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Adapting "Danger of a Single Story" in a New School and Setting

Christopher Barber

Greetings, all!

After a lot of paperwork over the summer and some exciting (read: stressful!) moving I am now writing this post from my new apartment in the Nansha District of Guangzhou, China! I've been fortunate enough to take a position teaching Social Studies I and II (9th and 10th grades, respectively) at Nansha College Preparatory Academy, where Chinese students continue their secondary studies in a standards-based and English-immersive environment. This, of course, presents many challenges related to language proficiency, particularly at the beginning of the year (students return next week!).

I've long been a fan of Chimamanda Adichie's Danger of a Single Story talk and have found it to be particularly effective for students to embrace some core concepts of historical thinking. The challenge I find myself facing this year is that it is far too much: at nearly 19 minutes long it isn't really feasible to have the freshman year students watch it and expect them to comprehend much; overall, most will be very new to English and still be in need of much strong scaffolding.

So, with that limitation in mind, I turn to the OER Community: what alternatives or supplements have you used that still accomplish the same ends as Danger of a Single Story with less language fluency demands? Has anyone else been in a similar position before?

   

Parents

  • Congrats on the new position  ! That's super exciting. 

    I'm also a fan of the text/video - and often find myself in a similar position each year because my students often speak Spanish, Chinese and Arabic as their first languages. A lot is lost especially as the talk drags on a bit. 

    I echo what Erin mentioned - it's very early in the year so it's also a good litmus test for how students manage with complex text and ideas. And at least in my experience, since it's the beginning of the year, they're less likely to rebel and roll their eyes. Laughing 

    Here were my scaffolding questions if they're helpful: 

    The Danger of the Single Story: 

    1. Why did it matter that Fide’s brother had made a beautiful patterned basket? How did that affect Adichie’s understanding of the story of Fide’s family? (4:04)
    2. What expectations did Adichie’s roommate have about Nigeria and Africa more broadly? According to Adichie, what gave her roommate these expectations? How does it relate to Adichie’s previous point about the story of Fide’s family? (6:26)
    3. What did Adichie witness during her trip to Guadalajara that surprised her? Why was it surprising to her? What did this make her realize? (9:29)
    4. What, according to Adichie, is the problem with stereotypes? (14:24)

    And then closer... 

    Summary:  Think and Reflect

    • What is the danger of the single story?
    • Is there a single story about yourself, your family, or your culture that you believe should be told differently? 

    I think the next big question is something I've struggled with throughout the years which is how to go next level and keep the Danger of the Single Story theme alive throughout the course of the year. I'd like it to be as pressing and relevant in March as it is in September... 

  • in reply to Adam Esrig

    Good stuff here and I'll certainly bring it up tomorrow during our common planning time! Thanks!

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