Cultural Narratives & Hierarchies:

The preservation, coexistence, and demise of cultures in Things Fall Apart

10th grade Language Arts: World Literature / Natomas Charter School

Unit Goals
1. To develop an understanding of a culture unlike our own and ways for conceptualizing
its similarities and differences to modern day America
2. To identify themes and elements of the plot through character development and
relationships
3. To examine racial and cultural conflict in the age of imperialism, including the possible
motives and rationale for the fictional events in Things Fall Apart

Student Performance Objectives

1. Students will examine the culture of the African Igbo society through various activities
that challenge them to take both culturally relative and

ethnocentric stances.
2. Students will identify the main ideas of and generate questions from The Science
Race article as they relate to the themes and events of the novel.
3. Students will develop a deeper understanding of the text by completing annotations of
key passages and answering questions that relate the themes of the novel to their own
lives.
4. Students will prepare for the socratic seminar by generating and answering their own
questions about the text in groups.
5. Students will participate in a socratic seminar to strengthen their oral communication
and argumentation skills.

Timeline of Unit:
November 8-December 9 (4 weeks)

Notable Activities

Character Graphic Organizer (Homework: reading, writing)

Cloze Background Information Group Activity (Classwork: reading, writing, speaking)
Chapter 3, 7-8, and 16 Quizzes (Classwork: reading, writing)
Chapter 7 Foreshadowing Handout (Homework: reading, writing)

 Questions of the Day packet (Classwork: writing)

Igbo Culture and Customs Jigsaw Activity (Classwork: reading, listening, speaking,
writing)
Igbo Customs Keep/Discard Activity (Homework/Classwork: reading, writing, speaking)
Plot Notes Graphic Organizer for Chapters 15-18 (Homework: reading, writing)
The Science of Race article (Classwork: reading, writing)
Annotations Lecture and Handout (Classwork/Homework: listening, reading, writing)
Lecture on Cultural Relativism and Ethnocentrism (Classwork: listening, speaking,
writing)
Socratic Seminar Question Bank (Classwork/Homework: speaking, writing)

Student Assessment
Socratic Seminar
Process Paper (to be completed after winter break)

Reflection
The unit was successful in presenting students with new ways of thinking about race
and culture as well as diversifying the ways in which the students typically learn a text.
Through positive encouragement and activities that pushed students to read the text closely
and critically, students achieved a deeper level of comprehension and appreciation for the
novel. Such learning is evidenced by the majority of the end-of-unit survey data: I felt like this
unit made me think deeper into my thoughts and expand them; This particular subject was
something I previously felt very strongly about, but it made me realize new ideas; I felt
challenged in this unit because I had to really and understand the deeper meaning of the text,
which really improved my skills and helped me understand the book better. The social
interactions in class, including group and class discussions, served as the primary pathway to
deeper understanding and learning for this unit. Although we focused mostly on improving
speaking and listening skills, we used writing as an additional mode to digest the complex
themes of the text, including low-pressure quick writes and plot comprehension notes. When
asked if they felt challenged by the unit, the majority of students responded in the following
way, I felt challenged because some questions did not have obvious answers and made me
go into deep thought; I am now able to go into deep thought to answer questions even
about me.
As drawn from the survey data, the most well-liked activities included learning about
the African Igbo culture through various activities, examining culturally relative and
ethnocentric world views in relation to the novel, and participating in the Socratic Seminar.

Given the importance of understanding Igbo culture to the comprehension of the book's later
themes of cultural conflict, coexistence, and demise, I made sure to build a strong foundation
for the culture through a variety of activities drawn and adapted from a Teachers Pay
Teachers resource. We learned more about African culture through a cloze or
fill-in-the-blank activity on Igbo background information, a class jigsaw activity on the Igbo
cultural symbols and rituals, and a discussion activity where students decided what they would
personally keep or discard from Igbo culture. All of these activities successfully set them up for
the themes of the Part Two, when the Christian Missionaries enter Igbo society, and later for
the socratic seminar. As far as preparation for the seminar, about 90% of the students felt the
activities, homework and class discussions prepared them well. The seminar was a successful
assessment in that it combined an interactive and enjoyable activity with the assessment of
students' speaking and critical thinking skills. Almost every student excelled at the seminar by
contributing thought-provoking ideas supported with evidence from the text. For those who
struggled with public speaking, the seminar served as an opportunity to do just that to
struggle and improve upon that important skill.
There are many ways in which I would improve the unit and most of the following ideas
were offered by the students in their anonymous survey data. Next time I teach a whole-class
novel, I will be sure to integrate 1. more writing practice with opportunities for feedback and
revision, 2. more group projects to solidify students' understanding of the plot and themes,
and 3. more class discussion that transcends the plot into more reflective questioning of the
morality of the time, place, and narration of the novel. Such improvements will better prepare
students for the socratic seminar assessment as well as a later process paper by solidifying
their understanding and offering them possible thesis ideas.
Creating this unit from scratch was an extremely challenging and rewarding endeavor.
Once I got over the initial discomfort of teaching 50 students who had no idea who I was and
why I was there, and becoming an expert on a book I had never read, I started to come out of
my shell. As I became more comfortable, the students took my cue and started to trust and
respect me as their teacher. We began tackling tough concepts of race and culture, and had
amazing class discussions that led to new ways of thinking. I am so thankful for my experience
and the immense growth I've gained through it.