March 4th marks the beginning of Mardi Gras, a feasting celebration of In New Orleans, LA. Thousands travel from all over to celebrate through parties, parades, eating, dancing, music, and more. Students will use this Write About This visual prompt as an anticipatory set in discussing Mardi Gras traditions and how color is used for celebrations. 
Students can find the above visual prompt in the Write About This gallery by searching for “feet”. Have students select the picture and choose from the following prompts to respond:
1-What colors do you see?
2-How do the colors make you feel?
3-How would you describe someone who would choose to wear these shoes?
Have students share their responses and discuss any similarities they hear from each other’s responses. Many of the responses may include conclusions that color makes things appear cheerful and many colors show festivity. Point out to students that colors can invoke emotion and feelings. They are often used for parties and traditional celebrations such as Mardi Gras. Students can now work to generate their own investigative question for further research. This can include investigating how color triggers emotion and how colors are used in Mardi Gras (this can include the traditional purple, green, and gold!).
Once students have decided on their investigative question, have them complete a KWL chart. They can then generate their research questions/topics from the “What I Want To Know” column in an I-Chart. This is a great way for students to organize the evidence they gather during their research! They can take notes in the Write About This app and add their own audio interpretations to their notes as well. Have students review their original writing response from the Write About This prompt and write a report on their chosen investigative question in the Write About This app. Finally, you can have students apply what they learned about the importance of color in Mardi Gras by making some fun Mardi Gras crafts! They can present their report and finished craft to the class!
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.W.1 Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.W.7 Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects based on focused questions, demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.W.8 Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources, assess the credibility and accuracy of each source, and integrate the information while avoiding plagiarism.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.W.9 Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.
Lani deGuia is a teacher, instructional technologist, and social media manager. She has over 13 years of educational experience in traditional and online classroom settings for both K-12 and adult learners. She currently works in digital content and strategy for businesses and personally blogs at Rose Tinted Traveler.