Throughout the novel, Marlee faces a number of challenges that she must overcome. Some of these challenges include her fear of heights, the racism and injustice all around her, her relationship with her mother, Liz leaving, Judy not wanting to be with her as much, and of course, her fear of talking in front of people she doesn’t know. For this activity, students will create a 3 cell spider map illustrating and describing 3 of Marlee’s challenges.
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Due Date:
Objective: Create a spider map that identifies challenges that Marlee faces in The Lions of Little Rock. Illustrate instances of each challenge and write a short description below each cell.
Student Instructions:
Engage students in a meaningful conversation about how Marlee and her classmates overcome obstacles in the story.
Write open-ended questions that encourage students to analyze Marlee’s challenges and consider her reactions. For example: “How does Marlee’s fear change throughout the book?”
Explain to students how to listen actively and respect each other’s ideas. Remind them to build on classmates’ thoughts and disagree kindly.
Refer to specific scenes or quotes that show Marlee facing and overcoming a challenge. This helps students connect their ideas to the text.
Invite students to relate Marlee’s experiences to their own lives or to real-world situations. This fosters empathy and deeper understanding.
Marlee faces several challenges in The Lions of Little Rock, including her fear of heights, dealing with racism and injustice, struggling with shyness when speaking in public, coping with Liz leaving, and difficulties in her relationships with family and friends.
To create a spider map, students should draw three cells branching from the center, each labeled with a challenge Marlee faces. For each cell, illustrate a scene from the book and write a short description explaining the challenge and its impact on Marlee.
The main objective is for students to identify and visually represent three key challenges Marlee encounters in the novel, demonstrating understanding through both illustrations and short written descriptions in a spider map format.
Identifying character challenges helps students build empathy, understand character development, and connect themes from the story to real-life situations, enhancing overall reading comprehension and critical thinking skills.
Encourage students to choose clear examples from the text, use specific scenes or quotes for their illustrations, and write concise descriptions. Reviewing Marlee's key struggles together as a class can also spark ideas and support understanding.