Literature in English SS 1 Curriculum Guides – Chinua Achebe – Arrow of God

THEME – CHINUA ACHEBE – ARROW OF GOD

TOPIC 1 – BACKGROUND AND SETTING

INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS

Newspaper cuttings and article on Achebe and his tribe where possible, video clips or some Nigerian videos depicting Igbo communities.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

By the end of the lesson, students should be able to:

1. provide information on Achebe culture and colonial intervention.

2. draw a map of Nigeria indicating the setting of the novel

3. compare background/setting of novel to the present Igbo community.

CONTENTS OF THE LESSON

FOCUS LESSONS 

1. AUTHOR 

Achebe is a Nigerian born in 1930, of christian parents. He grew up in Igbo land. Had his primary and secondary education in Igbo land. His tertiary was in the university college, Ibadan.

The Igbo are a democratic people living in the eastern part of Nigeria. Their society was stateless – i.e. , there were traditionally no kings. The town was a group of villages and the people were a farming community with yam as the major crop.

The colonial government had some difficulties ruling these people because it tried to impose the system of indirect rule which they had tried in other parts of the country.

2. NOVEL

The setting of the novel Umuaro and Okperi is as above and during the period of colonial intervention.

LESSON PRESENTATION

TEACHER’S ACTIVITIES

1. The teacher gives the basic information and encourages the students to find out more about the author, the Igbo culture and the colonial intervention, and

2. directs the students attentions to the scenic descriptions in the novel.

 

 

STUDENT’S ACTIVITIES

The students,

1. write re-tell of the background of the author and the settings:

2. work in groups to produce maps and other pictorial representations of background and setting of novel.

LESSON EVALUATION

Students to,

1. identify the common features in the background of the novel

2. write a descriptive essay on a typical Igbo community similar to that in the novel.

3. identify locations on the maps of Nigeria that are mentioned.

THEME – CHINUA ACHEBE – ARROW OF GOD

TOPIC 2 – CHARACTERIZATION 

INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS

Selected passages from the text.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

By the end of the lesson, students should be able to:

1. identify Ezeulu as the principal character, protangonist and the tragic hero and Nwaka as the antagonist.

2. identify character traits and explain how these contribute to the story.

3. explain and illustrate the relative importance of other characters in the novel.

CONTENTS OF THE LESSON

FOCUS LESSONS 

1. Main characters,

Ezeulu the tragic hero, Nwaka – winterbottom.

2. Minor characters,

Eziedemilli, Akugbue, Oruche, Obika, John Nwadike, Moses Unchukwu, Mr. Good Country.

LESSON PRESENTATION

TEACHER’S ACTIVITIES

The teacher,

1. select incidents in which the characters function.

2. discuss their individual importance and relationships.

3. encourages the students to recognize and discuss Ezeulu’s analytical approach to his duty and situation.

 

 

STUDENT’S ACTIVITIES

The students,

1. identify and compare the roles of the major and minor characters in the novel.

2. work in groups using character mapping to work out character attributes.

3. form groups to discuss the roles of the character and their relationship to overall development of the novel.

LESSON EVALUATION

Students to,

1. list the major and the minor characters in the novel and their roles.

2. relate the behaviour of these character to your experiences in the society.

3. use character mapping to show character traits and their relationship to the development of the novel.

THEME – CHINUA ACHEBE – ARROW OF GOD

TOPIC 3 – LANGUAGE, STYLE, NARRATIVE TECHNIQUE AND SYMBOLISM

INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS

Selected materials or passages from the text.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

By the end of the lesson, students should be able to:

1. identify and explain variety of narrative techniques, style and symbolism in the novel.

2. identify and compare similar instance of unique language use in their own native language or other languages.

CONTENTS OF THE LESSON

FOCUS LESSONS 

1. The nature of the language used.

2. Use of proverbs, translations and types of narrative techniques.

3. Symbolism: arrow, rain, python and the box.

LESSON PRESENTATION

TEACHER’S ACTIVITIES

The teacher,

1. guides students to identify and select instances of unique language use, symbols etc.

2. directs and helps the students to discover different view points.

E. identifies and discuss the symbols as they occur in the novel in relation to the story.

 

 

STUDENT’S ACTIVITIES

The students,

1. students should take passages from the text and translates the literary language into a more conversational comprehension.

2. work in groups to compare the language device with those from other languages.

3. write out similar proverbs, symbols etc from other cultures.

LESSON EVALUATION

Students to,

1. write out the identified narrative techniques and the meanings of the symbols in the novel.

2. make a list of proverbs.

THEME – CHINUA ACHEBE – ARROW OF GOD

TOPIC 4 – PLOT 

INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS

Selected incidents and materials from the text.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

By the end of the lesson, students should be able to:

i. Explain the events of the story.

ii. Trace the tragic pattern of the events.

CONTENTS OF THE LESSON

FOCUS LESSONS 

The misunderstanding between Ezeulu as the chief priest and the community.

LESSON PRESENTATION

TEACHER’S ACTIVITIES

The teacher,

1. selects and discusses important incidents in the novel.

2. group students to work out the cause-effect patterns of events in the novel.

 

 

STUDENT’S ACTIVITIES

The students,

1. students to identify the cause of the misunderstanding between Ezeulu and the community.

2. work n groups to produce cause – effect charts on the events.

LESSON EVALUATION

Students to,

1. list and discuss key events of the novel.

2. draw a flow chart showing pattern of events.

THEME – CHINUA ACHEBE – ARROW OF GOD

TOPIC 5 – THEME 

INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

By the end of the lesson, students should be able to:

1. identify incidents that portray these theme(s) and explain them in their own words.

ii. recognize and discuss the inter relatedness of themes in order to grasp the central complexity of the novel.

CONTENTS OF THE LESSON

FOCUS LESSONS 

1 Social change

2. The tragedy of a strong willed individual

3. Authority

4. Faithfulness and integrity

6. Personal interest

6. Religion

LESSON PRESENTATION

TEACHER’S ACTIVITIES

The teacher select and discuss the incidents depicting these themes.

Direct the attention of the students to the connection between these themes.

 

 

STUDENT’S ACTIVITIES

The students write out the incidents and their various relationships with the themes using key – word patterns.

LESSON EVALUATION

Students to,

1. discuss the theme as it relates to their personal experiences.

2. produce pictorials to demonstrate the connection between incidents and theme.