Introduction

This lesson should be used at the beginning of teaching the novel Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe. The project introduces students to research, multimedia presentation tools, and the culture of the Ibo (or Igbo) people in Nigeria. The book Things Fall Apart centers around a tragic hero, Okonkwo, and the inevitable destruction of his culture by the white missionaries who invade his lands as part of British colonialism during the 1890s.

Learners

This project is for high school students at any level. It is designed to teach students about Igbo culture, to develop thematic ideas about the nature of civilization, and to instruct in research skills and information literacy. This lesson can easily be adapted for a high school social studies class, including World Civilizations and Geography. This project could also be used as part of a technology class, though the emphasis is not on teaching students how to use the technology.

This project should be introduced after students have already discussed several ideas about culture. I teach this book after we have read Lord of the Flies by Golding because we discuss what happens when people lose their "civilization." It is a nice segue into a discussion of what constitutes civilized behavior and how we can decide which cultures are civilized and which are savage.

Students also need to know who to use PowerPoint and Inspiration software. Both of these topics can be reviewed in the classroom or media center before the students begin the project. This project is not intended to instruct first time users on how to create a multimedia presentation, but several links are included to step-by-step guides that will help the most novice or inexperienced users.

Finally, students must know how to read informational texts for keywords, how to take notes, and how to organize their thoughts. Guidelines for these skills are also offered in this project, but they are meant to reinforce what students already know.

Curriculum Standards

Guiding Questions

What are the significant aspects of various elements of Igbo culture?
How do you define “civilization”?
How “civilized” is Igbo culture?
How “civilized” is Western culture (based on what you know already)?
How does Igbo culture compare to Western culture?
What can we predict might happen when these cultures collide due to colonialism?

At the end of this project, students will be able to:

Core Content for Assessment -- Reading

Core Content for Assessment -- Social Studies

Academic Expectations:

Information Literacy Standards:

Teacher Technology Standard X (Experienced Teacher):

National Educational Technology Standards for Students:

• Students practice responsible use of technology systems, information, and software.
• Students use technology tools to enhance learning, increase productivity, and promote creativity.
• Students use productivity tools to collaborate in constructing technology-enhanced models, prepare publications, and produce other creative works.
• Students use a variety of media and formats to communicate information and ideas effectively to multiple audiences.
• Students use technology to locate, evaluate, and collect information from a variety of sources.
• Students use technology tools to process data and report results.
• Students evaluate and select new information resources and technological innovations based on the appropriateness for specific tasks.

Multiple Intelligences

Process

Notes to the teacher appear in RED.

1. Students will choose their topic from those listed below and follow the guidelines to create their presentations. Their teams should be determined by their interests. If necessary, you can assign teams.

2. Within each group, students will work together to find all necessary information for the tasks. You can create roles for the students if you want, but usually they work best by dividing the task themselves.

I have suggested students use the KWL chart to take notes. If that is too elementary or restricting, you may want to use the source analysis sheet instead.

I have included a page on Informational Reading to give guidelines to struggling students on how to find information in texts.

Each group should find all the following information

• definitions and/or explanations of all elements listed in the topic
• any additional information deemed relevant
• how the element of culture compares with Western (i.e., American or British) culture -- be sure to include similarities and differences. This should be part of their presentation.
  
• Correct citations for all print sources used in the presentation. I have used MLA format here because I am an English teacher. I have not included an exhaustive list of all sources, but I did include links that have all sources on them.
  
• Correct citations for all multimedia used in the presentation. AGain, I used MLA format and did not include all types of sources, but the links provide that information.

• Presentations should include EITHER a PowerPoint, an Inspiration presentation, or a video. For the videos, I often suggest students create a storyboard or outline to show me so I know they are on the right track. The video can take the form of a mock news show, a talk show, a skit, or whatever they want as long as the information is presented.
  
• All presentations must include an additional visual element that will be displayed in the room. Usually this is in the form of a poster, but I encourage students to make mobiles, dioramas, sculptures, costumes or other visual elements so we can have a nice display area while we are reading TFA.

TOPICS
Igbo and African Art and Music, including the importance and role of masks; other functional art; clothing; drums and their use in ceremonies I usually ask students to share with us some information about each of these topics. Making masks for the additional visual element is a nice touch to the presentation. Also, students may want to have the class draw designs on a mask template as the activity.

Resources Needed

Physical resources

• Inspiration Software
• PowerPoint software
• Computers with Internet connection (at least 11 -- one per group)
  
• Additional reference materials about African culture

Time:

Human resources:

• one teacher
• one ECE teacher (if required) for collaboration
• one Media Specialist for collaboration
  

Internet resources

Igbo and African Art and Music

Print resources for all groups

• Koslow, Philip. Lords of the savanna : the Bambara, Fulani, Igbo, Mossi, and Nupe. Philadelphia : Chelsea House, c1997.
• Ogbaa, Kalu. Igbo. New York: Rosen Pub. Group, 1995.
• Ogbaa, Kalu. Gods, oracles and divination : folkways in Chinua Achebe's novels. Trenton, NJ: Africa World Press, c1992.
• Okpewho, Isidore. Once upon a kingdom : myth, hegemony, and identity. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, c1998.
• Umeasiegbu, Rems Nna. The way we lived: Ibo customs and stories. London: Heinemann Educational, 1969.

Evaluation

	Beginning 1	Developing 2	Accomplished 3	Exemplary 4	Score
Quality of the Information	Information  has little or nothing to do with the main topic. (5 pts)	Information clearly relates to the main topic. No details and/or examples are given. (10 pts)	Information clearly relates to the main topic. It  provides 1-2 supporting details and/or examples. (12 pts)	Information clearly relates to the main topic. It includes several supporting details and/or examples. (15 pts)
Information Accuracy	Content is typically confusing or contains more than one factual error. (5 pts)	The content is generally accurate, but one piece of information is clearly flawed or inaccurate. (10 pts)	Most of the content is accurate but there is one piece of information that might be inaccurate. (12 pts)	All content throughout the presentation is accurate. There are no factual errors. (15 pts)
Effectiveness of Presentation	Project is lacking several key elements and has inaccuracies that make it a poor study guide. (5 pts)	Project is missing more than two key elements. It would make an incomplete study guide. (10 pts)	Project includes most material needed to gain a comfortable understanding of the material but is lacking one or two key elements. It is an adequate study guide. (12 pts)	Project includes all material needed to gain a comfortable understanding of the topic. It is a highly effective study guide. (15 pts)
Originality	Presentation is vague or incomplete and/or graphics and shows very little attempt at original thought. (3 pts)	Presentation shows an attempt at originality and inventiveness on part of the presentation. (5 pts)	Presentation shows some originality and inventiveness. The content and ideas are presented in an interesting way. (7 pts)	Presentation shows considerable originality and inventiveness. The content and ideas are presented in a unique and interesting way. (10 pts)
Group Behavior and Cooperation	Group often is not effective in delegating tasks and/or sharing responsibility. (3 pts)	Group delegates tasks and shares responsibility effectively some of the time. (5 pts)	Group delegates tasks and shares responsibility effectively most of the time. (7 pts)	Group delegates tasks and shares responsibility effectively all of the time. (10 pts)
Graphics and Appearance	Presentation uses font, color, graphics, effects etc. but these often distract from the presentation content. (3 pts)	Presentation makes use of font, color, graphics, effects, etc. but occasionally these detract from the presentation content. (5 pts)	Presentation makes good use of font, color, graphics, effects, etc. to enhance to presentation. (7 pts)	Presentation makes excellent use of font, color, graphics, effects, etc. to enhance the presentation. (10 pts)
Documentation of Information and Image Sources	Some sources are not accurately documented.  (5 pts)	All sources (information and graphics) are accurately documented, but many are not in the desired format. (10 pts)	All sources (information and graphics) are accurately documented, but a few are not in the desired format. (12 pts)	All sources (information and graphics) are accurately documented in the desired format. (15 pts)
Mechanics	Presentation has more than 2 grammatical and/or spelling errors. (3 pts)	Presentation has 1-2 grammatical errors but no misspellings. (5 pts)	Presentation has 1-2 misspellings, but no grammatical errors. (7 pts)	Presentation has no misspellings or grammatical errors. (10 pts)
Enthusiasm and Other Visual Aides	The activity chosen detracts from the presentation. (7 pts)	Students use an activity  that may keep our interest, but does not enhance the content of the presentation. (10 pts)	Students use an activity  that  shows work/creativity, but may not capture the class's imagination or keep our interest. (12 pts)	Students uses  an activity for the class (food, game,  or other activity) that show considerable work/creativity and which make the presentation better. (15 pts)

I have also asked students to complete a self evaluation to assess what they learned about the research process and to get feedback on what I can change to make this better. You may also want to have students do a peer assessment.

Conclusion

I really have enjoyed teaching this project in the past. Students really liked it because they had a lot of choices -- what topic, what product, how to teach it, what activity. One drawback from the past was a lack of resources on this particular tribe. I think that having all the links will make a big difference.

Be sure that you discuss culture and whether they believe that Igbo culture is civilized before you begin reading the book. While they read and after they finish, continue to bring up the theme of culture and civilization. I have had a good experience with students being much more open-minded when they read Things Fall Apart because of this project. And they really need to know what the culture is all about in order to understand the book.

I hope that other teachers will find and use this WebQuest. I spent a lot of time creating it. Please let me know what you think: [email protected]

Credits & References