Vignette 7.1. Examining Diverse Perspectives in World Literature
Integrated ELA/Literacy, ELD, and World History in Grade Ten (cont.)students’ attention to Nigeria (http://www.learner.org/courses/worldlit/things-fall-apart/
explore/). She explains how the country’s borders were created as a result of new imperialism
in Africa, which students have been learning about in their history class. She asks students
to briefly discuss at their tables what they recall from the discussion they had in history class
about Lord Lugard’s Dual Mandate, and she listens to their conversations to determine which
ideas they currently grasp. She then explains that the novel they will be reading is partly about
the clash of cultures brought on by British colonialism in Nigeria, told through the story of one
man from an Igbo village who conveys a perspective shared by many Igbo people. To orient
students to elements of the Igbo culture, she shows them a brief video clip of a traditional
Igbo ceremony performed by a contemporary dance troupe (https://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=i2TUWa2T0QI).
Ms. Alemi: The author of Things Fall Apart, Chinua Achebe, used an African proverb
to explain the danger of having one’s story told only by others: “Until the
lions have their own historians, the history of the hunt will always glorify the
hunter.”
She posts the proverb on the whiteboard and asks the students to discuss their ideas on its
meanings with a partner. After the students share in pairs and a few students share out in the
whole group, Ms. Alemi sets a purpose for reading:
Ms. Alemi: As we read this novel, from time to time, I would like you to think about
this proverb and ask yourselves in what ways Achebe’s novel provides an
alternative story or counter-narrative that challenges how European writers
have historically represented life in the traditional, pre-colonial culture of the
Igbo people of Southeastern Nigeria. Achebe said that people who have been
written about should also participate in telling their own stories, and our task
is not only to understand the story of the novel, but also to decipher Achebe’s
telling of his Igbo people’s story.
Ms. Alemi provides each of her students with a copy of the novel, a glossary of Igbo words
they will encounter, and a notetaking guide, which they will use while reading to document
important events, characters’ attitudes and behaviors, Igbo proverbs and folktales used to
reinforce ideas, and illustrative quotes. For the first two chapters, Ms. Alemi reads aloud as
students follow along. She stops at strategic points to explain ideas and terms and ask the
students focus questions, which she gives them time to discuss with a partner. She then guides
them to take notes in their notetaking guides and on sticky notes, which they place directly
in the book. At the end of each chapter, she refers students to the following questions listed
on their notetaking guides (with space for students to record their ideas) and posted on the
board. She asks students to discuss the questions with a partner and, using their notes, to find
evidence from the text to support their ideas:- So far, what do we know about Okonkwo and his family?
- What do we know about Umuofia and the Igbo people?
- What messages about the Igbo people do you think Achebe is trying to convey? How is he
conveying these messages?
She asks students to refer to their “Scholarly Discourse Ideas” chart and to use some of the
sentence starters or similar language as they converse. Part of the chart is shown below.
Grades 9 and 10 Chapter 7 | 749