Nonfiction Article of the Week - I'm Lovin' Lit€¦ · Nonfiction Article of the Week 7-19: The Lost Boys of Sudan Teacher’s Guide A Couple of Options for Teaching Article of the

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Nonfiction Article of the Week7-19: The Lost Boys of Sudan

Table of Contents

Terms of Use 2

Table of Contents 3

List of Activities, Difficulty Levels, Common Core Alignment, & TEKS 4

Digital Components/Google Classroom Guide 5

Teaching Guide, Rationale, Lesson Plans, Links, and Procedures: EVERYTHING 6-9

Article: The Lost Boys of Sudan 10-11

*Modified Article: The Lost Boys of Sudan 12-13

Activity 1: Basic Comprehension Quiz/Check – Multiple Choice w/Key 14-15

Activity 2: Basic Comprehension Quiz/Check – Open-Ended Questions w/Key 16-17

Activity 3: Text Evidence Activity w/Annotation Guide for Article 18-20

Activity 4: Text Evidence Activity & Answer Bank w/Key 21-23

Excerpt from I Kept Walking, Salva Dut TED Talk 24

Excerpt from A Long Walk to Water Author’s Note 25

Activity 5: Skill Focus – Review of RI.7.4, 7.5, and 7.6 w/Key 26-31

Activity 6: OMITTED from this resource ---

Activity 7: Skills Test Regular w/Key 32-37

Activity 8: Skills Test *Modified w/Key 38-43

List of Activities & Standards Difficulty Level: *Easy **Moderate ***Challenge

Activity 1: Basic Comprehension Quiz/Check – Multiple Choice*

Activity 2: Basic Comprehension Quiz/Check – Open-Ended Questions*

Activity 3: Text Evidence Activity w/Annotation Guide for Article**

Activity 4: Text Evidence Activity w/Answer Bank**

Activity 5: Skill Focus – Review of Argument, Integrating Sources***

Activity 6: omitted

Activity 7: Skills Test Regular w/Key**

Activity 8: Skills Test *Modified w/Key**

List of Activities & Standards Difficulty Level: *Easy **Moderate ***Challenge

Activity 1: Basic Comprehension Quiz/Check – Multiple Choice*

Activity 2: Basic Comprehension Quiz/Check – Open-Ended Questions*

Activity 3: Text Evidence Activity w/Annotation Guide for Article**

Activity 4: Text Evidence Activity w/Answer Bank**

Activity 5: Skill Focus – Review of RI.7.6, 7.7, & 7.8***

Activity 6: omitted

Activity 7: Skills Test Regular w/Key**

Activity 8: Skills Test *Modified w/Key**

ELAR.5(F)

ELAR.5(F)

ELAR.5(F), 6(C)(E)

ELAR.5(F), 6(C)(E)

ELAR.6(B) 8(E) 12(F)

---

ELAR.6(B) 8(E) 12(F)

ELAR.6(B) 8(E) 12(F)

RI.7.1

RI.7.1

RI.7.1

RI.7.1

RI.7.7, 7.8, 7.9

---

RI.7.7, 7.8, 7.9

RI.7.7, 7.8, 7.9



Teacher’s Guide

Activities, Difficulty Levels, and Common Core Alignment

Activities, Difficulty Levels, and TEKS Alignment



Teacher’s Guide

Instructions for Google Classroom Digital ComponentsAll student activities are available in digital format compatible with Google Classroom. They are available in two formats: Google Slides and Google Forms.

Google SlidesFirst, I have made all student pages (excluding assessments) in Google Slides format. Students can simply add text boxes to any area they wish to type on. To access the Google Slides for this article, copy and paste the link below into your browser. *Note that you’ll need to make a copy of the folder or slide before you can use it.*

link omitted in preview file

Google FormsI have made the assessments available in Google Forms. Here, they are self-grading, and I have set them all up with answer keys so they are ready to go for you. You’ll need to find these two files in your download folder to use Google Forms. The first file contains the links to the Forms, and the second file is explicit instructions for use. Look inside the Google Forms folder.



Teacher’s Guide

A Couple of Options for Teaching Article of the Week UnitsHere are my favorite suggestions for organizing these units with your schedule.*Please note that thumbnails show article 6-1 and activities.

Option A: Quickie UnitSimply complete all lesson activities in order OR pick and choose the activities you want to complete in order.

Time Needed: 2-3 fifty-minute class periodsPros: Super flexible; perfect filler around your other units; makes it easy to assign easier components for homework; ideal no prep sub plans if you have to be out for 2-3 days in a row.Cons: Fitting them all in around everything else you’ve got to do.

Option B: Daily ModelUse as a class starter or specific routine in yourclassroom everyday at the same time.

Time Needed: 15-20 minutes/day, 5 days/weekPros: IDEAL for block scheduling when you need to always change it up; Great way to fit nonfiction articles in with what you’re already doing.Cons: There are 25 total articles for each grade level, so some weeks you’ll need to skip the articles (I’d skip when doing projects, novels, during short weeks, and plan to finish up right before testing); May be difficult to commit to something rigid like this if you’re a type B teacher like myself ;)

Here’s how the daily model works:

Monday: Read article & complete basic comprehension activityTuesday: Text evidence activityWednesday: Skills focus activity (based on one key skill for each article)Thursday: Integrate information (other sources)Friday: Assessment

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday



Teacher’s Guide

WalkthroughI have discussed here how I use each activity and included hints and links to help you, too. Feel free to take or leave what you like. Even if you don’t plan to do every activity, I still recommend reading through this section to get the most out of these activities. Looking for a schedule to follow? Check the previous page for two suggested scheduling options.

These lessons and activities were designed to meet the needs of seventh graders during the second half of the school year. The articles, activities, questions, and assessments will become increasingly rigorous and challenging as we progress through the year.

Activities 1-2• *There are no higher order thinking questions

included here – only basic, literal comprehension.• These activities are designed to be completed on

an either/or basis, meaning your students should only complete one of them, not both.

• Use Activity 1 for a quick cold-read assessment or after you’ve read the article together. I use these to hold students accountable for reading carefully. I recommend having students complete activity 1 without the article as long as they’ve just read the article (so not the next day), unless you’re providing a testing accommodation. Answer key included but not shown.

• Use Activity 2 for an open-ended option for the same exact questions. Students may have a harder time answering this one without the article, so choose this one if you want students to use the article but still prove that they’ve understood the content.

Article Modified Article

Activity 1

Activity 2



Teacher’s Guide

Activities 3-4• Again, these activities are either/or, so choose

one or the other but not both.• Activity 3 requires students to annotate text

evidence in the article and includes an article annotation key.

• Activity 4 requires students to choose text evidence from a bank at the bottom. This format prepares students to choose from and distinguish between pieces of text evidence on a state assessment. I recommend mixing it up and going back and forth between these among units until your students are proficient at both methods.

Activity 5

Activity 6• omitted from this review unit

• This activity is focused around the main skill for this article: In this case, the 3 skills being reviewed.

• Part A – Skill RI.7.8 (Arguments, Claims, and Evidence) - Students only need the article.

• Part B – Skill RI.7.7 (Compare Text to Multimedia) - Students need the article AND the Salva Dut Excerpt and video clip below:Youtube: https://youtu.be/mWlNdnFicLEBackup: https://goo.gl/3jTLfU

• Part C – Skill RI.7.9 (Two Texts w/Same Topic) Students need the article AND the excerpt from A Long Walk to Water

• Complete answer keys included, as always

Activity 3

Activity 4

Activity 5A

Activity 5B

Activity 5C



Teacher’s Guide

Activities 7-8• *Final assessments are always designed to be

taken with access to the article.• What’s the best way to make sure your students

are prepared for the state assessment? Assess them regularly with that format. I always let my students practice for the first few before I start counting them for a grade, and I always use the basic comprehension assessment (activity 1 or 2) as an easy grade so it levels the playing field.

• Activity 7 is the regular assessment.• Activity 8 is the modified assessment. The

modified assessment offer students only two answer choices instead of four. Note that only the multiple choice portion of the modified test is different from the original. Simply put, only page one is different. Complete keys included as always (not shown).

• In a hurry? I always include multiple choice questions on separate pages in case you’re in a hurry and need to skip the open-ended portion of the test. I don’t recommend skipping regularly but every now and then, I need a grading break. (On this test, the multiple choice questions are 1-10 – pages 1-2 - and extended response is on page 3 of the test.)

Self-grading Google Forms assessment always included for: • Activity 1 (Comprehension Quiz)• Activity 7 (Skills Test)• Activity 8 (Modified Skills Test)

Google Forms assessments always included!

Activity 7

Activity 8


Sudan was the largest country in Africa when it split into North Sudan and South Sudan in 2011. Disagreements over shared oil profits continue to cause tensions today.

People living in Sudan have been in conflict since 1956. Hundreds of different cultures live in Sudan with different traditions, religions, languages, and ways of life. Sometimes these different cultures end up fighting for power. A major consequence of these conflicts has been the Lost Boys of Sudan.

Sudan’s two major ethnic groups are black Africans and Arabs. Africans have been in the region since the Stone Age. Arabs came to the region in year 800 for trade and have been there ever since. Africans mostly live in the South and practice either Christianity or local religions. Arabs mostly live in the North and practice Islam. In the South, many people live in villages and work as farmers. In the North, more people live in cities. Sudan has a lot of poverty.

There is a reason why so many different cultures live in the same country against their wishes. The British colonized (took over and ruled) the area of Sudan in the 1800s and 1900s. They ruled the North and the South separately with a strategy called divide and conquer to keep control. This means that they kept the different ethnic and religious groups separate from each other so that they could not unite against Britain. When Sudan

became independent from Britain, the Southerners wanted to become their own nation. Northerners wanted to make all of Sudan one country. The British agreed with the Northerners and helped out. This caused the first major civil war betweenthe North and the South. The North won this war, but they decided to give South Sudan some independence.

In the 1970s, the North started to become more controlling over the South. It had been discovered that the South had many valuable oil reserves. The North also insisted that the South follow Islamic law. These issues led to a second civil war which lasted until 2005.

Conflict in Sudan

The of SudanLost BoysbyNicoleMadden



Informational Text

For items 1-4, you’ll be citing textual evidence to support what the text says explicitly.

1. Find the sentence that reveals why Arabs first came into the Sudan region.

Highlight it in blue.

2. Find the sentence that identifies a main cause of tensions in Sudan that continues today.

Highlight it in green.

3. Find the sentence that reveals the ethnic groups that most of the Lost Boys came from.

Highlight it in purple.

4. Find the sentence that explains how Britain benefited from keeping the people of North

and South Sudan separated. Highlight it in gray.

Finding Text EvidenceFind each piece of text evidence in the article and highlight OR underline it with the color specified.

Skill: Text Evidence

For items 5-8, you’ll be citing one piece or multiple pieces of textual evidence to support

inferences drawn from the text.

5. Find two pieces of evidence that support the idea that there are fundamental differences

between North and South Sudan. Highlight them in orange.

6. Find one piece of evidence from the article that supports the idea that the Lost Boys were

originally boys of ages 12 and younger. Highlight it in yellow.

7. Find one piece of evidence from the article that shows that many of the Lost Boys want to

improve living conditions for those still living in Sudan. Highlight it in pink.

8. Find six pieces of text evidence from the article that support this statement:

The Lost Boys’ journey was full of suffering and unknowns. Highlight them in red.

Activity 3



Informational TextSkill: Text Evidence

Activity 3



Informational TextSkill: Analyze Argument

Activity 5

A. Analyze ArgumentMatch the facts/evidence from the article listed below to the claim that they support. Then, find at least one additional fact or piece of evidence from the article to support each claim. Two pieces of evidence below will not be relevant to either one of the claims.

Facts/Evidence BankA. The British colonized (took over and ruled) the area of Sudan in the 1800s and 1900s. They ruled

the North and the South separately with a strategy called divide and conquer to keep control.

B. The boys traveled on foot, carrying no possessions other than the clothes on their backs.

C. The camp, run by the United Nations, struggled to keep up with the needs of the population.

D. In addition to hunger, they suffered from heat exhaustion, pneumonia, malaria, and other

diseases.

E. In 2001, the U.S. government established a program that resettled nearly 4,000 Lost Boys in the U.S.

F. When Sudan became independent from Britain, the Southerners wanted to become their own

nation. Northerners wanted to make all of Sudan one country.

Claim 1: The Lost Boys are among the worst war-traumatized children.

Claim 2: The people of Sudan have been in conflict since 1956.



Informational TextSkill: Analyze a Speech

Activity 5

B. Compare Written Speech to Video Read the partial transcript from the Salva Dut TED Talk and then view/listen to the video of his TED Talk (Excerpt 1:34-5:51). Use both to complete the graphic organizers and answer the questions.

Identify one advantage of the written speech that is not included in the video version.

Identify one advantage of the video speech that is not included in the text version.

Identify two ways the text and video are similar.

Identify two ideas from the TED Talk that come across in a more powerful way when you hear Salva say them out loud.

Advantages of text/written speech Advantages of video/recorded speech

• no foreign accent

• easier to comprehend every word

• able to revisit a specific line or part

more easily

• the mannerisms and some of the

personality of Salva can be seen

• it is powerful to hear such motivating

words spoken by the person who

believes them instead of simply

reading them

• the audience reaction at the end can

be seen

• easier to comprehend every word

• the emotion in Salva’s voice

• Both present the same information and use the same wording.

• Both address the same audience for the same purpose.

• In my group alone, 500 boys were dead, and only 1,000 had made it alive to the refugee camp in Kenya.

• I didn’t know what my future held.. I just wanted to go home and be with my family.



Informational Text

C. Analyze Two Authors’ Presentation of TopicRead the excerpt from the author’s note in A Long Walk to Water. For each topic or idea in the boxes below, indicate which source (the article or the excerpt) provides the most and/or best information. Then, explain why using evidence from the source you chose.

Skill: Analyze Presentation of Topic

Activity 5

background information about the conflicts in Sudan

information about the suffering of other groups of people (those besides the Lost Boys) during the conflicts in Sudan

details about the U.S. resettlement program description of the plight of the Lost Boys of Sudan

Documents

Nonfiction Article of the Week - I'm Lovin' Lit€¦ · Nonfiction Article of the Week 7-19: The Lost Boys of Sudan Teacher’s Guide A Couple of Options for Teaching Article of the