Introduction: Culture and Cultural Competence

Step 1: First Source: Wikipedia
Introduce students to the activity by letting them know that they are going to look at the same event in different ways. The first way is to read a straightforward (expository) description. Give them several minutes to read the Wikipedia description of Mexico's National Pyrotechnic Festival:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Pyrotechnic_Festival

Reading can be done either online or via a hardcopy handout of the entry that you distribute.

Adaptations: If you prefer a different source, you might have them read this description from a website on various festivals: everfest.com/e/la-feria-nacional-de-la-pirotecnia-tultepec-mexico.

You might give the assignment ahead of time to students with reading issues so that they can prepare to participate in the activity.

Optional: If time allows, you might want to engage students in a discussion of the entry's sources and content. Do the sources seem credible? How could students find out? Did the entry omit any important information? Did it answer all their questions or are there other things they want to know? Where could they look for additional information?

Step 2: Second Source: Brimstone & Glory
Invite students to learn about the National Pyrotechnic Festival from a very different source: a documentary film. Give a brief overview of Brimstone & Glory, explaining that it depicts the festival described in the Wikipedia entry.

Screen Clip 1. Follow the clip with a brief class discussion comparing the way information about the festival comes across in the film with how they experienced it reading the Wikipedia entry.

Screen Clips 2 and 3, inviting students to notice how the filmmaker conveys both information and emotion to capture the spirit of the event.

As time allows, invite students to share their reactions to what they've viewed.

Step 3: Poetry Writing
Now that students have learned about the facts and the spirit of the National Pyrotechnic Festival, assign students to write poems that capture the essence of the event.

You might give them some time to get started in class, or use class time to discuss whether students want or need to do further research in order to understand the history and culture that they are attempting to reflect upon in their work.