Vignette 7.1. Examining Diverse Perspectives in World Literature
Integrated ELA/Literacy, ELD, and World History in Grade Ten (cont.)In addition to supporting the learning goals Ms. Cruz set for students in world history, Ms.
Alemi and Ms. Cruz selected the book because it expands their students’ knowledge of world
literature and provides students with an opportunity to discover universal messages and themes
through the lens of the Igbo people and culture. As the teachers research the novel, they learn
that “One of the things that Achebe has always said, is that part of what he thought the task
of the novel was, was to create a usable past. Trying to give people a richly textured picture
of what happened, not a sort of monotone bad Europeans, noble Africans, but a complicated
picture” (Anthony Appiah, Princeton University Professor). The teachers are eager for students
to explore these complex ideas and hope to connect them to events currently taking place
throughout the world.
Ms. Alemi will facilitate students’ deep analytical reading of the novel, which will prepare
them to read other texts more carefully and critically, including another novel they will select
from contemporary Nigerian literature. Over the course of the unit, Ms. Alemi will engage her
students in digging deeply into the novel, branching out to other texts, and harvesting the
knowledge they have gained by applying it to other readings. The interactive literacy tasks Ms.
Alemi will implement in this unit include the following:- Digging Deeply: Together (as a whole class and in small groups), read and discuss the
novel, Things Fall Apart, by Chinua Achebe and engage in various activities to understand
the novel better:
๐ Examine particular sections of the novel to explore themes, discuss literary and
rhetorical choices (e.g., similes, use of Igbo words and phrases), and work to discover
Achebe’s and the Igbo people’s perspectives
๐ Create an interactive timeline of the novel, tracking the important (and often tragic)
events in Okonkwo’s life
๐ Track the themes, motifs, symbols, proverbs, and folktales in the novel
๐ Storyboard the five Igbo folktales that Achebe incorporates at strategic points in the
novel and discuss how they reinforce the storyline and emphasize the values of the
Igbo culture
๐ Engage in debates on questions related to the major themes (e.g., Why does
Okonkwo reject all things feminine, and what are the consequences?)
๐ Read and discuss (in expert jigsaw groups) various expert opinions on the novel
๐ Consider the impact of Achebe’s stylistic choices on themselves as readers
๐ Jointly construct (as a whole class) a short literary analysis on one theme from the
novel - Branching Out: Together (as a whole class and in small groups), listen to and discuss
some of the following suggested oral and written texts related to Things Fall Apart in order
to better understand the themes in the novel and the author’s perspective:
๐ Talks by and interviews with Achebe and other Nigerian novelists giving their
perspectives on themes from the novel (e.g., masculinity and femininity, cultural
conflict)
746 | Chapter 7 Grades 9 and 10