Why did Things Fall Apart?

Today we started our discussion of why "things fell apart" for Okonkwo through an analysis of Okonkwo as a tragic hero and our multi-flow map of culture falling apart. Thanks Katherine for making the map during our discussion today.

Remember that your own multi-flow map on culture falling apart should appear on p. 23 of your notebook.

The Thinking Maps software is easy to use, so I encourage you again to do multi-flow maps for your two research paper sources. If you synthesize ideas from your sources into big ideas for a multi-flow map, not only will you get to the deeper, analytical ideas, but also you'll be better able to avoid plagiarizing information from your sources.

If you don't believe me, check out Kayna's blog post to see the way that she expertly summarized a source on Rwanda in a multi-flow map. And she has a hot link right to the original source.

If you want to try a different map for notetaking, feel free. Check out Anna C.'s blog post to see how she summarized a source in a circle map to define the conflict in Kashmir.

March 10 Media Center Activities

You should be busy and quiet all hour in the media center. Use this time to get caught up on your computer assignments and begin your research paper.

Below is a list of tasks to work on this hour. You can decide the order of importance for tasks.

1. The four students who need to finish their Nectar in a Sieve essay should start with that since the last day to turn it in will be Wednesday, March 11.
   
2. Check English 10 Edline assignments for a PowerPoint on Things Fall Apart background information. Review the PowerPoint and add new information to your webquest package and underline information that you already had on your webquest. Pick up your webquest packet from Mrs. Gens and be sure to add information in a second color so that I can assess how much you have added to increase your score. You may even end up getting extra credit on this packet. Turn in revised packets to Mrs. Gens today.
   
3. Get caught up on blog assignments, or even get ahead of them. Edline lists the quarter 3 blog assignments or simply click here for the past blog post that details them.
   
4. Use the Thinking Maps software to finally create a Thinking Map about your vocabulary word to post to your blog. Also, comment on my blog that the vocab Thinking Map is ready to be checked. Only a few students have received points for this five point assignment.
   
5. As long as you are in the library, Mac users should check out the Thinking Maps software from the librarians to load it onto your home computer.
   
6. Read over the research paper assignment on the blog and begin exploring possible topics for your group research paper. Each group will need to write about a different topic, so try to be as specific as possible. Check with your group members if they like your potential topic ideas and make sure that no other groups are also planning that topic. If you cannot solve disputes maturely and negotiate a compromise on topics, you will need to use rock/paper/scissors for conflict resolution.
   
7. If you have established a research paper topic, you may begin posting summaries of research found on your blogs. See the research paper assignment under notetaking.
   
8. For extra credit, compute the bride-price mentioned in Things Fall Apart in terms of U.S. dollars today. Get some helpful hints at this blog post.
   
9. Read and comment on your classmates' blogs.

And by the way, Happy Birthday Marcos!!

Compute Bride-Price for Extra Credit

"Akuke's bride-price was finally settled at twenty bags of cowries" (Achebe 73).

How much would that bride-price be in terms of U.S. dollars in 2009?

For extra credit, do the necessary mathematical computations and be prepared to present them to the class. Here are a few facts that will help you with your computation:

• Things Fall Apart takes place in 1900.
• You will need to determine the exchange rate of a cowrie with a U.S. dollar in 1900.
• You will need to adjust for inflation.
• Each bag contains 24,000 cowries.

Good luck! Comment here if you have the solution and are ready to present your math to the class.

Revised Reading Schedule

With Edina Unplugged Monday night and the Naviance packet due, I have revised the reading schedule for Things Fall Apart.

Come to class on Monday, March 9 having read up to page 86.

I will read to you on Monday so that you don't have homework Monday night for Edina Unplugged. I should be able to get us to page 109 so that we can continue on with the bookmark.

Here's the rest of the bookmark. The date listed is the day that you come to class with those pages read.

March 11: pages 110-135
March 12: pages 136-153
March 13: pages 154-167
March 16: pages 168-191
March 17: pages 192-209

Things Fall Apart Vocab

Click on comments for this post and let the class know that you have created a Thinking Map for your vocabulary word. Tell us the blog to visit to see the Thinking Map on the word that you did.

Create the Thinking Map with the thinking maps software (download the software for free from Edline--see blog post below). Once your map is created in Thinking Maps software, export the image as a png or jpeg file (see the file pulldown menu for the export option). Once you have the file exported/saved, then post the Thinking Map as a small image on your blog. If you post as a small image, the blog reader can then click on the image to bring it full screen to see the Thinking Map. Click on my kola nut double bubble map to see it full screen.

Remember that you can use any Thinking Map you want that illustrates or expands on your assigned vocab word. Perhaps you can made an analogy on a bridge map, define the word with a circle map, describe your word with adjectives in a bubble map, analyze the causes and effects of your word in a multi-flow map. Be creative!!

Here are the vocabulary words:

egwugwu, p. 4, a masquerader who impersonates an ancestral spirit

kola nut, p. 6, (same as cola) a nut from an African tree that contains caffeine

proverb, p. 7, a short saying that expresses some obvious truth

Oracle, p. 12, any person or place believed to be in communication with a Deity (God)

agbala, p. 13, a woman; or a man who has taken no title

malevolent, p. 13, wishing evil or harm to others, “nature, malevolent, red in tooth and claw.”

incipient, p. 13, just beginning to exist, “incipient laziness” of Nwoye

chi, p. 18, personal god

abomination, p. 18, something hateful and disgusting

tapper, p. 20, someone who taps trees to get the sap or oil

share-cropping, p. 22, a farmer who gives part of his profits to the landowner

cassava, p. 23, tuber (root starch) often used for tapioca

Ibo (Igbo), p. 27, an African people of Southeast Nigeria

bride-price, p. 40, the money paid by the groom’s family to the bride’s family

harbingers, p. 56, a person or thing that comes before to indicate what follows

effeminate, p. 58, having characteristics usually attributed to females; unmanly

plantains, p. 63, banana

ogbanje, p. 77, a child who repeatedly dies and returns to its mother to be reborn

Things Fall Apart Webquest

Next week you will be starting your next book, China Achebe's Things Fall Apart. To prepare for that unit, you will spend some time exploring background information on the novel, the author and Nigeria through a webquest.

Click here to enter the webquest and complete the worksheet that accompanies the webquest.