Final project-My Lesson Plan

For my final project in this class I chose to create a curriculum based on African Literture. Since I am hoping to become a teacher after I graduate I based this on the grade I want to teach. My course is geared towards junior AP English students who which to pick up my class as an elective. I had many ideas for this project but my true feelings and concepts came out when I was typing my final draft up.
For this course I have made the class a writing intensive class with a lot of emphasis on current events and common issues. I would like my students to complete two current events a week which would be similar to how we have done blogging in this class. My students would have to write half a page about they read about or learned about and submit it to me, the teacher. My students would also have a paper due a week with an exception of the first week. The papers that they write for this class are all part of the final project I have developed. So in total my students will have written five papers by the end of the semester. I chose four of the five topics: introduction to Africa, a paper on a certain country, a paper on child soldiers which they should tie the books they have read into, a paper on what is being done to help the people of Africa, and then I left the final topic up to my students.
Though there may be a lot of write for this class there will also be other activites for them to enjoy. I have planned to have a guest speaker come in and talk to my class. The speaker I have "lined up" has lived in Africa and wants to discuss with them who it is like to live there, what the housing is like, the crime, and social issues like AIDs awareness. On top of that I will also be taking my students on a field trip to Chicago. Like I mentioned in one of my exploration the Field Museum in Chicago had a large exhibit on Africa. So I planned to take my students there for the day and let them see first had some artifacts and pictures from Africa. My curriculum has many more elements these are just a few that I wanted to share with you. This assignment was a great learning experience and I enjoyed writing it.

Child Soldiers

Child soldiers are not a no idea in todays' world. This concept has been in places for way to long and finally people are starting to talk out about it and do something. In the past few years there have been many orginizations set up to try and help the youth of Africa. These groups provide help to those who have been attacked, those who were child soldiers, and also they are working on bring to justice those rebels who have allowed youth in combat.
I say these groups but who do i mean...There are many out there but here are just a few:
1. "SOS Childrens Villages" which helps children in need and tries to give them the love and care they need. They have four prinicples and those are every child needs a mother, every child grows up most naturally with brothers and sisters, each child has a home and each child grows up within a supportive village environment.
2. "Outside the Dream" which works in Uganda and offers edcation to orphans, the homeless, and former child soldier. This project is based on volenteer support.
3. "International Medical Corps." this project was the most interesting not only do they try and help child soldiers overcome there horrible times and battles with mental health but they also focus on other areas. They also help spread awareness for AIDS/HIV and health care.

These programs may not be the answer to this problem but they are a start.

Johnny Mad Dog

Johnny Mad Dog illistrates for us the horror of the rebel army child soldiers but also gives us a look at the other side. This book is effective because of the dual narrators showing you both sides of the story. The two main characters Johnny Mad Dog and Laokole are both about the same age but have very different views on life. Johnny just wants to be an intellectual and in charge while Laokole just wants finish high school and keep her family safe. They both present of us with inner stories which adds to the big picture.
Johnny Mad Dog was very intersting. Since we got to look into his inner thoughts it was easy to tell something wasn't quite right. Mad Dog would convince himself of something that wasn't true and this happened on numerous occasions. We really don't learn a lot of truths from him; we don't even know how long he really was in school.
This novel not only was able to show us both sides of the story but it also enlighted us with what was really happening in the attacks. It was bothersome that the people there seemed used to the attacks and raids. Because of Laokole story we are able to see how they hid the things they can't carry and had decoys for important things. Mad Dog shows us the crulty of raids when he rapes women and shoots people down in the middle of the road. The life these children are leading are hard unchanging lives. These attacks need to end.
What gets me the most is that these things actually happen and there isn't an end in sight. Young children are given guns and basically told go have fun shoot anything. This abuse of children and life needed to be stopped. This novel is eye opening.