A Long Walk to Water Unit
A Long Walk to Water, is written by Linda Sue Park. It is an original serial novel taken from today's headlines. A Long Walk to Water is based on the true story of Salva, one of some 3,800 Sudanese "Lost Boys" airlifted to the United States beginning in the mid 1990s. Before leaving Africa, Salva's life is one of harrowing tragedy. Separated from his family by war and forced to travel on foot through hundreds of miles of hostile territory, he survives starvation, animal attacks, and disease and ultimately leads a group of about 150 boys to safety in Kenya. Relocated to upstate New York, Salva resourcefully learns English and continues on to college. Eventually he returns to his home region in southern Sudan to establish a foundation that installs deep-water wells in remote villages in dire need of clean water. This poignant story of Salva's life is told side- by-side with the story of Nya, a young girl who lives today in one of those villages.
(CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.6.1, 7.1, 8.1 applies to each discussion question.)
Ask students to identify other examples of personification in the narrative. (CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.6.5)
Revelations about Salva’s growth and development over the years? (CCSS.ELA- Literacy.RL.6.2, 6.5)
1. View the image: What do you see? Brainstorm your answers on a web.
2. Create a new Category called A Long Walk to Water
3. Download the maps of the Sudan. Discuss the Geography questions.
4. Download the Novel Study Keynote and Vocabulary.
5. View the Book Trailer .
6. Read Chapter’s 1-4
7. Use this site for images in the keynote
8. Pre- Reading Activity: A Long walk to water. Please take the survey.
9. Keynote and Vocab presentations ch. 1,2
10. Reread pg 2-3 and make Salva’s Family tree.
11. Read Ch. 3 and 4
12. Re-read pg. 6. Highlight three sentences that explain why there was a civil war in Sudan.
13. Reread page 12. What three questions occupy Salva’s thoughts? Highlight them.
14. Read Ch. 5-8
15. Re read pg 14: What was life like around the pond?
16. Describe how Nya carries the water. What tribe is she from?
17. Re-read pg. 10. Describe the rebels
18. Re-read pg. 12 What three questions occupy Salva’s thoughts? How did the author show that these were Salva’s thoughts?
19. What is a refugee? https://www.unrefugees.org/refugee-facts/camps/
20. Re-read page 14. How did Nya carry the water?
21. Read pg 21. Highlight the reasons why the rebels didn't want Salva.
22. Read page 43 and 44. Make a how-to-poster about how to make a reed raft. List 6 Steps and be creative.
23. Re-read 73,74. Highlight the rumors that surfaced about the refugee camp in Ethiopia.
24. Re-read 80-81. Highlight how Salva became a leader.
25. Read about the United Nations
26. Re-read pg. 87. How did Michael help Salva
27. Read ch. 15. He is coming to New York in winter. What was new for Salva? What may be surprising as Salva reaches a new country? What mixed feelings may he have leaving his old country?
28. Please take the after-reading survey! https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/9WZRNTB
29. Book Reviews for Students.
30. Video: Salva Returns to Sudan
There are a few websites on which students can submit their reviews for publication online. The Scholastic website has an area called "Share What You're Reading" where kids can Write a Review and also Read Book Reviews written by kids at their same grade level. The World of Reading website also offers publication of student reviews. (Note that you will need to e-mail this site in advance to arrange for the reviews to appear online.)
A Long Walk to Water, is written by Linda Sue Park. It is an original serial novel taken from today's headlines. A Long Walk to Water is based on the true story of Salva, one of some 3,800 Sudanese "Lost Boys" airlifted to the United States beginning in the mid 1990s. Before leaving Africa, Salva's life is one of harrowing tragedy. Separated from his family by war and forced to travel on foot through hundreds of miles of hostile territory, he survives starvation, animal attacks, and disease and ultimately leads a group of about 150 boys to safety in Kenya. Relocated to upstate New York, Salva resourcefully learns English and continues on to college. Eventually he returns to his home region in southern Sudan to establish a foundation that installs deep-water wells in remote villages in dire need of clean water. This poignant story of Salva's life is told side- by-side with the story of Nya, a young girl who lives today in one of those villages.
(CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.6.1, 7.1, 8.1 applies to each discussion question.)
Ask students to identify other examples of personification in the narrative. (CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.6.5)
Revelations about Salva’s growth and development over the years? (CCSS.ELA- Literacy.RL.6.2, 6.5)
1. View the image: What do you see? Brainstorm your answers on a web.
2. Create a new Category called A Long Walk to Water
3. Download the maps of the Sudan. Discuss the Geography questions.
4. Download the Novel Study Keynote and Vocabulary.
5. View the Book Trailer .
6. Read Chapter’s 1-4
7. Use this site for images in the keynote
8. Pre- Reading Activity: A Long walk to water. Please take the survey.
9. Keynote and Vocab presentations ch. 1,2
10. Reread pg 2-3 and make Salva’s Family tree.
11. Read Ch. 3 and 4
12. Re-read pg. 6. Highlight three sentences that explain why there was a civil war in Sudan.
13. Reread page 12. What three questions occupy Salva’s thoughts? Highlight them.
14. Read Ch. 5-8
15. Re read pg 14: What was life like around the pond?
16. Describe how Nya carries the water. What tribe is she from?
17. Re-read pg. 10. Describe the rebels
18. Re-read pg. 12 What three questions occupy Salva’s thoughts? How did the author show that these were Salva’s thoughts?
19. What is a refugee? https://www.unrefugees.org/refugee-facts/camps/
20. Re-read page 14. How did Nya carry the water?
21. Read pg 21. Highlight the reasons why the rebels didn't want Salva.
22. Read page 43 and 44. Make a how-to-poster about how to make a reed raft. List 6 Steps and be creative.
23. Re-read 73,74. Highlight the rumors that surfaced about the refugee camp in Ethiopia.
24. Re-read 80-81. Highlight how Salva became a leader.
25. Read about the United Nations
26. Re-read pg. 87. How did Michael help Salva
27. Read ch. 15. He is coming to New York in winter. What was new for Salva? What may be surprising as Salva reaches a new country? What mixed feelings may he have leaving his old country?
28. Please take the after-reading survey! https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/9WZRNTB
29. Book Reviews for Students.
30. Video: Salva Returns to Sudan
There are a few websites on which students can submit their reviews for publication online. The Scholastic website has an area called "Share What You're Reading" where kids can Write a Review and also Read Book Reviews written by kids at their same grade level. The World of Reading website also offers publication of student reviews. (Note that you will need to e-mail this site in advance to arrange for the reviews to appear online.)