What Is Mardi Gras (1370l) - Middle School Reading Article Worksheet printable pdf download

What Is Mardi Gras (1370l) - Middle School Reading Article Worksheet

Vale Middle School Reading Article

What is Mardi Gras? (1370L)

Instructions: COMPLETE ALL QUESTIONS AND MARGIN NOTES

Questions: Answer in COMPLETE SENTENCES unless otherwise instructed. Lists and charts are the

exception and may be answered in phrases.

Read the following article carefully and make notes in the margin as you read.

Your notes should include:

o Comments that show that you understand the article. (A summary or statement of the main

idea of important sections may serve this purpose.)

o Questions you have that show what you are wondering about as you read.

o Notes that differentiate between fact and opinion.

o Observations about how the writer’s strategies (organization, word choice, perspective,

support) and choices affect the article.

Your margin notes are part of your score for this assessment.

Student _________________________________Class Period______________________

Notes on my thoughts,

What is Mardi Gras?

reactions and questions as I

read:

Mardi Gras...the mere mention of these two words convey thoughts of: raucous

celebrations, beads flying through the air, ear-to-ear grins plastered on the faces

of millions of revelers, and of course floats parading through the streets of New

Orleans!

While these associations are accurate, this is only taking into account only a

small portion of what Mardi Gras stands for and means to millions of people not

just in the Bayous and Parishes of Louisiana, but across the world.

However, the first Mardi Gras in North America did not even occur under

American rule but more appropriately the French. In 1704, France’s King Louis

XIV ordered the brothers Iberville and Bienville LeMoyne to sail from France to

defend their territories, which include the areas that now represent: Alabama,

Louisiana, and Mississippi. Upon arriving, the LeMoyne brothers found the

mouth of a body of water, now known as the Mississippi River, and sailed

upstream for a few miles until they located the perfect place to build a colony

and designated the area as: Point du Mardi Gras.

From these humble beginnings a proud culture of French ancestors known as the

Creole population of the Bayous began and prospered, and each year thousands

of people become honorary Creoles during Mardi Gras celebrations held

throughout the United States.

Mardi Gras, which in French translates to Fat Tuesday, is officially the day

What is Mardi Gras? Available at

Retrieved Feb. 21, 2012.

What Is Mardi Gras (1370l) - Middle School Reading Article Worksheet