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Lesson 1

We will prepare for the Culminating Task by brainstorming and then reviewing and organizing our notes for our essays.

Lesson Goals

  • Can I gather and organize relevant and sufficient evidence to demonstrate an understanding of the text and topic, support claims, and develop ideas?

  • Can I express an accurate understanding of the central ideas of Things Fall Apart?

Texts

Core

  • Tradebook
    • Things Fall Apart, Chinua Achebe, Penguin Random House, 1994

Materials

Tools

Editable Google Docs

Activity 1: Read

We will prepare for the Culminating Task by reviewing the Central Question.

Listen and read along silently as your teacher or one of your peers reads aloud the Central Question:

What does it mean for things to fall apart?

Reexamine your Learning Log entry on the Central Question from the beginning of the unit. Write down your current response to the Central Question, and observe how your answer has changed.

Discuss any changes in your answer with a partner, and consider how the work you have done in this unit has prepared you for and will support your success on the Culminating Task.

Activity 2: Read

We will prepare for the Culminating Task by reviewing and unpacking the task.

Listen and read along silently as your teacher or one of your peers reads aloud the Culminating Task from the Culminating Task Checklist.

With your partner, reread the Culminating Task prompt and review your Culminating Task Progress Tracker. Think about what knowledge you have gained and skills you have practiced thus far in the unit. Use the Culminating Task Progress Tracker to do the following:

  1. Add or refine any skills and content knowledge required for the Culminating Task.

  2. Evaluate how well you have mastered the skills and knowledge required for the Culminating Task.

  3. Note where you need additional practice or support.

Independently, respond to the following question:

  1. How prepared are you to complete the Culminating Task?

Activity 3: Read

We will brainstorm ideas for our essays.

With a partner or group, discuss your first thoughts about the Culminating Task. Take notes during the discussion. Use the following questions as conversation starters:

  1. How would you describe Okonkwo? What are his strengths? Weaknesses?

  2. What other characters are character foils for Okonkwo? What is it about their character traits or actions that make them his foils?

  3. What events show Okonkwo’s character?

  4. How do the missionaries, and later the District Commissioner, change the Igbo village? How does Okonkwo react? Why?

  5. Why does the novel end with the death of Okonkwo? Was the ending predictable? Why?

At the end of your discussion, do a quick-write about the discussion, noting passages you want to review or additional questions you have.

Activity 4: Read

We will review our notes and tools to find quotes and ideas for our essays.

Review your notes, tools, and Learning Log entries for this unit, looking for details and analyses that relate to the Culminating Task prompt. If something catches your eye, write it down. You might highlight or star notes that you believe will be helpful for completing this task so they will be easy to find later. You might review the following:

  • all of your Section Diagnostics

  • all of your tools and quick-writes from the unit

  • any informational texts that provide some insight as to why Oknokwo might feel as he does

  • notes from any Socratic Seminars or discussions

  • specific passages you flagged or annotated throughout the novel

Activity 5: Write

We will create a chart of internal and external factors to organize our thoughts.

Use the Internal and External Factors Organizer to organize your notes for your rough draft.