Optional Classroom Materials
bulletin board, poster board /chart paper, markers, Internet access or library research
Classroom Activities
This unit will be taught for thirty-five standard-length class periods (43 minutes) with homework reading and writing included.
Day One—The teacher lecture will be drawn from the above narrative with opportunities to stop for Q&A and discussion. One suggestion is to have "Democracy" written on the board when the students come in and see what their reactions are. Some may know what it means and offer explanations and some will not know. Whether any of the students will wonder why it's on the board in English class will be interesting to discover. Following the discussion of democracy, the teacher will addressthe poster provided in Appendix A.
Day Two—Distribute the books and the bookmarks (print these from Appendix B), then read aloud Ch.1, stopping to check for understanding and take questions. Assign Ch. 2.
Days Three through Ten, Ch. 2—Ch. 9. The key points in these chapters are:
Ch. 2—There is the meeting with Inkosi-Inkosikazi, the boy is cured of bedwetting, he gets Granpa Chook, war is declared in 1939, and conflict between the Afrikaners and the English increases due to the war. Ch. 3—There is a power struggle between the Judge and Pisskop. The Judge cannot make Pisskop cry and this frustrates him. He beats Granpa Chook to death, school ends, and Pisskop is free of him. Ch. 4—Pisskop is taken by Mevrou to buy tackies from Harry Crown, the first Jew he has ever met. The man is horrified at the boy's name and renames him "Peekay" and gives him suckers. Ch. 5—Peekay is handed over to the railway and meets Hoppie Groenewald who changes his life, introduces him to boxing and Big Hettie and inspires him to become the welterweight champion of South Africa. Ch. 6— Hoppie Groenewald has taught Peekay "first with the head, then with the heart" as his winning strategy. The boy witnesses Hoppie win the fight and this is the point where he realizes that the tyrants don't have to win: "It was the greatest moment of my life. I had hope." 16 When he dealt with the Judge at school, he avoided or withstood the punishment, but now he understands that he can overcome unfair treatment if he is prepared. Ch. 7—The theme from the last chapter is carried over in Hoppie's note to Peekay in which he encourages the boy and Peekay says that he had given him the power of one. The Big Hettie story is also here, but while it is interesting and can be relevant, it can be glossed over if time is a problem. Ch. 8—The lesson in this chapter is that nothing stays the same. Peekay discovers that his mother has become a Christian and banished Nanny because she wouldn't give up her Zulu ways. Here is another kind of tyranny, a religious mania that takes over his mother's life and rules her ability to make decisions. Peekay decides early on that he wants no part of this. Ch. 9—Peekay learns a lot about dealing with the world: his mother is ineffective in punishing him, Doc's view of the world is most compatible with his own, and that it is better to make a mistake than to follow blindly. This idea of looking at the world from his own point of view rather than be directed by others is what makes Peekay his own person, someone who will lead the way for others.
Day Eleven—Test—Students will complete a written assessment covering Chapters 1—9 (see Appendix C). Then they'll begin reading Ch. 10 in class for tonight's long reading.
Days Twelve through Seventeen, Ch. 10—Ch. 15. The key points in these chapters are:
Ch. 10—Inequality is again demonstrated when Doc is forced to prison because he is an unregistered alien. Rumors run rampant that Doc is a German spy and the foolishness of people in a panic is evident. Peekay, allowed to visit Doc at the prison, gets another lesson in the way the black prisoners are mistreated. They do not seem to be much better off than the Jews in the concentration camps. Ch. 11—Making the system work for his own goals is what Peekay learns here. Setting up the "post office" proves beneficial for the prisoners and it is all sanctioned by those in charge. Ch. 12—Peekay is presented with boots from all the People by Geel Piet for his first bout. He has a following before he actually gets started. Ch. 13—VE day is coming. Doc will be released but nothing will be changed or improved for the black prisoners. They make plans to continue the mail after Doc's release. Ch. 14—Doc manages a coup when he composes a great piece of music that includes all the tribes singing together. This brings about a feeling of solidarity which Geel Piet misses because he is found beaten to death. The second time the music is played it is named after Geel Piet, whom the kommandant assumes was a worthy Afrikaner. Peekay muses that Geel Piet would have thought it a great joke but would have wondered why a man had to die first and miss being there to enjoy it. Ch. 15—Another example of working around the system is the letter-writing and the King Georgies, (religious tracts with the tobacco leaf inside). Peekay is accepted to Prince of Wales School and there is a mass cooperative to get his school kit together.
Day Eighteen—Students will complete a written test covering Chapters 10—15
Days Nineteen—Twenty-Four—Ch. 16—Ch. 22. Note: Chapter 17 is longer and the discussion may spill over to Day 21 which covers Chapters 18 and 19. The key points in these chapters are: Ch. 16—Peekay's partnership with Morrie, the resurrection of the boxing team and a few choice thoughts on leadership. Peekay realizes that he is a natural leader, and does not need to explain himself. Ch. 17—Peekay and Morrie's acceptance into Singe 'n' Burn's Six, the belief of white supremacy by both the English and the Afrikaners, and Morrie's business sense. Ch. 18—Peekay sees things differently as he is maturing, he learns that he has the mechanics to play jazz but not the soul, and he continues to train and grow. Ch. 19—The discovery of the crystal cave and what it means to Doc. Ch. 20—Peekay starts at Solly Goldman's gym. Peekay begins to fear Doc's passing and he contemplates eternity. Ch. 21—This is where many changes have occurred in 1948 and Peekay sums them up. (See narrative section.) Ch. 22—Pastor Mulvery has a funeral for Doc, Peekay and Morrie start a school for the blacks and it is shut down, and they begin the Miss Bornstein Correspondence School.
Day Twenty-Five—Students will complete a written test covering Chapters 16—22.
Day Twenty-Six—Distribute the project handout and either go to the library for research or use computers in the classroom to begin their research work (see Appendix D).
Days Twenty-Seven and Twenty-Eight, Ch. 23 and Ch. 24. The key points in these chapters are discussed thoroughly in the narrative section.
Day Twenty-Nine—Thirty-One—students will watch one third of the film each of the three days and will complete the Video Viewing Response Form (see Appendix E).
Day Thirty-Two, The unit will end with a test allowing the students use the text, their notes, and the Video Viewing Response Forms and comparing the film to the text (see Appendix F).
Days Thirty-Three through Thirty-Five—presentation of projects.
Optional Activities: If you have more time available, students can make a wall display using visuals from their projects. Give guidelines or let them design it themselves.
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