multi text studysmithtw/rcoe/re_3150_web/multitex… · web viewthe other side of truth is...

Multi Text Study Rationale/Explanation

Jason Koon

For this multi-text study I chose two books that deal with the political and social

tensions of Northern Africa.

Naidoo, Beverly, The Other Side of Truth. London, England: Harper Collins.

2000. ISBN. 0064410021

Thoennes, Kristin. Nigeria (Countries of the World). Mankato, Minnesota:

Capstone Press. 1999. ISBN 0736801545

Graf, Mike. Somalia (Countries of the World). Mankato Minnesota: Capstone

Press. 1999. ISBN 0736811087

Internet Workshop: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ken_Saro-Wiwa

I chose The Other Side of Truth because it portrays the plight of many people

around the world in a way that is easy for young adolescents to understand and relate to.

The book deals with experiences that most young adolescents can relate to such as loss,

fear, and uncertainty. Through these common experiences, Naidoo opens the minds of

her reader’s to a world that is far different from their own; a world of oppression and

injustice. The fictional events of this novel are set in the context of real historical events;

such as the execution of Ken Saro-Wiwa, and against the backdrop of the Abacha regime

that controlled Nigeria in the mid-1990‘s. This gives the novel an authenticity that will

open the mind’s of students to the realities of life in Northern Africa.

The Other Side of Truth is written on a fifth grade reading level, but the interest

level is considered to be from 7th to 9th grade. This novel is the winner of numerous

awards including the Carnegie Medal, and was named an ALA notable book, and an ALA

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ken_Saro-Wiwa

best book for young adults.

The Non-fiction text for this study is Nigeria. It is part of The Countries of the

World series. This book provides background information on Nigerian culture, history,

religion, and politics. This book is written on a 4th grade reading level and will provide

students with a real-life context in which to place Naidoo’s characters and story.

I chose these books for 7th grade because it connects with the Social Studies

Standard course of study for seventh grade. Africa is one of the major themes in seventh

grade social studies and this multi-text study will lend itself to numerous interdisciplinary

connections between Language Arts and Social Studies. Also, I chose this study because

it details the struggle of the two young refugees to find recognition and aid. The two

main characters in the book use informational and argumentative communication to

expose the evils of the regime from which they are fleeing and argue successfully to be

allowed to stay in England.

The Other Side of TruthMulti-Text Study

Student Packet

Jason Koon

RE 3150

4/4/06

Table of Contents

Section Book(s) Used Page #

1. Reading/Assignment Schedule for all books……………………………..2

2. Reading Log for all texts……………………………….............................3

Individual

3. Pre-reading activities for The Other Side of Truth………………………..4-6

Small groups, and whole group

4. Reading Guides for The Other Side of Truth ……………………………..7-14

Individual

5. A Day in the Life of…. For Nigeria………………………………..............15

Individual

6. Ken Saro-Wiwa Internet workshop to be used with the online text………16-17

Individual

7. Ken Saro-Wiwa Speech project………………………………....................18

Small Groups, presented to whole group

8. Letters to the Editor/Congressman all texts………………………………19

Individual

9. Reference List………………………………...............................................20-21

10. Vocabulary Unit for The Other Side of Truth………………………………22-23

10. Rubrics………………………………..........................................................24-29

11. Objectives……………………………….....................................................30

Reading/ Assignment Schedule

This is a schedule that you should follow when reading The Other Side of Truth

and the other texts that go along with it. This will help you break the book up, so that you

can read a little bit each day rather than try to read it all in one or two nights.

Assignment(s) to be completed

Week One - Pre-reading Web-quest

- Read Chapters 1-9 (Chapters 1& 2 will be read aloud)

- Read Nigeria by Kristin Thoennes

- Study Guide #1

Week Two - Read Chapters 10-19 (Chapters 10 &11 will be read aloud)

- Study Guide #2

- A day in the life of

Week Three - Read Chapters 20-28 (Chapter 20 will be read aloud)

- Read Aloud Somalia by Mike Graf

- Study Guide #3

Week Four - Read Chapters 29-33 (Chapters 29 & 30 will be read aloud)

- Ken Saro-Wiwa Internet Workshop

Week Five - Chapters 34-42

- Study Guide #4

Week Six - Post-reading Activity: Letters to the editor/congressman

- Ken Saro-Wiwa speech project

Name:__________________________ Book:__________________________________

Reading Log

Date Place Pages Read

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

Pre-Reading ActivityBeverly Naidoo Web Quest

It is important to remember that whenever you are looking for information on the

internet you must be careful to make sure that your sources are accurate and reliable.

Link to http://www.infopeople.org/resources/bkmk/select.html and take a few minutes to

review the checklist on evaluating internet sources.

Before beginning your internet search look at the title of the book. You can

usually learn something about a book just by looking at its title. Develop three specific

questions that you have about this book based on the title.

1. ________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________?

2. ________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________?

3. ________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________?

After developing these questions get together with your small groups and

make inferences or predictions about the answers.

1.________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________.

2. ________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________.

http://www.infopeople.org/resources/bkmk/select.html

3. ________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________.

Next, in your small groups, use internet sources to investigate eight questions

about Beverly Naidoo and her book, The Other Side of Truth. You will share your

findings with the class. Some websites that contain helpful information are listed below.

You may also use any additional websites that you find, but make sure they are reliable

and accurate sources.

http://www.beverlynaidoo.comhttp://www.chapters.indigo.ca/iten.asp?

Item+9786029628&Catalog=Books&N=43+606241&Lang=en&Section+kids&zxac=1http://www.contemporarywriters.com/authors/?p=auth244

1. What are some of the major events of Beverly Naidoo’s life that may have had an effect on her as a writer?

2. What awards has the book won?

3. What is the setting of this book?

http://www.contemporarywriters.com/authors/?p=auth244

http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/iten.asp?Item+9786029628&Catalog=Books&N=43+606241&Lang=en&Section+kids&zxac=1

http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/iten.asp?Item+9786029628&Catalog=Books&N=43+606241&Lang=en&Section+kids&zxac=1

http://www.beverlynaidoo.com/

4. Describe the two main characters?

5. Write a brief summary of the plot?

6. What are some other books that Naidoo has written?

7. From what you know about Naidoo’s life, why do you think she has written this book?

8. Why is it important to know background information about a book and its author before reading it?

Reading Guide #1: Chapters 1-7

1. Why did the Nigerian Government assassinate Sade and Femi’s mother?

2. In chapter one Uncle Tunde and Folarin have a conversation about the truth and the articles that Folarin writes for his newspaper. Re-read what each says to the other. Who do you agree with more? Why?

3. How do the children get to England?

4. Do you think that Folarin did the right thing by sending his children to a foreign country by themselves? What would you have done in his situation?

5. In Chapter Seven Sade and Femi have a run in with the authorities. From what you know about them, how would their reaction to the authorities be different from yours?

Characterization List at least three character traits for each character. Note whether you learned this

information through direct or indirect characterization and the page number where you found this information.

Sade

Femi

Papa (Folarin)

Uncle Tunde


1. What events in Chapters 9-12 lead the children to be taken into police custody? How do they come to meet Mama Appiah?

2. What effect do Sade and Femi’s experiences growing up in Nigeria have on the way that they view the police?

3. What does Sade think of Iyawo Jenny? Why does Sade not respond truthfully to Iyawo Jenny’s questions?

4. How does Femi deal with the traumatic events that he has experienced? What effect doe this have on Sade?

5. Through their traumatic experiences Sade and Femi have begun to encounter the other side of truth. What do you think is Naidoo’s purpose is in writing a book about the negative effects of telling the truth on these children?

CharacterizationList at least three character traits for each character. Give a page number where you found clue about this

character trait. Tell whether you learned this information through direct or indirect characterizationMrs. Bankole

Iyawo Jenny

Mama Appiah

Kevin

Reading Guide #3 Chapters 20-28

1. What are some of the differences that Sade notices between her old school in Nigeria and her new school in London?

2. How do Marcia and the other girls react to Sade? How does Miriam treat Sade?

Character Study: MotivationFill in the chart with possible motivations for the character’s behavior

Character Behavior MotivationFemi Refusing to talk to Sade

Marcia Treating Sade badly

Sade Stealing from Miriam’s family’s store

Miriam Leaving Sade to be cornered by Marcia

Miriam Telling Sade her story of escape from Somalia

3. By this point, many different themes are developing. Complete the chart to show how the book addresses the following themes and what events and/or characters in the story help to develop these themes?

Theme What does the book say Which events or characters address this theme

Control/abuse of power

Telling the truth

Racism

4. Compare and Contrast Sade and Miriam? How are they alike, how are they different?


1. Earlier in the novel, Naidoo helps us to understand why the children lied about who they were and why they had come to England, but now we see the Negative effects of their lies. What negative effects did their lies have?

2. How does Folarin end up in a British prison? What do Sade and Femi do to try to get their father out of this prison?

3. Through chapter 28, the truth has been responsible for many of the negative things that have happened to Sade, Femi, and Folarin. In the final chapters how does the truth save them?

4. Throughout the course of this book, the main characters undergo major changes. In your small groups complete the chart using the character

traits from Study Guide #1, then list at least three new character traits that each character has developed during the course of the novel.

Character Traits from Study Guide #1 New Character TraitsSade

Femi

Folarin

5. Although the events of this story are fictional, similar events regularly happen around the globe. Why do you think events like this often go unreported? What effects might the truth have, if it were reported about real life events, the way it was reported about the Solaja family in the story?

A Day in the Life of…

The book Nigeria by Kristin Thoennes gives us some insight into Sade and

Femi’s lives in Nigeria. After reading this book, you are going to write a first person

account of a young person growing up in Nigeria. Use the following questions to help

you organize your ideas before you write. You may want to use the book Nigeria

(Cultures of the World) by Patricia Levy for more information.

My Life in Nigeria

What section of Nigeria do I live in?__________________________________________

To what people group do I belong?___________________________________________

What languages do I speak?_________________________________________________

What jobs do my parents have?______________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

What are my favorite foods?_________________________________________________

What is my religion?_______________________________________________________

What holidays do I celebrate?________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

What is my school like?____________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

Where do I live?__________________________________________________________

What is my home like?_____________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

What are my favorite things to do ?___________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

Ken Saro-Wiwa Internet Workshop

Although The Other Side of Truth is fiction, it makes reference to a few real life

events and people. One of these is the execution of Nigerian journalist and author Ken

Saro-Wiwa. In your small groups, access http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ken_Saro-Wiwa

and answer the following questions based on your reading of this article.

1. Who was Saro-Wiwa speaking out for? What was he speaking out against?

2. According to the Nigerian government, what was the official reason for his execution?

3. Why do you think Saro-Wiwa was really executed?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ken_Saro-Wiwa

4. Think about the novel The Other Side of Truth, Folarin Solaja was faced with a difficult decision after the death of Saro-Wiwa. He had to decide between writing the truth and protecting his family. Fill out the chart with reasons for and against speaking out against the government.

Reasons for speaking out

Reasons for staying quiet

What would you have done it you were in Folarin’s position? Why?

Ken Sarro-Wiwa Speech Project

The following assignment is to be completed in your small groups. Each group

will choose a discussion leader, a research coordinator, a secretary, and a speaker.

Discussion leader The discussion leader will direct the group meetings. He/she will make sure the meetings are orderly.

Research Coordinator The research coordinator will oversee any research and fact checking that needs to be done to complete this

assignment.

Secretary The Secretary will keep a record of the ideas that are discussed and write/type the final copy of the

speech.

Speaker The Speaker will contribute ideas to the group and be responsible for delivering the speech to the class.

All group members are expected to participate in the research, discussions, and writing of the speech, as well as contribute ideas and insights whenever possible!!

The Assignment

Imagine that it is October 1995 and you are the United States ambassador to the

United Nations. Ken Saro-Wiwa is still being held prisoner by the Nigerian government,

and you have the opportunity to deliver a speech to the Nigerian government on the

subject of Saro-Wiwa’s arrest and pending execution. Write a persuasive speech arguing

for the release of Ken Saro-Wiwa. Make sure to give specific reasons why he should be

released.

Letters to the Editor/ Letters to your congressman

This is your opportunity to take what you have learned and apply it in the real

world. By reading The Other Side of Truth, your eyes have hopefully been opened, as

mine were, to the injustice and oppression that is happening all over the world.

Unfortunately, most Americans have not had an experience like you have hopefully had

during this study. You are going to have an opportunity to help them open their eyes.

You have a choice of two assignments.

1. Write a letter to the editor about your experience reading The Other Side of

Truth, non-fiction materials and the information about Ken Saro-Wiwa. Give

persuasive reasons why Americans should be aware, and work to bring an end

to injustice and oppression around the world. Include suggestions about what

individuals can do to help. You may want to use examples from the book.

2. Write a letter to your congressman about your experience reading The Other Side

of Truth and the materials about Ken Saro-Wiwa. Give persuasive reasons why

the United States government should act to bring an end to injustice and

oppression around the world.

These letters should be in business letter format, so that they can be sent to

our congressman or the editor of our local newspaper!!

Reference List

A Month and a Day: A Detention Diary by: Ken Saro-Wiwa and William Boyd; Penguin,

1996. ISBN 0140259147. A Month and a Day is the true account of Ken Saro-

Wiwa’s detention experience in a Nigerian prison. Naidoo’s book is heavily influenced

by Saro-Wiwa’s story.

Songs in a Time of War by: Ken Saro-Wiwa; Passeggiata, 1993. ISBN 9994501623. This

is a book of poetry written by Saro-Wiwa.

Sozaboy by: Ken Saro-Wiwa; Longman(African Writers Series), 1995 ISBN

0582236991. Sozaboy is a novel written for young adolescents about a young man who

signs up for the Nigerian Military and fights in the Biafran War. It is partly based on his

own personal experiences.

Journey to Jo’burg by: Beverly Naidoo; Collins Educational, 1996. ISBN 0006726933.

This is one of Naidoo’s first and most acclaimed books. Many of the same themes that

are addressed in The Other Side of Truth are also present in this work.

Out of Bounds by: Beverly Naidoo; Puffin, 2001. ISBN 0141309695. This is a collection

of short stories by Naidoo that deals with the oppression and injustice under the

Apartheid system of South Africa.

Esparanza Rising by: Pam Munoz Ryan; Blue Sky Press, 2002. ISBN 043910242x.

Although set in a very different context than The Other Side of Truth, Esparanza Rising

deals with many of the same themes. Especially the idea of being forced to leave ones

homeland and becoming a refugee.

Coming to England by: Florella Benjamin, Illustrated by Michael Frith; Puffin, 1995

ISBN 0140380817. Based on Benjamin’s real life experience of moving from

Trinidad to England, this book deals with adjusting to life in a new country and culture.

Nigeria (Cultures of the World) by: Patricia Levy; Benchmark Books, 1996.

ISBN 1854355740. This book is a much more in depth look at the culture of

Nigeria. It goes into much more detail about the life that Sade and Femi may have had in

Nigeria before being forced to leave.

The Other Side of Truth is an eye-opening book to much of the injustice and

oppression that exists around the world, as well as to issues dealing with refugees,

immigration, and racism. These additional materials are all materials that will help

further your study in any or all of these areas. All of these references deal in some way

with some of the themes or events of the book. I have provided this list and allowed for

self-selection so that all students can pursue the themes and elements of this study that

were of particular interest to them.

Other Side of Truth Vocabulary Unit

Surname

Refugee

Asylum

Immigration

Passport

Boycott

Vocabulary Activity 1: Synonyms and Antonyms

Complete the chart with at least two synonyms and one antonym for each word

Antonym Vocabulary Word Synonym

Surname

RefugeeAsylum

Immigration

Passport

Boycott

Vocabulary Activity 2: Sentence stems and idea completion

1. A debate was held over the issue of immigration to decide if_____________________

_______________________________________________________________________.

2. The young woman had become a refugee because_____________________________

_______________________________________________________________________.

3. Peter was granted asylum after___________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________.

4. Stephen refuse to tell the officials his surname because________________________

_______________________________________________________________________.

5. I couldn’t find my passport so ____________________________________________.

6. The boycott was _______________________________________________________.

Vocabulary Assessment

Write a well-developed paragraph using all of the vocabulary words at least once.

Rubrics

Pre-Reading Web Quest

Work in Progress 0-5pts Satisfies Assignment 6-10pts

Exceptional Quality 11-15pts

Demonstrates little knowledge of research skills and procedures

Demonstrates basic ability to conduct research and collect information.

Demonstrates exceptional ability to research and synthesize information

Demonstrates little ability to assign meaning to information and little creative thought.

Demonstrates ability to assign meaning to information or creative thought.

Demonstrates ability to assign meaning and creative thought.

Ideas are unorganized and incomplete

Ideas are generally organized and complete.

Ideas are organized, complete, and well expressed

Demonstrates a lack of understanding of standard English usage, grammar, and punctuation. Errors are numerous.

Demonstrates basic knowledge of standard English usage, grammar and punctuation. There are few errors.

Demonstrates exceptional understanding of standard English usage, grammar, and punctuation. Work is generally error free.

A 41-45B 36-40C 31-35D 26-30F 25 or below

Study Guides

Work in Progress - 1pt Satisfies Assignment - 3pts

Exceptional Quality - 5pts

Reading Guide demonstrates that the student is not able to draw conclusions or think critically about the text.

Reading Guide demonstrates that the reader is able to begin to draw conclusions, and think critically about the texts.

Reading Guide demonstrates exceptional ability to draw conclusions and think critically about the texts.

Reading Guide is either not coherent or not completed in complete sentences.

Reading Guide demonstrates complete and coherent thoughts and sentences

Reading Guide demonstrates well-developed, complete, and coherent thoughts and sentences.

Reading guide demonstrates a lack of understanding of standard English usage, grammar, and punctuation. Errors are numerous.

Reading Guide demonstrates basic knowledge of standard English usage, grammar and punctuation. There are few errors.

Reading Guide demonstrates exceptional understanding of standard English usage, grammar, and punctuation. Work is generally error free.

Reading guide demonstrates that student has either not read or not comprehended assigned texts.

Reading Guide demonstrates that student has read and comprehended assigned texts.

Reading Guide demonstrates that student has read, comprehended and assigned meaning to assigned texts.

A 18-20B 13-17C 9-12

D 7-9F 6 or below

A Day in the Life of….

Work in Progress - 1-4pts Satisfies Assignment - 5-9pts

Exceptional Quality - 10pts

Demonstrates little knowledge of Nigeria and its culture.

Demonstrates a basic knowledge of Nigeria and its culture

Demonstrates detailed knowledge about Nigeria and its culture

Final product is disorganized or poorly written

Final product is well organized.

Final product is well organized and shows creativity and style.




A 28-30 B 25-27C 21-24 D 19-20

F 18 or below

Vocabulary Unit Rubric

Work in Progress 1-2pts Satisfies assignment 3-4pts

Exceptional Quality 5pts

Does not demonstrate either understanding or application of vocabulary words

Demonstrates basic understanding of the meaning and application of vocabulary words

Demonstrates a thorough understanding of the meaning and application of vocabulary words

Students cannot use context to discover the meaning of words.

Student is beginning to learn to use context to discover the meaning of words.

Students demonstrates the ability to use context to discover the meaning of words




A 15 B 12-14C 9-11 D 6-8

F 5 or below

Ken Saro-Wiwa Internet Workshop



Answers demonstrate that the student is not able to draw conclusions or think critically about the text.

Answers demonstrate that the reader is able to begin to draw conclusions, and think critically about the texts.

Answers demonstrate exceptional ability to draw conclusions and think critically about the texts.

Answers are either not coherent or not completed in complete sentences.

Reading Guide demonstrates complete and coherent thoughts and sentences

Answers demonstrate well-developed, complete, and coherent thoughts and sentences.

Answers demonstrate a lack of understanding of standard English usage, grammar, and punctuation. Errors are numerous.

Reading Guide demonstrates basic knowledge of standard English usage, grammar and punctuation. There are few errors.

Reading Guide demonstrates exceptional understanding of standard English usage, grammar, and punctuation. Work is generally error free.

Answers demonstrate that student has either not read or not comprehended assigned texts.

Answers demonstrate that student has read and comprehended assigned texts.

Answers demonstrate that student has read, comprehended and assigned meaning to assigned texts.

A 18-20B 15-17C 12-14D 9-11F 8 or below

Ken Saro-Wiwa Speech Project



Demonstrates little knowledge of research skills and procedures

Demonstrates basic ability to conduct research and collect information.

Demostrates exceptional ability to research and synthesize information


Demonstrates ability to assign meaning to information or creative thought.

Demonstrates ability to assign meaning and creative thought.




Demonstrates little understanding of persuasive and argumentative writing

Demonstrates a basic understanding persuasive and argumentative writing

Demonstrates exceptional understanding of argumentative writing. Finished product is persuasive and very well written.




Speech is poorly delivered and demonstrates lack of understanding of persuasive speaking techniques

Speech demonstrates basic understanding of persuasive speaking techniques

Speech is persuasive and compelling

A 28-30B 24-27C 19-23D 15-18F 15 or below

Letters to the Editor/Congressman


Exceptional Quality 10-12pts

Demonstrates little understanding of themes, concepts, and ideas presented in the texts.

Demonstrates basic understanding of themes, concepts, and ideas presented in the text.

Demonstrates exceptional understanding of themes, concepts, and ideas presented in the text.


Demonstrates ability to assign meaning to information or ability to think creatively.

Demonstrates ability to assign meaning and think creatively.




Demonstrates little understanding of persuasive and argumentative writing

Demonstrates a basic understanding persuasive and argumentative writing

Demonstrates exceptional understanding of argumentative writing. Finished product is persuasive and very well written.




A 54-60B 46-53 C 38-45 D 30-37F 29 or below

NCSCOS Objective Addressed

Unit Activity NC Language Arts Grade 7In Small groups students complete a pre-reading web quest for The Other Side of Truth

2.01 - Respond to informational materials that are read, heard, and/or viewed by summarizing information, determining the importance of information, making connections to related topics/information, and drawing inferences and/or conclusions

In Small Groups students create a persuasive speech arguing for the release of Ken Saro-Wiwa

1.03 - Interact in group settings by responding appropriately to comments and questions, offering personal opinions confidently without dominating, and giving appropriate reasons to support their opinions

3.03 - Study and create arguments that evaluate by justifying the judgement with logical, relevant reason, clear examples, and supporting details.

Create a business letter to the editor of a local newspaper, or a business letter to a congressman or other government official.

3.02 - Explore and Analyze the problem-solution process by constructing essays/ presentations that respond to a given problem by proposing a solution that includes relevant details, and recognizing and/or creating an organizing structure appropriate to purpose, audience, and context.

Students will read texts and complete reading guides.

5.01 - Increase fluency, comprehension, and insight through a meaningful and comprehensive literacy program by analyzing the effects of such elements as plot, theme, point of view, characterization, mood, and style.

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