Chinua Achebe
Lesson plans for teaching Things Fall Apart and other works

|Biography and Background| |Things Fall Apart| |Other Works|

Biography and Background

Chinua Achebe
Biography.

Chinua Achebe
Biography.

Chinua Achebe
Online literary criticism from the Internet Public Library.

An Evening with Chinua Achebe
The U. S. Library of Congress arranged a celebration of both Achebe's birthday and the 50-year anniversary of the publication of Things Fall Apart. After opening pleasantries, Achebe begins speaking about 16 minutes in, commenting on the novel and reading from it. The entire video webcast runs 72 minutes.

Things Fall Apart

Chinua Achebe: Things Fall Apart
A copy of Yeats's poem "The Second Coming," an overview of the novel, and excellent chapter-by-chapter discussion questions.

Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart Reading and Study Questions
Questions for discussion and writing, divided by section, designed for advanced or college-level students. This page includes a copy of Yeats's "The Second Coming," the source of the title.

Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart: Oral and Literary Strategies
The three lessons at this site explore the historical context of the novel, the literary context in contrast to other writers, and linguistic and literary strategies used.

Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart: Teaching Through the Novel
The three lessons at this site include mapping changes in African countries, telling stories from different perspectives, and comparing and contrasting views of Africa from different writers, such as Joseph Conrad.

Lesson Plan for Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe
Three activities.

"The Second Coming"
The text of poem by William Butler Yeats from which the novel's title is drawn.

Things Fall Apart
This reading group guide includes 18 discussion questions. Follow the link to a biography of Achebe.

Things Fall Apart
This 13-page document addresses 68 vocabulary words drawn from the novel. Adobe Reader or compatible application required for access.

Things Fall Apart: Reader's Group Companion
Summary and a wide variety of discussion questions, divided into categories.

Things Fall Apart Teacher's Guide
Extensive commentary followed by discussion questions or writing prompts that explore almost every aspect of the novel.

Village of Umuofia
This interactive site asks students to take on traditional roles and participate in village life. This is a great adaptation of Web resources for education! Be sure to click on "Information for Teachers."

Other Works

Cross-Cultural Poetics
Achebe reads from his Collected Poems in this podcast.

"Civil Peace"
Writing prompt and assessment rubric. Access requires MS-Word or compatible application.

"Dead Men's Path"
What would Michael Obi's job evaluation look like? This handout challenges students to write it. Access requires MS-Word or compatible application.

"An Image of Africa: Racism in Conrad's Heart of Darkness", essay by Achebe
Achebe explores the racist elements in Conrad and in contemporary society.

Chinua Achebe, "An Image of Africa: Racism in Conrad's Heart of Darkness" (1975)
Critical commentary on Achebe's essay.