Identifying Familiar Faces through Adjunct Displays

The scene from A Long Walk to Water (ALWtW) has a connection to my content area of choice, organize, adjunct displays from 50 Routines to Develop Content Literacy (50 Routines), and a grade-level standard in English Language Arts and Literacy.

The scene from ALWtW entails Salva organizing his memory of what his own people, the Dinka, looks like before approaching a female stranger for shelter who might be from the hostile group, the Nuer. He is mindful of the rivalry between the two groups and instantly notices the familiar ritual scar patterns on her forehead that is also worn by his people. By the end of the scene, she turns out to be a very nice lady and lets Salva stay in her barn for the night.

I choose adjunct displays from 50 Routines because it is a great way for students to lay out a chart that can help them organize and retain information better. Also, just like how Salva was able to remember clearly of what his people look like, my students will be able to recollect their families’ faces because their survival instincts will automatically tell them who is safe to be with and who is not. For example, if I was to assign my students to fill out a design tree chart with them writing their families’ names in each of the columns, this would tell me that they can draw a mental image of their mom, dad, siblings, and pets.

The grade-level standard in English Language Arts and Literacy that connects to my content area consists of RW.7.2.a: Introduce a topic clearly, previewing what is to follow; organize ideas, concepts, and information, using strategies such as graphics (e.g., charts, tables). Salva was 11 years old at that time so using the seventh grade-level standard would be just around the appropriate age group where he is entering pre-adolescence.