African Authors
Sharing the stories out of Africa
Independent Reading- Grade 11-12
April 2007
Connie Halks
English Department
Continuity and Change in West Africa
Winter 2006/Spring 2007
Malden High School
Malden, MA
Table of Contents
Introduction (#3)
Essential Questions (# 4-7)
Assignment (#8)
Discussion Prompts(#9-11)
Poetry work: “an african american” (#12-15)
Community Read: “Soldiers of the
Stone”(16-19)
Suggested Titles (#20-38)
Brochure Assignment (#39)
“Meet the Writers” (#40-41)
ELA and Technology Standards (#43-45)
Annotated Bibliography(#46-47)
The following assignments combine the current independent reading initiative begun
this past September, recent integration of technology both for acquisition of
information and with Publisher software, and the Primary Source “Continuity and
Change in West Africa” workshops this year.
It was impossible not to bring these three educational experiences together; the
integration of reading and technology literacies blends powerfully to make the
stories out of Africa, past and present, an important learning experience for urban
high school students today.
Briefly, the assignments follow many of the methods used by Malden’s English
teachers. The introduction with African poetry and short story, and student choice of
nonfiction and fiction fell neatly in place with current trends here.
The PowerPoint presentation provides directions and suggested reading of works set
in Africa and written by African authors. The unit assignments can be easily followed
from beginning to end using the PowerPoint slides.
Connie Halks ‘07
Read,
Write,
Think,
&
Connect
To
the World
Essential Questions
Journal Entries
•What marks the passage from
childhood to adulthood?
•How can you benefit by learning
about the people in the 54 countries
of Africa?
Problems of the world are our
problems.
We are more similar than
different.
Voices throughout the world
must be shared.
…….…The Voices and People of Africa….…...
Independent Reading Ms. Halks’s
Grade 11 & 12 - 4th Quarter
Picture Books, Photography
Books, Autobiographies,
Memoirs, Biographies, Short
Stories, Fiction
Build your knowledge about Africa
one voice at a time.
Choose your book carefully. Most titles presented
here have critical commentary, reader reviews, and
brief summaries on the Barnes and Noble site.
Ms. Musilli has collected books for you in the library.
Please, take advantage of the public library across the
street and the books I have.
Primary Sources . . .
• Develop mutual understanding.
• Improve awareness of the voices of Africa and of our
need to appreciate the stories and lives of those
around the world.
• Help us appreciate how we connect to others and
helps us recognize our responsibility to others near
and far.
Your student brochures will engage all students
about their ability to affect positive change both
locally and globally.
“We are all African under the skin.”
Dr. Spencer Wells
In the beginning, according to scientists
who have been studying human DNA, a
small, sturdy group of people walked out of
Africa. From there, human beings
eventually spread all over the earth.
from “an african american”
by Meri Nana-Ama Danquah (172-173)
open your ears
my children
and listen to this griot
talk of history
being made
i wanna tell you this story
from “an african american”
the blood which flows
through the left side of my body
is the mississippi river
every day I wake it croons
“lift every voice and sing”
the anthem of the american negro
from “an african american”
the blood which flows
through the right side of my body
is the nile river
every day I rise it screams out loud
“africa, oh africa, cry freedom
for all you children”
Take our your copy of the entire poem and dialogue with the text. Discuss interpretations
within your group.
SOAPStone Analysis
• Use your copy of the poem.
• Using the SOAPStone directions, work
with in your group to analyze the meaning
of the entire poem.
• Write a 1-2 page response in your journal
about the poem and the obvious
connections made between America and
Africa.
Memories of Sun
Edited by Jane Kurtz
Stories of Africa,
Americans in
Africa, and
Africans in
America
from “Soldiers of the Stone”
• “Kulaja Giri pointed his hand at his
head and pulled the trigger. But his
hand was empty, not holding the gun
he had tucked underneath his pillow.”
“Soldiers of the Stone”
• A young African soldier finds sanctuary in the
United States, but soon discovers the wars on
the streets here between gangs. He finally is
able to broker a small peace and help a young
Mexican boy who must also find a way to
transcend the violence that surrounds him.
Community Read
“Soldiers of the Stone”
by
Uko Bendi Udo
Read the short story carefully.
Identify: 3 quotes, 3 questions, and 3 comments.
Record these in your journal.
African authors
different countries
Universal Lessons
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Survival
Race
War
Genocide
Poverty
Mental Illness
Faith
Hope
identity
The stories out of africa
a Mosaic
of achievement, struggle,
and hope
The stories out of africa
Take place in all types of
settings and different
purposes.
Stories Out of Africa
fuel dreams & demand attention
• African women
tell their own
stories . . .
•
•
•
•
•
Poetry
Lullabies
Songs
Speeches
Fiction
Discovering where we come from and where we are going.
What do you really know about Africa?
Connecting to our shared humanity.
In pictures: Nelson Mandela comic strip
"You know you are famous when
you discover you have become a
comic book character," Nelson
Mandela joked at the launch of a
comic series about his life.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/in_pictures/4385674.stm
Love a good mystery?
Learn about the traditions and humor from this best selling
series of detective mysteries by African author Alexander
McCall Smith.
• Fictionalized account of
four generations of
West African women
• Cultures, traditions,
and dreams evolve for
Abie, the protagonist
• Each chapter can be
read separately
• Helps us understand
the struggles of Sierra
Leone
The Icarus Girl
• Written from the point
of view of an 8 year old
girl.
• Child of a Nigerian
mother and an English
father
• Blends myth, spiritual
identity, and a child’s
right of passage
What lies within our vision is
only part of the whole.
Your Future always connects
to the past & present.
"Let us break bread
and celebrate our
diversity."
Desmond Tutu comments on
Marcus Samuelsson's
African fusion cookbook.
• Achebe tells the story
of Africa before the
English and the
missionaries arrive.
• This is the universal
story of a son who
strives to dream and
succeed but who is
undone by the culture
and traditions that
have nurtured him.
• You will need to read
quickly to the end.
The stories available are painful and
remarkable. They mark an early
assent into adulthood and a faith in
the future.
Our responsibility is to face the truth
and to share the stories with others.
Make sure the story you
choose engages you and
empowers you to inspire
others. Your brochure will
share the author’s conflicts
and themes and also
information about specific
countries in Africa and
Africans.
Tri-fold Brochure
Rubric
Same as Quarter 1 & 2
• Use the brochure rubric
• Follow requirements
exactly
• Author picture and
biographical information
must be retrieved from
the internet
• Use Barnes and Noble
web site for book
summary, reader reviews
Draw your quotes from your five
dialectical journal entries, quotes,
and personal commentary.
For this brochure, add two
additional tasks:
1. Research the setting of the
book you read and provide a
separate paragraph about
this setting.
2. Take the time to write about
what you discovered about
Africa.
3. Comment on the universal
themes about growing from
childhood to adulthood as
observed from your story.
African Author Information
Is Available But Limited
Enjoy writer’s interviews
Author information is provided in
essay form and in some cases
with audio and video versions.
Alexandra Fuller
With Don't Let's Go to the Dogs
Tonight, her dazzling debut
recounting an unconventional
childhood in war-ravaged Africa,
Alexandra Fuller put a unique spin
on the traditional memoir, sharing
what is only part of her fascinating
life story. Her follow-up, Scribbling
the Cat, continues the unique look
at her life.
Read about Alexandra Fuller at
barnesandnoble.com
Discover the
WHOLE WORLD
Empower the Future
Massachusetts English Language Arts Standards
Standard 9: Making Connections
Students will deepen their understanding of a literary or non-literary work by
relating it to its contemporary context or historical background.
Standard 11: Theme
Students will identify, analyze, and apply knowledge of theme in a literary work and
provide evidence from the text to support their understanding.
11.7 – Analyze and compare texts that express a universal theme , and locate
support in the text for the identified theme.1.5Internet, Networking, and Online
Communication
Massachusetts English Language Arts Curriculum Framework
June 2001
Massachusetts English Language Arts Standards
Standard 12 : Fiction
Students will identify, analyze, and apply knowledge of the structure and elements
of fiction and provide evidence form the text to support their understaning.2. Ethics,
Society, and Safety
Standard 13: Nonfiction
Students will identify, analyze, and apply knowledge of the purpose, structure, and
elements of nonfiction or informational materials and provide evidence from the text
to support their
Standard 14: Poetry
14.6 Analyze and evaluate the appropriateness of diction and imagery
Massachusetts English Language Arts Curriculum Framework
June 2001
Massachusetts Technology Standards
Standard 1. Basic Operations and Productivity Tools
1.2 Word Processing/Desktop Publishing
1.5Internet, Networking, and Online Communication
2. Ethics, Society, and Safety
2.21 Design and implement a personal learning plan that includes the use of
technology to support lifelong learning goals.
3. Research, Problem-Solving, and Communications
3.11 Conduct research using all appropriate electronic resources
3.31 Present information, ideas, and results of work using a variety of media
and formats for appropriate audiences (e.g. newsletters, podcasts, blogs).
Massachusetts Technology Standards
Grades 9 through
12 Draft 3/25/2007
Annotated Bibliography
Barnes & Noble. The Barnes and Noble accessed 15 March 2007 from
www.barnesandnoble.com
This web site provides information for each of the titles listed on the slides. In
most cases the book information includes a brief summary, author
information,
and reader reviews. “Meet the Writers” provides biographies, and some audio and
video interviews.
Danquah, Meri Nana-Ama. “an African american.” In Memories of Sun. Ed. Jane
Kurtz. New York: Amistad/Greenwillow Books, 2004.
This poem explores the paradox of African American identity expressed by the
poet.
Halperin, Helena. I Laugh So I won’t Cry: Kenya’s Women Tell the Stories of Their
Lives. New Jersey: Africa World Press, 2005.
Halperin takes advantage of her time in Kenya to interview and introduce
the
world to the stories of the sad, reflective, and hopeful lives of Women in Africa. The
stories tell of oppression and amazing courage and the
universal concerns of
all women.
Ilibagiza, Immaculee. Left to Tell: Discovering God amidst the Rwandan Holocaust.
California: Hay House, Inc., 2006.
This is a story of slaughtered family and dreams and survival and hope.
Immaculee finds faith and God in the midst of the murder of her family and the
devastation of genocide.
Kurtz, Jane, Ed. Memories of Sun: Stories of Africa and America. New York:
Amistad/Greenwillow Books, 2004.
A wonderful collection of short stories and poetry divided in sections:
Africa; Americas in African; and Africans in America. Many wonderful,
teachable stories
Mathabane, Mark. Kaffir Boy an Autobiography: The True Story of a Black Youth’s
coming of Age in Apartheid South Africa. New York: Free Press,1986.
Mathabane shares the story of his poverty and gang wars which mark his
passage from childhood to adulthood. Again, it is the hope in the midst of
devastation that shares the horrible truth of cruelty but keeps a focus on
the future.
Ousseimi, Maria. Caught in the Crossfire: Growing up in a War Zone. New York:
Walker and Company, 1995.
Ousseimi experienced war as a child; feeling herself fortunate but conflicted,
she travels around the world to look at the lives of children
tormented by the
cruelty of adults in places including Lebanon, El
Salvador, Mozambique,
Bosnia-Herzegovina, and Washington, D. C..
Udo, Uko Bendi. “Soldiers of the Stone.” Memories of Sun, Ed. Jane Kurtz. New
York: Amistad/Greenwillow Books, 2004.
This story begins with flashbacks of the protagonist revisiting the murder
and torture he participated in. The story revolves around his confusion
about how to deal with the violence he sees around him in America.