A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park is an award-winning young adult novel. We use it as the mentor text in Emozi® Middle School for 6th grade because there are many SEL themes to which young teens can relate. These include resiliency, dealing with fear, identifying help and resources, community, cultural competency, goal setting, leadership skills, perseverance, and hope. It is truly an inspiring story!
Overview
A Long Walk to Water is based on the true story of Salva Dut, an 11-year-old boy growing up in South Sudan. He embarks on a dangerous journey after his village is attacked by rebels. Separated from his family, Salva spends the next 10 years wandering a war-ravaged Africa, experiencing starvation, brutality, and disease before joining a group of boys. He finds his way to refugee camps in Ethiopia and Kenya before finally making his way to the United States, where he learns English and attends college. Later, Salva learns that his father is still alive and suffering from a disease caused by water-borne parasites. This inspires Salva to help not only his father but his country by bringing clean water to areas in need through his non-profit, Water for South Sudan. Salva's story is juxtaposed with the story of Nya, a young girl living in Sudan. She shares similar struggles, and their lives finally intersect in an inspiring way.
Socratic Seminar Questions
Chapter 1
Salva says how lucky he is to be able to go to school - he began school when he was 10 years old. His sisters do not attend school.
- Why do you think it is important for girls and boys to get a good education?
- How do you feel about being able to go to school? Why?
While Salva is in school, they hear gunfire. The teacher peeks outside and then tells the boys to run into the bushes and not to go home. We find out that there is a war going on. Slava has to leave everything he knows with just what he has with him.
- Compare Salva's experience with students in Ukraine. How do you think these events are similar? How are they different?
- How do you feel about these incidents?
- How do you deal with these emotions?
- Does it affect how you feel about going to school?
Chapter 2
As he flees, Salva hears an explosion and looks back. All he sees is smoke and dust. This causes him to run faster. When he could not run anymore, he began walking. He joins a group of people, and as he walks, he wonders about his family and whether he will see them again.
- How do you think he must be feeling?
- How does he show resilience?
- Have you ever been apart from your family for a period of time? How did you feel?
That night, Salva finds a few people from his village, and he feels a bit comforted by the familiar faces.
- What do you think Salva could do to deal with his fear?
- What comforts you when you are afraid?
Emozi Grade 6 lessons that connect to the SEL themes from A Long Walk to Water
Unit 3
- Lesson 1: Resilience
- Lesson 2: Executive Functioning
- Lesson 3: Fear Less
- Lesson 4: Reaching Out for Resources
- Lesson 5: Respect for Living Things
- Lesson 6: Community Involvement
- Lesson 7: Giving and Receiving Feedback
- Lesson 8: Cultural Competence
- Lesson 9: Go for Your Goals
- Lesson 10: Leadership Skills
- Lesson 11: Gratitude and Generosity
- Lesson 12: Perseverance and Hope
For the full Socratic Seminar for this novel and full lesson plans for the topics listed, please visit our website for more details on how to get Emozi for your classroom!
Dive deeper into SEL for adults and students in my new book, The Social Emotional Classroom: A New Way to Nurture Students and Understand the Brain.
