MUIDS ELA & Literacy Curriculum Grade 12 • Unit 2 Map

12.2 Unit Plan

"The widening gyre": Things Fall Apart & Colonialism

Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, novel
Texts
"The Second Coming" by William Butler Yeats, poem
"The White Man's Burden" by Rudyard Kipling, poem
"What Do We Do with Variation?" by James Berry, poem
"Creating 'We' and 'They'" by Kwame Anthony Appiah, video

Students also choose from the following texts:

1. "How to Write about Africa" by Binyavanga Wainaina
2. "The Present and Probable Future Condition of the Three Races that Inhabit
the Territory of the United Stated" by Alexis de Tocqueville
3. "Mother Tongue" by Amy Tan
4. "A Celebration of Grandfathers" by Rudolfo Anaya
5. "Fighting for the Survival of Uncontacted Tribes" by James Owen
6. "What It Means to 'Be a Man': How Male Gender Stereotypes Try to Fit
Growing Boys into a Mold" by Samantha Olson
7. "The Tower of Babel" from Genesis 11
8. "Chinua Achebe, The Art of Fiction" from The Paris Review
9. "An African Voice" from The Atlantic

Number of Weeks
9
in Unit

Introduction
In Unit 2, students read Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart in its entirety, as well as supplemental informational
texts to frame and guide analysis. Students explore complex themes of identity, culture, colonialism, and the
individual's relationship to community. As a natural progression of Unit 1, students continue to hone their
writing and analytical skills to examine character development, word choice, symbols, and other literary
devices in order to comment on a central thematic concept (i.e. The impact of colonialism on the peoples of
Africa). Class time is structured around close readings, small-group lead discussions, Socratic seminars, and
small written tasks to spark ongoing critical engagement. Students are required to write a multi-paragraph
essay established around a self-generated prompt using the supplemental sources as reference.

Literacy Skills Focus

• Read closely for textual details
• Annotate texts to support comprehension and analysis
• Use vocabulary strategies to define unknown words
• Collect and organize evidence

1
MUIDS ELA & Literacy Curriculum Grade 12 • Unit 2 Map

• Analyze impact of style and content from texts

• Independently develop questions for further textual analysis
• Develop, refine, and select inquiry questions to guide research
• Conduct independent searches using grade-appropriate research processes
• Analyze perspectives in potential research texts
• Write for different purposes (e.g. informative, expressive, persuasive, literary)
• Craft claims about inquiry questions, inquiry paths, and a problem-based question using specific
textual evidence
• Write informative texts to convey complex meanings
• Develop counterclaims in opposition to claims
• Develop accurate technical writing and proper mechanics
• Use precise words and phrases, telling details, and sensory language
• Engage in productive evidence-based discussions
• Make extemporaneous claims about texts using specific textual evidence
• Create oral presentations, keeping in mind audience’s concerns, values, and potential biases
• Create oral presentations, keeping in mind tone, volume, enunciation and pace
• Propel conversations by posing and responding to questions that relate the current discussion to
broader themes or larger ideas
• Respond thoughtfully to diverse perspectives, summarize points of agreement and disagreement,
and, when warranted, qualify or justify one's own views

English Language Arts Content Standards

Yearlong Target Standards

These standards are informed by California's Common Core State Standards (CCSS) and describe the
performance standards that define various levels of competence at each grade level.

CCSS.ELA: Reading—Literature
RL.11-12.3 Analyze the impact of the author's choices regarding how to develop and relate elements
of a story or drama (e.g., where a story is set, how the action is ordered, how the
characters are introduced and developed).

RL.11-12.4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text, including
figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of specific word choices on
meaning and tone, including words with multiple meanings or language that is particularly
fresh, engaging, or beautiful. (Include Shakespeare as well as other authors.)

RL.11-12.5 Analyze how an author's choices concerning how to structure specific parts of a text (e.g.,
the choice of where to begin or end a story, the choice to provide a comedic or tragic
resolution) contribute to its overall structure and meaning as well as its aesthetic impact.

RL.11-12.10 By the end of grade 12, read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and
poems, at the high end of the grades 11-CCR text complexity band independently and
proficiently.

2
MUIDS ELA & Literacy Curriculum Grade 12 • Unit 2 Map

CCSS.ELA: Reading—Informational Texts

RI.11-12.2 Determine two or more central ideas of a text and analyze their development over the
course of the text, including how they interact and build on one another to provide a
complex analysis; provide an objective summary of the text.

RI.11-12.3 Analyze a complex set of ideas or sequence of events and explain how specific individuals,
ideas, or events interact and develop over the course of the text.

RI.11-12.10 By the end of grade 12, read and comprehend literary nonfiction at the high end of the
grades 11-CCR text complexity band independently and proficiently.

CCSS.ELA: Writing
W.11-12.2. a- Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas, concepts, and
c, f information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and
analysis of content.

a. Introduce a topic; organize complex ideas, concepts, and information so that each
new element builds on that which precedes it to create a unified whole; include
formatting (e.g., headings), graphics (e.g., figures, tables), and multimedia when
useful to aiding comprehension.
b. Develop the topic thoroughly by selecting the most significant and relevant facts,
extended definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and
examples appropriate to the audience's knowledge of the topic.
c. Use appropriate and varied transitions and syntax to link the major sections of the
text, create cohesion, and clarify the relationships among complex ideas and
concepts.
f. Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the
information or explanation presented (e.g., articulating implications or the
significance of the topic).

W.11-12.4 Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are
appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.

W.11-12.9.a Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and
research.
a. Apply grades 11-12 Reading standards to literature (e.g., "Demonstrate knowledge
of eighteenth-, nineteenth- and early-twentieth-century foundational works of
American literature, including how two or more texts from the same period treat
similar themes or topics").

W.11-12.10 Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and
shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of tasks, purposes, and
audiences.

CCSS.ELA: Speaking & Listening

SL.11-12.1 Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in
groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grades 11-12 topics, texts, and issues,
building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.

SL.11-12.3 Evaluate a speaker's point of view, reasoning, and use of evidence and rhetoric, assessing
the stance, premises, links among ideas, word choice, points of emphasis, and tone used.

CCSS.ELA: Language
L.11-12.3 Apply knowledge of language to understand how language functions in different contexts,
to make effective choices for meaning or style, and to comprehend more fully when
reading or listening.

3
MUIDS ELA & Literacy Curriculum Grade 12 • Unit 2 Map

L.11-12.6 Acquire and use accurately general academic and domain-specific words and phrases,
sufficient for reading, writing, speaking, and listening at the college and career readiness
level; demonstrate independence in gathering vocabulary knowledge when considering a
word or phrase important to comprehension or expression.

Unit-Specific Assessed Standards

These standards will be the specific focus of instruction and assessment, based on the texts studied and
proficiencies developed in this module.

CCSS.ELA: Reading—Literature
RL.11-12.1 Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says
explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text, including determining where the text
leaves matters uncertain.

RL.11-12.2 Determine two or more themes or central ideas of a text and analyze their development
over the course of the text, including how they interact and build on one another to
produce a complex account; provide an objective summary of the text.

RL.11-12.10 By the end of grade 12, read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and
poems, at the high end of the grades 11–CCR text complexity band independently and
proficiently.

CCSS.ELA: Reading—Informational Texts

RI.11-12.2 Determine two or more central ideas of a text and analyze their development over the
course of the text, including how they interact and build on one another to provide a
complex analysis; provide an objective summary of the text.

RI.11-12.3 Analyze a complex set of ideas or sequence of events and explain how specific individuals,
ideas, or events interact and develop over the course of the text.

RI.11-12.4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including
figurative, connotative, and technical meanings; analyze how an author uses and refines
the meaning of a key term or terms over the course of a text (e.g., how Madison defines
faction in Federalist No. 10).

RI.11-12.7 Integrate and evaluate multiple sources of information presented in different media or
formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively) as well as in words in order to address a question or
solve a problem.

CCSS.ELA: Writing
W.11-12.1, a- Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid
e reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence.
a. Introduce precise, knowledgeable claim(s), establish the significance of the claim(s),
distinguish the claim(s) from alternate or opposing claims, and create an
organization that logically sequences claim(s), counterclaims, reasons and evidence.
b. Develop claim(s) and counterclaims fairly and thoroughly, supplying the most
relevant evidence for each while pointing out the strengths and limitations of both in
a manner that anticipates the audience’s knowledge level, concerns, values, and
possible biases.
c. Use words, phrases, and clauses as well as varied syntax to link the major sections of
the text, create cohesion, and clarify the relationships between claim(s) and reasons
and evidence, and between claim(s) and counterclaims.
d. Establish and maintain a formal style and objective tone while attending to the
norms and conventions of the discipline in which they are writing.

4
MUIDS ELA & Literacy Curriculum Grade 12 • Unit 2 Map

e. Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the
argument presented.

W.11-12.4 Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are
appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. (Grade-specific expectations for writing types
are defined in standards 1-3 above.)

W.11-12.7 Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects to answer a question (including
a self-generated question) or solve a problem; narrow or broaden the inquiry when
appropriate; synthesize multiple sources on the subject, demonstrating understanding of
the subject under investigation.

W.11-12.8 Gather relevant information from multiple authoritative print and digital sources, using
advanced searches effectively; assess the strengths and limitations of each source in terms
of the task, purpose, and audience; integrate information into the text selectively to
maintain the flow of ideas, avoiding plagiarism and overreliance on any one source and
following a standard format for citation.

W.11-12.9, a- Draw evidence from literary or informational tests to support analysis, reflection, and
b research.
a. Apply grades 11-12 Reading standards to literature (e.g., “Demonstrate knowledge
of eighteenth-, nineteenth- and early-twentieth-century foundational works of
American literature, including how two or more texts from the same period treat
similar themes or topics”.)
b. Apply grades 11-12 Reading standards to literary nonfiction (e.g., “Delineate and
evaluate the reasoning in seminal U.S. texts, including the application of
constitutional principles and use of legal reasoning [e.g., The Federalist, presidential
addresses]”).

CCSS.ELA: Speaking & Listening

SL.11-12.1, a- Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in
d groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grades 11-12 topics, texts, and issues,
building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.
a. Come to discussions prepared, having read and researched material under study;
explicitly draw on that preparation by referring to evidence from texts and other
research on the topic or issue to stimulate a thoughtful, well-reasoned exchange of
ideas.
b. Work with peers to promote civil, democratic discussions and decision-making, set
clear goals and deadlines, and establish individual roles as needed.
c. Propel conversations by posing and responding to questions that probe reasoning
and evidence; ensure a hearing for a full range or positions on a topic or issue;
clarify, verify, or challenge ideas and conclusions; and promote divergent and
creative perspectives.
d. Respond thoughtfully to diverse perspectives, synthesize comments, claims, and
evidence made on all sides of an issue; resolve contradictions when possible; and
determine what additional information or research is required to deepen the
investigation or complete the task.

SL.11-12.3 Evaluate a speaker’s point of view, reasoning, and use of evidence and rhetoric, assessing
the stance, premises, links among ideas, word choice, points of emphasis, and tone used.

CCSS.ELA: Language
L.11-12.3 Apply knowledge of language to understand how language functions in different contexts,
to make effective choices for meaning or style, and to comprehend more fully when
reading or listening.

5
MUIDS ELA & Literacy Curriculum Grade 12 • Unit 2 Map

L.11-12.5, a-b Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in
word meanings.
a. Interpret figures of speech (e.g., hyperbole, paradox) in context and analyze their
role in the text.
b. Analyze nuances in the meaning of words with similar denotations.

L.11-12.6 Acquire and use accurately general academic and domain-specific words and phrases,
sufficient for reading, writing, speaking, and listening at the college and career readiness
level; demonstrate independence in gathering vocabulary knowledge when considering a
word or phrase important to comprehension or expression.

Supporting Standards
These standards will be addressed at the unit level, and may be considered in assessment, but will not be the
focus of extended instruction in this unit.

CCSS.ELA: Reading—Literature
RL.11-12.3 Analyze the impact of the author’s choices regarding how to develop and relate elements
of a story or drama (e.g., where a story is set, how the action is ordered, how the
characters are introduced and developed).

RL.11-12.4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text, including
figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of specific word choices on
meaning and tone, including words with multiple meanings or language that is particularly
fresh, engaging, or beautiful. (Include Shakespeare as well as other authors.)

RL.11-12.5 Analyze how an author's choices concerning how to structure specific parts of a text (e.g.,
the choice of where to begin or end a story, the choice to provide a comedic or tragic
resolution) contribute to its overall structure and meaning as well as its aesthetic impact.

CCSS.ELA: Reading—Informational Texts

RI.11-12.5 Analyze and evaluate the effectiveness of the structure an author uses in his or her
exposition or argument, including whether the structure makes points clear, convincing,
and engaging.

RI.11-12.6 Determine an author’s point of view or purpose in a text in which the rhetoric is
particularly effective, analyzing how style and content contribute to the power,
persuasiveness, or beauty of the text.

CCSS.ELA: Writing
W.11-12.2, a- Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas, concepts, and
d information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and
analysis of content.
a. Introduce a topic; organize complex ideas, concepts, and information so that each
new element builds on that which precedes it to create a unified whole; include
formatting (e.g., headings), graphics (e.g., figures, tables), and multimedia when
useful to aiding comprehension.
b. Develop the topic thoroughly by selecting the most significant and relevant facts,
extended definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and
examples appropriate to the audience's knowledge of the topic.
c. Use appropriate and varied transitions and syntax to link the major sections of the
text, create cohesion, and clarify the relationships among complex ideas and
concepts.
d. Use precise language, domain-specific vocabulary, and techniques such as metaphor,
simile, and analogy to manage the complexity of the topic.

6
MUIDS ELA & Literacy Curriculum Grade 12 • Unit 2 Map

W.11-12.5 Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or
trying a new approach, focusing on addressing what is most significant for a specific
purpose and audience. (Editing for conventions should demonstrate command of
Language standards 1-3 up to and including grades 11-12.)

W.11-12.6 Use technology, including the Internet, to produce, publish, and update individual or
shared writing products in response to ongoing feedback, including new arguments or
information.

CCSS.ELA: Speaking & Listening

SL.11-12.4 Present information, findings, and supporting evidence, conveying a clear and distinct
perspective, such that listeners can follow the line of reasoning, alternative or opposing
perspectives are addressed, and the organization, development, substance, and style are
appropriate to purpose, audience, and a range of formal and informal tasks.

SL.11-12.5 Make strategic use of digital media (e.g., textual, graphical, audio, visual, and interactive
elements) in presentations to enhance understanding of findings, reasoning, and evidence
and to add interest.

CCSS.ELA: Language
L.11-12.1, a Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when
writing or speaking.
a. Apply the understanding that usage is a matter of convention, can change over time,
and is sometimes contested.

L.11-12.2, b Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation,

and spelling when writing.
b. Spell correctly.

L.11-12.4, a-d Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases
based on grades 11-12 reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies.
a. Use context (e.g., the overall meaning of a sentence, paragraph, or text; a word's
position or function in a sentence) as a clue to the meaning of a word or phrase.
b. Identify and correctly use patterns of word changes that indicate different meanings
or parts of speech (e.g., conceive, conception, conceivable).
c. Consult general and specialized reference materials (e.g., dictionaries, glossaries,
thesauruses), both print and digital, to find the pronunciation of a word or
determine or clarify its precise meaning, its part of speech, its etymology, or its
standard usage.
d. Verify the preliminary determination of the meaning of a word or phrase (e.g., by
checking the inferred meaning in context or in a dictionary).

Essential Questions, Enduring Understandings, & Content

Vocabulary
Essential Questions Enduring Understandings
1. How can culture bond or divide human beings? • Despite cultural differences, all people share
similar emotional impulses, concerns, and
2. How does culture impact identity? desires.

3. What is the relationship between the • Culture impacts the identity of a community
individual and community? as well as the individuals within it.

7
MUIDS ELA & Literacy Curriculum Grade 12 • Unit 2 Map

4. What impact has European culture had on
Africa? The world?
5. How is power structured in society?
6. How does literature reflect our world?
7. How might being able to recognize literary
features help in appreciating literature?
• Europe has had a long-lasting, and at times
negative, effect on Africa and the world. It has
perpetuated Imperialism upon other nations
yet has helped unify the world through
language.
• Universal themes endure cross-culturally and
transcend time, place, and genre.
• Authors make intentional choices about
subject, tone, and literary techniques to
develop a literary text.

Unit-Targeted Vocabulary
Imperialism—(n.) a policy of extending a country's power and influence over inhabited territory
Colonialism—(n.) an expression of Imperialism; the act of acquiring full or partial control over another
country, occupying it with settlers, and exploiting it economically
Christian Evangelism—(n.) the spreading of the Christian religion in order to convert non-believers
Fragmentation—(n.) the process or state of breaking or being broken into small or separate parts
Subjugate—(v.) to bring someone under domination or control, especially by conquest
Exploit—(v.) to use a situation or person in an unfair or selfish way; to benefit unfairly from the work of
someone else
Vocabulary Support for ELLs
A complete vocabulary list covering each chapter is provided for students at the beginning of the unit.
Due to frequent untranslated Igbo words, ELLs may experience some frustration and difficulty. Most
editions of Things Fall Apart contain a glossary of Igbo words. The instructor may provide direct support,
offer Igbo word banks for study, or encourage students to keep a running list of these words and phrases to
aid in comprehension.

Unit Performance Assessments

Formative Assessments

Literature Circles / Graded Discussions

Students are divided into small groups to discuss the week's reading with their peers, and they are expected
to support their inferences with direct textual evidence. Role sheets may be provided to frame and deepen
discussion. Students may be asked to record, share, or present their findings. Literature circles will be
graded using the "Literature Circle" rubric.

Multi-Media Visual Presentations

Working in small groups, students research elements of Nigerian/Igbo culture and prepare display
materials. Relevant information can be found within the novel and may be supplemented through extra
research either online or in a library.

Topics:
• Farming & Food
• Igbo Music & Instruments
• Social Customs (i.e. marriage)

8
MUIDS ELA & Literacy Curriculum Grade 12 • Unit 2 Map

• Religious Customs (i.e. ceremonies and festivals)

• Roles of Men vs Women

Short Writings

Students are frequently given short writing tasks such as journals, reflections, and analysis of a passage.

Prompts:
• How does the author use setting, symbolism, description, or other literary techniques to develop
content or theme?
• What external pressures affect a character's behavior?
• How does the character's actions reveal an internal state of being?
• How is conflict, contrast, or juxtaposition used to develop an incisive exploration of two or more
subjects?
• How does the work reflect or remark upon the author's biographical, social, or historical context?
• In what way is the work a reflection of the author's attitudes or values?
• Discuss Okonkwo's relationship with Nwoye / his culture / himself.

Summative Assessment

For the summative assessment, students produce a multi-paragraph essay exploring a central thematic
concern in the novel. The essay focus should be student-generated and informed by supplemental texts.
These supplemental texts should spark a topic of interest and must be included as references within the
essay itself. Students gather supporting evidence across the novel and sources to support their claim.

General Prompts:
• How is the work a reflection of the author's attitudes or values?
• How is the author's work informed by his/her biographical context?
• How does the author's work fit within a historical context?
• What common themes, subjects, imagery, or literary techniques are expressed across the novel?
• What elements of contrast are expressed throughout the novel, and what is the purpose of this
contrast?

Text-Specific Prompts:
• Achebe avoids giving a clear idea of good vs. evil in either Igbo or European culture. How does
Things Fall Apart show value and fault in both cultures?
• Why is Things Fall Apart written in English and not the Nigerian language?
• Wrestling is a recurring image. What are some examples of wrestling in the novel, and how do they
contribute to the overall theme?
• In Things Fall Apart, how is Igbo society destroyed from the inside out? Who does Christianity
appeal to, and what techniques do the Christians use to convert them?
• How does Things Fall Apart compare and contrast Christianity to the traditional Igbo religion?
• How does Achebe show that Igbo society, despite the opinion of Europeans, is very highly civilized?
• How does Okonkwo's strict code of "manliness" lead to his isolation and eventual downfall?

9
MUIDS ELA & Literacy Curriculum Grade 12 • Unit 2 Map

Suggested Unit Calendar

Week Lesson Outline Assessed & Assessments
Supporting CCSS
Week 1 Teacher frames the unit by presenting its objective, RI.11-12.7 None.
guiding questions, formative and summative SL.11-12.1, c-d
assessment, unit-targeted vocabulary, and text. RL.11-12.4
RI.11-12.5
Due to possible lack of interest stemming from SL.11-12.4
unfamiliarity with Nigerian / Igbo culture, the opening
week builds of knowledge which can be carried over
into the following weeks. In small-groups, students
explore the New York Public Library website over The
Colonization of Africa / The Scramble for Africa.
Groups work to write a gist statement and present to
the whole-class.

Students read "The Second Coming" by William Butler

Yeats. The should annotate then discuss with pairs.
Afterwards, students predict why Things Fall Apart
uses a line from the poem as its title.

Week 2 Students read Things Fall Apart Chapters 1-5, using RL.11-12.2 Literature Circle:
the study guide as support. Students prepare a RL.11-12.10 Students are
literature circle for the final class period of the week. SL.11-12.1, a-d divided into small
The class examines luminary passages from the text SL.11-12.3 groups to discuss
to frame discussions around the Essential Questions L.11-12.5, a-b the week's
and the novel's themes. RL.11-12.3 reading with their
RL.11-12.4 peers, and they
SL.11-12.4 are expected to
SL.11-12.5 support their
inferences with
direct textual
evidence.

Week 3 Students read Things Fall Apart Chapters 6-9. RL.11-12.1 Short Writing:
Students complete a short writing assignment RL.11-12.2 Students explicate
identifying how Achebe creates tension when RI.11-12.2 how Achebe
Okonkwo kills Ikemefuna. Students should focus on RI.11-12.3 builds and
the novel's structure, descriptive details, sympathy RI.11-12.7 sustains tension
towards Ikemefuna, and/or Okonkwo's self-imposed W.11-12.1, a-e through
obligations of strength. W.11-12.4 Ikemefuna's death
W.11-12.9, a-b in Chapter 5.
Students read the poem "What Do We Do with L.11-12.3
Variation?" by James Berry, paired with the video RL.11-12.3
"Creating 'We' and 'They'" by Kwame Anthony RL.11-12.4
Appiah. Students journal a response to the prompt: RL.11-12.5
"What is considered 'normal' in your society? How RI.11-12.5
often do people vary from the norm, and should W.11-12.2, a-d
society as a whole welcome this variation?" L.11-12.1, a
L.11-12.2, b
L.11-12.4, a-d

Week 4 Students read Things Fall Apart Chapters 10-13. RL.11-12.2 Multi-Media
Working in small-groups, students research aspects of RI.11-12.2 Presentation:
Nigerian/Igno culture and develop a multi-media RI.11-12.4

10
MUIDS ELA & Literacy Curriculum Grade 12 • Unit 2 Map

display. Topics include: Farming & Food, Igbo Music & RI.11-12.7 A Guide to Igbo
Instruments, Social Customs (i.e. marriage), Religious W.11-12.7 Life
Customs (i.e. ceremonies and festivals), and the Roles W.11-12.8
of Men vs Women. L.11-12.6
W.11-12.2, a-d
W.11-12.6
SL.11-12.4
SL.11-12.5

Week 5 Students read Things Fall Apart Chapters 14-19. RL.11-12.1 Short Writing:
Students continue to explore the Essential Questions RL.11-12.2 Students trace the
and the novel's themes through guided discussion, RI.11-12.2 success of the
group-work, and pair-work. Students produce a short RI.11-12.3 Christian religion
writing assignment tracing the success of the RI.11-12.7 in Igbo society,
Christian religion in Igbo culture, discussing who the W.11-12.1, a-e focusing on social
new religion appeals to; particular focus should be W.11-12.4 class.
given to social class. Students discuss Achebe's W.11-12.9, a-b
neutral tone in presenting both Igbo and European L.11-12.3
culture, and how it highlights the strengths and flaws RL.11-12.3
of each. RL.11-12.4
RL.11-12.5
Students read the poem "The White Man's Burden" RI.11-12.5
by Rudyard Kipling. Students begin by researching W.11-12.2, a-d
Kipling to place the poem in context. Students L.11-12.1, a
annotate the poem, then quick-write a response L.11-12.2, b
informed by Things Fall Apart, paying particular L.11-12.4, a-d
attention to false divisions between culture (i.e.
European culture equally values parables and art,
although of different types). Students form small-
groups to share.

Week 6 Students read Things Fall Apart Chapters 20-25. Using RL.11-12.2 Literature Circle:
a T-Chart, students analyze Okonkwo's character and RL.11-12.10 Students are
his relationship to his community. Students prepare SL.11-12.1, a-d divided into small
for a literature circle, which should focus on how the SL.11-12.3 groups to discuss
novel, as a whole, develops themes of Colonialism, L.11-12.5, a-b the week's
the individual's role in community, masculinity, RL.11-12.3 reading with their
and/or the power of language. RL.11-12.4 peers, and they
SL.11-12.4 are expected to
After the literature circle, students use the "Forming SL.11-12.5 support their
Evidence-Based Claims" tool to brainstorm topics for inferences with
their summative essay. direct textual
evidence.

Week 7 Students choose from the supplementary sources, RL.11-12.2 None.

which should frame and guide their summative essay. RI.11-12.2
Students gather evidence from both the novel and RI.11-12.2
their supplementary sources, using the "Forming RI.11-12.3
Evidence-Based Claims" and "Making Evidence-Based RI.11-12.7
Claims" tools for support. By the end of the week, W.11-12.7
students should have a strong, clear, and W.11-12.8
individualized essay focus. W.11-12.9, a-b
L.11-12.3
L.11-12.6
RL.11-12.3

11
MUIDS ELA & Literacy Curriculum Grade 12 • Unit 2 Map

RL.11-12.4
RL.11-12.5
RI.11-12.5
RI.11-12.6
W.11-12.2, a-d
W.11-12.6
L.11-12.4, a-d

Week 8 Project work week. RL.11-12.1

RL.11-12.2
Teacher conferences with students to provide RL.11-12.10
feedback and guidance as needed. RI.11-12.2
RI.11-12.7
Students produce a multi-paragraph essay exploring a W.11-12.1, a-e
central thematic concern in the novel. The essay W.11-12.4
focus should be student-generated and informed by W.11-12.8
supplemental texts. W.11-12.9, a-b
L.11-12.3
L.11-12.5, a-b
L.11-12.6
RL.11-12.3
RL.11-12.4
RL.11-12.5
RI.11-12.6
W.11-12.2, a-d
W.11-12.5
W.11-12.6
L.11-12.1, a
L.11-12.2, b
L.11-12.4, a-d

Week 9 Project work week. RL.11-12.1 Summative

RL.11-12.2 Assessment:
Teacher conferences with students to provide RL.11-12.10 A multi-paragraph
feedback and guidance as needed. RI.11-12.2 essay exploring a
RI.11-12.7 central thematic
Students complete their final drafts. W.11-12.1, a-e concern in the
W.11-12.4 novel.
Project due at the end of the week. W.11-12.8
W.11-12.9, a-b
L.11-12.3
L.11-12.5, a-b
L.11-12.6
RL.11-12.3
RL.11-12.4
RL.11-12.5
RI.11-12.6
W.11-12.2, a-d
W.11-12.5
W.11-12.6
L.11-12.1, a
L.11-12.2, b
L.11-12.4, a-d

12