutual Assistance Association (CMAA), under the direction of Samkhan Khoeun is the largest social services provider for the Cambodian community.  The CMAA is the home of many pieces of Cambodian art, sculpture, musical instruments as well as artifacts that reflect everyday life as well as traditional celebrations.  One of our many goals is for students to have the opportunity to visit and see the artifacts first hand.  The CMAA is also working to develop a cultural center where the community will have the opportunity to visit and view many artifacts the CMAA now possesses.

            The Khmer Cultural Institute (KCI), located at the CMAA is striving to be the first Cambodian cultural center in the United States and in Cambodia.  One of the many goals of the KCI is to preserve the rich cultural trditions of Cambodia.  The KCI, along with the B. F. Butler School will work to develop a mobile art exhibit, allowing the students to share in the richness of Cambodian Culture.

            The University of Massachusetts at Lowell Sound Recording Technology Program, directed by Dr. John Shirley, will consult with the school and project to help us use technology at the B. F. Butler School to maintain and preserve the rich tapestry of music, art, drama and dance, that are the beauty of Cambodian Culture.

        3. The goal of Keeping It Alive!:  Cambodian Culture at the B. F. Butler Middle School project are to:

            - improving the quality of the Arts curriculum through multi-cultural interdisciplinary

              instruction,

            - build on our successful collaborative partnerships with the Angkor Dance Troupe and

               Arn Chorn Pond,

            - develop high level replicable instructional packets that will improve student

              achievement,

            The goals and objectives of Keeping it alive!:  Cambodian Culture at the B. F. Butler Middle School will meet a number of goals from the school improvement plan.  These goals include:

            - continue to develop a safe and respect school climate for all members of the

               B. F. Butler School community,

            - continue excellence in teaching through collaborative goal setting, planning as well as

               problem  solving,

            - continue to develop strong community and family partnerships,

            - the ongoing improvement of information literacy skills which are collaborating,

              organizing, analyzing, discussing and drawing conclusions on data from a variety

              of sources,

            - supporting   improvement in History and Social Science in the areas of

              interdisciplinary learning, religion, ethics, philosophy, literature in history and

              research, evidence and points of view.

            In addition, research has shown that arts education contributes significantly to the creative thinking and problem solving abilities of students.  Furthermore, several of these goals are also part of the Lowell Public Schools' Five-Year Goals and Indicators.  The other district goals that are being met by this project include high level student learning and adequate resources and equitable facilities.

        4. The instructional activities planned for the Arts as well as the Academic Subject Areas meet a variety of Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks standards.  They include:

Music Standards

            - Singing:  Students will sing, alone and with others, a varied repertoire of music;

            - Reading and Notation:   Students will read music in standard notation;

            - Playing Instruments:   Students will play instruments, alone and with others, to perform

              a varied repertoire of music;

            - Improvisation and Composition:  Students will improvise, compose and arrange music;

            - Critical Response:   Students will describe and analyze their own music and the music

              of others using appropriate music vocabulary.  When appropriate, students will

              connect their analysis to interpretation and evaluation.

Visual Arts Standards

            - Media, Materials and Techniques

            - Elements and Principles of Design

            - Observation, Abstraction, Invention, Invention and Expression

            - Drafting, Revising and Exhibiting

            - Critical Response

Dance Standards

            - Movement Elements and Dance Skills

            - Choreography

            - Dance as Expression

            - Performance in Dance

            - Critical Response

For all of the Arts standards, there are also Connections strands.  They are:

Connections Strand

            - Purposes and Meaning in the Arts

            - Roles of Artists in Communities

            - Concepts of Style, Stylistic Influence and Stylistic Change

            - Inventions, Technologies and the Arts

            - Interdisciplinary Connections

English Language Arts

Language Stand

            - Discussion

            - Questioning, Listening and Contributing

            - Vocabulary and Concept Development

Reading and Literature Strand

            - Making Connections

            - Genre

            - Nonfiction

            - Style and language

            - Myth and Traditional Narrative

Composition Strand

            - Writing

            - Consideration of Audience and Purpose

            - Standard English Conventions

Media Strand

            - Research

            - Media Production

History and Social Science

History Strand

            - Chronology and Cause

            - Historical Understanding

            - Research, Evidence and Point of View

            - Society, Diversity, Commonality and the Individual

            - Interdisciplinary Learning: Religion, Ethics, Philosophy and Literature in History

            - Interdisciplinary Learning: Natural Science, Mathematics and Technology in History

Geography Strand

            - Physical Space of the Earth

            - Places and Regions of the World

            - The Effects of Geography

            - Human Alteration of Environments

Economics Strand

            - Fundamental Economic Concepts

            - Economic Reasoning

            - Today's Economy

Civics and Government Strand

            - Authority, Responsibility and Power

            - Principles and Practices of American Government

            - Citizenship

            - Forms of Government

Family Consumer Science Standards

Physical Health Strand

            - Growth and Development

            - Physical Activity and Fitness

            - Nutrition

Social and Emotional Health Strand

            - Mental Health

            - Family Life

            - Interpersonal Relationships

Personal and Community Health Strand

            - Community and Public Health

Technology Strands

            - The Design Process

Understanding and Using Technology

            - The Nature and Impact of Technology

            - Technology of Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow

            - The Tools and Machines of Technology

            - Resources of Technology

Science Technology and Human Affairs

        5. Assessment of student learning will be developed along with the instructional activities.  It will be based on a variety of criteria including teacher observation protocols, authentic assessments such as performance check lists for activities in the arts and rubrics for activities in English Language Arts, Family Consumer Science, History and Social Science, and Technology.

            The overall success of the project will be assessed through a variety of measures including formative and summative evaluation as well as teacher surveys.

        6. Matching funding will be provided through the school budget for use of the school facilities, Title I and 636 Equity Funding, PTO support as well as pro bono services from Dr. John Shirley, professor, University of Massachusetts at Lowell.  In addition, matching funding will be provided through the Lowell Public Schools Bilingual Office and the University of Massachusetts at Lowell School of Education in the area of Project Materials and Supplies.

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