Objectives
Students will be able to…
• Read and learn about the life of former South African President Nelson Mandela.
• Use group work to help form ideas and thoughts about the state of South Africa before, during and after Mandela's presidency.
• Be able to recall important dates and events in South African history.
• Have a clear understanding of what Apartheid is and the effects it had on South Africa.
Essential Questions
For Students:
• Are there significant lingering effects from Apartheid today?
• How did Mandela change the face of South African government?
• Can past/present issues in South Africa be related to any we have here in America?
For Educators:
• How can I have my students approach this material with an open mind, without previous prejudices and assumptions?
• Could I complement this material with various texts that may be pro-Apartheid?
Standards
• World History Competency Goal 8.6 - Explain how liberal democracy, private enterprise and human right movements have reshaped political, economic and social life in Africa, Asia, Latin America, Europe, the Soviet Union and the United States (e.g. UN Declaration of Human Rights, end of the a Cold War, apartheid, perestroika, glasnost, etc.).
Materials
• each student will have their own copy of, A Long Walk to Freedom
• easel and note pad for KWL exercise
• space to set up a role playing forum between the South African National Party, the Afrikaner minorities and an arbitrary third party.
Procedure
Pre-reading Strategy: To get the ball rolling, the entire class will be engaged in a KWL session. I will be able to determine what exactly and how much my students already know about Nelson Mandela, South Africa and Apartheid. If students are unsure of what exactly they want to learn, I will encourage them to think about their own history and past - what's important, who's important, what will be important in the future and what do you hope the key, defining moments will be? I want them to be prepared to learn about a very unique man who has had a difficult life, but still managed to be one of the most influential people in world history.
During reading Strategy: Students will read at assigned chapters at night for homework. All students will be encouraged to do a variety of things regardless of weather or not they find the text difficult - probable passage (in order to organize dates, locations, people, etc), reread (any reader should practice this) and in small groups in class they will say something out loud. Putting students in small groups to read and discuss the text will be vital, learning from one another and realizing that not only one but other students struggle and have similar/different viewpoints is a great way to learn.
After Reading Strategy:
As a class we would complete our KWL exercise and identify if we learned the things we wanted to, what exactly did we learn that we didn't already know and what our likes/dislikes were from the book. To wrap the lesson up, I'd put the class in three groups to act as opposed South African parties (two) and as a third arbitrary party. The pro and anti-Apartheid groups would debate their basis for their government based on what they've learned on that matter.this would be a great marker for a teacher to see what exactly here students have taken in here.
Assessment
• Exit Slips for related assigned reading
• All students will be expected to participate in the debate forum
• Students will be encouraged to take writing breaks
Modifications
Visual: The debate at the end will be complete with pictures, short video clips, etc.
Audio: Allowing students to read top get her and to one another will also help.
Kinesthetic: Being involved in the KWL before the lesson will get them started in the right direction. The debate will also allow them to be a part of something they have knowledge about and are hopefully passionate about.
English Language Learners: Being in small groups will help. Also, participating in entire class discussion will also help bring ELL's along.
Reflection
Strengths: I believe a story like that of Mandela is enough for any student to take an active interest in. Complete with a variety of others activities, this text can be very beneficial in their education regarding Apartheid.
Areas of improvement and how to modify: This book is over 600 pages. Given we would have at the most one to two weeks to cover the section, I'd likely pick pertinent passages, ones that I'd consider the most interesting and informational for my students to read. While I'd encourage them to read the book from cover to cover, I would also hope to pic their interests enough that they will want to anyway.
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