A Long Walk to Water is one of my favorite books to teach my seventh grade ELA students. I have been teaching it for alomst a decade. I have met Salva and Linda Sue Park twice, one time together! My school has funded two wells in South Sudan.
Lesson 1: Vocabulary
Objectives:
The students will be able to read, comprehend and use all of the tier two vocabulary words in the text.
The students will be able to use the tier three words to help better understand the context of the novel.
Anticipatory Set/Warm-up Activity:
Each day in a “bell-ringer” type activity, the students will be introduced to the 2-3 tier three words that they will encounter in the text. This will help with comprehension of the novel
Example of Tier 3 words:
The word “thorn” used in the story is a sharp object which a child steps on causing pain. The word “dress” is a term in Africa to describe preparing meat for a meal. And the word “bush” is used to describe the plains surrounding the villages. See, this would be difficult for ELL learners to comprehend without explicit instruction.
Master Vocabulary List
- droned – to talk in a dull manner
- rebels – one who opposes by force an existing government
- shrouded – covered, concealed
- model – an example
- sympathy – the act or power of sharing the feeling of another
- daze – stunned or bewildered condition
- strides – a long step in walking
- inhabited – occupied, live in
- solemn – serious
- rebelled – to reject of fight against
- steady – firm, even, regular
- monotonous – boring, repetitive
- gauge – measure
- ferried – transported, carried
- arid – without moisture
- parched – dried out by heat or excessive exposure to sunlight
- revived – to restore to life
- grudgingly – reluctantly, unwillingly
- emaciated – to make or become extremely thin, as a result of starvation
- despair – hopelessness
- peril – danger
- frigid – extremely cold
- frantic – desperate
- vague – unclear, uncertain
- disputes – disagreements, differences
Activities:
The students will each begin a vocabulary journal. Each day, they will add the WOD (tier two word of the day) to their journal in the form of a semantic map. The map should show their understanding of the word. Then, they should begin an individualized list to categorize their words: Mastered, In Progress, Needs Work. This will help students work at their own individualized pace.
Next, words will be practiced in class using Quizlet Live. This is a fun, interactive way to engage students in learning and practicing words. The Quizlet links can also be used individually to practice words.
Quizletlive.com
Chapters 1-6 Quiz:
https://quizlet.com/275504338/a-long-walk-to-water-chapters-1-6-flash-cards/
Chapters 7-12 Quiz:
https://quizlet.com/279261839/a-long-walk-to-water-chapters-7-12-flash-cards/
Chapters 13-18 Quiz:
https://quizlet.com/280407998/a-long-walk-to-water-chapters-13-17-flash-cards/
Closure:
Students will take the vocabulary quizzes on the tier two words to assess comprehension.
Chapters 1-6 Quiz:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1LfFhXNJw6aYRHOqjiYYWYvOZyJJJKC9_I-8tdwaoIQw/copy
Chapters 7-12 Quiz:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1aucaC509GPgZigkM8U46pwu8Xoys1P1PIBkZ-pcV72k/copy
Chapters 13-18 Quiz:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/18zxKMSITyDdS9Kj50i-svW0yULCD1NcDiTi9Y8b0KtM/copy
Lesson 2: Picture books
Objectives:
Students will listen to two picture books in preparation for reading A Long Walk to Water.
Students will use the text and illustrations to support an understanding of the topic.
Students will notice the behaviors and characterization presented in the picture book.
Anticipatory Set:
First, the teacher will introduce one picture book per day. First, the students will describe each of the covers and brainstorm ideas which the books are about.
In Nya’s Long Walk, the book describes the hard job of fetching water that many young girls in Africa have. They must fetch water in harsh conditions: extreme heat, difficult terrain, assisting younger siblings. When they reach the water, it is often brown, warm and often contaminated. This book is based off the fictional character in A Long Walk to Water.
In Brother’s In Hope, fictional character Garang is tending his livestock when the war reaches his village. His story is that of becoming a lost boy in Sudan and surviving for over a decade overcoming hardships and dangers of the African wild. Many of these boys eventually made it to the US, like character Salva in the novel.
Activities:
Both picture books will be read aloud to the class in two different lessons.
Nya’s Long Walk –
For the first read, students will listen to the text.
On the second read, the teacher will stop at each set of pages. First, the discussion of text/illustrations will occur.
The teacher will ask the question, “How does the illustration correspond with the text?”
As a class, students should discuss the connections. This should provide clear and accurate information to build content language.
Then, the teacher will ask about the characters. “How does Nya’s facial expressions and body language add to the story?”
In a think/pair/share, students will discuss this with a partner. This will help to promote oral discussion and build confidence with the language specific to the novel.
Brothers In Hope:
The same process will be completed for the second text, but the questions and strategies will be different.
First, the teacher will read the text.
Then, the teacher will introduce the concept of abandonment and perseverance. The teacher will then pick a few random pages in the text and ask students to describe the action in the illustration. This will help practice controlled language and concepts that may be difficult for ELL learners to understand.
Then, in a fishbowl, the teacher will state one idea or situation presented in the novel and work their way around the circle to discuss each topic with their classmates. These topics may be: cause, weather, climate, time, refugee camps, survival, endurance, fear, culture, place, hope……………
Closure:
For this activity, I would have my students make a timeline of the events in both stories. I would pair up two students and have them create one timeline with both characters. This will help in organization of their thoughts, collaboration and serve as a visual to refer back to as they read the novel.
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