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Lesson 6

We will deepen our understanding of the rising influence of the European missionaries and government in the Igbo villages.

Lesson Goals

  • Can I recognize and interpret important relationships between Okonkwo and other characters within the novel?

  • Can I develop and clearly communicate meaningful and defensible claims that represent valid, evidence-based analysis about characters in the novel?

Texts

Core

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

Materials

Tools

Editable Google Docs

Activity 1: Discuss – Write

We will review the words we wrote down in our Vocabulary Journals for homework in order to cement our understanding of their meanings.

Join your small group and compare the words you wrote down in your Vocabulary Journals. Select one word from each group and respond to the vocabulary exercises provided by your teacher.

Activity 2: Discuss

We will share our mentor sentence analyses with partners.

With a partner, discuss one of the mentor sentences you identified in your Mentor Sentence Journal during the homework readings for Chapters 15-18. Use the following questions to guide your discussion:

  1. Why did you select this sentence?

  2. What is unique about the word choice in this sentence?

  3. What is unique about the syntax in this sentence?

  4. What mood does the author create in this sentence? How do you know?

  5. What tone is conveyed by the author in this sentence? How do you know?

  6. How does the sentence contribute to your understanding of the ideas in the text?

Activity 3: Write

We will draw conclusions about how the missionaries increased their ranks within the Igbo villages.

In your Learning Log, write down the reasons each of the following characters or groups join with the missionaries. Be sure to include evidence from the text to support your ideas:

  • Nwoye

  • the efulefu

  • Nneka

  • the osu

  • the twins

Then, write down an evidence-supported conclusion about the nature of the relationships among the Igbo and the missionaries. The conclusion can be about either culture, both cultures, or something else entirely.

Activity 4: Read

In our groups, we will discuss the influence of the missionaries by answering text-specific questions.

Step 1

Divide the following four questions among your group members. Using evidence from the text, respond to the questions you are responsible for in your Learning Log:

  1. How are the missionaries becoming more powerful within the Igbo villages?

  2. How are the Igbo handling the change?

  3. What are Okonkwo’s beliefs about the missionaries?

  4. How does Achebe use characterization to create tension between the Igbo villagers and the missionaries?

Step 2

Discuss the questions in your group. Add notes to your Learning Log.