In our lives, we are constantly telling stories to ourselves and to others in an attempt to both understand our experiences and present our best selves to others.  But how do we tell a story about ourselves that is both true and positive? How do we hold ourselves up in the best possible light, while still being honest about our struggles and our flaws? Students will explore ways of interpreting and portraying personal experiences.  They'll read Chinua Achebe's novel Things Fall Apart , analyzing the text through the eyes of one character. They'll get to know that character's flaws and strengths, and they'll tell part of the story from that character's perspective, doing their best to tell an honest tale that presents their character's best side. Then they'll explore their own stories, crafting a personal narrative about an important moment of learning in his or her life.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Students read and analyze Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart , viewing the events and conflicts of the novel through the eyes of one of the central characters.
Students write a two-part narrative project: one narrative told through their character’s perspective and one personal narrative about an incident in their own life.

GUIDING QUESTIONS

These questions are a guide to stimulate thinking, discussion, and writing on the themes and ideas in the unit. For complete and thoughtful answers and for meaningful discussions, students must use evidence based on careful reading of the texts.

How do our conflicts shape and show our character?
How can we tell a story about ourselves that’s both honest and positive?
How do definitions of justice change depending on the culture you live in?
What are ways individuals can react to a changing world? To a community that doesn’t accept us?

BENCHMARK ASSESSMENT: Cold Read

During this unit, on a day of your choosing, we recommend you administer a Cold Read to assess students’ reading comprehension. For this assessment, students read a text they have never seen before and then respond to multiple-choice and constructed-response questions. The assessment is not included in this course materials.

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Detailed biography of John Colet, a famous scholar during the Reformation whose ideas influenced the movements of his day.

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Explore the constitutional conflict regarding the question of whether the first amendment limits the government's ability to regulate fighting words or hateful speech? This source contains background information and links to historical court cases that revolved around this issue. Also included are critical thinking/discussion questions.

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A three-part exploration of the Book of Revelation from the producers of FRONTLINE, the series on PBS. Includes descriptions of the book by university historians and biblical scholars, video clips from the series, essays about the book, and more.

Meet the GIRL!: Hiba is 11 years old and has deemed her girl power to be bravery. She used to be afraid of snakes but with a little bit of inquiry and trust she overcame her fear and now loves all things reptile. She is a great student as she studies the language Arabic with her teacher. She also proclaims herself brave daily as she proudly wears her headscarf, also as a part of her religion. She is not afraid to be who she is! [3:40] UNC-TV Public Media North Carolina's GIRL Power! is shining a light on girls of ALL ages who lead, mentor, inspire and impact those around them by tapping into their unique strengths.

This site from Geographia.com has very detailed information on art and architecture in Russia. Read about religious icons, the modern art movement in Russia, and architecture.

View a timeline of Middle Eastern history, explore events through themes, and make connections through the use of big-picture questions such as "What's the appeal of religious militancy?"

Good summary of Frege's thought. Some sections are more technical, but the explanation of his philosophy of language and other sections are more readable.

In this video segment from Religion & Ethics Newsweekly, meet an American Muslim as he prepares for Hajj, the pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca that commemorates the Abrahamic roots of Islam.

Performed with over two million other Muslims, the rites of Hajj, the required pilgrimage to Mecca, have a profound personal impact on each pilgrim. In this video from Religion & Ethics Newsweekly, a Muslim from America experiences Hajj for the first time.

Students learn about an American Muslim's impressions of his first pilgrimage to Mecca in this video segment from Religion & Ethics Newsweekly.

A dining hall at Dartmouth College accommodates the religious dietary requirements of Muslims, Jews and Hindus as explained in this video from Religion & Ethics Newsweekly.

The text of a 1649 colonial act concerning religion in Maryland. Describes punishment of any who reject Christian teaching.

Describes the recent movement known as "informal logic." Summarizes its brief history, provides several detailed examples, and explains its relationship to philosophy. Bibliography included.

Early Roman religion was based on the family with a strong "head of the family" in Jupiter. Because the early Romans were an agricultural society, much of the religion also centered on nature.