When Worlds Clash in Things Fall Apart

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Plan

11th Grade Project 4 weeks

When Worlds Clash in Things Fall Apart

Chelsea Hendrickson, Josh Wagner, +2

Aug 24, 2026

Updated Aug 24, 2026

11-12.SL.1

11-12.SL.1a

11-12.SL.1c

11-12.SL.1d

11-12.SL.2

+ 28 more

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Purpose

Students investigate how colonization, industrialization, and rapid adoption of outside technology reshape indigenous communities, using Things Fall Apart, Nigerian history, and perspectives from Grand Ronde and an OHA speaker on family systems. They connect this inquiry to their own lives by reflecting on family systems, disruption, adaptation, and how people respond to major change. Through collaborative discussion, research, and critique, students create a life map in a digital format that compares the protagonist’s development with their own experiences. The work culminates in a community exhibition, with a possible cultural exchange with a school in Nigeria, where students share evidence-based insights across cultures.

Learning goals

Students will analyze how characters in Things Fall Apart respond to cultural disruption and use those reactions to make evidence-based claims about personality, values, and change. They will research Nigerian history and culture, colonization, industrialization, and Indigenous community impacts by evaluating primary and secondary sources, including perspectives from Grand Ronde, an OHA speaker on family systems, and, if possible, a Nigerian school partner. Students will engage in prepared discussions that question evidence, synthesize multiple viewpoints, and examine how power, privilege, and outside forces shape communities and personal decisions. They will create and revise a multimedia life map that compares the protagonist’s development with their own experiences of family, adaptation, and change, using digital tools such as Affinity or DaVinci Resolve for a public exhibition.

Standards

[Oregon] 11-12.SL.1 - Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grades 11—12 topics, texts, and issues, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.
[Oregon] 11-12.SL.1a - Come to discussions prepared, having read and researched material under study; explicitly draw on that preparation by referring to evidence from texts and other research on the topic or issue to stimulate a thoughtful, well-reasoned exchange of ideas.
[Oregon] 11-12.SL.1c - Propel conversations by posing and responding to questions that probe reasoning and evidence; ensure a hearing for a full range of positions on a topic or issue; clarify, verify, or challenge ideas and conclusions; and promote divergent and creative perspectives.
[Oregon] 11-12.SL.1d - Respond thoughtfully to diverse perspectives; synthesize comments, claims, and evidence made on all sides of an issue; resolve contradictions when possible; and determine what additional information or research is required to deepen the investigation or complete the task.
[Oregon] 11-12.SL.2 - Integrate multiple sources of information presented in diverse formats and media in order to make informed decisions and solve problems, evaluating the credibility and accuracy of each source and noting any discrepancies among the data.
[Oregon] 11-12.W.7 - Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects to answer a question (including a self-generated question) or solve a problem; narrow or broaden the inquiry when appropriate; synthesize multiple sources on the subject, demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation.
[Oregon] 11-12.SL.1 - Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grades 11—12 topics, texts, and issues, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.
[Oregon] 11-12.SL.1a - Come to discussions prepared, having read and researched material under study; explicitly draw on that preparation by referring to evidence from texts and other research on the topic or issue to stimulate a thoughtful, well-reasoned exchange of ideas.
[Oregon] 11-12.SL.1c - Propel conversations by posing and responding to questions that probe reasoning and evidence; ensure a hearing for a full range of positions on a topic or issue; clarify, verify, or challenge ideas and conclusions; and promote divergent and creative perspectives.
[Oregon] 11-12.SL.1d - Respond thoughtfully to diverse perspectives; synthesize comments, claims, and evidence made on all sides of an issue; resolve contradictions when possible; and determine what additional information or research is required to deepen the investigation or complete the task.
[Oregon] 11-12.SL.2 - Integrate multiple sources of information presented in diverse formats and media in order to make informed decisions and solve problems, evaluating the credibility and accuracy of each source and noting any discrepancies among the data.
[Oregon] 11-12.W.7 - Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects to answer a question (including a self-generated question) or solve a problem; narrow or broaden the inquiry when appropriate; synthesize multiple sources on the subject, demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation.
[New York] 3A.4b - Evaluate how the expectations of different groups, including the expectations of those with social influence, power, and privilege, influence personal decisions and actions.
[Oregon] 11-12.SL.1 - Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grades 11—12 topics, texts, and issues, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.
[Oregon] 11-12.SL.1a - Come to discussions prepared, having read and researched material under study; explicitly draw on that preparation by referring to evidence from texts and other research on the topic or issue to stimulate a thoughtful, well-reasoned exchange of ideas.
[Oregon] 11-12.SL.1c - Propel conversations by posing and responding to questions that probe reasoning and evidence; ensure a hearing for a full range of positions on a topic or issue; clarify, verify, or challenge ideas and conclusions; and promote divergent and creative perspectives.
[Oregon] 11-12.SL.1d - Respond thoughtfully to diverse perspectives; synthesize comments, claims, and evidence made on all sides of an issue; resolve contradictions when possible; and determine what additional information or research is required to deepen the investigation or complete the task.
[Oregon] 11-12.SL.2 - Integrate multiple sources of information presented in diverse formats and media in order to make informed decisions and solve problems, evaluating the credibility and accuracy of each source and noting any discrepancies among the data.
[Oregon] 11-12.W.7 - Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects to answer a question (including a self-generated question) or solve a problem; narrow or broaden the inquiry when appropriate; synthesize multiple sources on the subject, demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation.
[New York] 3A.4b - Evaluate how the expectations of different groups, including the expectations of those with social influence, power, and privilege, influence personal decisions and actions.
[Oregon] 11-12.SL.1 - Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grades 11—12 topics, texts, and issues, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.
[Oregon] 11-12.SL.1a - Come to discussions prepared, having read and researched material under study; explicitly draw on that preparation by referring to evidence from texts and other research on the topic or issue to stimulate a thoughtful, well-reasoned exchange of ideas.
[Oregon] 11-12.SL.1c - Propel conversations by posing and responding to questions that probe reasoning and evidence; ensure a hearing for a full range of positions on a topic or issue; clarify, verify, or challenge ideas and conclusions; and promote divergent and creative perspectives.
[Oregon] 11-12.SL.1d - Respond thoughtfully to diverse perspectives; synthesize comments, claims, and evidence made on all sides of an issue; resolve contradictions when possible; and determine what additional information or research is required to deepen the investigation or complete the task.
[Oregon] 11-12.SL.2 - Integrate multiple sources of information presented in diverse formats and media in order to make informed decisions and solve problems, evaluating the credibility and accuracy of each source and noting any discrepancies among the data.
[Oregon] 11-12.W.7 - Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects to answer a question (including a self-generated question) or solve a problem; narrow or broaden the inquiry when appropriate; synthesize multiple sources on the subject, demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation.
[New York] 3A.4b - Evaluate how the expectations of different groups, including the expectations of those with social influence, power, and privilege, influence personal decisions and actions.
[Oregon] HS.69 - Create and defend a historical argument utilizing primary and secondary sources as evidence.

Competencies

Effective Communication - Students practice listening to understand, communicating with empathy, and share their learning through exhibiting, presenting and reflecting on their work.
Critical Thinking & Problem Solving - Students consider a variety of innovative approaches to address and understand complex questions that are authentic and important to their communities.
Collaboration - Students co-design projects with peers, exercise shared-decision making, strengthen relational agency, resolve conflict, and assume leadership roles.
Content Expertise - Students develop key competencies, skills, and dispositions with ample opportunities to apply knowledge and engage in work that matters to them.
Academic Mindset - Students establish a sense of place, identity, and belonging to increase self-efficacy while engaging in critical reflection and action.

Products

Students will create discussion prep notes, source evaluation annotations, and short response journals connecting Things Fall Apart, Nigerian history, and their own experiences with disruption and adaptation. Midway through the project, they will produce a draft life map timeline with visuals and evidence for a gallery walk critique, then revise it using peer and teacher feedback on clarity, accuracy, and cultural understanding. The final product will be a polished digital life map comparing the protagonist’s development with the student’s own life, created as a static visual, video, website, or interactive presentation using tools such as Affinity or DaVinci Resolve. Students will also prepare a brief exhibition talk or recorded artist statement for the community showcase, with the option to include material for a cultural exchange with a partner school in Nigeria.

Launch

Begin with a story circle where students share a time their family, community, or daily life changed because of forces outside their control, then identify common emotions, choices, and coping strategies on a shared class chart. Follow with a short provocation using images, quotes, and audio from Things Fall Apart, Nigerian history, and Grand Ronde experiences of cultural disruption so students can notice patterns across contexts. Invite a Grand Ronde representative or OHA speaker to open the inquiry with a brief talk on how outside systems reshape family structures, identity, and community life. Close by introducing the essential question and having students write a quick reflection connecting the launch to how they personally respond to major change.

Exhibition

Host a community exhibition night where students present their life maps as a gallery of digital posters, short films, websites, or interactive presentations, with invited families, Grand Ronde partners, and the OHA speaker circulating and asking questions. Add a student-led discussion corner where pairs explain how *Things Fall Apart*, Nigerian history, and research on Indigenous communities shaped their thinking about colonization, industrialization, family systems, and adaptation to change. If possible, include a live or recorded cultural exchange with a school in Nigeria so students can share their products with peers and compare perspectives across cultures. Build in celebration and accountability by having visitors leave written feedback on each project’s use of evidence, historical accuracy, and personal reflection.