GOC+-+ELA

Travel Brochure Lesson
Students choose a layover and research the locale. Communicate with Joe and locals to gather further information for their brochure. This lesson is outlined at [|Read, Write, Think.org]

STANDARD 13: Nonfiction Students will identify, analyze, and apply knowledge of the purposes, structure, and elements of nonfiction or informational materials and provide evidence from the text to support their understanding.

The following lesson is one I would recommend as a connection to the stop in Capetown. This lesson uses sixth grade materials, National Geographic Reading Expeditions, and focuses on Nelson Mandela and his struggle to abolish apartheid. Unit : Africa Region: Southern Africa Topic: Apartheid and Nelson Mandela Essential Question: What is apartheid? What factors led to the end of apartheid? What were the contributions of Nelson Mandela? Outcomes: Students will define apartheid. They will recognize the contributions of Nelson Mandela and the lengthy struggle to abolish this precedent. They will create a visual representation of information gained from reading biographical text. Materials: HRW Geography for Life Activities, Activity # 16, Apartheid HRW Readings in World Geography, Reading # 65, Experiencing Apartheid National Geographic Reading Expeditions, South Africa After Apartheid p. 52-57 National Geographic Reading Expeditions, African Voices, Nelson Mandela p. 58-59 Lesson: Clarify that Southern Africa is a region. South Africa is a country within this region. Read the excerpt from Nelson Mandela’s farewell speech upon his retirement from Parliament. He attributes his achievements to the fact that he is a member or “product” of several specific groups. Assessment: Create a visual representation, such as a pie graph, which identifies the various groups to whom he gives credit for the creation of a free South Africa.

Standard 16 Myth, Traditional Narrative, and Classical Literature Students will identify, analyze, and apply knowledge of the themes, structures, and elements of myths, traditional narratives, and classical literature and provide evidence from the text to support their understanding. Unit: Folk Tales Topic: “Wings of the Butterfly” a tale of the Amazon rainforest

Essential question: How does the literature of a people reflect their cultural values ? How does the literature of a people reflect the physical geography of the region?

Outcomes: Given a piece of literature/legend of the indigenous people of the Amazon rain forest, sixth graders will identify links between the culture of the people and the folk tale.

Given the same piece of literature, students will identify specific evidence of the physical geography of the region.

Given the same piece of literature, students will identify evidence that the work confirms to a specific genre, in this case the folk tale.

Students will create their own examples of the genre, incorporating elements of the culture and evidence of the physical geography of the region.

Standards addressed:

English Language Arts Standard 16 Students will identify, analyze and apply elements of myth and traditional narrative and will provide evidence from the text to support their understanding

Materials: Folk tale “The Wings of the Butterfly” (A Tale of the Amazon rain forest) http://www.aaronshep.com/stories/030.html

Lesson: In a large group setting, and perhaps over several classes, I will provide students with the background information. They should have, by the time this lesson is introduced, some understanding of the physical characteristics of the region. I would supplement this understanding with the National Geographic video, “The Flooded Forest.”. Students will then read “The Wings of the Butterfly.” Students will work in small groups to consider the story as viewed through a variety of lenses. One group of students will hunt for evidence of the culture and beliefs of the people, as portrayed in the story. A second group will identify evidence of geographical elements. A third group will assess the tale as to its conformity to the definition of a folk tale. A fourth group will analyze the tale as a metaphor for growing up.

Assessment: Each group will share information related to the essential questions. Students will generate their own folk tales, providing evidence of the culture of the people and understanding of the geography of the region. AND/OR Students will write a three paragraph essay with this thesis. “ The folk tale, ‘The Wings of the Butterfly’ provides evidence of the culture and values of the people indigenous to the Amazon rain forest.”