A Long Walk to Water

Schools and Teachers

East Islip Middle School Teacher: Stephanie Hauser & Pamela Solomon

Description

The novel, A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park, is a required text for Grade 7 students. The novel weaves two stories together- one of young girl from Sudan in 2008-2009 and that of Salva, a Sudanese boy who experiences many hardships during the Civil War in Sudan (starts in 1995). Salva becomes one of the “Lost Boys” of Sudan, refugees who travel across the Africa on foot as they search for their families and for a safe place to stay. As a young adult, Salva is adopted by an American family and moves to Rochester, NY. Our Nearpod focuses on the differences and the adjustments Salva experiences when he moves to the United States.

Content

I can reflect on Salva’s travels in the novel and relate his experiences to my own journey to the United States.

Procedure

Students are fully engaged throughout this lesson as the topic focuses on themselves and their individual journey. Whether born in a different country like Salva from the novel, journeying to a new land or being raised as a MLL, this lesson centers on their experiences and promotes self-reflection. Nearpod is utilize as the technological platform in which the lesson is delivered. Students will have the opportunity to use their personal devices to participate throughout the lesson. Several scaffolds have been put into place to ensure all learners are engaged. Some examples include pictorial support, engaging videos that directly relate to the novel, and information provided through lists. In addition, higher order questioning is delivering in various formats with multiple ways of answering.

1. Students will begin with a discussion using Think-Pair-Share to reflect on their own experience assimilating into a new culture or way of life. As a scaffold there will be options to choose from specific obstacles they may have faced.

2. Students will view a short YouTube video that summaries Salva’s story. This includes his journey throughout Africa and ultimately to Rochester, New York.

3. Pictorial support will be included as well as lists depicting a comparison between the Sudan and Rochester. These include the stark differences between the two locations and the new reality that Salva now faces. During this time students will be encouraged to make connections to their new encounters.

4. Next, students will read a passage based on Salva’s experience and answer 3 reading comprehension questions. These questions are in multiple choice format.

5. Students will another You Tube video that shows a glimpse of the daily life of an African refugee. Upon finishing the video students will answer an open-ended question to demonstrate higher other thinking skills. Appropriate sentence frames and sentence starters will be given where necessary.

6. For students that immigrated to the United States from another country they will be given the opportunity to reflect on life in their home country through drawing or a writing response.

7. Finally, all students will share their own personal reflection when entering East Islip Middle School. Students can explain any obstacles they may have faced and give advice to future newcomers. This activity will lend itself nicely to all learners. Whether they came from another country, speak a different language, moved from another district or simply entered from one of the East Islip intermediate schools, all students have their own story to tell.

Resources and Other Materials

• Nearpod (Collaborative Boards, YouTube Videos, Quiz, Polls)

• A Long Walk to Water (Novel)

• Microsoft Teams