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Abstract
This unit will promote student exploration, understanding, and
empathy toward the Ibo of Nigeria during the pre-colonial and
colonial periods (approx. 1850-1900) by examining their way of life,
values, ethics, and traditions as portrayed primarily in Chinua
Achebe's Things Fall Apart. The unit includes Study Guide questions,
student-led literature discussions, quizzes and/or journal topics, a
reader-response journal, cooperatively created games, a mask
project, a debate, multiparagraph essay topics, and summative
objective test questions.
Invitation/Fundamental Understandings:
Essential
Questions:
Knowledge and skills: Fundamental
Understandings:
Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart reveals how
the Ibo society of Nigeria was driven by its ethics, values, and
traditions as well as how the advent of Colonialism and Christianity
affected the social structure of this tribe.
Essential
Questions:
1) What roles do a society's values and ethics
play in its strength and unity?
2) How can learning about other
cultural values, ethics, and traditions help us to develop
understanding and empathy?
3) Are there universal human
experiences and belief systems that tie all cultures together?
4)
Can colonialism ever have a positive effect upon the subordinate
society?
5) How might the experience of the Ibo in Nigeria
regarding Colonialism and Christianity be similar to the experiences
of other tribes in Africa?
Knowledge:
1) Elements
of the novel (character, plot, setting, theme, point of view)
2)
Colonialism
3) Christianity
4) Ethics, values, and traditions
of Ibo society
5) Basic knowledge of geographical area of
Nigeria
6) Background of author and motivation for writing
novel
7) Basic Ibo words/terms
Skills:
1)
Analyzation of literature via the multiparagraph essay
2) Oral
presentation/questioning strategies
3) Identification of
prominent literary techniques - irony, metaphor
4) Internet
research
5) Mask making
Standards
National Standards #9 - Students read a
wide range of literature from many periods in many genres to build
an understanding of the many dimensions (e.g., philosophical,
ethical, aesthetic)of human experience.
State Standards Nevada State Content
Standard:
#3 - Students read to comprehend, interpret, and
evaluate literature from a variety of authors, cultures, and times.
CCSD Local Standards (from World Literature Course
Syllabus):
5.3 - The student will analyze cultural aspects
evident in African writing.
5.4 - The student will interpret the
psychological motivations of characters in African
literature.
5.5 - The student will assess the ethics and values
portrayed in African literature.
Technology Standard(s):
3a) Students use technology tools to enhance learning, increase
productivity, and promote creativity.
3b) Students use
productivity tools to collaborate in constructing
technology-enhanced models, prepare publications, and produce other
creative works.
5a) Students use technology tools to process data
and report results.
Literacy Standards:
Standard 1: The
student who is information literate accesses information efficiently
and effectively.
Standard 2: The student who is information
literate evaluates information critically and
competently.
Standard 3: The student who is information literate
uses information accurately and creatively.
Standard 5: The
student who is an independent learner is information literate and
appreciates literature and other creative expressions of
information.
Standard 6: The student who is an independent
learner is information literate and strives for excellence in
information seeking and knowledge generation.
Standard 9: The
student who contributes positively to the learning community and to
society is information literate and participates effectively in
groups to pursue and generate information.
Workforce Competencies: Standard
Titles:
3.1 Information Managers;
3.2 Effective
Communicators;
3.5 Ethical and Responsible Workers;
3.8
Cooperative Workers;
3.10 Culturally Sensitive Leaders.
As a
result of this unit of study, students will be able to comprehend,
interpret, evaluate, and apply information and ideas found in
literature, art, and computer files in order to perform required
tasks and for personal satisfaction and enjoyment. They will become
more effective communicators as they present research reports, lead
literature discussions, and justify a thesis with support from the
novel. They will increase their abilities as creative and critical
thinkers, acquiring techniques for lifelong learning, as they solve
dilemmas posed by journal queries, creatively present research
findings to their classmates, interpret and connect non-fiction
(essays) to fictional accounts (novel, short story), develop and
support a thesis, and create a game based on the novel. Their
cooperative learning skills will increase through participation as
paired literature discussion leaders, in presenting group research
findings, and in cooperatively creating, playing, and evaluating
games used as a summative assessment.
Unit of Practice
Relevance:
Understanding various cultures from around the world broadens
students' world views, allowing them to see not only differences
but, more importantly, similarities in human experience, fostering
understanding and empathy among all people.
Context
Prior to this unit, students will have studied and understood the
term colonialism. They will have read Achebe's short story "Marriage
is a Private Affair." They have done Internet research using
reliable sources, worked cooperatively, and written multiparagraph
essays.
Assessment
Formative
- Compare/contrast Okonkwo and his father
Unoka (three paragraphs to demonstrate understanding of the values
of the culture)
- Daily journal questions and/or comprehension
quizzes (written to demonstrate understanding of plot and ethical
issues)
- Theme/character-oriented, one-day projects (individual
choice from provided list to demonstrate a deeper understanding of
traditions and values of the society)
- Study Guide questions (by
chapter)
- Student-led literature discussions (in pairs)
-
Okonkwo's family tree (close reading required to exhibit
understanding of familial relationships)
- Mask research/creation
of mask (to learn and demonstrate understanding of the roles of
masks in this society)
Summative
- Multiparagraph
essays (one selection from list of topics)
- Cooperatively
created game (in groups of four and evaluated by teacher and peers
on Pertinence to the Novel, Quality of Instructions, Quality of
Play, Creativity, and Appearance)
- Debate (Is Heart of Darkness
racist?)
- Objective test (covering plot, characters,
themes)
Components:
Lesson 1 - Introduction to the author, the Ibo people, and
their traditions
(3 days) - Reading of biographical
information in textbook and on websites to answer questions to
Chinua Achebe Scavenger Hunt
- Reading of Achebe essays to
discover his belief system and issues that are addressed in the
novel
- Mini Internet research projects as an introduction to the
values and traditions of the Ibo people
Lesson 2 - Reading
of Ch. 1 & 2 (home reading)
(2 days) Student-led
literature discussion
Assign Reader-Response Journals
- Begin
a listing and commentary of all of the ethics, values, and
traditions of the Ibo society,labeled as such with commentary
(ongoing throughout reading of the novel)
Journal writing
-
Compare and contrast Okonkwo (main character, protagonist) and his
father Unoka (3 paragraphs)
Lesson 3 - Reading of Ch. 3
& 4 (home reading)
(1 day) Student-led literature
discussion
Quiz or journal writing
(1) What is your concept of
the Oracle? Where does she reside? What role does she play in the
tribe?
(2) How and why does Ikemefuna come to reside in Okonkwo's
compound?
Study Guide questions - Ch. 3 & 4
Begin
Okonkwo's Family Tree (ongoing through Ch. 11)
Lesson 4 -
Reading of Ch. 5-9
(2 days) Student-led literature
discussion
Quiz or journal writing
(1) Describe the New Yam
Festival, including purpose, traditional foods, and celebratory
activities.
(2) What role does storytelling play in the tribe
(yam foo-foo)?
(3) What does prowess in wrestling bring to male
members of the society?
(4) Why do young women sit under the
silk-cotton tree?
(5) What has been Ikemefuna's role in Okonkwo's
family, and why must it end?
(6) Though Okonkwo and Obierika are
best friends,similar in many ways, and both very much esteemed in
their society, what makes Obierika the more reasonable of the
two?
(7) Describe the process of bargaining in marriage
arrangements?
(8) Why is there such great concern over Ezinma's
illness?
5-9
Ch. - questions Guide Study>Lesson 5 -
Read Ch. 10 in class
(3 days) Discussion - Ibo judicial
system and role of the egwugwu Ch. 10 quiz
Mask research -
Include name of tribe, description of mask, and purpose for wearing
it.
Making and painting of mask - Include description and purpose
Lesson 6 - Read Ch. 11-13 (home reading)
(2
days) Student-led literature discussion
Quiz or journal
writing
(1) How does the story of Ezinma and Chielo help us to
know Okonkwo and Ekwefi better?
(2) In what ways is the uri of
one tribesman's daughter a tribal celebration?
Study Guide
questions - Ch. 11-13
Lesson 7 - Read Ch. 14-19 (home
reading)
(2 days) Student-led literature
discussion
Quiz or journal writing
(1) How does Okonkwo
reestablish himself in his motherland?
(2) What does Okonkwo
learn from his uncle Uchendu?
(3) What important message is
intended by Uchendu's story of the duckling and the chick?
(4)
How does the tribe receive the missionaries and Christianity?
(5)
Which members of the tribe begin to embrace the new religion? Why
does it appeal to them?
(6) What does the death of Okoli
indicate to members of the tribe?
(7) What does Okonkwo mean when
he says, "A child cannot pay for its mother's milk"? (8) What does
Uchendu mean when he says, "But I fear for you young people because
you do not understand how strong is the bond of
friendship"?
Study Guide questions - Ch. 14-19
Distribute game
assignment; explain rubric for grading of game
Lesson 8 -
Read Ch. 20-25 (home reading)
(3 days) Student-led
literature discussion
Quiz or journal writing
(1) Why is
Okonkwo's return to his fatherland a disappointment to him?
(2)
What about Mr. Brown allows him to find success among the tribe? How
does Mr. Smith differ?
(3) Why are Okonkwo and five others
summoned to see the District Commissioner? How has this experience
filled Okonkwo with both bitterness and excitement?
(4) Consider
the title of the District Commissioner's book: The Pacification of
the Primitive Tribes of the Lower Niger. What does this reveal about
the colonialist's attitude?
Study Guide questions - Ch. 20-25
Lesson 9 - Showing of film - Heart of Darkness (based on
Joseph Conrad's novel (4 days) by the same name)
Debate -
Do you agree/disagree with Achebe's opinion that this film/novel is
racist?
Lesson 10 - Summative Assessment - Multiparagraph
essay (introductory paragraph,(3 days) thesis, body conclusion)(3
days) thesis, body conclusion) (3 days)thesis, body
conclusion)
Choose one topic from list to address.
Peer
response to rough draft - revision
Final draft
Lesson
11 - Summative Assessment - Game play - Groups will play and
assess (2 days) games in rotation using grading rubric.
Lesson 12 - Summative Assessment - Objective test (1
day)
LESSON MATERIALS FOR 28 DAYS (1 DAY EQUALS 40
MINUTES) APPROXIMATELY 5-6 WEEKS
Additional Resources
Main
URL:
Related Resources
Related Lessons
Copyright © 1997-2003
Career Connection to Teaching with Technology
USDOE Technology Innovation Challenge Grant
Marshall Ransom, Project Manager
All rights reserved.
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