A Girl Named Disaster

How do we balance opposing forces in our lives? Assignment #3 Chapters 17-25 All assignments due Monday, November 8 Read chapters 17 through 25. Do not read chapter 26. 1) Vocabulary: Look on the page number given in column one. Read the definition in column two. Find the word that begins with the letter given in column three and complete the word. In the five final rows, record five of your own vocabulary definitions, pages numbers and beginning letters for your classmates to complete on Monday. Page Definition s c n r l p t f p t i p g c Vocabulary Word

122 something that cannot be explained by natural laws. 123 lacking courage 124 took small bites 127 destroyed by time or weather 130 insects that fly in large groups eating crops
136/13 to be taken over by a spirit or emotion/owned 7 something

140 worked hard 147 to look for food 150 actions taken to prevent trouble or harm 152 dangerous, hard to navigate 165 perfect 169 outcast 170 clean one another 177 shared practice, tradition

OPTIONAL: Plan your time! Which questions/sections will you complete on which days? TODAY! Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday My plan

Sunday

What really happened

2) Think and Write: Choose _____ of the following questions to answer in a complete paragraph. Choose questions that you feel you can respond to thoughtfully and with detail. Write your answer so it is clear which question you are answering. ALWAYS date your work and check your spelling, punctuation, and grammar. 1) The paths of the body are long, but the paths of the spirit are short (121). Explain what you think this means in the context of the story. Would you consider the body and the spirit to be opposing forces? Explain. 2) But Nhamo knew that dreams always had some significance (132). Focusing on either the dream in chapter 15 or in chapter 18, explain why you think it is significant. Then, describe one of your own dreams that felt significant to you. 3) Through Nhamos thoughts and actions on her journey, we learn more about the belief system of her people. Using text evidence (quotes with page numbers), describe four new customs or beliefs. In your opinion, what do these beliefs emphasize? What might this tell you about what is important to the Shona? 4) How does the event on page 142 change Nhamos attitude about her journey? Why do you think this is? Describe a time when something drastically changed your perspective or attitude. 5) Names and their meanings are very important to the Shona villagers. Explain why. Do a little research about your own name: What does it mean? Do you have a namesake (someone you were named after)? In your own culture, what important information can you get from names? 6) How does Nhamo really feel about Rumpy? Find text evidence (quotes and page numbers) to support your opinion. 7) What do you think Rumpy is thinking about Nhamo? Write a paragraph from Rumpys perspective, describing Nhamos arrival and Rumpys thoughts and feelings about it. 8) Nhamo goes through low and high times on her journey. Identify a time when Nhamo was at her lowest or highest and why. Then, describe a time when you felt similarly. What made you feel this way? 9) Reread Nhamos vision/dream in chapter 25. Identify and explain the opposing forces present in the dream/vision. Do you think Nhamo is having a moment of insanity or does this vision/dream say something important about Nhamos life? Explain. 3) Think and Create: Choose one and complete it carefully and thoroughly. Your final product should be clean, organized, and error free (publishing quality). If you have an alternate idea for a think and create, please talk to Nicole about it. 1) Recreate one of the tools Nhamo made on her journey so far. Some ideas include: fish trap, twine, basket, grass mat, gourd bowl, clay pot, . You may only use materials that Nhamo would have had available to her (for example: no hot glue) 2) Using only the foods that Nhamo had available on the islands, design and prepare a dish for the class to taste. If certain foods (for example, pumpkin) are not available to you, you may use a Costa Rican equivalent.

3) Research the damming of the Zambezi river. Why was it dammed? What were the consequences. Next, find two other examples of rivers that have been dammed in history, the reasons behind it, and the consequences. Where do you stand on this issue? Should rivers be dammed or not? Why? 4) Make a detailed and accurate map of the series of islands where Nhamo stayed. Use at least four quotes to label the various locations that are mentioned in the book.