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Lesson 2

We will be introduced to Igbo culture and read the first chapter of Things Fall Apart.

Lesson Goals

  • Can I gather and organize relevant and sufficient evidence to demonstrate an understanding of character traits in the novel?

  • Can I read Things Fall Apart with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension?

Texts

Core

  • Tradebook
    • Things Fall Apart, Chinua Achebe, Penguin Random House, 1994
  • Digital Access
    • “Igbo Culture and History,” Don Ohadike, 1994

Materials

Tools

Reference Guides

Question Sets

Editable Google Docs

Activity 1: Read

We will read from “Igbo Culture and History” to learn about the igbo people of Nigeria.

Watch as your teacher points out Nigeria on a map.

In a small group, read and annotate the first section of “Igbo Culture and History”(pp. xix-xxii), written by Don Ohadike, a Nigerian scholar. Discuss the following questions:

  1. What is the most interesting aspect of the Igbo culture? Why?

  2. What would you want to learn more about regarding the Igbo culture? What connections can you draw between the Igbo culture and your culture?

Activity 2: Read

We will read the first chapter of Things Fall Apart together.

Read the first chapter. Consider the following questions as you read:

  1. What do the characters’ actions and reactions reveal about them?

  2. What comparisons would you make between Okonkwo and his father Unoka?

Consider this proverb from the end of Chapter 1:

If a child washed his hands he could eat with kings. (p. 8)

  1. What does this proverb mean? How does it apply to Okonkwo?

Activity 3: Read – Discuss

We will use the character Note-Taking Tool to take preliminary notes on the characters introduced in this chapter.

In a group, use Character Note-Taking Tools to take notes on the following characters:

  • Okonkwo

  • Unoka

  • Okoye

Then discuss the following question as a group:

  1. What do the details you have selected tell you about the characters?

  2. How do the characters interact with one another?

Activity 4: Read

We will review vocabulary terms from Things Fall Apart to improve our comprehension of the novel.

For this activity, you will use a Vocabulary Journal, which you will maintain for the entire unit. You might use a Vocabulary in Context Tool for words you can decipher from the text; for others, you might use morphology to decipher the meaning or a reference resource to check if your meaning is accurate. For some words, your teacher might present you with definitions.

Some of the vocabulary words below have enough context to determine the meaning; some of them do not have enough context. How will you know when to use context clues and when to try another strategy?

Write down the words and definitions in your Vocabulary Journal. For each word, identify the vocabulary strategy (e.g., context, morphology, reference resource) you used to determine its meaning.

  • Wily

  • Stoop

  • Haggard

  • Impending

  • Plaintive

Next to each word, note whether you used context or another strategy to determine the meaning of the unknown word.

Finally, respond to the following question:

  1. How do you know your definition is right?

Activity 5: Read

We will read chapters 2–3 and answer text-specific questions for homework.

For homework, Read Chapters 2-3 in Things Fall Apart. Respond to the following questions from the Section 1 Question Set in your Learning Log:

Chapter 2:

  1. Consider the following quote: “A snake was never called by its name at night, because it would hear” (p. 9). What are superstitions? Do you or your family members have any superstitions? How are they similar to those of Umuofia? How are they different?

  2. What do you learn about Umuofia from the marketplace meeting about the death of Ezeugo?

  3. Describe Okonkwo’s relationships with his wives and children and explain the reason for his behavior. What evidence from the text offers the strongest support for this interpretation?

Write new or interesting words you encounter in your Vocabulary Journal.

Chapter 3:

  1. Why does Nwakibie trust Okonkwo enough to offer him yam seeds?

  2. What is share-cropping? Why is it a “very slow way of building up a barn of one’s own” (p. 22)?

  3. Describe Okonkwo’s first harvest. How do you think the harvest affected him? What evidence from the text offers the strongest support for this interpretation?

Write new or interesting words you encounter in your Vocabulary Journal.