The following books would be appropriate to read to have a more varied view of Africa as a whole. Most deal with themes we will be discussing in our book but will help give you a view of many different authors from Africa and the diversity of the stories and storytelling. Enjoy!
Things Fall Apart- Chinua Achebe
Amazon.com
One of Chinua Achebe's many achievements in his acclaimed first novel, Things Fall Apart, is his relentlessly unsentimental rendering of Nigerian tribal life before and after the coming of colonialism. First published in 1958, just two years before Nigeria declared independence from Great Britain, the book eschews the obvious temptation of depicting pre-colonial life as a kind of Eden. Instead, Achebe sketches a world in which violence, war, and suffering exist, but are balanced by a strong sense of tradition, ritual, and social coherence. His Ibo protagonist, Okonkwo, is a self-made man. The son of a charming ne'er-do-well, he has worked all his life to overcome his father's weakness and has arrived, finally, at great prosperity and even greater reputation among his fellows in the village of Umuofia. Okonkwo is a champion wrestler, a prosperous farmer, husband to three wives and father to several children. He is also a man who exhibits flaws well-known in Greek tragedy:
Okonkwo ruled his household with a heavy hand. His wives, especially the youngest, lived in perpetual fear of his fiery temper, and so did his little children. Perhaps down in his heart Okonkwo was not a cruel man. But his whole life was dominated by fear, the fear of failure and of weakness. It was deeper and more intimate than the fear of evil and capricious gods and of magic, the fear of the forest, and of the forces of nature, malevolent, red in tooth and claw. Okonkwo's fear was greater than these. It was not external but lay deep within himself. It was the fear of himself, lest he should be found to resemble his father.
And yet Achebe manages to make this cruel man deeply sympathetic. He is fond of his eldest daughter, and also of Ikemefuna, a young boy sent from another village as compensation for the wrongful death of a young woman from Umuofia. He even begins to feel pride in his eldest son, in whom he has too often seen his own father. Unfortunately, a series of tragic events tests the mettle of this strong man, and it is his fear of weakness that ultimately undoes him.
Achebe does not introduce the theme of colonialism until the last 50 pages or so. By then, Okonkwo has lost everything and been driven into exile. And yet, within the traditions of his culture, he still has hope of redemption. The arrival of missionaries in Umuofia, however, followed by representatives of the colonial government, completely disrupts Ibo culture, and in the chasm between old ways and new, Okonkwo is lost forever. Deceptively simple in its prose, Things Fall Apart packs a powerful punch as Achebe holds up the ruin of one proud man to stand for the destruction of an entire culture. --Alix Wilber
The Number One Ladies Detective Agency- Alexander Mccall Smith
Penzler Pick, July 2001: Working in a mystery tradition that will cause genre aficionados to think of such classic sleuths as Melville Davisson Post's Uncle Abner or Robert van Gulik's Judge Dee, Alexander McCall Smith creates an African detective, Precious Ramotswe, who's their full-fledged heir.
It's the detective as folk hero, solving crimes through an innate, self-possessed wisdom that, combined with an understanding of human nature, invariably penetrates into the heart of a puzzle. If Miss Marple were fat and jolly and lived in Botswana--and decided to go against any conventional notion of what an unmarried woman should do, spending the money she got from selling her late father's cattle to set up a Ladies' Detective Agency--then you have an idea of how Precious sets herself up as her country's first female detective. Once the clients start showing up on her doorstep, Precious enjoys a pleasingly successful series of cases.
But the edge of the Kalahari is not St. Mary Mead, and the sign Precious orders, painted in brilliant colors, is anything but discreet. Pointing in the direction of the small building she had purchased to house her new business, it reads "THE NO. 1 LADIES DETECTIVE AGENCY. FOR ALL CONFIDENTIAL MATTERS AND ENQUIRIES. SATISFACTION GUARANTEED FOR ALL PARTIES. UNDER PERSONAL MANAGEMENT."
The solutions she comes up with, whether in the case of the clinic doctor with two quite different personalities (depending on the day of the week), or the man who had joined a Christian sect and seemingly vanished, or the kidnapped boy whose bones may or may not be those in a witch doctor's magic kit, are all sensible, logical, and satisfying. Smith's gently ironic tone is full of good humor towards his lively, intelligent heroine and towards her fellow Africans, who live their lives with dignity and with cautious acceptance of the confusions to which the world submits them. Precious Ramotswe is a remarkable creation, and The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency well deserves the praise it received from London's Times Literary Supplement. I look forward with great eagerness to the upcoming books featuring the memorable Miss Ramotswe, Tears of the Giraffe and Morality for Beautiful Girls, soon to be available in the U.S. --Otto Penzler
The Poisonwood Bible- Barbara Kinsolver
From Publishers Weekly
In this risky but resoundingly successful novel, Kingsolver leaves the Southwest, the setting of most of her work (The Bean Trees; Animal Dreams) and follows an evangelical Baptist minister's family to the Congo in the late 1950s, entwining their fate with that of the country during three turbulent decades. Nathan Price's determination to convert the natives of the Congo to Christianity is, we gradually discover, both foolhardy and dangerous, unsanctioned by the church administration and doomed from the start by Nathan's self-righteousness. Fanatic and sanctimonious, Nathan is a domestic monster, too, a physically and emotionally abusive, misogynistic husband and father. He refuses to understand how his obsession with river baptism affronts the traditions of the villagers of Kalinga, and his stubborn concept of religious rectitude brings misery and destruction to all. Cleverly, Kingsolver never brings us inside Nathan's head but instead unfolds the tragic story of the Price family through the alternating points of view of Orleanna Price and her four daughters. Cast with her young children into primitive conditions but trained to be obedient to her husband, Orleanna is powerless to mitigate their situation. Meanwhile, each of the four Price daughters reveals herself through first-person narration, and their rich and clearly differentiated self-portraits are small triumphs. Rachel, the eldest, is a self-absorbed teenager who will never outgrow her selfish view of the world or her tendency to commit hilarious malapropisms. Twins Leah and Adah are gifted intellectually but are physically and emotionally separated by Adah's birth injury, which has rendered her hemiplagic. Leah adores her father; Adah, who does not speak, is a shrewd observer of his monumental ego. The musings of five- year-old Ruth May reflect a child's humorous misunderstanding of the exotic world to which she has been transported. By revealing the story through the female victims of Reverend Price's hubris, Kingsolver also charts their maturation as they confront or evade moral and existential issues and, at great cost, accrue wisdom in the crucible of an alien land. It is through their eyes that we come to experience the life of the villagers in an isolated community and the particular ways in which American and African cultures collide. As the girls become acquainted with the villagers, especially the young teacher Anatole, they begin to understand the political situation in the Congo: the brutality of Belgian rule, the nascent nationalism briefly fulfilled in the election of the short-lived Patrice Lumumba government, and the secret involvement of the Eisenhower administration in Lumumba's assassination and the installation of the villainous dictator Mobutu. In the end, Kingsolver delivers a compelling family saga, a sobering picture of the horrors of fanatic fundamentalism and an insightful view of an exploited country crushed by the heel of colonialism and then ruthlessly manipulated by a bastion of democracy. The book is also a marvelous mix of trenchant character portrayal, unflagging narrative thrust and authoritative background detail. The disastrous outcome of the forceful imposition of Christian theology on indigenous natural faith gives the novel its pervasive irony; but humor is pervasive, too, artfully integrated into the children's misapprehensions of their world; and suspense rises inexorably as the Price family's peril and that of the newly independent country of Zaire intersect. Kingsolver moves into new moral terrain in this powerful, convincing and emotionally resonant novel.
Petals of Blood- Ngugi wa Thiongo
This is a multilayered and fascinating book that addresses various problems in post-independence Kenya.What starts as a murder investigation with the detention of 4 people Munira,Abdullah,Karega and Wanja goes on to reveal issues such as corruption,politics,Urbanisation,social dislocation,colonialism,the emergency period and the African elite.As the novel unfolds the lives of the 3 people murdered entwines that of the detainees in numerous ways.It is also a who dunnit.The detainees are Munira- a teacher,Abdullah-an intinerant trader,Karega- a trade unionist and Wanja a scarlet lady..It is set mainly in the rustic village of Ilmorog in Kenya that later becomes a boomtown.Ngugi tells not only the story of Kenya but that of Africa and other colonised peoples worldwide.It is indeed as relevant today as it was in 1977 when published.
I Laugh So I Won't Cry: Kenya's Women Tell The Story Of Their Lives (Paperback)
I haven't read this but it might be interesting for our novel. Use parent discretion if you want to read this one.
In I Laugh So I Won’t Cry, Kenya’s women tell their stories of love, struggle, happiness, and tragedy in their own words. I Laugh strikes a balance between intimate acquaintance and a comprehensive view. In-depth portraits allow readers to know a diverse selection of women intimately. Topical chapters feature the voices of a large range of women talking about the subjects closest to their hearts. Chapters cover: marriage, childrearing, work and getting by when there is no work, women’s self-help groups, genital cutting, ethnic tensions, and the new government that has promised huge reforms. I Laugh shows the full panorama of women’s struggles in sub-Saharan Africa without sacrificing the vivid details of individual lives. Subsistence farmers, herders, beggars, sex workers, office workers, hawkers, business executives and a few friends who stopped an ethnic war all speak in I Laugh So I Won’t Cry. I Laugh will interest readers who seek to understand the multiple realities of contemporary Africa. Excerpts from I Laugh So I Won’t Cry: On Husbands “You know, men don't like laughing with their wives. Other men will say, ‘Don't laugh with her. You are showing her that you love her too much. She will shame you. She will make you serve tea.’ So they just sit stony-faced.” “A man wouldn't like the woman to know how much money he has. If a wife asks her husband to buy something that is needed, like soap or tea, he will ask himself, ‘Now, how did she know that I have money in my pocket?’” On Education “Women who have been educated are respected. A husband knows that she is also an independent person and can do things on her own. The man is scared. He thinks maybe that if he hits her she is free to leave, but an uneducated lady is just forced to stay even if she gets problems in her marriage.” On Female Genital Cutting “Our mothers live with us. They will say it must be done. I can't disagree with my mother regarding my daughter. But for my daughter's daughter, it will change.” “There's the social pressure, even when they are very young. Because it is being done to all her friends in school, she would feel that you are denying her right. “
by Helena Halperin
Friday, December 21, 2007
Thursday, December 20, 2007
Kenya Vocab Day one and two
Kenya Vocabulary Name:____________________
Day 1
New Words:
sojourn homage resounding prostrate trudge
Candy Mountain
One of my favorite things to do, at least once a year in my dreams, is sojourn at the base of Candy Mountain with my friend “Charlie the Unicorn”. Although the path to get there is quite far and I often find myself trudging across the magical bridge, it is well worth the trip. As soon as I can view its sweet deliciousness I pay homage by sacrificing a candy cane. I then prostrate myself before the giant fountain of chocolate. If I am not too full after drinking from in the stream I climb to the gumdrop top and let out a resounding yelp of joy! Candy Mountain! Candy Mountain!
Sample sentences: Try your hand now at using your new words by writing them in their correct form (change endings if necessary) in these sentences:
1. Charlie the unicorn loved to ______________ in the meadow filled with butterflies and daisies.
2. The students paid ___________ to their teacher by always bringing him flowers.
3. After the marathon, we still had to ------_____________ across the parking lot to drive home.
4. The man was lying _______________ before the king as he asked him a favor.
5. The ______________ echo moved through the entire canyon and called all the people out of their houses.
Definitions: Match the new words with their dictionary meanings.
6. sojourn ___ a. respect paid or rendered
7. homage ___ b. a temporary stay
8. resounding ___ c. to walk laboriously or wearily
9. prostrate ___ d. (1)impressively complete (2.) utterly loud
10. trudge ___ e. lying face down on the ground, as in token of humility,
submission, or adoration.
Swahili Lesson
Jambo = Hello
Kwa Heri = Godbye
Kenya Vocabulary Name:____________________
Day 2
New Words:
Bewilder smolder incessant staunch injunction
Kenya Digit!!
Lions!! Need I say more!! Before you hear me incessantly rave about the amazing wildlife Kenya has within its borders, let me tell you more about Kenya’s culture. Home to countless cultures and ethnic groups, Kenya will bewilder and amaze you with the vastness of its diversity. In addition, think of the landscape! Can you imagine sitting beneath a starry sky as dinner smolders in the fire and the sound of elephants resound in the background? As a staunch friend of wildlife, culture, and beauty, I must insist that you visit Kenya. Think of it as an injunction!! Book your plane ticket today.
Sample sentences: Try your hand now at using your new words by writing them in their correct form (change endings if necessary) in these sentences:
1. The confusing math exam left me in a ________________ state.
2. The judge declared an ______________ on the striking airline pilots and forced them to return to work.
3. The student was a _____________ critic of the new no-sugar policy. He protested against it every lunch hour with picket signs.
4. Crickets kept me awake all of last night with their ______________ chirping.
5. The jealous opponent’s anger ______________ all year long as he plotted his revenge.
Definitions: Match the new words with their dictionary meanings.
6. bewilder ___ a. to exist in a suppressed state
7. smolder ___ b. to confuse or puzzle
8. incessant ___ c. strong, steadfast, loyal
9. staunch ___ d. a command or order
10. injunction ___ e. continuing without interruption
Swahili Lesson
Hujambo? How do you do?
Njembe Fine
Day 1
New Words:
sojourn homage resounding prostrate trudge
Candy Mountain
One of my favorite things to do, at least once a year in my dreams, is sojourn at the base of Candy Mountain with my friend “Charlie the Unicorn”. Although the path to get there is quite far and I often find myself trudging across the magical bridge, it is well worth the trip. As soon as I can view its sweet deliciousness I pay homage by sacrificing a candy cane. I then prostrate myself before the giant fountain of chocolate. If I am not too full after drinking from in the stream I climb to the gumdrop top and let out a resounding yelp of joy! Candy Mountain! Candy Mountain!
Sample sentences: Try your hand now at using your new words by writing them in their correct form (change endings if necessary) in these sentences:
1. Charlie the unicorn loved to ______________ in the meadow filled with butterflies and daisies.
2. The students paid ___________ to their teacher by always bringing him flowers.
3. After the marathon, we still had to ------_____________ across the parking lot to drive home.
4. The man was lying _______________ before the king as he asked him a favor.
5. The ______________ echo moved through the entire canyon and called all the people out of their houses.
Definitions: Match the new words with their dictionary meanings.
6. sojourn ___ a. respect paid or rendered
7. homage ___ b. a temporary stay
8. resounding ___ c. to walk laboriously or wearily
9. prostrate ___ d. (1)impressively complete (2.) utterly loud
10. trudge ___ e. lying face down on the ground, as in token of humility,
submission, or adoration.
Swahili Lesson
Jambo = Hello
Kwa Heri = Godbye
Kenya Vocabulary Name:____________________
Day 2
New Words:
Bewilder smolder incessant staunch injunction
Kenya Digit!!
Lions!! Need I say more!! Before you hear me incessantly rave about the amazing wildlife Kenya has within its borders, let me tell you more about Kenya’s culture. Home to countless cultures and ethnic groups, Kenya will bewilder and amaze you with the vastness of its diversity. In addition, think of the landscape! Can you imagine sitting beneath a starry sky as dinner smolders in the fire and the sound of elephants resound in the background? As a staunch friend of wildlife, culture, and beauty, I must insist that you visit Kenya. Think of it as an injunction!! Book your plane ticket today.
Sample sentences: Try your hand now at using your new words by writing them in their correct form (change endings if necessary) in these sentences:
1. The confusing math exam left me in a ________________ state.
2. The judge declared an ______________ on the striking airline pilots and forced them to return to work.
3. The student was a _____________ critic of the new no-sugar policy. He protested against it every lunch hour with picket signs.
4. Crickets kept me awake all of last night with their ______________ chirping.
5. The jealous opponent’s anger ______________ all year long as he plotted his revenge.
Definitions: Match the new words with their dictionary meanings.
6. bewilder ___ a. to exist in a suppressed state
7. smolder ___ b. to confuse or puzzle
8. incessant ___ c. strong, steadfast, loyal
9. staunch ___ d. a command or order
10. injunction ___ e. continuing without interruption
Swahili Lesson
Hujambo? How do you do?
Njembe Fine
Nyambura Character Sheet
Name:________________________
Invitation:
You are invited to a costume tea party next class. We will provide tea and finger food, but you will be the life of the party. Sharpen you acting skills, find a fitting costume if you like, but you must transform into a character from The River Between.
Specific Instructions
1. Know your info
You are to become the character described below. Please know the information about yourself- get into character enough- so that you can mingle with the other characters and share the valuable information. Note: your classmates are depending on you, and only you, for information about this character. You will not be able to read/refer to the information once the party begins.
Nyambura
I am the daughter of Joshua. I am quiet and have long dark hair. I want to please my father and believe like he does, but his beliefs are like the white man’s and do not leave room for our tribal traditions. I am close to my younger sister, but I am afraid for her. She is strong-willed and wants things that our father would not approve. Even though my father hates Waiyaki, I am in love with him.
2. Name tag
Please make a name tag that you will wear during the party and turn in afterward. The tag must include your character’s name written clearly and must have a symbol or drawing that represents the character. Bonus points will be awarded if the tag is exceptionally well done.
3. Brief Prediction
As your character, answer the following question on the back of your name tag in a sentence or two-MAX!
Q: Your sister is thinking about running away from home because of your strict father. How will he advise her?
Invitation:
You are invited to a costume tea party next class. We will provide tea and finger food, but you will be the life of the party. Sharpen you acting skills, find a fitting costume if you like, but you must transform into a character from The River Between.
Specific Instructions
1. Know your info
You are to become the character described below. Please know the information about yourself- get into character enough- so that you can mingle with the other characters and share the valuable information. Note: your classmates are depending on you, and only you, for information about this character. You will not be able to read/refer to the information once the party begins.
Nyambura
I am the daughter of Joshua. I am quiet and have long dark hair. I want to please my father and believe like he does, but his beliefs are like the white man’s and do not leave room for our tribal traditions. I am close to my younger sister, but I am afraid for her. She is strong-willed and wants things that our father would not approve. Even though my father hates Waiyaki, I am in love with him.
2. Name tag
Please make a name tag that you will wear during the party and turn in afterward. The tag must include your character’s name written clearly and must have a symbol or drawing that represents the character. Bonus points will be awarded if the tag is exceptionally well done.
3. Brief Prediction
As your character, answer the following question on the back of your name tag in a sentence or two-MAX!
Q: Your sister is thinking about running away from home because of your strict father. How will he advise her?
Muthoni Character Sheet
Name:________________________
Invitation:
You are invited to a costume tea party next class. We will provide tea and finger food, but you will be the life of the party. Sharpen you acting skills, find a fitting costume if you like, but you must transform into a character from The River Between.
Specific Instructions
1. Know your info
You are to become the character described below. Please know the information about yourself- get into character enough- so that you can mingle with the other characters and share the valuable information. Note: your classmates are depending on you, and only you, for information about this character. You will not be able to read/refer to the information once the party begins.
Muthoni
I am Joshua’s daughter and the younger sister of Nyambura. I want to be a woman…. a real woman in the ways of our tribe. I have embraced the white man’s faith, but I believe in tribal customs. The white man’s God does not quite satisfy what I believe about the world. I am torn between tradition and Christianity.
2. Name tag
Please make a name tag that you will wear during the party and turn in afterward. The tag must include your character’s name written clearly and must have a symbol or drawing that represents the character. Bonus points will be awarded if the tag is exceptionally well done.
3. Brief Prediction
As your character, answer the following question on the back of your name tag in a sentence or two-MAX!
Q: How might you make peace with your desires to embrace both Tribal tradition and Chrisitanity?
Invitation:
You are invited to a costume tea party next class. We will provide tea and finger food, but you will be the life of the party. Sharpen you acting skills, find a fitting costume if you like, but you must transform into a character from The River Between.
Specific Instructions
1. Know your info
You are to become the character described below. Please know the information about yourself- get into character enough- so that you can mingle with the other characters and share the valuable information. Note: your classmates are depending on you, and only you, for information about this character. You will not be able to read/refer to the information once the party begins.
Muthoni
I am Joshua’s daughter and the younger sister of Nyambura. I want to be a woman…. a real woman in the ways of our tribe. I have embraced the white man’s faith, but I believe in tribal customs. The white man’s God does not quite satisfy what I believe about the world. I am torn between tradition and Christianity.
2. Name tag
Please make a name tag that you will wear during the party and turn in afterward. The tag must include your character’s name written clearly and must have a symbol or drawing that represents the character. Bonus points will be awarded if the tag is exceptionally well done.
3. Brief Prediction
As your character, answer the following question on the back of your name tag in a sentence or two-MAX!
Q: How might you make peace with your desires to embrace both Tribal tradition and Chrisitanity?
Miriamu CHaracter Sheet
Name:________________________
Invitation:
You are invited to a costume tea party next class. We will provide tea and finger food, but you will be the life of the party. Sharpen you acting skills, find a fitting costume if you like, but you must transform into a character from The River Between.
Specific Instructions
1. Know your info
You are to become the character described below. Please know the information about yourself- get into character enough- so that you can mingle with the other characters and share the valuable information. Note: your classmates are depending on you, and only you, for information about this character. You will not be able to read/refer to the information once the party begins.
Miriamu
I am a peace-loving person. I am trying to be a good obedient Christian wife to Joshua, but he asks me to reject my daughter because he thinks she is following Satan. My heart is breaking. Inside of me, the true Gikuyu woman is sleeping.
2. Name tag
Please make a name tag that you will wear during the party and turn in afterward. The tag must include your character’s name written clearly and must have a symbol or drawing that represents the character. Bonus points will be awarded if the tag is exceptionally well done.
3. Brief Prediction
As your character, answer the following question on the back of your name tag in a sentence or two-MAX!
Q: Will you find the courage to stand up to your husband?
Invitation:
You are invited to a costume tea party next class. We will provide tea and finger food, but you will be the life of the party. Sharpen you acting skills, find a fitting costume if you like, but you must transform into a character from The River Between.
Specific Instructions
1. Know your info
You are to become the character described below. Please know the information about yourself- get into character enough- so that you can mingle with the other characters and share the valuable information. Note: your classmates are depending on you, and only you, for information about this character. You will not be able to read/refer to the information once the party begins.
Miriamu
I am a peace-loving person. I am trying to be a good obedient Christian wife to Joshua, but he asks me to reject my daughter because he thinks she is following Satan. My heart is breaking. Inside of me, the true Gikuyu woman is sleeping.
2. Name tag
Please make a name tag that you will wear during the party and turn in afterward. The tag must include your character’s name written clearly and must have a symbol or drawing that represents the character. Bonus points will be awarded if the tag is exceptionally well done.
3. Brief Prediction
As your character, answer the following question on the back of your name tag in a sentence or two-MAX!
Q: Will you find the courage to stand up to your husband?
Livingston Character Sheet
Name:________________________
Invitation:
You are invited to a costume tea party next class. We will provide tea and finger food, but you will be the life of the party. Sharpen you acting skills, find a fitting costume if you like, but you must transform into a character from The River Between.
Specific Instructions
1. Know your info
You are to become the character described below. Please know the information about yourself- get into character enough- so that you can mingle with the other characters and share the valuable information. Note: your classmates are depending on you, and only you, for information about this character. You will not be able to read/refer to the information once the party begins.
Livingstone
I am a white man. I am a missionary. I have brought the word of God to Joshua’s village. I was disgusted by their suggestive dances and traditional rituals. They needed to see the light that Jesus offers them. Joshua now continues to spread the word….he continues my work. I occasionally visit the hills to give new life and energy to my followers.
2. Name tag
Please make a name tag that you will wear during the party and turn in afterward. The tag must include your character’s name written clearly and must have a symbol or drawing that represents the character. Bonus points will be awarded if the tag is exceptionally well done.
3. Brief Prediction
As your character, answer the following question on the back of your name tag in a sentence or two-MAX!
Q: You have been invited to a tribal ceremony, would you accept the ceremony?
Invitation:
You are invited to a costume tea party next class. We will provide tea and finger food, but you will be the life of the party. Sharpen you acting skills, find a fitting costume if you like, but you must transform into a character from The River Between.
Specific Instructions
1. Know your info
You are to become the character described below. Please know the information about yourself- get into character enough- so that you can mingle with the other characters and share the valuable information. Note: your classmates are depending on you, and only you, for information about this character. You will not be able to read/refer to the information once the party begins.
Livingstone
I am a white man. I am a missionary. I have brought the word of God to Joshua’s village. I was disgusted by their suggestive dances and traditional rituals. They needed to see the light that Jesus offers them. Joshua now continues to spread the word….he continues my work. I occasionally visit the hills to give new life and energy to my followers.
2. Name tag
Please make a name tag that you will wear during the party and turn in afterward. The tag must include your character’s name written clearly and must have a symbol or drawing that represents the character. Bonus points will be awarded if the tag is exceptionally well done.
3. Brief Prediction
As your character, answer the following question on the back of your name tag in a sentence or two-MAX!
Q: You have been invited to a tribal ceremony, would you accept the ceremony?
Kinuthia Character Sheet
Name:________________________
Invitation:
You are invited to a costume tea party next class. We will provide tea and finger food, but you will be the life of the party. Sharpen you acting skills, find a fitting costume if you like, but you must transform into a character from The River Between.
Specific Instructions
1. Know your info
You are to become the character described below. Please know the information about yourself- get into character enough- so that you can mingle with the other characters and share the valuable information. Note: your classmates are depending on you, and only you, for information about this character. You will not be able to read/refer to the information once the party begins.
Kinuthia
I am a man with slow and wide eyes, a smooth forehead and big muscles. I live with my uncle in a village beyond the two ridges. My father died when I was very young. I am a friend of Waiyaki and fellow teacher in Waiyaki’s school. I fear for Waiyaki’s safety, but I will try to stand by him.
2. Name tag
Please make a name tag that you will wear during the party and turn in afterward. The tag must include your character’s name written clearly and must have a symbol or drawing that represents the character. Bonus points will be awarded if the tag is exceptionally well done.
3. Brief Prediction
As your character, answer the following question on the back of your name tag in a sentence or two-MAX!
Q: You have overheard talk that one of the elders wants to hurt your friend Waiyaki. Will you help him?
Invitation:
You are invited to a costume tea party next class. We will provide tea and finger food, but you will be the life of the party. Sharpen you acting skills, find a fitting costume if you like, but you must transform into a character from The River Between.
Specific Instructions
1. Know your info
You are to become the character described below. Please know the information about yourself- get into character enough- so that you can mingle with the other characters and share the valuable information. Note: your classmates are depending on you, and only you, for information about this character. You will not be able to read/refer to the information once the party begins.
Kinuthia
I am a man with slow and wide eyes, a smooth forehead and big muscles. I live with my uncle in a village beyond the two ridges. My father died when I was very young. I am a friend of Waiyaki and fellow teacher in Waiyaki’s school. I fear for Waiyaki’s safety, but I will try to stand by him.
2. Name tag
Please make a name tag that you will wear during the party and turn in afterward. The tag must include your character’s name written clearly and must have a symbol or drawing that represents the character. Bonus points will be awarded if the tag is exceptionally well done.
3. Brief Prediction
As your character, answer the following question on the back of your name tag in a sentence or two-MAX!
Q: You have overheard talk that one of the elders wants to hurt your friend Waiyaki. Will you help him?
Kamau Character Sheet
Name:________________________
Invitation:
You are invited to a costume tea party next class. We will provide tea and finger food, but you will be the life of the party. Sharpen you acting skills, find a fitting costume if you like, but you must transform into a character from The River Between.
Specific Instructions
1. Know your info
You are to become the character described below. Please know the information about yourself- get into character enough- so that you can mingle with the other characters and share the valuable information. Note: your classmates are depending on you, and only you, for information about this character. You will not be able to read/refer to the information once the party begins.
Kamau
I am the son of Kabonyi. I am tall and I have an unusually long neck. I grew up to despise Waiyaki. My father believes that I, not Waiyaki, would be the best leader of our people. I want the woman who loves Waiyaki. I will do whatever I must to take her away from him, and I will try to destroy him.
2. Name tag
Please make a name tag that you will wear during the party and turn in afterward. The tag must include your character’s name written clearly and must have a symbol or drawing that represents the character. Bonus points will be awarded if the tag is exceptionally well done.
3. Brief Prediction
As your character, answer the following question on the back of your name tag in a sentence or two-MAX!
Q: You happen to see Waiyaki and Nyambura making out in the bushes. What will you do?
Invitation:
You are invited to a costume tea party next class. We will provide tea and finger food, but you will be the life of the party. Sharpen you acting skills, find a fitting costume if you like, but you must transform into a character from The River Between.
Specific Instructions
1. Know your info
You are to become the character described below. Please know the information about yourself- get into character enough- so that you can mingle with the other characters and share the valuable information. Note: your classmates are depending on you, and only you, for information about this character. You will not be able to read/refer to the information once the party begins.
Kamau
I am the son of Kabonyi. I am tall and I have an unusually long neck. I grew up to despise Waiyaki. My father believes that I, not Waiyaki, would be the best leader of our people. I want the woman who loves Waiyaki. I will do whatever I must to take her away from him, and I will try to destroy him.
2. Name tag
Please make a name tag that you will wear during the party and turn in afterward. The tag must include your character’s name written clearly and must have a symbol or drawing that represents the character. Bonus points will be awarded if the tag is exceptionally well done.
3. Brief Prediction
As your character, answer the following question on the back of your name tag in a sentence or two-MAX!
Q: You happen to see Waiyaki and Nyambura making out in the bushes. What will you do?
Kabonyi Character Sheet
Name:________________________
Invitation:
You are invited to a costume tea party next class. We will provide tea and finger food, but you will be the life of the party. Sharpen you acting skills, find a fitting costume if you like, but you must transform into a character from The River Between.
Specific Instructions
1. Know your info
You are to become the character described below. Please know the information about yourself- get into character enough- so that you can mingle with the other characters and share the valuable information. Note: your classmates are depending on you, and only you, for information about this character. You will not be able to read/refer to the information once the party begins.
Kabonyi
I converted to Christianity. I see Waiyaki as a boy with silly ideas. I broke away from tradition and then changed my mind. I want my son to be a leader more than anything. I am jealous of Waiyaki and the respect he receives from our people. I want that respect. I will rid my tribe of the white man’s ways and restore the purity of wisdom from our old ways.
2. Name tag
Please make a name tag that you will wear during the party and turn in afterward. The tag must include your character’s name written clearly and must have a symbol or drawing that represents the character. Bonus points will be awarded if the tag is exceptionally well done.
3. Brief Prediction
As your character, answer the following question on the back of your name tag in a sentence or two-MAX!
Q: You want your son to become the next leader of the tribe. Would you go so far as to commit violence to make this happen?
Invitation:
You are invited to a costume tea party next class. We will provide tea and finger food, but you will be the life of the party. Sharpen you acting skills, find a fitting costume if you like, but you must transform into a character from The River Between.
Specific Instructions
1. Know your info
You are to become the character described below. Please know the information about yourself- get into character enough- so that you can mingle with the other characters and share the valuable information. Note: your classmates are depending on you, and only you, for information about this character. You will not be able to read/refer to the information once the party begins.
Kabonyi
I converted to Christianity. I see Waiyaki as a boy with silly ideas. I broke away from tradition and then changed my mind. I want my son to be a leader more than anything. I am jealous of Waiyaki and the respect he receives from our people. I want that respect. I will rid my tribe of the white man’s ways and restore the purity of wisdom from our old ways.
2. Name tag
Please make a name tag that you will wear during the party and turn in afterward. The tag must include your character’s name written clearly and must have a symbol or drawing that represents the character. Bonus points will be awarded if the tag is exceptionally well done.
3. Brief Prediction
As your character, answer the following question on the back of your name tag in a sentence or two-MAX!
Q: You want your son to become the next leader of the tribe. Would you go so far as to commit violence to make this happen?
Joshua Character Sheet
Name:________________________
Invitation:
You are invited to a costume tea party next class. We will provide tea and finger food, but you will be the life of the party. Sharpen you acting skills, find a fitting costume if you like, but you must transform into a character from The River Between.
Specific Instructions
1. Know your info
You are to become the character described below. Please know the information about yourself- get into character enough- so that you can mingle with the other characters and share the valuable information. Note: your classmates are depending on you, and only you, for information about this character. You will not be able to read/refer to the information once the party begins.
Joshua
I am a powerful man. My words are the words of the Christian God. I bring the possibility of salvation to these heathen savages. I carry on the work of God that Livingstone started in my village. I speak in sharp ringing tones of power and knowledge. I was one of the first people of my village to be converted to the new faith when I learned to read and write with the white man’s help. I have realized the ignorance of my people and I feel the depth and darkness in which they live. I love my daughter, Nyambura, but she is pulling away from me.
2. Name tag
Please make a name tag that you will wear during the party and turn in afterward. The tag must include your character’s name written clearly and must have a symbol or drawing that represents the character. Bonus points will be awarded if the tag is exceptionally well done.
3. Brief Prediction
As your character, answer the following question on the back of your name tag in a sentence or two-MAX!
Q: There has been a rumor that your daughter has participated in a tribal ceremony. How would you deal with the situation?
Invitation:
You are invited to a costume tea party next class. We will provide tea and finger food, but you will be the life of the party. Sharpen you acting skills, find a fitting costume if you like, but you must transform into a character from The River Between.
Specific Instructions
1. Know your info
You are to become the character described below. Please know the information about yourself- get into character enough- so that you can mingle with the other characters and share the valuable information. Note: your classmates are depending on you, and only you, for information about this character. You will not be able to read/refer to the information once the party begins.
Joshua
I am a powerful man. My words are the words of the Christian God. I bring the possibility of salvation to these heathen savages. I carry on the work of God that Livingstone started in my village. I speak in sharp ringing tones of power and knowledge. I was one of the first people of my village to be converted to the new faith when I learned to read and write with the white man’s help. I have realized the ignorance of my people and I feel the depth and darkness in which they live. I love my daughter, Nyambura, but she is pulling away from me.
2. Name tag
Please make a name tag that you will wear during the party and turn in afterward. The tag must include your character’s name written clearly and must have a symbol or drawing that represents the character. Bonus points will be awarded if the tag is exceptionally well done.
3. Brief Prediction
As your character, answer the following question on the back of your name tag in a sentence or two-MAX!
Q: There has been a rumor that your daughter has participated in a tribal ceremony. How would you deal with the situation?
Chege Character Sheet
Name:________________________
Invitation:
You are invited to a costume tea party next class. We will provide tea and finger food, but you will be the life of the party. Sharpen you acting skills, find a fitting costume if you like, but you must transform into a character from The River Between.
Specific Instructions
1. Know your info
You are to become the character described below. Please know the information about yourself- get into character enough- so that you can mingle with the other characters and share the valuable information. Note: your classmates are depending on you, and only you, for information about this character. You will not be able to read/refer to the information once the party begins.
Chege
I am the father of Waiyaki. I am a descendant of our tribal ancestors. It has been my duty to prepare my son for his role as a leader of our people. I am a well-known elder. Some people in my village say I have the gift of magic. Others say that I am a seer of the future. Our tribal god, Murungu, spoke to me in a dream. He told me of the white man and what will come of our people. I will tell what appeared o me in my dream….this is my responsibility and my calling, but the people may not ehar me.
2. Name tag
Please make a name tag that you will wear during the party and turn in afterward. The tag must include your character’s name written clearly and must have a symbol or drawing that represents the character. Bonus points will be awarded if the tag is exceptionally well done.
3. Brief Prediction
As your character, answer the following question on the back of your name tag in a sentence or two-MAX!
Q: There is an opening at the new Christian hill school. Will you enroll you son Waiyaki?
Invitation:
You are invited to a costume tea party next class. We will provide tea and finger food, but you will be the life of the party. Sharpen you acting skills, find a fitting costume if you like, but you must transform into a character from The River Between.
Specific Instructions
1. Know your info
You are to become the character described below. Please know the information about yourself- get into character enough- so that you can mingle with the other characters and share the valuable information. Note: your classmates are depending on you, and only you, for information about this character. You will not be able to read/refer to the information once the party begins.
Chege
I am the father of Waiyaki. I am a descendant of our tribal ancestors. It has been my duty to prepare my son for his role as a leader of our people. I am a well-known elder. Some people in my village say I have the gift of magic. Others say that I am a seer of the future. Our tribal god, Murungu, spoke to me in a dream. He told me of the white man and what will come of our people. I will tell what appeared o me in my dream….this is my responsibility and my calling, but the people may not ehar me.
2. Name tag
Please make a name tag that you will wear during the party and turn in afterward. The tag must include your character’s name written clearly and must have a symbol or drawing that represents the character. Bonus points will be awarded if the tag is exceptionally well done.
3. Brief Prediction
As your character, answer the following question on the back of your name tag in a sentence or two-MAX!
Q: There is an opening at the new Christian hill school. Will you enroll you son Waiyaki?
Waiyaki Character SHeet
Name:________________________
Invitation:
You are invited to a costume tea party next class. We will provide tea and finger food, but you will be the life of the party. Sharpen you acting skills, find a fitting costume if you like, but you must transform into a character from The River Between.
Specific Instructions
1. Know your info
You are to become the character described below. Please know the information about yourself- get into character enough- so that you can mingle with the other characters and share the valuable information. Note: your classmates are depending on you, and only you, for information about this character. You will not be able to read/refer to the information once the party begins.
Waiyaki
I am the main character, and I grow from a boy into a man during this story. I believe I am a chosen leader for my people. They call me “The Teacher”. However, I am torn between the traditional ways of my people and the magic of the white man. My eyes are what I often use instead of words to communicate. Some people have said that I have the eyes of my father….they remain young as I grow older. I am in love with Nyambura, a girl from the village across the river. Her father hates me.
2. Name tag
Please make a name tag that you will wear during the party and turn in afterward. The tag must include your character’s name written clearly and must have a symbol or drawing that represents the character. Bonus points will be awarded if the tag is exceptionally well done.
3. Brief Prediction
As your character, answer the following question on the back of your name tag in a sentence or two-MAX!
Q: Nyambura has invited you to a church social. Will you go?
Invitation:
You are invited to a costume tea party next class. We will provide tea and finger food, but you will be the life of the party. Sharpen you acting skills, find a fitting costume if you like, but you must transform into a character from The River Between.
Specific Instructions
1. Know your info
You are to become the character described below. Please know the information about yourself- get into character enough- so that you can mingle with the other characters and share the valuable information. Note: your classmates are depending on you, and only you, for information about this character. You will not be able to read/refer to the information once the party begins.
Waiyaki
I am the main character, and I grow from a boy into a man during this story. I believe I am a chosen leader for my people. They call me “The Teacher”. However, I am torn between the traditional ways of my people and the magic of the white man. My eyes are what I often use instead of words to communicate. Some people have said that I have the eyes of my father….they remain young as I grow older. I am in love with Nyambura, a girl from the village across the river. Her father hates me.
2. Name tag
Please make a name tag that you will wear during the party and turn in afterward. The tag must include your character’s name written clearly and must have a symbol or drawing that represents the character. Bonus points will be awarded if the tag is exceptionally well done.
3. Brief Prediction
As your character, answer the following question on the back of your name tag in a sentence or two-MAX!
Q: Nyambura has invited you to a church social. Will you go?
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Kenyan Penpal
Here is a link for penpals. Please try to find someone close to your age. Bring in a copy of you correspondence and you will receive extra credit.
http://www.studentsoftheworld.info/penpals/penpal_ads.php?Pays_Choisi=KEN
http://www.studentsoftheworld.info/penpals/penpal_ads.php?Pays_Choisi=KEN
Peer Edit Australia Essay
PEER EDIT: Writer’s name:________________
Peer Editor Name:_________________________
1. What question is the paper answering? ___________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
2. Does the hook grab the reader’s attention and fit the paper?______________________
3. Write the full thesis here: ________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
4. Does the author mention the stories they will be using for support in the introduction and the thesis?_________________________________
5. Is the thesis an opinion that fully answers this question?________________________
6. Does the thesis have a blueprint that outlines the argument? _____________________
7. Please list the three assertions that are in the blueprint:
a)
b)
c)
8. Look at each assertion/ topic sentence. List them each here fully.
a)
b)
c)
9. Does the blueprint follow the order and statements of the assertion statements?_______________. If not, circle the ones that do not fit.
10. Do the assertions clearly connect to the thesis (the main argument)? ___________________________________________
7. Are the assertions opinions that answer the overall question?
#1 yes/ no (explain)
#2 yes/ no (explain)
#3 yes/no (explain)
8. Are there transitions between each paragraph?
9. Does the author use at least two stories to clearly back up their point?
10. Is the argument clearly backed by the facts, examples, and explanations? Write one thing they could add for each assertion.
#1___________________________________________________________________
#2___________________________________________________________________
#3___________________________________________________________________
11. Find one place where the author could have used a quote? List the assertions and how it could be used.
12. Does all the support in each assertion back up the assertion statement?
List any sentences that do not.
13. Does the author use first person (I, you, we)? If yes, how can they change the sentence to take this out?
Peer Editor Name:_________________________
1. What question is the paper answering? ___________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
2. Does the hook grab the reader’s attention and fit the paper?______________________
3. Write the full thesis here: ________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
4. Does the author mention the stories they will be using for support in the introduction and the thesis?_________________________________
5. Is the thesis an opinion that fully answers this question?________________________
6. Does the thesis have a blueprint that outlines the argument? _____________________
7. Please list the three assertions that are in the blueprint:
a)
b)
c)
8. Look at each assertion/ topic sentence. List them each here fully.
a)
b)
c)
9. Does the blueprint follow the order and statements of the assertion statements?_______________. If not, circle the ones that do not fit.
10. Do the assertions clearly connect to the thesis (the main argument)? ___________________________________________
7. Are the assertions opinions that answer the overall question?
#1 yes/ no (explain)
#2 yes/ no (explain)
#3 yes/no (explain)
8. Are there transitions between each paragraph?
9. Does the author use at least two stories to clearly back up their point?
10. Is the argument clearly backed by the facts, examples, and explanations? Write one thing they could add for each assertion.
#1___________________________________________________________________
#2___________________________________________________________________
#3___________________________________________________________________
11. Find one place where the author could have used a quote? List the assertions and how it could be used.
12. Does all the support in each assertion back up the assertion statement?
List any sentences that do not.
13. Does the author use first person (I, you, we)? If yes, how can they change the sentence to take this out?
Monday, December 3, 2007
"Enri-Enri" study guide
Global Literature: Australia Name:________________
“Enri- Enri and the Kookaburra”
1. Who is the main character? What was his life like before he came to the outback?
2. What is the symbolic significance of the shedding of the clothes and the watch?
3. What does the main character hope to accomplish there?
4. Why do the aborigines laugh at Henry when they first see him?
5. How does Enri earn his name?
6. Show three ways in which Henry becomes part of the Aboriginal community:
a.
b.
c.
7. The author illustrates two very different lifestyles in this story. What aspects of aboriginal life does the author prefer to Henry’s old life. Explain his reasoning.
8. How comfortable would you be in Enri’s situation? What would you miss about your old life & how would your life improve?
9. List two philosophical (deep questions about life) questions the author poses in this story. Then answer the question from the author’s point of view.
“Enri- Enri and the Kookaburra”
1. Who is the main character? What was his life like before he came to the outback?
2. What is the symbolic significance of the shedding of the clothes and the watch?
3. What does the main character hope to accomplish there?
4. Why do the aborigines laugh at Henry when they first see him?
5. How does Enri earn his name?
6. Show three ways in which Henry becomes part of the Aboriginal community:
a.
b.
c.
7. The author illustrates two very different lifestyles in this story. What aspects of aboriginal life does the author prefer to Henry’s old life. Explain his reasoning.
8. How comfortable would you be in Enri’s situation? What would you miss about your old life & how would your life improve?
9. List two philosophical (deep questions about life) questions the author poses in this story. Then answer the question from the author’s point of view.
Friday, November 30, 2007
The Chosen Vessel- story
THE CHOSEN VESSEL.
She laid the stick and her baby on the grass while she untied the rope
that tethered the calf. The length of the rope separated them. The cow
was near the calf, and both were lying down. Feed along the creek was
plentiful, and every day she found a fresh place to tether it, since
tether it she must, for if she did not, it would stray with the cow
out on the plain. She had plenty of time to go after it, but then there
was baby; and if the cow turned on her out on the plain, and she with
baby--she had been a town girl and was afraid of the cow, but she did
not want the cow to know it. She used to run at first when it bellowed
its protest against the penning up of its calf. This satisfied the cow,
also the calf, but the woman's husband was angry, and called her--the
noun was cur. It was he who forced her to run and meet the advancing
cow, brandishing a stick, and uttering threatening words till
the enemy turned and ran. "That's the way!" the man said, laughing at
her white face. In many things he was worse than the cow, and she
wondered if the same rule would apply to the man, but she was not one
to provoke skirmishes even with the cow.
It was early for the calf to go "to bed"--nearly an hour earlier than
usual; but she had felt so restless all day. Partly because it was
Monday, and the end of the week that would bring her and baby the
companionship of its father, was so far off. He was a shearer, and had
gone to his shed before daylight that morning. Fifteen miles as the
crow flies separated them.
There was a track in front of the house, for it had once been a wine
shanty, and a few travellers passed along at intervals. She was not
afraid of horsemen; but swagmen, going to, or worse, coming from the
dismal, drunken little township, a day's journey beyond, terrified her.
One had called at the house today, and asked for tucker.
Ah! that was why she had penned up the calf so early! She feared more
from the look of his eyes, and the gleam of his teeth, as he
watched her newly awakened baby beat its impatient fists upon her
covered breasts, than from the knife that was sheathed in the belt at
his waist.
She had given him bread and meat. Her husband, she told him, was sick.
She always said that when she was alone, and a swagman came, and she
had gone in from the kitchen to the bedroom, and asked questions and
replied to them in the best man's voice she could assume Then he had
asked to go into the kitchen to boil his billy, but she gave him tea,
and he drank it on the wood-heap. He had walked round and round the
house, and there were cracks in some places, and after the last time he
had asked for tobacco. She had none to give him, and he had grinned,
because there was a broken clay pipe near the wood-heap where he stood,
and if there were a man inside, there ought to have been tobacco. Then
he asked for money, but women in the bush never have money.
At last he had gone, and she, watching through the cracks, saw him when
about a quarter of a mile away, turn and look back at the
house. He had stood so for some moments with a pretence of fixing his
swag, and then, apparently satisfied, moved to the left towards the
creek. The creek made a bow round the house, and when he came to it she
lost sight of him. Hours after, watching intently for signs of smoke,
she saw the man's dog chasing some sheep that had gone to the creek for
water, and saw it slink back suddenly, as if the man had called it.
More than once she thought of taking her baby and going to her husband.
But in the past, when she had dared to speak of the dangers to which
her loneliness exposed her, he had taunted and sneered at her. She need
not flatter herself, he had coarsely told her, that anybody would want
to run away with her.
Long before nightfall she placed food on the kitchen table, and beside
it laid the big brooch that had been her mother's. It was the only
thing of value that she had. And she left the kitchen door wide open.
The doors inside she securely fastened. Beside the bolt in the back one
she drove in the steel and scissors; against it she piled the table and
the stools. Underneath the lock of the front door she forced
the handle of the spade, and the blade between the cracks in the
flooring boards. Then the prop-stick, cut into lengths, held the top,
as the spade held the middle. The windows were little more than
portholes; she had nothing to fear through them.
She ate a few mouthfuls of food and drank a cup of milk. But she
lighted no fire, and when night came, no candle, but crept with her
baby to bed.
What woke her? The wonder was that she had slept--she had not meant
to. But she was young, very young. Perhaps the shrinking of the
galvanized roof--yet hardly, since that was so usual. Something had
set her heart beating wildly; but she lay quite still, only she put her
arm over her baby. Then she had both round it, and she prayed, "Little
baby, little baby, don't wake!"
The moon's rays shone on the front of the house, and she saw one of the
open cracks, quite close to where she lay, darken with a shadow. Then a
protesting growl reached her; and she could fancy she heard the man
turn hastily. She plainly heard the thud of something striking the
dog's ribs, and the long flying strides of the animal as it
howled and ran. Still watching, she saw the shadow darken every crack
along the wall. She knew by the sounds that the man was trying every
standpoint that might help him to see in; but how much he saw she could
not tell. She thought of many things she might do to deceive him into
the idea that she was not alone. But the sound of her voice would wake
baby, and she dreaded that as though it were the only danger that
threatened her. So she prayed, "Little baby, don't wake, don't cry!"
Stealthily the man crept about. She knew he had his boots off, because
of the vibration that his feet caused as he walked along the veranda to
gauge the width of the little window in her room, and the resistance of
the front door.
Then he went to the other end, and the uncertainty of what he was doing
became unendurable. She had felt safer, far safer, while he was close,
and she could watch and listen. She felt she must watch, but the great
fear of wakening baby again assailed her. She suddenly recalled that
one of the slabs on that side of the house had shrunk in length as well
as in width, and had once fallen out. It was held in position
only by a wedge of wood underneath. What if he should discover that!
The uncertainty increased her terror. She prayed as she gently raised
herself with her little one in her arms, held tightly to her breast.
She thought of the knife, and shielded her child's body with her hands
and arms. Even its little feet she covered with its white gown, and
baby never murmured--it liked to be held so. Noiselessly she crossed
to the other side, and stood where she could see and hear, but not be
seen. He was trying every slab, and was very near to that with the
wedge under it. Then she saw him find it; and heard the sound of the
knife as bit by bit he began to cut away the wooden support.
She waited motionless, with her baby pressed tightly to her, though she
knew that in another few minutes this man with the cruel eyes,
lascivious mouth, and gleaming knife would enter. One side of the slab
tilted; he had only to cut away the remaining little end, when the
slab, unless he held it, would fall outside.
She heard his jerked breathing as it kept time with the cuts of the
knife, and the brush of his clothes as he rubbed the wall in his
movements, for she was so still and quiet, that she did not
even tremble. She knew when he ceased, and wondered why. She stood well
concealed; she knew he could not see her, and that he would not fear if
he did, yet she heard him move cautiously away. Perhaps he expected the
slab to fall. Still his motive puzzled her, and she moved even closer,
and bent her body the better to listen. Ah! what sound was that?
"Listen! Listen!" she bade her heart--her heart that had kept so
still, but now bounded with tumultuous throbs that dulled her ears.
Nearer and nearer came the sounds, till the welcome thud of a horse's
hoof rang out clearly.
"Oh, God! Oh, God! Oh, God!" she cried, for they were very close before
she could make sure. She turned to the door, and with her baby in her
arms tore frantically at its bolts and bars.
Out she darted at last, and running madly along, saw the horseman
beyond her in the distance. She called to him in Christ's name, in her
babe's name, still flying like the wind with the speed that deadly
peril gives. But the distance grew greater and greater between them,
and when she reached the creek her prayers turned to wild
shrieks, for there crouched the man she feared, with outstretched arms
that caught her as she fell. She knew he was offering terms if she
ceased to struggle and cry for help, though louder and louder did she
cry for it, but it was only when the man's hand gripped her throat,
that the cry of "Murder" came from her lips. And when she ceased, the
startled curlews took up the awful sound, and flew shrieking over the
horseman's head.
* * * * *
"By God!" said the boundary rider, "it's been a dingo right enough!
Eight killed up here, and there's more down in the creek--a ewe and a
lamb, I'll bet; and the lamb's alive!" And he shut out the sky with his
hand, and watched the crows that were circling round and round, nearing
the earth one moment, and the next shooting skywards. By that he knew
the lamb must be alive; even a dingo will spare a lamb sometimes.
Yes, the lamb was alive, and after the manner of lambs of its kind did
not know its mother when the light came. It had sucked the still warm
breasts, and laid its little head on her bosom, and slept till the
morn. Then, when it looked at the swollen disfigured face, it
wept and would have crept away, but for the hand that still clutched
its little gown. Sleep was nodding its golden head and swaying its
small body, and the crows were close, so close, to the mother's
wide-open eyes, when the boundary rider galloped down.
"Jesus Christ!" he said, covering his eyes. He told afterwards how the
little child held out its arms to him, and how he was forced to cut its
gown that the dead hand held.
* * * * *
It was election time, and as usual the priest had selected a candidate.
His choice was so obviously in the interests of the squatter, that
Peter Hennessey's reason, for once in his life, had over-ridden
superstition, and he had dared promise his vote to another. Yet he was
uneasy, and every time he woke in the night (and it was often) he heard
the murmur of his mother's voice. It came through the partition, or
under the door. If through the partition, he knew she was praying in
her bed; but when the sounds came under the door, she was on her knees
before the little altar in the corner that enshrined the statue of the
Blessed Virgin and Child.
"Mary, Mother of Christ! save my son! Save him!" prayed she in
the dairy as she strained and set the evening's milking "Sweet Mary!
for the love of Christ, save him!" The grief in her old face made the
morning meal so bitter, that to avoid her he came late to his dinner.
It made him so cowardly, that he could not say goodbye to her, and when
night fell on the eve of the election day, he rode off secretly.
He had thirty miles to ride to the township to record his vote. He
cantered briskly along the great stretch of plain that had nothing but
stunted cottonbush to play shadow to the full moon, which glorified a
sky of earliest spring. The bruised incense of the flowering clover
rose up to him, and the glory of the night appealed vaguely to his
imagination, but he was preoccupied with his present act of revolt.
Vividly he saw his mother's agony when she would find him gone. At that
moment, he felt sure, she was praying.
"Mary! Mother of Christ!" He repeated the invocation, half
unconsciously. And suddenly, out of the stillness, came Christ's name
to him--called loudly in despairing accents.
"For Christ's sake! Christ's sake! Christ's sake!" called the
voice. Good Catholic that he had been, he crossed himself before he
dared to look back. Gliding across a ghostly patch of pipe-clay, he saw
a white-robed figure with a babe clasped to her bosom.
All the superstitious awe of his race and religion swayed his brain.
The moonlight on the gleaming clay was a "heavenly light" to him, and
he knew the white figure not for flesh and blood, but for the Virgin
and Child of his mother's prayers. Then, good Catholic that once more
he was, he put spurs to his horse's sides and galloped madly away.
His mother's prayers were answered.
Hennessey was the first to record his vote--for the priest's
candidate. Then he sought the priest at home, but found that he was out
rallying the voters. Still, under the influence of his blessed vision,
Hennessey would not go near the public-houses, but wandered about the
outskirts of the town for hours, keeping apart from the townspeople,
and fasting as penance. He was subdued and mildly ecstatic, feeling as
a repentant chastened child, who awaits only the kiss of peace.
And at last, as he stood in the graveyard crossing himself with
reverent awe, he heard in the gathering twilight the roar of many
voices crying the name of the victor at the election. It was well with
the priest.
Again Hennessey sought him. He sat at home, the house-keeper said, and
led him into the dimly-lighted study. His seat was immediately opposite
a large picture, and as the housekeeper turned up the lamp, once more
the face of the Madonna and Child looked down on him, but this time
silently, peacefully. The half-parted lips of the Virgin were smiling
with compassionate tenderness; her eyes seemed to beam with the
forgiveness of an earthly mother for her erring but beloved child.
He fell on his knees in adoration. Transfixed, the wondering priest
stood, for, mingled with the adoration, "My Lord and my God!" was the
exaltation, "And hast Thou chosen me?"
"What is it, Peter?" said the priest.
"Father," he answered reverently, and with loosened tongue he poured
forth the story of his vision.
"Great God!" shouted the priest, "and you did not stop to save
her! Have you not heard?"
* * * * *
Many miles further down the creek a man kept throwing an old cap into a
waterhole the dog would bring it out and lay it on the opposite side to
where the man stood, but would not allow the man to catch him, though
it was only to wash the blood of the sheep from his mouth and throat,
for the sight of blood made the man tremble.
THE END
She laid the stick and her baby on the grass while she untied the rope
that tethered the calf. The length of the rope separated them. The cow
was near the calf, and both were lying down. Feed along the creek was
plentiful, and every day she found a fresh place to tether it, since
tether it she must, for if she did not, it would stray with the cow
out on the plain. She had plenty of time to go after it, but then there
was baby; and if the cow turned on her out on the plain, and she with
baby--she had been a town girl and was afraid of the cow, but she did
not want the cow to know it. She used to run at first when it bellowed
its protest against the penning up of its calf. This satisfied the cow,
also the calf, but the woman's husband was angry, and called her--the
noun was cur. It was he who forced her to run and meet the advancing
cow, brandishing a stick, and uttering threatening words till
the enemy turned and ran. "That's the way!" the man said, laughing at
her white face. In many things he was worse than the cow, and she
wondered if the same rule would apply to the man, but she was not one
to provoke skirmishes even with the cow.
It was early for the calf to go "to bed"--nearly an hour earlier than
usual; but she had felt so restless all day. Partly because it was
Monday, and the end of the week that would bring her and baby the
companionship of its father, was so far off. He was a shearer, and had
gone to his shed before daylight that morning. Fifteen miles as the
crow flies separated them.
There was a track in front of the house, for it had once been a wine
shanty, and a few travellers passed along at intervals. She was not
afraid of horsemen; but swagmen, going to, or worse, coming from the
dismal, drunken little township, a day's journey beyond, terrified her.
One had called at the house today, and asked for tucker.
Ah! that was why she had penned up the calf so early! She feared more
from the look of his eyes, and the gleam of his teeth, as he
watched her newly awakened baby beat its impatient fists upon her
covered breasts, than from the knife that was sheathed in the belt at
his waist.
She had given him bread and meat. Her husband, she told him, was sick.
She always said that when she was alone, and a swagman came, and she
had gone in from the kitchen to the bedroom, and asked questions and
replied to them in the best man's voice she could assume Then he had
asked to go into the kitchen to boil his billy, but she gave him tea,
and he drank it on the wood-heap. He had walked round and round the
house, and there were cracks in some places, and after the last time he
had asked for tobacco. She had none to give him, and he had grinned,
because there was a broken clay pipe near the wood-heap where he stood,
and if there were a man inside, there ought to have been tobacco. Then
he asked for money, but women in the bush never have money.
At last he had gone, and she, watching through the cracks, saw him when
about a quarter of a mile away, turn and look back at the
house. He had stood so for some moments with a pretence of fixing his
swag, and then, apparently satisfied, moved to the left towards the
creek. The creek made a bow round the house, and when he came to it she
lost sight of him. Hours after, watching intently for signs of smoke,
she saw the man's dog chasing some sheep that had gone to the creek for
water, and saw it slink back suddenly, as if the man had called it.
More than once she thought of taking her baby and going to her husband.
But in the past, when she had dared to speak of the dangers to which
her loneliness exposed her, he had taunted and sneered at her. She need
not flatter herself, he had coarsely told her, that anybody would want
to run away with her.
Long before nightfall she placed food on the kitchen table, and beside
it laid the big brooch that had been her mother's. It was the only
thing of value that she had. And she left the kitchen door wide open.
The doors inside she securely fastened. Beside the bolt in the back one
she drove in the steel and scissors; against it she piled the table and
the stools. Underneath the lock of the front door she forced
the handle of the spade, and the blade between the cracks in the
flooring boards. Then the prop-stick, cut into lengths, held the top,
as the spade held the middle. The windows were little more than
portholes; she had nothing to fear through them.
She ate a few mouthfuls of food and drank a cup of milk. But she
lighted no fire, and when night came, no candle, but crept with her
baby to bed.
What woke her? The wonder was that she had slept--she had not meant
to. But she was young, very young. Perhaps the shrinking of the
galvanized roof--yet hardly, since that was so usual. Something had
set her heart beating wildly; but she lay quite still, only she put her
arm over her baby. Then she had both round it, and she prayed, "Little
baby, little baby, don't wake!"
The moon's rays shone on the front of the house, and she saw one of the
open cracks, quite close to where she lay, darken with a shadow. Then a
protesting growl reached her; and she could fancy she heard the man
turn hastily. She plainly heard the thud of something striking the
dog's ribs, and the long flying strides of the animal as it
howled and ran. Still watching, she saw the shadow darken every crack
along the wall. She knew by the sounds that the man was trying every
standpoint that might help him to see in; but how much he saw she could
not tell. She thought of many things she might do to deceive him into
the idea that she was not alone. But the sound of her voice would wake
baby, and she dreaded that as though it were the only danger that
threatened her. So she prayed, "Little baby, don't wake, don't cry!"
Stealthily the man crept about. She knew he had his boots off, because
of the vibration that his feet caused as he walked along the veranda to
gauge the width of the little window in her room, and the resistance of
the front door.
Then he went to the other end, and the uncertainty of what he was doing
became unendurable. She had felt safer, far safer, while he was close,
and she could watch and listen. She felt she must watch, but the great
fear of wakening baby again assailed her. She suddenly recalled that
one of the slabs on that side of the house had shrunk in length as well
as in width, and had once fallen out. It was held in position
only by a wedge of wood underneath. What if he should discover that!
The uncertainty increased her terror. She prayed as she gently raised
herself with her little one in her arms, held tightly to her breast.
She thought of the knife, and shielded her child's body with her hands
and arms. Even its little feet she covered with its white gown, and
baby never murmured--it liked to be held so. Noiselessly she crossed
to the other side, and stood where she could see and hear, but not be
seen. He was trying every slab, and was very near to that with the
wedge under it. Then she saw him find it; and heard the sound of the
knife as bit by bit he began to cut away the wooden support.
She waited motionless, with her baby pressed tightly to her, though she
knew that in another few minutes this man with the cruel eyes,
lascivious mouth, and gleaming knife would enter. One side of the slab
tilted; he had only to cut away the remaining little end, when the
slab, unless he held it, would fall outside.
She heard his jerked breathing as it kept time with the cuts of the
knife, and the brush of his clothes as he rubbed the wall in his
movements, for she was so still and quiet, that she did not
even tremble. She knew when he ceased, and wondered why. She stood well
concealed; she knew he could not see her, and that he would not fear if
he did, yet she heard him move cautiously away. Perhaps he expected the
slab to fall. Still his motive puzzled her, and she moved even closer,
and bent her body the better to listen. Ah! what sound was that?
"Listen! Listen!" she bade her heart--her heart that had kept so
still, but now bounded with tumultuous throbs that dulled her ears.
Nearer and nearer came the sounds, till the welcome thud of a horse's
hoof rang out clearly.
"Oh, God! Oh, God! Oh, God!" she cried, for they were very close before
she could make sure. She turned to the door, and with her baby in her
arms tore frantically at its bolts and bars.
Out she darted at last, and running madly along, saw the horseman
beyond her in the distance. She called to him in Christ's name, in her
babe's name, still flying like the wind with the speed that deadly
peril gives. But the distance grew greater and greater between them,
and when she reached the creek her prayers turned to wild
shrieks, for there crouched the man she feared, with outstretched arms
that caught her as she fell. She knew he was offering terms if she
ceased to struggle and cry for help, though louder and louder did she
cry for it, but it was only when the man's hand gripped her throat,
that the cry of "Murder" came from her lips. And when she ceased, the
startled curlews took up the awful sound, and flew shrieking over the
horseman's head.
* * * * *
"By God!" said the boundary rider, "it's been a dingo right enough!
Eight killed up here, and there's more down in the creek--a ewe and a
lamb, I'll bet; and the lamb's alive!" And he shut out the sky with his
hand, and watched the crows that were circling round and round, nearing
the earth one moment, and the next shooting skywards. By that he knew
the lamb must be alive; even a dingo will spare a lamb sometimes.
Yes, the lamb was alive, and after the manner of lambs of its kind did
not know its mother when the light came. It had sucked the still warm
breasts, and laid its little head on her bosom, and slept till the
morn. Then, when it looked at the swollen disfigured face, it
wept and would have crept away, but for the hand that still clutched
its little gown. Sleep was nodding its golden head and swaying its
small body, and the crows were close, so close, to the mother's
wide-open eyes, when the boundary rider galloped down.
"Jesus Christ!" he said, covering his eyes. He told afterwards how the
little child held out its arms to him, and how he was forced to cut its
gown that the dead hand held.
* * * * *
It was election time, and as usual the priest had selected a candidate.
His choice was so obviously in the interests of the squatter, that
Peter Hennessey's reason, for once in his life, had over-ridden
superstition, and he had dared promise his vote to another. Yet he was
uneasy, and every time he woke in the night (and it was often) he heard
the murmur of his mother's voice. It came through the partition, or
under the door. If through the partition, he knew she was praying in
her bed; but when the sounds came under the door, she was on her knees
before the little altar in the corner that enshrined the statue of the
Blessed Virgin and Child.
"Mary, Mother of Christ! save my son! Save him!" prayed she in
the dairy as she strained and set the evening's milking "Sweet Mary!
for the love of Christ, save him!" The grief in her old face made the
morning meal so bitter, that to avoid her he came late to his dinner.
It made him so cowardly, that he could not say goodbye to her, and when
night fell on the eve of the election day, he rode off secretly.
He had thirty miles to ride to the township to record his vote. He
cantered briskly along the great stretch of plain that had nothing but
stunted cottonbush to play shadow to the full moon, which glorified a
sky of earliest spring. The bruised incense of the flowering clover
rose up to him, and the glory of the night appealed vaguely to his
imagination, but he was preoccupied with his present act of revolt.
Vividly he saw his mother's agony when she would find him gone. At that
moment, he felt sure, she was praying.
"Mary! Mother of Christ!" He repeated the invocation, half
unconsciously. And suddenly, out of the stillness, came Christ's name
to him--called loudly in despairing accents.
"For Christ's sake! Christ's sake! Christ's sake!" called the
voice. Good Catholic that he had been, he crossed himself before he
dared to look back. Gliding across a ghostly patch of pipe-clay, he saw
a white-robed figure with a babe clasped to her bosom.
All the superstitious awe of his race and religion swayed his brain.
The moonlight on the gleaming clay was a "heavenly light" to him, and
he knew the white figure not for flesh and blood, but for the Virgin
and Child of his mother's prayers. Then, good Catholic that once more
he was, he put spurs to his horse's sides and galloped madly away.
His mother's prayers were answered.
Hennessey was the first to record his vote--for the priest's
candidate. Then he sought the priest at home, but found that he was out
rallying the voters. Still, under the influence of his blessed vision,
Hennessey would not go near the public-houses, but wandered about the
outskirts of the town for hours, keeping apart from the townspeople,
and fasting as penance. He was subdued and mildly ecstatic, feeling as
a repentant chastened child, who awaits only the kiss of peace.
And at last, as he stood in the graveyard crossing himself with
reverent awe, he heard in the gathering twilight the roar of many
voices crying the name of the victor at the election. It was well with
the priest.
Again Hennessey sought him. He sat at home, the house-keeper said, and
led him into the dimly-lighted study. His seat was immediately opposite
a large picture, and as the housekeeper turned up the lamp, once more
the face of the Madonna and Child looked down on him, but this time
silently, peacefully. The half-parted lips of the Virgin were smiling
with compassionate tenderness; her eyes seemed to beam with the
forgiveness of an earthly mother for her erring but beloved child.
He fell on his knees in adoration. Transfixed, the wondering priest
stood, for, mingled with the adoration, "My Lord and my God!" was the
exaltation, "And hast Thou chosen me?"
"What is it, Peter?" said the priest.
"Father," he answered reverently, and with loosened tongue he poured
forth the story of his vision.
"Great God!" shouted the priest, "and you did not stop to save
her! Have you not heard?"
* * * * *
Many miles further down the creek a man kept throwing an old cap into a
waterhole the dog would bring it out and lay it on the opposite side to
where the man stood, but would not allow the man to catch him, though
it was only to wash the blood of the sheep from his mouth and throat,
for the sight of blood made the man tremble.
THE END
Australia Vocab Review 2
Review Australia Vocabulary Part 2 Name:________________
Let’s go over the twenty new words you studied during the week.
In the following quiz, match the best possible definition with the word you have studied. Write the letter that stands for that definition in the appropriate answer space.
Review Words Definitions
___1. staccato a. calling for a superior being
___2. acrid b. something declared to support an overall argument
___3. reverie c. feeling of disappointment or humiliation
___4. thesis d. a porch
___5. assertion e. allowing light through
___6. pellucid f. to arouse action
___7. vigilant g. uplifting in a way to encourage moral improvement
___8. pungent h. bitter
___9. precipitated i. a smooth walk of a horse
___10. edifying j. to propel from great height
___11. invocation k. lecherous
___12. galvanized m. watchful
___13. verandah n. overall argument
___14. lascivious o. biting
___15. partition p. threatening
___16. drover q. daydream
___17. canter r. abrupt, disconnected sound
___18. monotony s. a divider
___19. chagrin t. tedious repetition
___20. ominous u. cattle or sheep driver
Let’s go over the twenty new words you studied during the week.
In the following quiz, match the best possible definition with the word you have studied. Write the letter that stands for that definition in the appropriate answer space.
Review Words Definitions
___1. staccato a. calling for a superior being
___2. acrid b. something declared to support an overall argument
___3. reverie c. feeling of disappointment or humiliation
___4. thesis d. a porch
___5. assertion e. allowing light through
___6. pellucid f. to arouse action
___7. vigilant g. uplifting in a way to encourage moral improvement
___8. pungent h. bitter
___9. precipitated i. a smooth walk of a horse
___10. edifying j. to propel from great height
___11. invocation k. lecherous
___12. galvanized m. watchful
___13. verandah n. overall argument
___14. lascivious o. biting
___15. partition p. threatening
___16. drover q. daydream
___17. canter r. abrupt, disconnected sound
___18. monotony s. a divider
___19. chagrin t. tedious repetition
___20. ominous u. cattle or sheep driver
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Drover's Wife Questions
Link for the story can be found on: ihslit2006.blogspot.com
Global Literature Name:_______________________
Unit: Australia
“The Drover’s Wife”- Henry Lawson
1. Give three examples of how the drover’s wife dealt with the loneliness of the bush:
a.
b.
c.
2. Give three examples of hardships the drover’s wife needs to deal with.
a.
b.
c.
3. Give three specific examples of ways that Henry Lawson builds suspense in his story.
a.
b.
c.
4. What, do you think, is Lawson’s definition of the ideal bush woman? Provide specific examples form the text to support your answer.
5. Do you think Lawson is realistic or romanticizes bush life in his portrayal of the bush? Explain.
6. What do you think will happen to Tommy when he grows up? Will he keep his promise? Explain.
7. Why does the drover’s wife have no name?
8/ Was Henry Lawson successful in getting into the mind of a bush woman? Explain.
Global Literature Name:_______________________
Unit: Australia
“The Drover’s Wife”- Henry Lawson
1. Give three examples of how the drover’s wife dealt with the loneliness of the bush:
a.
b.
c.
2. Give three examples of hardships the drover’s wife needs to deal with.
a.
b.
c.
3. Give three specific examples of ways that Henry Lawson builds suspense in his story.
a.
b.
c.
4. What, do you think, is Lawson’s definition of the ideal bush woman? Provide specific examples form the text to support your answer.
5. Do you think Lawson is realistic or romanticizes bush life in his portrayal of the bush? Explain.
6. What do you think will happen to Tommy when he grows up? Will he keep his promise? Explain.
7. Why does the drover’s wife have no name?
8/ Was Henry Lawson successful in getting into the mind of a bush woman? Explain.
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
Absalom Day's Promotion study guide
Global Literature Name:___________________
Australia
Price Warung – “Absalom Day’s Promotion”
This is a tough story but you can do it with some guidance. Read these questions before you begin reading so you know the purpose of your reading.
1. What bell is being heard at the start of the story? Why is it different than the normal bell?
2. What about the bell has created a “Madness of fever” in the veins of the people?
3. Why is the execution almost stopped? Why does the sheriff decide to go ahead with the large execution anyway? (What does he want to achieve?)
4. Why does the executioner quit?
5. Why does the Sheriff refuse to execute the prisoners himself?
6. Discuss the main character’s conflict. What arguments does Absalom Day use to support his decision to execute all convicts?
7. What decision would you have made? Why?
8. Reading great literature is a way to study/explore many issues and questions humans struggle with all over the world. Actually, literature is like having a great philosophical discussion with a writer or with yourself. This story also raises several philosophical questions about human nature and society.
∑ One question it raises is whether executions deter crime. Give the author’s answer to this question. (You will find the answer in the last chapter through the plot—what happens in the story).
∑ What do you think: Are executions a deterrent to crime? Support your ideas in a paragraph using a topic sentence and specific details.
∑ At the end of the story, Charles Darwin is introduced as one of the audience members. (Charles Darwin wrote about evolution and survival of the fittest). Why is he included in this story? Relate his comments to the main ideas of the story.
∑ The story also makes us ask whether violence comes naturally to people. How does the audience’s behavior show this?
∑ Do you think violence is a natural aspect of humans? Explain.
1. What is a deep philosophical question about human nature/society which was addressed in this story, but which has not been raised by the questions on this handout?
2. Regardless of whether you liked the story or not, tell me one thing that you really struggled with and what you’ll remember from this story (like a question/issue that interested you).
Australia
Price Warung – “Absalom Day’s Promotion”
This is a tough story but you can do it with some guidance. Read these questions before you begin reading so you know the purpose of your reading.
1. What bell is being heard at the start of the story? Why is it different than the normal bell?
2. What about the bell has created a “Madness of fever” in the veins of the people?
3. Why is the execution almost stopped? Why does the sheriff decide to go ahead with the large execution anyway? (What does he want to achieve?)
4. Why does the executioner quit?
5. Why does the Sheriff refuse to execute the prisoners himself?
6. Discuss the main character’s conflict. What arguments does Absalom Day use to support his decision to execute all convicts?
7. What decision would you have made? Why?
8. Reading great literature is a way to study/explore many issues and questions humans struggle with all over the world. Actually, literature is like having a great philosophical discussion with a writer or with yourself. This story also raises several philosophical questions about human nature and society.
∑ One question it raises is whether executions deter crime. Give the author’s answer to this question. (You will find the answer in the last chapter through the plot—what happens in the story).
∑ What do you think: Are executions a deterrent to crime? Support your ideas in a paragraph using a topic sentence and specific details.
∑ At the end of the story, Charles Darwin is introduced as one of the audience members. (Charles Darwin wrote about evolution and survival of the fittest). Why is he included in this story? Relate his comments to the main ideas of the story.
∑ The story also makes us ask whether violence comes naturally to people. How does the audience’s behavior show this?
∑ Do you think violence is a natural aspect of humans? Explain.
1. What is a deep philosophical question about human nature/society which was addressed in this story, but which has not been raised by the questions on this handout?
2. Regardless of whether you liked the story or not, tell me one thing that you really struggled with and what you’ll remember from this story (like a question/issue that interested you).
Monday, November 19, 2007
Scene rewrite (Rabbit Proof Fence Escape)
Global Literature Name:________________
Unit: Australia
Rabbit Proof Fence Scene Rewrite
Using the skills you learned in the travel writing unit, you will be slowing down a dramatic scene in Rabbit Proof Fence. Read pages 75-96. When reading about the escape, Doris Pilkington creates a factual account of what the girls did to get away from Moore River Native Settlement. Find the moment of escape and slow down this moment. Create tension and suspense by slowing this down and using showing details. You may want to write the scene from Molly’s point of view (1st person) to be able use interior conflict effectively.
(Points will be lost for not being typed, double-spaced, and having 12 point font)
Grade will be based on:
Ideas and Content: (Do you create suspense and tension?) ____/5
Organization: (Do you take the reader through the entire escape?) ____/5
Word Choice/ Voice: (Do you slow down the moment with showing details?) ___/10
Conventions/ Sentence Fluency ____/5
Total: ____/25
Unit: Australia
Rabbit Proof Fence Scene Rewrite
Using the skills you learned in the travel writing unit, you will be slowing down a dramatic scene in Rabbit Proof Fence. Read pages 75-96. When reading about the escape, Doris Pilkington creates a factual account of what the girls did to get away from Moore River Native Settlement. Find the moment of escape and slow down this moment. Create tension and suspense by slowing this down and using showing details. You may want to write the scene from Molly’s point of view (1st person) to be able use interior conflict effectively.
(Points will be lost for not being typed, double-spaced, and having 12 point font)
Grade will be based on:
Ideas and Content: (Do you create suspense and tension?) ____/5
Organization: (Do you take the reader through the entire escape?) ____/5
Word Choice/ Voice: (Do you slow down the moment with showing details?) ___/10
Conventions/ Sentence Fluency ____/5
Total: ____/25
Thursday, November 15, 2007
Australia Vocab Part 2 Days 1 & 2
Australia Vocab (Part 2) Vocabulary Name:____________________
Day 1
New Words: staccato acrid reverie thesis assertion
The Term Paper
Students today have it rough. Not only do they have to battle with the acrid smell of whiteboard cleaner in the classroom, they have to put up with many annoyances during timed papers. Their classrooms are filled with many posters on the wall that can distract and put them in a state of reverie. They also must listen to the staccato tapping of pencils while other students work. It is my thesis that students should be able to do all school work form home via radio. Some students may not agree with this overall argument, but many assertions can back up this claim. The students in Australia seem to have done just fine with this system, students’ homes are more comfortable, and homes lack the distractions of chaotic classrooms.
Sample sentences: Try your hand now at using your new words by writing them in their correct form (change endings if necessary) in these sentences:
1. The________ smell of burning rubber made my stomach lurch/
2. The ____________ applause after the opening band was nothing compared to when Iron Maiden took the stage with their accordions.
3. My overall_____________ was that students should have to clean their own school.
4. I backed up the main argument with _________ that stated the proposal would save money and be beneficial to our community as a whole.
5. The boring lecture caused me to fall into a state of __________ where I became a pirate.
Definitions: Match the new words with their dictionary meanings.
6. staccato ___ a. something declared or stated positively
7. acrid ___ b. a proposition that is maintained by argument
8. reverie ___ c. marked by abrupt, disconnected parts or sounds
9. thesis ___ d. daydreaming
10. assertion ___ e. unpleasantly sharp, pungent or bitter to the taste, smell, or tone
Grammar Lesson (The Dash)-Try making a sentence that uses a dash
A dash may be used to emphasize a word, series, phrase, or clause
He’s the kind of man who picks his friends—to pieces.
--Mae West
Australia Vocab (Part 2) Vocabulary Name:____________________
Day 2
New Words: pellucid vigilant pungent precipitated edifying
The refrigerator that time forgot
Although many modern refrigerators have the benefit of being pellucid, allowing the owner to observe the rotting of their produce from afar, there are still items that never seem to get thrown out. Even the most vigilant owner will miss the occasional jar of yogurt that becomes so pungent you feel the need to climb to the top of your apartment and allow the container to precipitate onto the pavement below. Intellect screams that the yogurt must suffer a demise or forever stink up your apartment, but I hope you will think of our earth first before leaving the contents in the alley. Although it may seem intelligent to throw the yogurt out the window, I hope this edifying passage will at least help you do the right thing with these rotting foods. Aim for the dumpster.
Sample sentences: Try your hand now at using your new words by writing them in their correct form (change endings if necessary) in these sentences:
1. The paintings in the church served a(n)__________ purpose even for those who could not read.
2. The finest bridge in all Peru broke and ___________ five travelers into the gulf below.
3. Wordsworth would often speak of the clear, __________ streams that would allow him to see the beauty that could be found beneath the surface.
4. Because the teacher was extremely ___________, no one could cheat on tests.
5. The rotten sandwich in my desk released a(n) _________ odor that made the class ill.
Definitions: Match the new words with their dictionary meanings.
6. pellucid ___ a. watchful
7. vigilant ___ b. admitting the passage of light; transparent or translucent
8. pungent ___ c. to throw from or as if from a great height; hurl downward
9. precipitated ___ d. enlightening or uplifting so as to encourage intellectual or moral improvement
10. edifying ___ e. penetrating, biting, or caustic
Grammar Lesson (The Dash)-Try making a sentence that uses a dash
The dash is used to indicate a sudden break or change in the sentence.
At dark, shadowy intersections, I could cross in front of a car stopped at a traffic light and elicit the thunk, thunk, thunk, thunk of the driver-black, white, male, female-hammering down the door locks.
-Brent Staples, “Night Stalker”
Day 1
New Words: staccato acrid reverie thesis assertion
The Term Paper
Students today have it rough. Not only do they have to battle with the acrid smell of whiteboard cleaner in the classroom, they have to put up with many annoyances during timed papers. Their classrooms are filled with many posters on the wall that can distract and put them in a state of reverie. They also must listen to the staccato tapping of pencils while other students work. It is my thesis that students should be able to do all school work form home via radio. Some students may not agree with this overall argument, but many assertions can back up this claim. The students in Australia seem to have done just fine with this system, students’ homes are more comfortable, and homes lack the distractions of chaotic classrooms.
Sample sentences: Try your hand now at using your new words by writing them in their correct form (change endings if necessary) in these sentences:
1. The________ smell of burning rubber made my stomach lurch/
2. The ____________ applause after the opening band was nothing compared to when Iron Maiden took the stage with their accordions.
3. My overall_____________ was that students should have to clean their own school.
4. I backed up the main argument with _________ that stated the proposal would save money and be beneficial to our community as a whole.
5. The boring lecture caused me to fall into a state of __________ where I became a pirate.
Definitions: Match the new words with their dictionary meanings.
6. staccato ___ a. something declared or stated positively
7. acrid ___ b. a proposition that is maintained by argument
8. reverie ___ c. marked by abrupt, disconnected parts or sounds
9. thesis ___ d. daydreaming
10. assertion ___ e. unpleasantly sharp, pungent or bitter to the taste, smell, or tone
Grammar Lesson (The Dash)-Try making a sentence that uses a dash
A dash may be used to emphasize a word, series, phrase, or clause
He’s the kind of man who picks his friends—to pieces.
--Mae West
Australia Vocab (Part 2) Vocabulary Name:____________________
Day 2
New Words: pellucid vigilant pungent precipitated edifying
The refrigerator that time forgot
Although many modern refrigerators have the benefit of being pellucid, allowing the owner to observe the rotting of their produce from afar, there are still items that never seem to get thrown out. Even the most vigilant owner will miss the occasional jar of yogurt that becomes so pungent you feel the need to climb to the top of your apartment and allow the container to precipitate onto the pavement below. Intellect screams that the yogurt must suffer a demise or forever stink up your apartment, but I hope you will think of our earth first before leaving the contents in the alley. Although it may seem intelligent to throw the yogurt out the window, I hope this edifying passage will at least help you do the right thing with these rotting foods. Aim for the dumpster.
Sample sentences: Try your hand now at using your new words by writing them in their correct form (change endings if necessary) in these sentences:
1. The paintings in the church served a(n)__________ purpose even for those who could not read.
2. The finest bridge in all Peru broke and ___________ five travelers into the gulf below.
3. Wordsworth would often speak of the clear, __________ streams that would allow him to see the beauty that could be found beneath the surface.
4. Because the teacher was extremely ___________, no one could cheat on tests.
5. The rotten sandwich in my desk released a(n) _________ odor that made the class ill.
Definitions: Match the new words with their dictionary meanings.
6. pellucid ___ a. watchful
7. vigilant ___ b. admitting the passage of light; transparent or translucent
8. pungent ___ c. to throw from or as if from a great height; hurl downward
9. precipitated ___ d. enlightening or uplifting so as to encourage intellectual or moral improvement
10. edifying ___ e. penetrating, biting, or caustic
Grammar Lesson (The Dash)-Try making a sentence that uses a dash
The dash is used to indicate a sudden break or change in the sentence.
At dark, shadowy intersections, I could cross in front of a car stopped at a traffic light and elicit the thunk, thunk, thunk, thunk of the driver-black, white, male, female-hammering down the door locks.
-Brent Staples, “Night Stalker”
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Australia Vocab Review
Review Australia Vocabulary
Let’s go over the twenty new words and two idioms you studied during the week.
In the following quiz, match the best possible definition with the word you have studied. Write the letter that stands for that definition in the appropriate answer space.
Review Words Definitions
___1. totem a. Of or pertaining to shepherds; relating to rural life and scenes
___2. garrison b. evil in nature; disposed to do evil
___ 3. indiscriminate c. Experiencing want or need; impoverished
___4. paradox d. part of a river where its current is met by the tides.
___5. consign e. choosing at random without careful selection
___6. pastoral f. silent
___7. indigent g. unending
___8. estuary h. Sediment deposited by flowing water, as in a riverbed, etc
___9. intrepid i. A member of a group of people who have no fixed home
___10. meandered j. statement which seems absurd or to contradict but may in fact be true
___11. reticent k. Originating and living naturally in an area or environment
___12. assimilation l. to predict or foretell a future event
___ 13. nomadic m. brave
___14. caste n. the emblem of a clan or family
___15. prognosticate o. To give over to the care of another; entrust.
___16. malignant p. to correct by punishment
___17. interminable q. A military post, especially one that is permanently established.
___18. indigenous r. To move aimlessly and idly without fixed direction
___19. castigate s. To absorb a culturally distinct group into the prevailing culture
___ 20. alluvium t. class separated by distinctions of hereditary rank, profession, race, or wealth
Words for further study: _______________ _______________
_____________ _______________ _______________
Let’s go over the twenty new words and two idioms you studied during the week.
In the following quiz, match the best possible definition with the word you have studied. Write the letter that stands for that definition in the appropriate answer space.
Review Words Definitions
___1. totem a. Of or pertaining to shepherds; relating to rural life and scenes
___2. garrison b. evil in nature; disposed to do evil
___ 3. indiscriminate c. Experiencing want or need; impoverished
___4. paradox d. part of a river where its current is met by the tides.
___5. consign e. choosing at random without careful selection
___6. pastoral f. silent
___7. indigent g. unending
___8. estuary h. Sediment deposited by flowing water, as in a riverbed, etc
___9. intrepid i. A member of a group of people who have no fixed home
___10. meandered j. statement which seems absurd or to contradict but may in fact be true
___11. reticent k. Originating and living naturally in an area or environment
___12. assimilation l. to predict or foretell a future event
___ 13. nomadic m. brave
___14. caste n. the emblem of a clan or family
___15. prognosticate o. To give over to the care of another; entrust.
___16. malignant p. to correct by punishment
___17. interminable q. A military post, especially one that is permanently established.
___18. indigenous r. To move aimlessly and idly without fixed direction
___19. castigate s. To absorb a culturally distinct group into the prevailing culture
___ 20. alluvium t. class separated by distinctions of hereditary rank, profession, race, or wealth
Words for further study: _______________ _______________
_____________ _______________ _______________
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
Dramatic Retelling
Global Literature Group:______________________
Unit: Australia ____________________________
Dramatic Retelling
On your own, read the personal story/ies of a person who was affected by the Stolen Generation. Then, as a group, look for a theme or themes that emerge from your story that also connects with Rabbit Proof Fence. Remember, a theme is a message about life or human nature that is “hidden” in the story that the writer tells. Then, decide the best way to tell the story of your character(s), the themes you explored, and the emotions that follow their stories. Your goal is to move beyond a factual retelling of the story, but instead use literary tools to create an artistic interpretation of the story exposing connecting themes between the two accounts.
Remember that this is a very serious subject. This is not a place to resort to farce, limericks, etc. Everyone in your group must participate fully and everyone must read at least once.
Your production should be about 3-5 minutes long and well-rehearsed.
Here are some options (You may combine these ideas if you’d like):
1. Create a poetic reading about the themes you have chosen to highlight. Show these themes through specific examples from both the experiences of the girls in Rabbit Proof Fence and using the experiences from the individual reading for your group. Use imagery, figurative language, rhythm, and strong words to tell the story. Then decide how you will present the poem. A choral (group) reading of a poem requires everyone to be involved in the performance. Split up the lines, repeat lines, use unison and individual voices, and employ thoughtful staging to create a dramatic effect in your performance.
2. Create a dramatic piece using frozen scenes and narrative about the themes you have chosen to highlight. Show these themes through specific examples from both the experiences of the girls in Rabbit Proof Fence and using the experiences from the individual reading for your group. Move fluidly from your narration to the scenes. Make sure everyone is involved in the presentation. Remember, narration is acting too! Use dramatic voice, gesture etc. to show the emotional turmoil of your character. Use imagery, figurative language, rhythm (through movement and transitions) and strong words to tell the story.
Once you have written your scene you should use all the remaining time to PRACTICE!!! You will perform two classes from now. Feel free to experiment with props and lighting as long as you treat this subject with sensitivity.
Evaluation:
Involvement of the entire group ____/5
Use of literary devices/tools (not read from the story) ____/10
Depth/ Complexity (Addresses more than one issue/ emotion) ____/10
Performance/ Drama ____/10
Sensitivity to the subject ____/5
Total: ____/40
Brainstorm for next class:
Themes and emotions from Rabbit Proof Fence:
Themes and emotions from individual story:
Strong images from Rabbit Proof Fence:
Strong images from individual story:
Unit: Australia ____________________________
Dramatic Retelling
On your own, read the personal story/ies of a person who was affected by the Stolen Generation. Then, as a group, look for a theme or themes that emerge from your story that also connects with Rabbit Proof Fence. Remember, a theme is a message about life or human nature that is “hidden” in the story that the writer tells. Then, decide the best way to tell the story of your character(s), the themes you explored, and the emotions that follow their stories. Your goal is to move beyond a factual retelling of the story, but instead use literary tools to create an artistic interpretation of the story exposing connecting themes between the two accounts.
Remember that this is a very serious subject. This is not a place to resort to farce, limericks, etc. Everyone in your group must participate fully and everyone must read at least once.
Your production should be about 3-5 minutes long and well-rehearsed.
Here are some options (You may combine these ideas if you’d like):
1. Create a poetic reading about the themes you have chosen to highlight. Show these themes through specific examples from both the experiences of the girls in Rabbit Proof Fence and using the experiences from the individual reading for your group. Use imagery, figurative language, rhythm, and strong words to tell the story. Then decide how you will present the poem. A choral (group) reading of a poem requires everyone to be involved in the performance. Split up the lines, repeat lines, use unison and individual voices, and employ thoughtful staging to create a dramatic effect in your performance.
2. Create a dramatic piece using frozen scenes and narrative about the themes you have chosen to highlight. Show these themes through specific examples from both the experiences of the girls in Rabbit Proof Fence and using the experiences from the individual reading for your group. Move fluidly from your narration to the scenes. Make sure everyone is involved in the presentation. Remember, narration is acting too! Use dramatic voice, gesture etc. to show the emotional turmoil of your character. Use imagery, figurative language, rhythm (through movement and transitions) and strong words to tell the story.
Once you have written your scene you should use all the remaining time to PRACTICE!!! You will perform two classes from now. Feel free to experiment with props and lighting as long as you treat this subject with sensitivity.
Evaluation:
Involvement of the entire group ____/5
Use of literary devices/tools (not read from the story) ____/10
Depth/ Complexity (Addresses more than one issue/ emotion) ____/10
Performance/ Drama ____/10
Sensitivity to the subject ____/5
Total: ____/40
Brainstorm for next class:
Themes and emotions from Rabbit Proof Fence:
Themes and emotions from individual story:
Strong images from Rabbit Proof Fence:
Strong images from individual story:
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Self Made Study Guide 34-49
Rabbit Proof Fence
Study Guide for pgs. 34-49
Choose two (2) of the following to complete after each chapter: (Please label your choice.)
1. Main Ideas: Write the main idea for the chapter as a newspaper headline. Then write a one-paragraph article to back up your headline. The article should show me why the headline captures the main idea.
2. Visualizing: Draw a sketch from a scene in the chapter. (No stick figures!)
3. Identifying: Write a paragraph relating something from the chapter to your life.
4. Anticipating: At the end of the chapter, write a prediction for what will happen next. Pretend that a person from the book visits a fortune teller. In one paragraph, describe their interaction; use dialogue, body language, and be sure to include the prediction!
5. Recall: Pretend you are writing for Cliffs Notes; write a one-paragraph summary of what happened in the chapter in your own words.
Study Guide for pgs. 34-49
Choose two (2) of the following to complete after each chapter: (Please label your choice.)
1. Main Ideas: Write the main idea for the chapter as a newspaper headline. Then write a one-paragraph article to back up your headline. The article should show me why the headline captures the main idea.
2. Visualizing: Draw a sketch from a scene in the chapter. (No stick figures!)
3. Identifying: Write a paragraph relating something from the chapter to your life.
4. Anticipating: At the end of the chapter, write a prediction for what will happen next. Pretend that a person from the book visits a fortune teller. In one paragraph, describe their interaction; use dialogue, body language, and be sure to include the prediction!
5. Recall: Pretend you are writing for Cliffs Notes; write a one-paragraph summary of what happened in the chapter in your own words.
Marngit Questions
Global Literature Name:__________________________
Unit: Australia
Marngit
1. Give specific examples from the text that show ties to dreamtime mythology of the Aborigines:
2. What are the goals of the white surveyors?
3. How do the surveyors influence Marngit?
4. How does your answer to question #3 reflect aboriginal problems today?
5. Who is Marngit?
6. Give two examples of cultural miscommunication in this modern myth.
7. The storm is a symbol for something else. What might it be? Why did the people turn to trees? (Why trees?)
8. What was the true motivation behind sprinkling the rum on the trees?
9. How/ why did Marngit die?
10. What happened to the land after Marngit died? How do we know this?
11. Why does Marngit want to become a Baru?
12. In one sentence, summarize the author’s message to the reader.
Unit: Australia
Marngit
1. Give specific examples from the text that show ties to dreamtime mythology of the Aborigines:
2. What are the goals of the white surveyors?
3. How do the surveyors influence Marngit?
4. How does your answer to question #3 reflect aboriginal problems today?
5. Who is Marngit?
6. Give two examples of cultural miscommunication in this modern myth.
7. The storm is a symbol for something else. What might it be? Why did the people turn to trees? (Why trees?)
8. What was the true motivation behind sprinkling the rum on the trees?
9. How/ why did Marngit die?
10. What happened to the land after Marngit died? How do we know this?
11. Why does Marngit want to become a Baru?
12. In one sentence, summarize the author’s message to the reader.
Marngit Story
Marngit
B. Wongar
When white surveyors come to the bush no-one seemed to know how vast was the baru, Crocodile People Country; even Marngit the tribal healer felt confused when it came to the local boundaries. The land stretched from the seashore inland toward distant ranges as far as monsoons could venture. Through it flowed bowana, river, meandering over the long alluvial plain toward mangrove swamps: ‘It follows the way of Mari, tribal ancestors,’ they told the whites.
The whites boiled their billy on the campfire and handed Marngit a cup of tea with a lump of sugar. They showed him a map, trying to explain that the country lies according to a certain longitude, the word and the number of which meant nothing to the tribal healer. He believed that the land, seen on the paper must belong to someone else and not him; bowana was his though. ‘It marks the way our mari traveled inland.’ The whites poured him another cup of tea and told him to take as many biscuits as he liked. They stuck a white peg near the riverbank and later left behind a whole line of them as they moved upstream across the plain. Marngit thought the pegs were merely a mark to find your way back to camp when you go through dense forest. He told the whites how during wongar, beginning of the world, his tribal ancestor Baru, crocodile, was chased from the mangrove swamps inland by Jambawal, the thunder man, with his lightning spear. The ancestor, badly wounded in a hind leg, moved through the plain with the help of his tail, thrusting it left and right. Those tail marks later turned into water bands as the river meandered along; there are about as many of them as a man can count on the fingers of both hands. While the visitors cut their way through dense forest Marngit told them that in his way inland his ancestors gathered a pile of wood and leaves and tried to make a nest A monsoon storm sent after him by Jambawal brought torrential rain, the water washed away the nest and scattered he eggs through the plain. The eggs turned into billabongs.
Later on, when he had moved deeper inland, Baru laid another clutch of eggs. ‘Our tribal people hatched from them,’ Marngit told the surveyors, ’ever since those mythical times humans have been harassed by Jambawal’s gales and lightning as much as Baru was.’ The whites topped up his cup of tea with Bacardi and told him that with the smell of rum about no malignant spirit would ever be seen again. They asked Marngit to call in his other tribesmen to the camp for cuppa.
Marngit explained that he was the only one left of the Baru people. The last monsoon hit the country so badly the people, fearing they might be washed away to sea, turned into trees to stay holding on to the land. ‘Look, they’re everywhere around us.’ He told the whites that from one end of the country to the other each of the trees is a human afraid of the storm.
Since the trees couldn’t walk the whites kindly offered to take their magic cure against the storm, wind and cold, to them. They loaded a consignment of Bacardi on a helicopter and flying over the green canopy below, sprinkled a drink on each tree so that it would grow stronger, and hold firm against monsoons.
Marngit died not long after his visitors left and the name of his country appeared on the Stock Exchange to tell the world of the vast resources of woodchips and timber to be harvested from the monsoon-saturated bush. The old healer turned into a tree, sprung from a pile of bottles the whites left behind at their surveying camp site. That was only for a while though; as the bulldozers moved in they uprooted and pushed him into the river. It appeared at first that the water might be safer than the land; Marngit pleaded to his Mari, to change him into a Baru.
Being a crocodile he could’ve moved downstream and hide in estuary swamps covered with layers of crushed wood and bark floating on the surface. He hoped that after the whites had cut down the last tree they would leave the bare land and then if you walked into the country and laid a clutch if eggs, man and plants would come back again.
B. Wongar
When white surveyors come to the bush no-one seemed to know how vast was the baru, Crocodile People Country; even Marngit the tribal healer felt confused when it came to the local boundaries. The land stretched from the seashore inland toward distant ranges as far as monsoons could venture. Through it flowed bowana, river, meandering over the long alluvial plain toward mangrove swamps: ‘It follows the way of Mari, tribal ancestors,’ they told the whites.
The whites boiled their billy on the campfire and handed Marngit a cup of tea with a lump of sugar. They showed him a map, trying to explain that the country lies according to a certain longitude, the word and the number of which meant nothing to the tribal healer. He believed that the land, seen on the paper must belong to someone else and not him; bowana was his though. ‘It marks the way our mari traveled inland.’ The whites poured him another cup of tea and told him to take as many biscuits as he liked. They stuck a white peg near the riverbank and later left behind a whole line of them as they moved upstream across the plain. Marngit thought the pegs were merely a mark to find your way back to camp when you go through dense forest. He told the whites how during wongar, beginning of the world, his tribal ancestor Baru, crocodile, was chased from the mangrove swamps inland by Jambawal, the thunder man, with his lightning spear. The ancestor, badly wounded in a hind leg, moved through the plain with the help of his tail, thrusting it left and right. Those tail marks later turned into water bands as the river meandered along; there are about as many of them as a man can count on the fingers of both hands. While the visitors cut their way through dense forest Marngit told them that in his way inland his ancestors gathered a pile of wood and leaves and tried to make a nest A monsoon storm sent after him by Jambawal brought torrential rain, the water washed away the nest and scattered he eggs through the plain. The eggs turned into billabongs.
Later on, when he had moved deeper inland, Baru laid another clutch of eggs. ‘Our tribal people hatched from them,’ Marngit told the surveyors, ’ever since those mythical times humans have been harassed by Jambawal’s gales and lightning as much as Baru was.’ The whites topped up his cup of tea with Bacardi and told him that with the smell of rum about no malignant spirit would ever be seen again. They asked Marngit to call in his other tribesmen to the camp for cuppa.
Marngit explained that he was the only one left of the Baru people. The last monsoon hit the country so badly the people, fearing they might be washed away to sea, turned into trees to stay holding on to the land. ‘Look, they’re everywhere around us.’ He told the whites that from one end of the country to the other each of the trees is a human afraid of the storm.
Since the trees couldn’t walk the whites kindly offered to take their magic cure against the storm, wind and cold, to them. They loaded a consignment of Bacardi on a helicopter and flying over the green canopy below, sprinkled a drink on each tree so that it would grow stronger, and hold firm against monsoons.
Marngit died not long after his visitors left and the name of his country appeared on the Stock Exchange to tell the world of the vast resources of woodchips and timber to be harvested from the monsoon-saturated bush. The old healer turned into a tree, sprung from a pile of bottles the whites left behind at their surveying camp site. That was only for a while though; as the bulldozers moved in they uprooted and pushed him into the river. It appeared at first that the water might be safer than the land; Marngit pleaded to his Mari, to change him into a Baru.
Being a crocodile he could’ve moved downstream and hide in estuary swamps covered with layers of crushed wood and bark floating on the surface. He hoped that after the whites had cut down the last tree they would leave the bare land and then if you walked into the country and laid a clutch if eggs, man and plants would come back again.
Monday, October 29, 2007
RPF Study Guide pgs 1-33
Rabbit Proof Fence Name:_____________________________
Study Guide #1
Pages 1-33
Introduction
1. Why was it so difficult for Doris Pilkington to tell this story? List specific difficulties she encountered.
2. Look at the map of Western Australia showing key places in the girls’ journey (in the book, before page xi). Using an atlas , calculate roughly the distance of the return journey & write a description of the landscape and climate of the area the girls passed through.
The First Military Post & The Swan Rivier Colony & The Decline of Aboriginal Society
1. Why, do you think, Dorris Pilkington included these chapters?
2. List five encounters between aborigines and white settlers/ explorers in these chapters & explain how the aborigines were affected by them.
3. What are your first impressions of the author’s writing style.
From the Deserts They Came
1. This chapter is replete with Aboriginal words and phrases. There is a glossary on pages 134-135. Check the definitions. Give several reasons why the author may have chosen to use so many Aboriginal words. How disruptive is it to you, the reader?
2. What is the significance of the passage on pages 24-26, where aborigines are taken to the station. What does the behavior of the earlier Aborigine settlers and the new arrivals tell us about the process of assimilation?
Study Guide #1
Pages 1-33
Introduction
1. Why was it so difficult for Doris Pilkington to tell this story? List specific difficulties she encountered.
2. Look at the map of Western Australia showing key places in the girls’ journey (in the book, before page xi). Using an atlas , calculate roughly the distance of the return journey & write a description of the landscape and climate of the area the girls passed through.
The First Military Post & The Swan Rivier Colony & The Decline of Aboriginal Society
1. Why, do you think, Dorris Pilkington included these chapters?
2. List five encounters between aborigines and white settlers/ explorers in these chapters & explain how the aborigines were affected by them.
3. What are your first impressions of the author’s writing style.
From the Deserts They Came
1. This chapter is replete with Aboriginal words and phrases. There is a glossary on pages 134-135. Check the definitions. Give several reasons why the author may have chosen to use so many Aboriginal words. How disruptive is it to you, the reader?
2. What is the significance of the passage on pages 24-26, where aborigines are taken to the station. What does the behavior of the earlier Aborigine settlers and the new arrivals tell us about the process of assimilation?
Australia Day 3 and 4
Australia Vocabulary
Day 1
New Words:
assimilation indigenous indigent nomadic totem
G’day
If you want to assimilate and become a true Aussie, there are a few things you need to do. Not only do you have to learn how to speak Oz, you have to learn about the indigenous community as well, commonly called the Aboriginal community in Australia. Without knowing the indigenous roots of this continent, any traveler would be indigent in knowledge. Here are some things to know. Most of the indigenous people used to travel from place to place and not have a set home. Being nomadic, the indigenous Australians identified themselves not through the place they lived, but through their own totem animal or object. Keeping the stories of their totems and the history of the people alive is one of the great challenges in contemporary Australian life.
Sample sentences: Try your hand now at using your new words by writing them in their correct form (change endings if necessary) in these sentences:
1. After the shellfish supply started to diminish, the ___________ people of Southern Australia moved inland to harvest the delicious witchety grubs.
2. The Scrub Turkey Wallaby was seen as the ancestral father of the clan and became their ___________.
3. The Australian government wanted to _____________ all of the aboriginal people by having them adopt the religion and culture of Europe.
4. After Europeans claimed the land in Australia for themselves, the once abundant supplies of food and space started to vanish leaving many aboriginal people _______________.
5. The cane toad was transported to Australia to attack insects and is not ____________ to the land.
Definitions: Match the new words with their dictionary meanings.
6. assimilation___ a. An animal, plant, or natural object serving among certain tribal or traditional peoples as the emblem of a clan or family and sometimes revered as its founder, ancestor, or guardian.
7. indigenous___ b. To absorb a culturally distinct group into the prevailing culture
8. indigent ___ c. A member of a group of people who have no fixed home
9. nomadic ___ d. Originating and living or occurring naturally in an area or environment
10. totem ___ e. Experiencing want or need; impoverished
Today’s Homophone- Please write two sentences for each homophone using the word correctly
To- “in the direction of”
Two- “the number”
Too- “also” or “very”
The two divers were careful not to swim down to the sunken ship too quickly.
Vocabulary
Day 2
New Words:
estuary meandered malignant consign alluvium
The Great Land of Australia
When Australians refer to the Outback, they are talking about a huge piece of land that meanders all over the place. Although much of the land is hot and dry, a climate many would see as quite malignant, there are also many beautiful rock formations such as Uluru or Ayer’s Rock that many people hold as sacred. It was under the care of the Australian government for some time, but was later consigned back to the indigenous people who had cared for it for centuries. The land of Australia is also home to the beautiful Sydney harbor. Unlike murky river waters filled with alluvium, the Sydney harbor boasts clear waters and great views. Surrounding the eastern coast you can also find many estuaries where sea manatees and saltwater crocodiles like to play.
Sample sentences: Try your hand now at using your new words by writing them in their correct form (change endings if necessary) in these sentences:
1. The river snaked down the side of Australia in a way that _____________ in every direction.
2. I would never put my pet koala bear in the pound while I was vacationing, so I ____________ it over to Billy who I knew would keep it safe.
3. In Australia, the gold miners like to look in the____________ fields by the rivers, hoping that gold nuggets will wash out with the rest of the rock and debris.
4. I won’t swim in the _____________ of the river because I know sharks like to swim here to get a taste of a fresh water fish.
5. Some people say teachers are _____________ because they assign tests and enjoy watching their students squirm, but I don’t think they’re that bad at all.
Definitions: Match the new words with their dictionary meanings.
6.estuary ___ a. The part of the wide lower course of a river where its current is met by the tides.
7. meandered ___ b. evil in nature; disposed to do evil
8. malignant ___ c. To move aimlessly and idly without fixed direction
9. consign ___ d. To give over to the care of another; entrust.
10. alluvium ___ e. Sediment deposited by flowing water, as in a riverbed, flood plain, or delta
Today’s Homophone- Please write two sentences for each homophone using the word correctly
Threw- past tense of throw
Through- passing from one side of something to another
Through seven innings, Egor threw just seven strikes.
Day 1
New Words:
assimilation indigenous indigent nomadic totem
G’day
If you want to assimilate and become a true Aussie, there are a few things you need to do. Not only do you have to learn how to speak Oz, you have to learn about the indigenous community as well, commonly called the Aboriginal community in Australia. Without knowing the indigenous roots of this continent, any traveler would be indigent in knowledge. Here are some things to know. Most of the indigenous people used to travel from place to place and not have a set home. Being nomadic, the indigenous Australians identified themselves not through the place they lived, but through their own totem animal or object. Keeping the stories of their totems and the history of the people alive is one of the great challenges in contemporary Australian life.
Sample sentences: Try your hand now at using your new words by writing them in their correct form (change endings if necessary) in these sentences:
1. After the shellfish supply started to diminish, the ___________ people of Southern Australia moved inland to harvest the delicious witchety grubs.
2. The Scrub Turkey Wallaby was seen as the ancestral father of the clan and became their ___________.
3. The Australian government wanted to _____________ all of the aboriginal people by having them adopt the religion and culture of Europe.
4. After Europeans claimed the land in Australia for themselves, the once abundant supplies of food and space started to vanish leaving many aboriginal people _______________.
5. The cane toad was transported to Australia to attack insects and is not ____________ to the land.
Definitions: Match the new words with their dictionary meanings.
6. assimilation___ a. An animal, plant, or natural object serving among certain tribal or traditional peoples as the emblem of a clan or family and sometimes revered as its founder, ancestor, or guardian.
7. indigenous___ b. To absorb a culturally distinct group into the prevailing culture
8. indigent ___ c. A member of a group of people who have no fixed home
9. nomadic ___ d. Originating and living or occurring naturally in an area or environment
10. totem ___ e. Experiencing want or need; impoverished
Today’s Homophone- Please write two sentences for each homophone using the word correctly
To- “in the direction of”
Two- “the number”
Too- “also” or “very”
The two divers were careful not to swim down to the sunken ship too quickly.
Vocabulary
Day 2
New Words:
estuary meandered malignant consign alluvium
The Great Land of Australia
When Australians refer to the Outback, they are talking about a huge piece of land that meanders all over the place. Although much of the land is hot and dry, a climate many would see as quite malignant, there are also many beautiful rock formations such as Uluru or Ayer’s Rock that many people hold as sacred. It was under the care of the Australian government for some time, but was later consigned back to the indigenous people who had cared for it for centuries. The land of Australia is also home to the beautiful Sydney harbor. Unlike murky river waters filled with alluvium, the Sydney harbor boasts clear waters and great views. Surrounding the eastern coast you can also find many estuaries where sea manatees and saltwater crocodiles like to play.
Sample sentences: Try your hand now at using your new words by writing them in their correct form (change endings if necessary) in these sentences:
1. The river snaked down the side of Australia in a way that _____________ in every direction.
2. I would never put my pet koala bear in the pound while I was vacationing, so I ____________ it over to Billy who I knew would keep it safe.
3. In Australia, the gold miners like to look in the____________ fields by the rivers, hoping that gold nuggets will wash out with the rest of the rock and debris.
4. I won’t swim in the _____________ of the river because I know sharks like to swim here to get a taste of a fresh water fish.
5. Some people say teachers are _____________ because they assign tests and enjoy watching their students squirm, but I don’t think they’re that bad at all.
Definitions: Match the new words with their dictionary meanings.
6.estuary ___ a. The part of the wide lower course of a river where its current is met by the tides.
7. meandered ___ b. evil in nature; disposed to do evil
8. malignant ___ c. To move aimlessly and idly without fixed direction
9. consign ___ d. To give over to the care of another; entrust.
10. alluvium ___ e. Sediment deposited by flowing water, as in a riverbed, flood plain, or delta
Today’s Homophone- Please write two sentences for each homophone using the word correctly
Threw- past tense of throw
Through- passing from one side of something to another
Through seven innings, Egor threw just seven strikes.
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Project brainstorming sheet II
Projects Class
Final Project Brainstorming II
This sheet due: Wed, Oct 24
Publicity Film Using the elements of the rubric listed below, plan the specific details of your project.
How are you going to introduce the author and book?
How are you going to introduce the culture(s)/place(s) encountered?
Which three scenes are you going to react to?
How are you going to show “the big picture” of the book?
Which parts of your film are going to show your knowledge of the book (Which 3+ specific examples/quotes will you use?)?
How are you going to “wow” your teacher with your creativity?
What is your plan for the technical aspects of filming?
Sound/image quality?
Set/setting?
Smooth transitions/editing?
What is the premise of your film?
Make a list of descriptive, sensory words that may end up in your film (because they add relevant detail to your descriptions). Use your sensory details word bank!!
Make a timeline, here, that will ensure that you will complete your project on time. Include the following important due dates: draft of script, obtaining materials, filming, editing, and finalizing script (and any other step you feel is important).
Outline your script here:
Projects Class
Final Project Brainstorming II
This sheet due: Wed, Oct 24
Publicity Poster
Using the elements of the rubric listed below, plan the specific details of your project.
How will you “hook” your viewer/reader (text and image)?
In what clever, creative way, will you provide information about your author?
How do you plan to incorporate three scenes from your book?
How will you give your viewer a sense of the “big picture” of the story?
How, exactly will you demonstrate your book knowledge (Which 3+ specific examples/quotes do you plan to use?)?
How are you going to “wow” your teacher with your creativity?
Make a list of descriptive, sensory words that might show up in your poster (because they’re relevant). Use your sensory details word bank!
What materials do you plan to use to add color and boldness to your text and graphics?
What do you plan to incorporate into the written portion (at least one full page, typed, double-spaced)?
Where and when will you obtain an 11 x 17 piece of poster board?
Make a timeline, here, that will ensure that you will get this in on time. Include deadlines for: sketch, text/quotes prepared, graphics, layout, and final (and any other step you feel is important)
Sketch a rough draft of your poster here.
Projects Class
Final Project Brainstorming II
This sheet due: Wed, Oct 24
Travel Brochure
Using the elements of the rubric listed below, plan the specific details of your project.
Which three specific places (from your book) will your tour visit?
1. 2. 3.
How long is the trip?
What, exactly, will people stay? (Must connect with your author’s experiences)
What will they eat? (as per author experiences)
What specific experiences will travelers have in each location? (Again, based on author’s experiences)
Location 1:
Location 2:
Location 3:
Which quotes will you use to show that these experiences happened in your book?
Quote 1: (p. )
Quote 2: (p. )
Quote 3: (p. )
What will the traveler learn in each location? What kind of personal growth will they experience as a result of this journey? (should reflect the author’s experiences) Use specific examples.
Location 1:
Location 2:
Location 3:
What info about the author will you present to qualify him/her for the role of “trip guide”?
What is your “hook” (a.k.a. “attention-grabbing” statement) ?
What graphics/images will you use (5)?
What 3 quotes from your book will you include to show prior customer satisfaction?
What is your travel company’s name? (also address and phone number)
What is your company’s slogan?
How are you going to “wow” your teacher with your overall creativity on this?
Make a list of descriptive, sensory words that might show up in your brochure (because they’re relevant). Use the sensory details word bank!
What materials do you plan to use to add color and boldness to your text and graphics?
Make a timeline, here, that will ensure that you will get this in on time. Include deadlines for mock-up, graphics, polished draft, final brochure, and any other steps you feel are important.
On another sheet of 8.5 x 11 paper, do a “mock-up” (sketch of the layout) for your brochure.
Projects Class
Final Project Brainstorming II
This sheet due: Wed, Oct 24
Web Page
Using the elements of the rubric listed below, plan the specific details of your project.
How will you “hook” your viewer/reader (text and image)?
In what clever, creative way, will you provide information about your author?
How do you plan to incorporate three scenes from your book?
How will you give your viewer a sense of the “big picture” of the story?
How, exactly, will you demonstrate your book knowledge (Which 3+ specific examples/quotes do you plan to use?)?
How are you going to “wow” your teacher with your creativity?
What materials do you plan to use to add color and boldness to your text and graphics?
What links, videos, or music will you include?
Make a list of descriptive, sensory words that might show up in your text (because they’re relevant). Use your sensory details word bank!
What do you plan to incorporate into the written portion (at least one full page, typed, double-spaced)?
Where and when will you have uninterrupted time on a computer for drafting and finalizing your project?
Make a timeline, here, that will ensure that you will get this in on time. Include deadlines for: sketch, text/quotes prepared, graphics, layout, and final (and any other step you feel is important)
Outline/conceptualize your web page’s layout here:
Final Project Brainstorming II
This sheet due: Wed, Oct 24
Publicity Film Using the elements of the rubric listed below, plan the specific details of your project.
How are you going to introduce the author and book?
How are you going to introduce the culture(s)/place(s) encountered?
Which three scenes are you going to react to?
How are you going to show “the big picture” of the book?
Which parts of your film are going to show your knowledge of the book (Which 3+ specific examples/quotes will you use?)?
How are you going to “wow” your teacher with your creativity?
What is your plan for the technical aspects of filming?
Sound/image quality?
Set/setting?
Smooth transitions/editing?
What is the premise of your film?
Make a list of descriptive, sensory words that may end up in your film (because they add relevant detail to your descriptions). Use your sensory details word bank!!
Make a timeline, here, that will ensure that you will complete your project on time. Include the following important due dates: draft of script, obtaining materials, filming, editing, and finalizing script (and any other step you feel is important).
Outline your script here:
Projects Class
Final Project Brainstorming II
This sheet due: Wed, Oct 24
Publicity Poster
Using the elements of the rubric listed below, plan the specific details of your project.
How will you “hook” your viewer/reader (text and image)?
In what clever, creative way, will you provide information about your author?
How do you plan to incorporate three scenes from your book?
How will you give your viewer a sense of the “big picture” of the story?
How, exactly will you demonstrate your book knowledge (Which 3+ specific examples/quotes do you plan to use?)?
How are you going to “wow” your teacher with your creativity?
Make a list of descriptive, sensory words that might show up in your poster (because they’re relevant). Use your sensory details word bank!
What materials do you plan to use to add color and boldness to your text and graphics?
What do you plan to incorporate into the written portion (at least one full page, typed, double-spaced)?
Where and when will you obtain an 11 x 17 piece of poster board?
Make a timeline, here, that will ensure that you will get this in on time. Include deadlines for: sketch, text/quotes prepared, graphics, layout, and final (and any other step you feel is important)
Sketch a rough draft of your poster here.
Projects Class
Final Project Brainstorming II
This sheet due: Wed, Oct 24
Travel Brochure
Using the elements of the rubric listed below, plan the specific details of your project.
Which three specific places (from your book) will your tour visit?
1. 2. 3.
How long is the trip?
What, exactly, will people stay? (Must connect with your author’s experiences)
What will they eat? (as per author experiences)
What specific experiences will travelers have in each location? (Again, based on author’s experiences)
Location 1:
Location 2:
Location 3:
Which quotes will you use to show that these experiences happened in your book?
Quote 1: (p. )
Quote 2: (p. )
Quote 3: (p. )
What will the traveler learn in each location? What kind of personal growth will they experience as a result of this journey? (should reflect the author’s experiences) Use specific examples.
Location 1:
Location 2:
Location 3:
What info about the author will you present to qualify him/her for the role of “trip guide”?
What is your “hook” (a.k.a. “attention-grabbing” statement) ?
What graphics/images will you use (5)?
What 3 quotes from your book will you include to show prior customer satisfaction?
What is your travel company’s name? (also address and phone number)
What is your company’s slogan?
How are you going to “wow” your teacher with your overall creativity on this?
Make a list of descriptive, sensory words that might show up in your brochure (because they’re relevant). Use the sensory details word bank!
What materials do you plan to use to add color and boldness to your text and graphics?
Make a timeline, here, that will ensure that you will get this in on time. Include deadlines for mock-up, graphics, polished draft, final brochure, and any other steps you feel are important.
On another sheet of 8.5 x 11 paper, do a “mock-up” (sketch of the layout) for your brochure.
Projects Class
Final Project Brainstorming II
This sheet due: Wed, Oct 24
Web Page
Using the elements of the rubric listed below, plan the specific details of your project.
How will you “hook” your viewer/reader (text and image)?
In what clever, creative way, will you provide information about your author?
How do you plan to incorporate three scenes from your book?
How will you give your viewer a sense of the “big picture” of the story?
How, exactly, will you demonstrate your book knowledge (Which 3+ specific examples/quotes do you plan to use?)?
How are you going to “wow” your teacher with your creativity?
What materials do you plan to use to add color and boldness to your text and graphics?
What links, videos, or music will you include?
Make a list of descriptive, sensory words that might show up in your text (because they’re relevant). Use your sensory details word bank!
What do you plan to incorporate into the written portion (at least one full page, typed, double-spaced)?
Where and when will you have uninterrupted time on a computer for drafting and finalizing your project?
Make a timeline, here, that will ensure that you will get this in on time. Include deadlines for: sketch, text/quotes prepared, graphics, layout, and final (and any other step you feel is important)
Outline/conceptualize your web page’s layout here:
Final Project Brainstorming sheet one
Projects Class
Final Project Brainstorming
This sheet due: Mon, Oct 22
1. Choose from the four options: review all four options offered for this assignment (purple hand-out). Consider your unique skills and interests. Write down the two options that interest you the most.
1)
2)
2. Which of your unique skills and interests will you use to create each of the projects listed above? (Example: Art skills, computer skills, interest in film, etc.)
Option 1: Skills-
Interests-
Option 2: Skills-
Interests-
3. Resources: Each option requires specific resources (ie. Making a film requires a camera; creating a web site requires a computer and software). What will you need, and what do you have access to?
Option 1: Necessary materials-
Where and when can you use them?
Option 2: Necessary materials-
Where and when can you use them?
4. Anticipate difficulties. Think ahead to anything that might limit your ability to get each project done by Nov 1st. (Example: The computer is at your Mom’s house, but you are staying at your Dad’s for the next 2 weeks).
Option 1: Difficulties:
How will you overcome these difficulties?
Option 2: Difficulties:
How will you overcome these difficulties?
5. Time: This assignment is due in exactly 2 weeks, including two weekends. Think about the amount of time involved in each of the two project options outlined above. How will you manage your time for each? Use the calendar below to set realistic deadlines for yourself. (Depending on your project, you may set the following duedates: outline, rough draft/mock-up/layout, design day (web site), rehearsal/filming day, etc.)
Option 1: Timeline-
Mon Tues Wed Thurs Fri Sat Sun
10/18
10/19
10/20 10/21
10/22
10/23 10/24 10/25 10/26 10/27 10/28
10/29
10/30 10/31 11/1 due
Option 2: Timeline-
Mon Tues Wed Thurs Fri Sat Sun
10/18
10/19
10/20 10/21
10/22
10/23 10/24 10/25 10/26 10/27 10/28
10/29
10/30 10/31 11/1 due
6. Now choose one of the two options you’ve been considering. Make a thoughtful choice, based on your consideration of your skills/interests, availability of materials, time, etc.
Final Project Brainstorming
This sheet due: Mon, Oct 22
1. Choose from the four options: review all four options offered for this assignment (purple hand-out). Consider your unique skills and interests. Write down the two options that interest you the most.
1)
2)
2. Which of your unique skills and interests will you use to create each of the projects listed above? (Example: Art skills, computer skills, interest in film, etc.)
Option 1: Skills-
Interests-
Option 2: Skills-
Interests-
3. Resources: Each option requires specific resources (ie. Making a film requires a camera; creating a web site requires a computer and software). What will you need, and what do you have access to?
Option 1: Necessary materials-
Where and when can you use them?
Option 2: Necessary materials-
Where and when can you use them?
4. Anticipate difficulties. Think ahead to anything that might limit your ability to get each project done by Nov 1st. (Example: The computer is at your Mom’s house, but you are staying at your Dad’s for the next 2 weeks).
Option 1: Difficulties:
How will you overcome these difficulties?
Option 2: Difficulties:
How will you overcome these difficulties?
5. Time: This assignment is due in exactly 2 weeks, including two weekends. Think about the amount of time involved in each of the two project options outlined above. How will you manage your time for each? Use the calendar below to set realistic deadlines for yourself. (Depending on your project, you may set the following duedates: outline, rough draft/mock-up/layout, design day (web site), rehearsal/filming day, etc.)
Option 1: Timeline-
Mon Tues Wed Thurs Fri Sat Sun
10/18
10/19
10/20 10/21
10/22
10/23 10/24 10/25 10/26 10/27 10/28
10/29
10/30 10/31 11/1 due
Option 2: Timeline-
Mon Tues Wed Thurs Fri Sat Sun
10/18
10/19
10/20 10/21
10/22
10/23 10/24 10/25 10/26 10/27 10/28
10/29
10/30 10/31 11/1 due
6. Now choose one of the two options you’ve been considering. Make a thoughtful choice, based on your consideration of your skills/interests, availability of materials, time, etc.
Australia vocab day one and two
Australia Vocabulary
Day 1
New Words:
assimilation indigenous indigent nomadic totem
G’day
If you want to assimilate and become a true Aussie, there are a few things you need to do. Not only do you have to learn how to speak Oz, you have to learn about the indigenous community as well, commonly called the Aboriginal community in Australia. Without knowing the indigenous roots of this continent, any traveler would be indigent in knowledge. Here are some things to know. Most of the indigenous people used to travel from place to place and not have a set home. Being nomadic, the indigenous Australians identified themselves not through the place they lived, but through their own totem animal or object. Keeping the stories of their totems and the history of the people alive is one of the great challenges in contemporary Australian life.
Sample sentences: Try your hand now at using your new words by writing them in their correct form (change endings if necessary) in these sentences:
1. After the shellfish supply started to diminish, the ___________ people of Southern Australia moved inland to harvest the delicious witchety grubs.
2. The Scrub Turkey Wallaby was seen as the ancestral father of the clan and became their ___________.
3. The Australian government wanted to _____________ all of the aboriginal people by having them adopt the religion and culture of Europe.
4. After Europeans claimed the land in Australia for themselves, the once abundant supplies of food and space started to vanish leaving many aboriginal people _______________.
5. The cane toad was transported to Australia to attack insects and is not ____________ to the land.
Definitions: Match the new words with their dictionary meanings.
6. assimilation___ a. An animal, plant, or natural object serving among certain tribal or traditional peoples as the emblem of a clan or family and sometimes revered as its founder, ancestor, or guardian.
7. indigenous___ b. To absorb a culturally distinct group into the prevailing culture
8. indigent ___ c. A member of a group of people who have no fixed home
9. nomadic ___ d. Originating and living or occurring naturally in an area or environment
10. totem ___ e. Experiencing want or need; impoverished
Today’s Homophone- Please write two sentences for each homophone using the word correctly
To- “in the direction of”
Two- “the number”
Too- “also” or “very”
The two divers were careful not to swim down to the sunken ship too quickly.
Vocabulary
Day 2
New Words:
estuary meandered malignant consign alluvium
The Great Land of Australia
When Australians refer to the Outback, they are talking about a huge piece of land that meanders all over the place. Although much of the land is hot and dry, a climate many would see as quite malignant, there are also many beautiful rock formations such as Uluru or Ayer’s Rock that many people hold as sacred. It was under the care of the Australian government for some time, but was later consigned back to the indigenous people who had cared for it for centuries. The land of Australia is also home to the beautiful Sydney harbor. Unlike murky river waters filled with alluvium, the Sydney harbor boasts clear waters and great views. Surrounding the eastern coast you can also find many estuaries where sea manatees and saltwater crocodiles like to play.
Sample sentences: Try your hand now at using your new words by writing them in their correct form (change endings if necessary) in these sentences:
1. The river snaked down the side of Australia in a way that _____________ in every direction.
2. I would never put my pet koala bear in the pound while I was vacationing, so I ____________ it over to Billy who I knew would keep it safe.
3. In Australia, the gold miners like to look in the____________ fields by the rivers, hoping that gold nuggets will wash out with the rest of the rock and debris.
4. I won’t swim in the _____________ of the river because I know sharks like to swim here to get a taste of a fresh water fish.
5. Some people say teachers are _____________ because they assign tests and enjoy watching their students squirm, but I don’t think they’re that bad at all.
Definitions: Match the new words with their dictionary meanings.
6.estuary ___ a. The part of the wide lower course of a river where its current is met by the tides.
7. meandered ___ b. evil in nature; disposed to do evil
8. malignant ___ c. To move aimlessly and idly without fixed direction
9. consign ___ d. To give over to the care of another; entrust.
10. alluvium ___ e. Sediment deposited by flowing water, as in a riverbed, flood plain, or delta
Today’s Homophone- Please write two sentences for each homophone using the word correctly
Threw- past tense of throw
Through- passing from one side of something to another
Through seven innings, Egor threw just seven strikes.
Day 1
New Words:
assimilation indigenous indigent nomadic totem
G’day
If you want to assimilate and become a true Aussie, there are a few things you need to do. Not only do you have to learn how to speak Oz, you have to learn about the indigenous community as well, commonly called the Aboriginal community in Australia. Without knowing the indigenous roots of this continent, any traveler would be indigent in knowledge. Here are some things to know. Most of the indigenous people used to travel from place to place and not have a set home. Being nomadic, the indigenous Australians identified themselves not through the place they lived, but through their own totem animal or object. Keeping the stories of their totems and the history of the people alive is one of the great challenges in contemporary Australian life.
Sample sentences: Try your hand now at using your new words by writing them in their correct form (change endings if necessary) in these sentences:
1. After the shellfish supply started to diminish, the ___________ people of Southern Australia moved inland to harvest the delicious witchety grubs.
2. The Scrub Turkey Wallaby was seen as the ancestral father of the clan and became their ___________.
3. The Australian government wanted to _____________ all of the aboriginal people by having them adopt the religion and culture of Europe.
4. After Europeans claimed the land in Australia for themselves, the once abundant supplies of food and space started to vanish leaving many aboriginal people _______________.
5. The cane toad was transported to Australia to attack insects and is not ____________ to the land.
Definitions: Match the new words with their dictionary meanings.
6. assimilation___ a. An animal, plant, or natural object serving among certain tribal or traditional peoples as the emblem of a clan or family and sometimes revered as its founder, ancestor, or guardian.
7. indigenous___ b. To absorb a culturally distinct group into the prevailing culture
8. indigent ___ c. A member of a group of people who have no fixed home
9. nomadic ___ d. Originating and living or occurring naturally in an area or environment
10. totem ___ e. Experiencing want or need; impoverished
Today’s Homophone- Please write two sentences for each homophone using the word correctly
To- “in the direction of”
Two- “the number”
Too- “also” or “very”
The two divers were careful not to swim down to the sunken ship too quickly.
Vocabulary
Day 2
New Words:
estuary meandered malignant consign alluvium
The Great Land of Australia
When Australians refer to the Outback, they are talking about a huge piece of land that meanders all over the place. Although much of the land is hot and dry, a climate many would see as quite malignant, there are also many beautiful rock formations such as Uluru or Ayer’s Rock that many people hold as sacred. It was under the care of the Australian government for some time, but was later consigned back to the indigenous people who had cared for it for centuries. The land of Australia is also home to the beautiful Sydney harbor. Unlike murky river waters filled with alluvium, the Sydney harbor boasts clear waters and great views. Surrounding the eastern coast you can also find many estuaries where sea manatees and saltwater crocodiles like to play.
Sample sentences: Try your hand now at using your new words by writing them in their correct form (change endings if necessary) in these sentences:
1. The river snaked down the side of Australia in a way that _____________ in every direction.
2. I would never put my pet koala bear in the pound while I was vacationing, so I ____________ it over to Billy who I knew would keep it safe.
3. In Australia, the gold miners like to look in the____________ fields by the rivers, hoping that gold nuggets will wash out with the rest of the rock and debris.
4. I won’t swim in the _____________ of the river because I know sharks like to swim here to get a taste of a fresh water fish.
5. Some people say teachers are _____________ because they assign tests and enjoy watching their students squirm, but I don’t think they’re that bad at all.
Definitions: Match the new words with their dictionary meanings.
6.estuary ___ a. The part of the wide lower course of a river where its current is met by the tides.
7. meandered ___ b. evil in nature; disposed to do evil
8. malignant ___ c. To move aimlessly and idly without fixed direction
9. consign ___ d. To give over to the care of another; entrust.
10. alluvium ___ e. Sediment deposited by flowing water, as in a riverbed, flood plain, or delta
Today’s Homophone- Please write two sentences for each homophone using the word correctly
Threw- past tense of throw
Through- passing from one side of something to another
Through seven innings, Egor threw just seven strikes.
Monday, October 22, 2007
Dreamtime Myth
Australian Mythology
Assignment: You will create your own dreamtime myth and illustrations.
Pick one of the pictures on this page and write a myth about it. You could write about the animal or place’s creation or you could write a myth in which the place or animal plays a central role. Use the myth on the back of this paper as an example for your story. You will need to type your myth in columns (half a page with a landscape layout) so that you can cut and paste it and create an illustrated book. Your myth should be written/typed at home and there will be class time to illustrate your book with Aboriginal dot or cross hatch designs. There should be at least two illustrations per book.
You are welcome to extend this project and create more myths and images for extra credit.
The Boomerang and the Sun
From the Aborigine people of the Flinders Range of southern Australia comes the story of how the distinction first arose between night and day – for in the world’s infancy, it seems, all was light and sunshine, with no intervening darkness.
The trouble started one Dreamtime day when the goanna lizard and the gecko set out to visit neighbours. On arrival, however, they found that their friends had all been massacred: with one voice they vowed vengeance upon those responsible. It had, it soon transpired, been the sun-woman and her dingo dogs who had attacked and killed the defenceless community: she was a formidable foe, but the goanna and the gecko were quite undaunted. As the sun-woman stormed and shouted her defiance, the lizard drew his boomerang and hurled it – and dashed the sun clean out of the sky. It plummeted over the western horizon, plunging the world into total darkness – and now the lizard and the gecko really were alarmed. What would become of them without the sun-woman and her warming, illuminating rays? They must do everything they could to restore her to the heavens. The goanna took another boomerang and hurled it westwards with al his might to where he had seen his target disappearing. It fell ineffectually to ground so he threw two others to the south and north, but they too drifted back without hitting anything. In despair, the goanna took his last boomerang and launched it into the eastern sky – the opposite direction from that in which he had seen the sun-woman sinking. To his astonishment it returned, driving before it the sun’s burning sphere, which tracked westwards across the sky before disappearing. From that day on the sun maintained this course, rising in the east and setting in the west, lighting up the day for work and hunting and casting the night into shade fro sleeping. All agreed this was an ideal arrangement, and the Aborigines of the Flinders have felt a debt of gratitude to the goanna and the gecko ever since.
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