Assignment: Modify Standards in Relation to Global Education

Standard 1: RL.11-12.3 from the Common Core Reading of Literature

Analyze the impact of the authors 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).
Many times the choices authors make have to do their history, language, country they live
in, and culture. Discussing the authors background and context helps students be able to
discuss why a particular author chose to use elements in his/her story. For example, Chinua
Achebe (the author of Things Fall Apart) was born in Nigeria and wrote his novel in response
to Joseph Conrads Heart of Darkness, which characterized the Nigerian people as savage
non-humans. When reading the novel, students have context about the culture and time in
which the author was living so as to help them explore the reasons why Achebe chooses
elements in his story.
In order to integrate this global perspective into my unit, I would include one or two lessons
around the history and culture of Chinua Achebe and Conrads Heart of Darkness. I think it
would be good to have students do some research about Achebes culture, and then give
them an excerpt from Heart of Darkness to see if they can come to the conclusion of why
Achebe wrote the novel. Then at the end of the unit, I would have students come back to
this knowledge to discuss how the action is ordered and the characterization of the
protagonist based on their knowledge of Achebes culture.
Summative Assessment = Students would write a literary analysis paragraph answering the
question: Choose one choice Achebe made when writing his novel. How was this choice
developed in regards to him being Nigerian and responding to Heart of Darkness?

Standard 2: RL.11-12.7 from the Common Core Reading of Literature
Analyze multiple interpretations of a story, drama, or poem (e.g., recorded or live production of a
play or recorded novel or poetry), evaluating how each version interprets the source text. (Include
at least one play by Shakespeare and one play by an American dramatist.)
Listening to others read aloud from a recording helps students become aware of the
differences in the English language (British English for Shakespeare) but also helps students
become aware of other cultures when a novel uses phrases in other languages (for example
in Chopins The Awakening where French is used, and in Achebes Things Fall Apart where
the Igbo language is spoken).
Throughout my Things Fall Apart unit, I could use the recording of the novel to support this
standard and integrate a global perspective more effectively. Since the novel includes
multiple phrases and words from the Igbo language, it would be important for students to
hear a native speaker say these words (like egwugwu or agbala). I would use the recording
for some of our reading aloud days in my unit plan.
Summative Assessment = In a large group discussion, we could discuss the differences
between just reading the Igbo words in our novel, and actually hearing them from a native
speaker. One question the students might answer could be: What effect does it have on the
reader to hear the Igbo words spoken by someone fluent in the language as opposed to just
reading it in your head on the page?

Standard 3: W.11-12.8 from the Common Core Writing
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.
I could integrate global education into this standard, because students could use multiple
sources to explore issues of cultures that help them understand the novel they are reading.
For example, in Things Fall Apart students could explore other peoples reactions to the
Christian Missionaries in the 1890s Nigeria, or find resources about why manliness was such
an important concept to the tribes of the Igbo, etc.
This would be a good culminating project for the students to do over several days in the
computer lab. They would need to use the internet to gather sources and then write an
essay on their findings.
Summative Assessment = Again, like above, I would have students either write an essay on
their findings answering the question: How does learning more about your particular motif,
theme, or character help you better understand the novel as a whole? Explain.