Table of Contents

Week 1: Introduction to Things Fall Apart

Week 2: Characterization and Igbo Culture (finish Part One)
Week 3: Introduction to the Missionaries (Part Two)
Week 4: Preparing for the Socratic Seminar (Finish Part Two)

Things Fall Apart Lessons: Week 1

10th Grade Language Arts: World Literature
Resident Teacher: Gary Wong
Unit Length: 4 weeks
Period Length: M/T/Th/F 55 minutes; W 40 minutes

Guiding

Question: What do I want students to walk away with from this unit, and
remember a year from now?

Week 1: Introduction to Things Fall Apart

Day 1: Tuesday, Nov 8
Period Length: 55 minutes
Resources:
Anticipation Guide
Powerpoint Presentation
Okonkwo vs. Unoka Character Graphic Organizer
1. 3 minutes Take role and gather book codes
2. 20 minutes Anticipation Guide
a. Complete silently (7 minutes)
i.
Altered instructions to save time: Choose just five of the statements
you feel most strongly about and write a one sentence of
explanation for each.

b. Share the five statements you felt most strongly about and your positions
with a partner. (3 minutes)
c. Class discussion (10 minutes)
3. 10 minutes Need-to-know Facts before reading
a. Go over powerpoint slides 2-4, lecture style
b. Slide 2: Two Think-Pair-Share style discussion questions
i.
What was British colonial rule?
ii.
What does it mean to say that Achebe was the inventor of African
Literature?
4. 20 minutes Chapter 1
a. Audiobook Chapter Begins at 33 seconds and ends at 13:14
b. Pass out Okonkwo vs. Unoka graphic organizer
c. Plot Discussion (5 minutes): Who is Okonkwo and his father? How do they
differ?
i.
Draw T-chart on whiteboard and take notes on what students say
ii.
Encourage students to take notes on graphic organizer
5. 2-5 minutes Work on Okonkwo vs. Unoka graphic organizer
a. Finish for homework - will grade for completeness tomorrow
Lesson Reflection:
Overall, I am happy with the outcome of the first lesson on Things Fall Apart. I was
nervous about how to best set up the book for maximum student buy-in, but I stuck with
what I knew would have helped me as a reader of an unfamiliar and difficult textthat is,
brief, need-to-know facts about the author and historical setting, as well as an exploration
of the books difficult cultural themes. The anticipation activity was very successful in this
way, by activating the connection between students lives and the controversial themes
of the book. Im hoping that students will refer back to these statements in their minds as
they read, akin to small nuggets of familiarity in a sea of uncharted cultural difference. I
could improve my direction-giving skills by having students first read the directions on
the handout before describing them myself.

Day 2: Wednesday, Nov 9

Period Length: 40 minutes (minimum day)
Resources:
Create Things Fall Apart packet for students:
Character Tracking Chart
Chapter Summary Chart

 Cloze Background Information Activity

William Bulters The Second Coming
1. 3 minutes Announcements
a. Note on presidential election
b. My Google Voice number
c. Pack description and homework overview
2. 20 minutes Cloze Activity & Discussion
a. Treated as a competition between groups; the first group to finish gets to
go in Garys prize box
b. Check students homework (Okonkwo vs. Unoka organizer) and collect
Odyssey books as they complete the Cloze activity
i.
Note: Homework worth 5 points (Check plus for full and thoughtful
completion; C
heck for completion; Z
ero if not completed)
3. 14 minutes Chapter 2
a. Audiobook Chapter begins at 13:14
4. 3 minutes Fill out Character Tracker handout
5. HW: Read Chapter 3 using character tracking chart; prepare for tiny quiz to
assess whether they have read Chapter 3
Lesson Reflection:
During period 2, I ran out of time because I tried to fit too many separate activities
into the short period. We read about half of chapter 2 with the audiobook, so I stopped it
early and had students finish the chapter for homework (in addition to chapter 3). My
timing was off due to my last minute decision to include a warmup activity, consisting of
answering the Question of the Day from yesterday. I had students write the question
down in their notebooks and answer it in 5 minutes of silent writing. Most students did
not finish, but this was okay because we had a discussion of their thoughts after. This
activity would have needed double the time in order for it to be effective.
Going into 4th period, I will eliminate this warm up and go straight into the Cloze
activity, which also felt rushed during 2nd. I need to decide if and how I want to
incorporate my RTs method of Questions of the Day into the unit. For 4th period, I plan
to have a short class discussion that summarizes the main points of the Cloze and what
new things students learned from it. I will complete this discussion the first thing
tomorrow for 2nd period.
In general, I need to be clearer about what is assigned for homework and what is
being graded. Some students did not realize the graphic organizer was assigned for
homework last night. Since it was not completely clear and the election happened, I am
allowing them to complete it late for half credit. I can avoid such miscommunication by

talking about the homework at the beginning of class, as well as the end. I could also
have students write the due date at the top of the handout or graphic organizer.
I ran into a similar time issue for 4th period. Although I had cut out the warm up
activity, I extended the Cloze activity too long with a discussion of the answers and
themes. We only got through 5 minutes of Chapter 2. I believe I overcompensated for my
lack of thoroughness with the Cloze activity during 2nd. Next time, I will pay more
attention to the time and stick to my scheduled pacing.

Day 3: Thursday, Nov 10

Period Length: 55 minutes
Resources:
Cloze Background Information Activity
Chapter 3 Quiz Slides
Period 2
1. 3 minutes Announcements
a. How was the reading?
b. Strategies for reading discussion: What kinds of strategies do you use to
better understand what youre reading? How do you approach a reading
assignment of 20 pages?
i.
My advice: Set reading goals per day, i.e. 10 pages per day.
c. Homework for long weekend
2. 15 minutes Answers and recap of important ideas from Cloze activity
3. 15 minutes Chapter 3 Quiz
a. 1 minute to review character and chapter charts
i.
Check Character charts for completion (no grade)
b. Have students complete on a half sheet of binder paper
4. 13 minutes Chapter 4 (Begin 47:09; End 57:50 He rose and left the hut)
a. Excerpt: Pages 26-31 (top of page)
b. Excerpt: Page 34 Ikemefuna had begun to feel
5. 9 minutes Time to fill out Character and Chapter summary charts
a. Omit chapters 5 and 6
6. HW: Read Chapters 7-8 using Character and Chapter summaries charts
Period 4
1. 3 minutes Announcements
a. How was the reading?

2.

3.

4.

5.
6.

b. Homework for long weekend; offer strategies for reading pacing

15 minutes Question of the Day
a. (5 minutes) "What are three things that symbolize success and three things
that symbolize failure in your own life?'
b. (3 minutes) Ask follow-up question after they write for a bit, "Does
Okonkwos ideas of success and failure match with what you wrote?"
i.
Note from RT: Sometimes splitting the questions into lists can help
the students make stronger compare and contrasts. Sometimes
doing it simultaneously can cause some muddling of the learning
target.
c. (3 minutes) Discuss with partners
15 minutes Chapter 3 Quiz
a. 1 minute to review character and chapter charts
i.
Check Character charts for completion (no grade)
b. Have students complete on a half sheet of binder paper
13 minutes Chapter 4 (Begin 47:09; End 57:50 He rose and left the hut)
a. Excerpt: Pages 26-31 (top of page)
b. Excerpt: Page 34 Ikemefuna had begun to feel
9 minutes Time to fill out Character and Chapter summary charts
a. Omit chapters 5 and 6
HW: Read Chapters 7-8 using Character and Chapter summaries charts

Lesson Reflection:
Overall, I am happy with how today went. My extra planning time paid off with
better pacing and more focused discussions. Im happy I took the time to review the
Cloze activity in period 2 and complete the Question of the Day in period 4. The
Cloze activity was too rushed the day before, so today I took the time to go over the
answers and have a small discussion on the Igbo cultural customs, which students had
many questions about. Spending time on such background information will help greatly
with students reading comprehension. Also, continually making ties back to their own
lives with the Questions of the Day will make the text more interesting and relevant to
them. I plan to integrate 5-8 Questions of the Day throughout the unit, and create a
worksheet with all the questions in table format where students can keep track of their
responses.
The quiz on Chapter 3 went well, and it was also my first opportunity to grade
student work. Mr. Wong and I decided on making the quizzes worth 3 homework points,
so as to not affect their grades too heavily. The main purpose of the quizzes is to
encourage students to read the occasional chapters I send home with them. They are not
meant to test students on the nitty-gritty details of the book, but rather the larger themes

and character development pieces. I hope the quizzes will encourage students to not
only read, but to also read closely and critically. It is a hard text in terms of cultural
accessibility and I want to make sure students are giving it a shot in terms of
comprehension.
As far as sending reading home, I am unsure how I feel about this. I would prefer
to read the entire novel in-class, however, with our tight schedule (18 days), it is proving
difficult. After grading the quizzes, I am seeing that the majority of students are reading,
but there is a significant group that is not. I worry about this because Natomas Charter
School is a high achieving school, and I cannot get these students to do at-home
reading, how will students at lower-resourced schools have the incentive to? In an ideal
world, I would complete all the reading during class time, and have students read their
own personal choice books at home. This way, students are still exposed to the literary
canon, but they are also reading genres that they are passionate about and enjoy. My
goal is to promote enjoyment in reading, versus slowly killing it before they leave high
school.
Next time, I will be sure to incorporate a Closing discussion to reflect on the
objective of the day. Nancy and I discussed asking students to come up with predictions
for what will happen to the doomed character Ikemefuna.

Things Fall Apart Lessons: Week 2

Week 2: Characterization and Igbo Culture (finish Part One)
Day 4: Monday, Nov 14
Period Length: 55 minutes
Resources
Ikemefuna Foreshadowing Activity
Chapters 7 & 8 Quiz
1. 2 minutes Quick Note on Quizzes
a. Will return Quiz 1 tomorrow
b. Will have opportunities to improve on these; can drop one score
2. 13 minutes Chapters 7 and 8 Quiz
a. Have students complete on a half sheet of binder paper

3.

4.
5.
6.
7.

b. Review answers after

5 minutes Chapters 7-8 Questions of the Day
a. How will Ikemefunas death affect Okonkwos and Nwoyes relationship?
first, what was Okonkwos relationship with Ikemefuna like? (63); Okonkwo
struggles with his decision to aid in Ikemefunas death, struggles with his
identity as a man (65)
b. (cut for 4th period) Discussion of good and bad Igbo customs (74):
Introduce literary device of foreshadowing criticism of customs shows
weakness in culture and foreshadows colonial rule; Last sentence about
leprosy, the white skin, foreshadows colonists / the white man
15 minutes Ikemefuna Foreshadowing Activity (Finish for homework)
10 minutes Chapter 9
a. Excerpt: Start Track 3, 2:31; Stop 12:23
3 minutes Closing
HW: Ikemefuna Foreshadowing

Reflection:
I struggled with pacing during this lesson but corrected it by cutting out the
second Question of the Day in step 3. I would like to return to this instance of
foreshadowing later this week though, as it will set students up for Part Two of the book. I
ran into this issue of pacing again because I tried to fit too many separate activities into
one session i.e., a reading quiz, Questions of the Day, a Foreshadowing worksheet, and
an excerpt from Chapter 9. Now that Ive made the same mistake a number of times, I
have decided to cap the number of my separate activities at three and no more.
Another thing I struggled with was how to frame my use of Questions of the Day.
This is a method I adopted from my RT who uses them less for plot comprehension and
more for overarching theme analysis, or what Kellough and Kellough call level three
questions. I plan to formalize this questions a bit more by creating a graphic organizer on
which students can answer the questions and also write them in as we go. I may even
have them come up with their own as we move closer to the socratic seminar
assessment.

Day 5: Tuesday, Nov 15

Period Length: 55 minutes
Resources
Questions of the Day Packet
Chapter 10 Slides

1. Materials out:
a. Questions of the Day Packet
b. Ikemefuna Foreshadowing homework
c. Book
2. 10 minutes Return Quiz 1
a. go over answers
3. 20 minutes Fear Questions of the Day (3-4)
a. Have students transfer main ideas for questions 1-2 to packet
b. (5min) Silent writing for Question 3
c. Discuss with partners
d. (5min) Silent writing for Question 4
e. (5min) Class discussion
4. 25 minutes Chapter 10
a. Vote for audiobook or partner reading
b. (5min) Explain T-chart notes and fill out U.S. side together
c. (15min) Read Chapter 10
i.
7 pages (start 24:12; end 39:18)
ii.
Have student fill out T-chart as they read
iii.
Check Foreshadowing homework during reading
d. Class discussion
i.
Fill out Igbo side of T-chart
ii.
How does the Igbo justice system compare to our own?
Reflection:
My pacing felt much better today, most likely because I kept to my 3 activities at
most rule. I did not change much of the lesson from 2nd period to 4th period, other than
filling out the U.S. side of the T-chart with them before the reading. This helped to draw
out prior knowledge regarding the U.S. court system. With this prior knowledge handy,
students were able to read more closely and make parallels between justice structures.
The students appeared lively and engaged in the reading and the resulting discussion.
Im happy I left the reading style up to a vote, as one class decided on the audiobook
while the other decided on partner reading. This also gave me good feedback on my use
of the audiobook in class. It is proving to be a great resource when teaching a book with
many hard to pronounce names.

Day 6: Wednesday, Nov 16

Period Length: 40 minutes

Resources
Chapter 11 Slides
1. Materials out: Foreshadowing homework (2nd only), Things Fall Apart packets,
books
2. 5 minutes Announcements
a. Class resources on Schoology in Ms. Yellens Class folder
b. HW due Friday: Complete Character and Chapter charts through Ekwefi
and Chapter 11
3. 35 minutes Chapter 11 Excerpts
a. (18min) Tortoise folk story (audiobook)
i.
(8min) 96-99, start 41:25 ; end 48:57
1. Have students draw a picture of the folktale as they listen
2. Review Foreshadowing HW (2nd only)
ii.
(10min) Discussion:
1. Tortoise foreshadowing the white Christian missionaries
2. Locusts (page 54, 3rd paragraph) received as a good thing;
irony given the plague of the locusts in the Old Testament
b. (15min) Chielo, the priestess, and Ezinma excerpt (I read)
i.
Start on page 100, second paragraph, She broke off because and
stop at top of 103.
ii.
Discussion
1. Chielo is a mouthpiece or messenger for the Oracle of the Hill
and the Caves, and has full authority to carry out whatever
the god says
2. Plays a part in deciding punishment within the clan, i.e.
Ikemefunas fate. Can take Ezinma away without the consent
of her parents.
iii.
Question of the Day Overview
Reflection:
Given how short Wednesday classes are, I need to only plan for a maximum of two
separate activities. This time I had planned three, and it was tight. Although everything
went as planned, and I simply pushed the Question of the Day to Thursday, I still felt like I
was rushing through the content. My pace may have been fine for the majority of
students, but I worry about those who need more time to process, as well as other
student populations or class cultures that may be less well behaved. I would also have
more time for rapport building and stretch breaks if I decreased the amount of activities

I have in a session. I would also like to plan for time for students to work on the Character
and Chapter charts moving forward in order to encourage them to fill it out as they read
or after.

Day 7: Thursday, Nov 17

Period Length: 55 minutes
Resources
Igbo Background Information Organizer
Background Information blurbs
Chapter 11 & 12 Slides
1. 5 minutes Brief recap of Chapter 11s plot; Chielos journey in the night takes us to
the outside the cave opening with a nervous Ekwefi.
2. 10 minutes Chapter 11-12 Excerpts (I read)
a. Ch. 11: Page 107, last paragraph, As soon as the priestess to the end of
the chapter
b. Ch. 12: Page 112, Okonkwo was also feeling tired
c. Pair-Share: Discuss the change in Okonkwos character here
3. 40 minutes Igbo Culture Background Activity
a. (3min) Divide class into 8 groups of 3 students using Mr. Wongs seating
chart spreadsheet (flashed up on board), and hand out background
information slips to each group
b. (10min) Read information aloud as a group and jot down notes; students
must agree on the information theyve learned
c. (3min) Ask students to rearrange themselves according to a new seating
chart (flashed on board) that groups them with people of other original
groups.
d. (14min) Each student will share what they have learned with the rest of their
group, orally.
e. Class Discussion:
i.
Which customs do you need clarification on?
ii.
Which customs were most interesting or challenging?
f. HW: Continued work on Character and Chapter charts
Reflection:
This was my first time teaching with a jigsaw method, and it went very well.
Though it took some brain power on both mine and my RTs part, we came up with a way

of dividing the students up ahead of time. We decided to leverage Garys seating chart
practice where he flashes up a new seating arrangement every class, and the students
seat themselves accordly. We manipulated the random seating chart so that there were 8
groups of 3 students for the first part of the jigsaw, and then asked students to sit with
those who had the same number next to their name on the seating chart. So four
students with a 1 next to their names all sat together. This ensured that every student in
the group had a different Igbo custom to share with the other members. In addition to the
logistics going well, the overall engagement in the activity appeared to be strong. I felt it
was necessary to provide them with more concrete information about the new and
sometimes strange customs they were reading about. Such background knowledge will
be useful for when we start discussing the impact and influence of the Christian
missionaries on the Igbo culture in Parts Two and Three of the book.

Day 8: Friday, Nov 18 (Finish Part One)

Period Length: 55 minutes

Resources
Igbo Culture Keep/Discard Activity
Chapter 13 slides
1. Hand back Quiz #2 as they sit down
2. 15 minutes Question of the Day on Gender Roles
a. (3min) Review gender roles comparison T-chart on first slide
b. (5min) Have students write down bolded Question of the Day in their
packets, and write silently
c. (3min) Share with table partners
d. (4min) Class discussion
3. 15 minutes Chapter 13
a. Audiobook: Start 18:13, end 30:56
b. Check Character and Chapter Summaries charts as students listen to audio.
4. 7 minutes Chapter 13 Plot Discussion
a. (5min) Flash plot questions on board and have students discuss them as
groups
b. (5min) Discuss answers as a class
5. 8 minutes Introduce Keep/Discard Igbo Culture Activity
a. Have students read instructions silently.
b. Ask if there are any questions, and then have them flip the paper over to
discuss the Assigned Reading reference information on the back.

c. Tell them this will be homework for the break and will be due the Monday
they return.
d. Give them 5 minutes to start working on it with their table groups.
6. 10 minutes Gary reviews Odyssey essays
Reflection:
Although I knew it was going to be tight with 4 activities on top of Garys review of
the Odyssey essays, I did not make any adjustments between 2nd and 4th periods. I
instead decided to shift the Keep/Discard Igbo Culture worksheet to homework for the
week-long break. I chose to do this because the Question of the Day and discussion on
gender roles both recapped the previous days themes and brought the discussion of
Igbo gender roles to a more personal place, which is important for their comprehension
of Part One. The Keep/Discard activity extends on the work weve been doing with
understanding the Igbo culture by giving the kids a chance to consider what they would
keep and discard in term of Igbo cultural customsthat is, before the Christian
missionaries do in Parts Two and Three. Although we only had about 5 minutes to work
on it in class, my goal was for students to get started on it with their table groups so there
was more of a chance they would complete it individually over the break.

Things Fall Apart Lessons: Week 3

10th Grade Language Arts: World Literature
Resident Teacher: Gary Wong
Unit Length: 4 weeks
Period Length: M/T/Th/F 55 minutes; W 40 minutes

Week 3: Introduction to the Missionaries (Part Two)

Day 9: Monday, Nov 28
Resources:
Keep/Discard Handout
Chapter 13-14 Slides

1. (5 minutes) Thanksgiving highlights: What did you eat or make? Any interesting
stories? Tell them a little about my break...
2. (12 minutes) Review of Chapter 13 Warm up
a. Check Keep/Discard homework (check, , 0)
i.
Very poor capture rate on this assignment most likely due to the fact
that most teachers do not assign homework over the break; will
throw it out and have students complete it as a class (see #3)
b. Read aloud Chapter 13 summary paragraph from slides
c. Have students answer plot questions separately in notes
d. Pair-share with partners/table
e. Share answers aloud as a class
3. (20 minutes) Keep vs. Discard Homework discussion
a. (3min) Pair-Share answers
b. (17min) Class-Share: project handout on board and take notes on what
students share; nudging them towards the Missionaries mentality to
come...
4. (15 minutes) Chapter 14: Refuge in Motherland (excerpts)
a. Read excerpts 1-3 as a class
5. (3 minutes) Closing Question of the Day
a. Have students complete question separately in their Question of the Day
packets
b. Discuss responses as a class
Reflection:
Im happy I started class off with highlights from Thanksgiving break. It was a nice
way to catch up with the students after a week-long break. I will try and integrate more
informal discussions like these to get to know my future students and their community
better. I regret assigning a homework assignment over break (Keep/Discard handout)
because there was such a low completion ratealmost half of all students did not
complete it. To make up for this, I facilitated a class discussion on what students would
keep/discard from Ibgo culture and why, modeling what our socratic seminar will be
like in a week. There was a lot of participation and opinion-based responses. Given the
richness of this discussion, I decided to extend it longer and cut short the discussion on
Chapter 14. I will review Chapter 14 for tomorrows warm up.

Day 10: Tuesday, Nov 29

Resources:

 Plot Notes (Chapters 15-18)

Chapter 14-15 Slides
1. (15 minutes) Question of the Day Warmup
a. Period 2: Read excerpt 3 from Chapter 14 aloud (did not finish yesterday)
and then written response in Question of the Day packet.
b. Period 4: Written response to QOD in packet.
2. (5 minutes) Give them time to fill out Chapter summary for Chapter 14
3. (15 minutes) Chapters 15
a. Vote to read with audiobook, as a class, OR partner reading.
b. Fill out vocab together
i.
Fugitive: a person who has escaped from a place or is in hiding to
avoid arrest or persecution.
1. Latin: Fugere (to flee) Spanish: Fugar (to escape)
ii.
Albino: a person or animal having a absence of pigment in the skin,
hair and eyes from birth.
1. Portuguese word originally denoting albinos among African
blacks Latin: Albus; Spanish: Albo
iii.
Harbinger: a person or thing that announces or signals the
approach of another. A forerunner of something.
4. (15 minutes) Chapter 16: full chapter, with plot notes handout (includes vocab)
5. (5 minutes) Closing: Questions about Chapters 15-16?
a. HW: Finish Chapter 16 & Quiz
Reflection:
I would like to give them more time in class to fill out the Chapter summaries and
Character charts, but Im having a hard time fitting it in with all the in-class reading and
discussing were doing. Today I was able to fit it in, but it has been the only time so far.
This leads me to question the utility of the assignment in the first place, as it may feel like
busy work to some students. Im noticing that about half of students are not keeping up
to date with it. I will try and brainstorm ways for students to summarize the chapters and
keep track of the characters in more interactive and creative ways. Also, the vocab
included in the Plot Notes graphic organizer is intended mostly for their comprehension
of the text; however, I may want to find ways to circle back to it so that they can
remember the meaning of the new words.

Day 11: Wednesday, Nov 30

Resources:
Chapter 16 Quiz Slides
1. (10 minutes) Chapter 16 Quiz
2. (3 minutes) Stretch break
a. Time to talk with friends, study for other classes, eat a snack, ask me a
question, shoot hoops in the mini basketball hoop
3. (10 minutes) Discussion of Chapters 15-16
a. Write down 3 questions/comments (total) about the chapters
b. Share with partner and have a discussion
c. Share the most burning or interesting questions or comments with class
4. (17 minutes) Chapter 17
a. Vote how to read Chapter 17: Audiobook, partner aloud, or class aloud
b. Discuss major events of chapter as a class
c. Complete Plot Notes (finish for homework)
Reflection:
The students seem to be getting the hang of the quiz routine and it appears to be
a great tool for authentic text comprehension. That is, students are reading the chapter
closely the night before, reviewing their Plot Notes and discussing with their peers the
day of, putting their knowledge to the test, and then reviewing the answers as a class
after. As we learned from the study strategies podcast, the process of quizzing your
knowledge has been proven to help you retain and remember information for longer
periods of time. This will help students for their final assessment when collecting
pertinent evidence for a process paper.

Day 12: Thursday, Dec 1

Resources
Science of Race Slides
The Science of Race Article
1. (10 minutes) Discuss Plot Questions
a. Discuss with table partners
b. Share answers as a class
2. (3 minutes) Stretch break
3. (30 minutes) The Science of Race

a. Introduce article and annotation strategies (see slides)

b. Have student read aloud in groups first, and then read a second time
separately for annotations
i.
Walk around and converse with students about their annotation
strategies, i.e. Why did you decide to underline that sentence? Circle
that word?
c. After their second read, students answer questions 1-5 as a group
i.
Walk around and answer any questions about the article
4. (4 minutes) Closing
a. Discuss questions 4-5 for Science of Race
b. Homework: Finish questions from article
Reflection:
I am very happy I decided to include this article in todays lesson. I was on the
fense given its controversial topic, but I knew it would provide students with an additional
layer of analysis for which to understand the themes of Things Fall Apart. It worked out
well that the historical time period of the eugenics movement coincided with the time
period of the fictional narrative (late 1800s). Students were clearly outraged and
frustrated with the article, but that is exactly what I wanted to see out of thema reaction
to racist ideas that are treated as myth and absurdity today! We didnt, however, get to
how race is conceptualized in todays society, so students were left hanging. I plan to
cover how the eugenics movement became stifled with todays more advanced genome
technology and the idea of race as a social construction in tomorrows lesson.

Day 13: Friday, Dec 2 (video recorded)

Period 2 Video
Period 4 Video
Resources:
Race Today Slides
Socratic Seminar handout
1. (20 minutes) The Science of Race Warmup/Wrap-up
a. (3min) Ask students to review their annotations to get familiar with the text
again
b. (5min) Next, have students share their answers to questions 1-5 with a
partner

i.
Walk around and informally check questions for completion
c. (3min) Go over why were reading this question again (question 4)
d. (3min) Have student choose which response from question 5 (a question
about the article) they want to share with the class and represent their table
e. (10min) Write student questions from article on the board

2. (10 minutes) Introduce Socratic Seminar via handout

a. Have volunteers read through the first page of information
b. Questions
3. (20 minutes) Race Today Slides: Eugenics Thinking to Race as a social
construction
a. Have student read various bullet points throughout the slides; stop for
questions and discussion
4. (5 minutes) Read Chapter 18
5. Homework: Finish Chapter 18 and Plot Notes graphic organizer

Reflection:
Im happy I decided to extend the Science of Race topic into two class periods; it
needed further discussion as the kids were very engaged by the topic. Todays lesson
was difficult with pacing because I hoped to fit in Chapter 18 when there really wasnt
time for it. We ended up reading it for five minutes and then assigning the rest as
homework with the possibility of a quiz on Monday.
As far as introducing the socratic seminar assessment, Gary and I decided that we
needed to get the instructions and preparation packet to students today (about 1 week
out), so I created that from a resource I found on Teachers Pay Teachers.

Things Fall Apart Lessons: Week 4

10th Grade Language Arts: World Literature
Resident Teacher: Gary Wong
Unit Length: 4 weeks
Period Length: M/T/Th/F 55 minutes; W 40 minutes

Week 4: Preparing for the Socratic Seminar (Finish Part Two)

Day 14: Monday, Dec 5
Resources:
Chapter 18-19 & Annotation Slides
Annotations Handout
1. (30 minutes) Review of Chapter 18 / Plot Comprehension Discussion
a. Review as a group and collectively come up with 3 questions or comments
about the chapter
b. Narrow down to one question/comment and have one person from group
write it on the board (total of 7 groups)
c. Review and discuss as class
2. (22 minutes) Annotations of T
hings Fall Apart
a. Why and how do we annotate? Idea of visual thinking

b. How do you annotate?

i.
Model annotations for first excerpt on handout (Chapter 18, page
157); elicit the help of students, e.g. What would you circle or
underline in this sentence?
c. Re-emphasize the WHY: Connection between making annotations and
analyzing the evidence or quotations we use in our essays
3. (3 minutes) Closing: Annotate the excerpts based on whats helpful to you
understand the text better; not what will impress me.
a. Homework: Read Chapter 19 and complete annotations for excerpts
b. Collect Plot Notes & Science of Race Questions
Summary:
Today was the second day we focused on annotation strategies. The first day,
they annotated a scholarly article and today we annotated passages from the novel. I
decided to linger on this topic because it became clear to me that this was the first time
they had received direct instruction on how and why to annotate texts. I wanted to make
sure that they had this strategy in their tool bag before they move on to more complex
subjects and later college. Although it was a tough sell to a portion of the class, I think I
made a convincing argument for why it could be useful to them, highlighting the most
applicable purpose being the same type of thinking and analysis they may use for essay
writing.

Day 15: Tuesday, Dec 6 (video recorded)

Resources:
Cultures Unlike Our Own Slides
Video of lesson
1. (10 minutes) Review of Chapter 19 (last chapter in Part Two)
a. (5m) Review Chapter 19 as groups
b. (5m) Discussion of which excerpt they found most useful to annotate; and
how they annotated it. Have you heard a familiar lamentation about the loss
of tradition from an elder person in your life? If so, what did they say? How
did it make you feel?
2. (20 minutes) Lecture Input: Cultures Unlike Our Own
a. Using prior knowledge and educated guesses to define Cultural Relativism
vs. Ethnocentrism

i.

Draw diagrams to help with explanations, i.e. a profile of a man

Ethnocentric Bob projecting his view onto Igbo society, and two
hands shaking to represent Cultural Relativism
b. How such concepts affect the telling of history whos telling the
narrative?
i.
Place their World History book on the spectrum
c. T-Chart Activity: Choose one Igbo custom to speak about from both
perspectives; how do you change your language from worldview to
worldview?
3. (25 minutes) Review for Socratic Seminar with Worksheet 1: Questions about the
Text
a. Questions about the Text Model Questions: Have students copy the
following two example questions into their Socratic Seminar packet; Explain
how this are opinion-based questions that do not have a clear answer;
These questions are fair game for the seminar and are models for how
students should construct their own questions.
i.
How do you personally feel about the missionaries are trying to do?
How might you feel if you were an Igbo man or woman facing this
situation?
ii.
How does Achebe describe or characterize the Igbo and European
cultures? Does he take sides or does he adopt a more balanced
view?
b. Have students come up with one question in each group and share with
the class; Student will write questions in their packet.
Summary:
Im glad I decided to introduce some of what Gary has been teaching in his honors
classes to my (regular) classes, i.e. viewing Things Fall Apart with the concepts of
Cultural Relativism and Ethnocentrism in mind. Although they still struggle with
elements of the fast-moving plot, I felt the students were ready for a high level of
analysis. My intention was not for them to become fluent experts on these topics, but to
grapple with and challenge themselves to make the connections between the new
terminology and what theyve been reading.

Day 16: Wednesday, Dec 7

40 minutes
Resources

 Socratic Seminar Prep Slides

Socratic Seminar Question Bank
1. Return Plot Notes (with feedback, not graded)
2. Have everything for Things Fall Apart out (see slides for list)
3. Review Socratic Seminar Question Bank
a. Have reader read the instructions; make it clear that many of the questions
they have written themselves and they have been working through for the
past four weeks, i.e. as Questions of the Day, Quiz questions, Plot Notes,
class discussions, etc.
b. Modeling: Project document on screen and go over gathering evidence for
two example questions
i.
Highlight that evidence does not have to be a direct quote; it can be
an event in the novel
c. Groupwork: Choose 3 questions to discuss and find evidence for in pairs
d. Share evidence for 3 questions with another pair of partners in your group
(write down where they found the evidence, i.e. Chapter 15, (Achebe 130),
The Science of Race
e. Share 3-5 questions and associated evidence as a class
4. Closing: Field any questions about the seminar tomorrow and offer positive
encouragement.
a. Homework: Prepare for Seminar by collecting evidence for Question Bank.
Summary:
Today felt good; the students seemed engaged and appreciative of the in-class
preparation for the socratic seminar. Although periods on Wednesday go by quickly, I
accounted for this and we focused on only one activity: completing a good portion of the
evidence for the Question Bank handout. I would have liked to have handed the
questions out a day or two earlier but I feel the students are still well-prepared for the
seminar. I made sure to only use questions that we have been discussing as a class for a
while now, i.e. there will not be anything out of left-field. The questions also challenge
the student to go one step above where weve spent most of our discussion time (on the
plot level), and take their analysis deeper to what the author intended and how they
personally feel about the themes. Im excited for tomorrow!

Day 17: Thursday, Dec 8 (Socratic Seminar)

Resources:

 Observation Notes & Self Evaluation (see handout in Student Resources section)
1. Seminar Setup
a. Classroom: One large circle with a group of four desks in the center; two
desks facing the four desks in the center as well (the hot seats)
b. Discussion groups: Choose at random using Excel seating chart
beforehand
i.
Period 2: 6 groups of 4
ii.
Period 4: 5 groups of 4, 1 groups of 6
2. Socratic Seminar
a. (5 minutes) Begin with Globe Warm-up
i.
Group clapping circle; high-low, thigh-clapping
b. Assign two volunteer moderators two pick questions and keep track of time
(1 minute prep time; 5 minute discussion per question; 1 minute indicators)
c. Go over expectations and instructions
i.
What is evidence?
ii.
Timing of discussion
3. Collect Questions of Day & Seminar Observation Notes
Reflection:
The socratic seminar went as planned today; the timing and structure of the was
conducive to discussion. I found this particular setup from a Teachers Pay Teachers blog.
Although many were nervous, everyone seemed to be very engaged in the activity.
Having two student moderators read the questions and keep track of timing made the
seminar more of their own, and less of a teacher-mandated assignment. The hot seats
were a nice addition to the natural flow of the discussion, i.e. when someone in the outer
circle felt the need to contribute something to the discussion, they could move to one of
the hot seats to do so. Next time, I will make sure the hot seats are arranged in front of
the group of four so that they can more easily address them.

Day 18: Friday, Dec 9 (Last day at NCS)

Resources:
Seminar Self Eval
Ms. Yellen Feedback Survey
1. (10 minutes) Seminar Self Evaluations
a. Praise efforts and performance yesterday

2.
3.
4.
5.

b. We will use these evaluations to inform our grading of the seminar

c. Speak to the growth mindset
(5 minutes) Donut & stretch break
(10 minutes) End-of-Unit Survey
a. Google Survey filled out on phones or paper copy
(5 minutes) Give gag gift to Gary
a. Dry erase markers and mug :)
(25 minutes) Informal Discussion / Story-time
a. 3 Things I wish someone told me at your age
i.
Don't let the stress of college or the next step control your life and
outlook; where you get into college or whatever you decide to do
next does not define you; there is so much more to who you are;
ii.
Start looking at college websites and the majors they offer
now...starting piecing together your interests;
iii.
It is OKAY to not know what you want to do in your life...I took me
2.5 years to choose my major and 3 years after college to figure out
that I wanted to be a teacher.
b. Questions about college and beyond

Reflection:
This was a really nice and relaxing way to end my time at Natomas. Gary
mentioned that I should dedicate a whole period to farewell activities, and he was right. I
would have regretted ending my time here on the socratic seminar. It was really nice to
have a day to reflect with the students and enjoy our time together. They absolutely
loved the 3 Thing I Wish Someone Told Me at Your Age discussion. I gave them my
personal email if they want to stay in touch, and I know Ill be back. Many of them asked if
I would come to their graduation.