Section 2: Overview

Building Tension

We will focus on background information about Chinua Achebe and Things Fall Apart in order to increase our understanding of the history and culture of the Igbo tribe and the novel’s author.

• Lesson 1:

  We will read an interview with Chinua Achebe, the author of Things Fall Apart, in order to understand the writer’s background, perspective, and purpose for writing the novel.

• Lesson 2:

  We will determine an author’s perspective and how it is developed over the course of a text.

• Lesson 3:

  We will examine the British colonial influence on Nigeria by closely reading a text. We will extend our understanding of vocabulary.

• Lesson 4:

  We will begin reading Part 2 of Things Fall Apart. We will discuss tragic flaws and the cultural conflict introduced in Chapter 15.

• Lesson 5:

  We will study Chapters 16 and 17, looking closely at the attitudes of the missionaries and the Igbo tribe as they interact with each other.

• Lesson 6:

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

• Lesson 7:

  We will closely read and analyze “The Second Coming” by William Butler Yeats.

• Lesson 8:

  We will continue analyzing “The Second Coming” and then write a paragraph examining Chinua Achebe’s choice of title for Things Fall Apart.

• Lesson 9:

  We will participate in a Socratic Seminar about “The Second Coming” and Things Fall Apart, which will prepare us for the Section Diagnostic.

• Lesson 10:

  We will examine the structure of Things Fall Apart.

• Lesson 11:

  In a Socratic Seminar, we will analyze how the author uses characterization, plot, and stylistic devices to build up the tension in Part 2 of the novel.

• Lesson 12:

  We will review the teacher’s feedback on our Section Diagnostic and will use the feedback to make revisions to our work.

• Lesson 13:

  We will share the understanding we have gained through our independent reading and continue reading our texts.