Name: Class: Date: ELA Grade 7 Unit 1 - Print 1 her arms to establish the rhythm, and everyone began to Excerpt from Kinship: A Family’s Journey in Africa sing with unrehearsed exuberance, adding harmony and and America embellishments at will. At the close of that draining first by Philippe Wamba day, my class filed out of the room. I was still daunted by the prospect of returning the next day, but no longer set During my first year in Dar es Salaam, Tanzanian guides against it. helped me understand this different lifestyle, and my extensive interaction with my new companions helped me Despite our share of blunders, my brothers and I quickly learn Kiswahili. To supplement the words and phrases I adjusted to our new surroundings. The language was the was quickly picking up from my friends, I began to take most significant barrier, but once we began to grasp the private Kiswahili lessons from a teacher who lived next fundamentals of Kiswahili, everything proceeded that door. Then, to my initial unhappiness, I began attending much more rapidly. At first, the words sounded like the local primary school. jumbled mouthfuls, and my ears initially had trouble organizing the syllables that tumbled out of peoples' The first day I donned my new school uniform—blue mouths into logical phrases and sentences. But slowly shorts and a white shirt—and walked reluctantly to school. words that had once sounded unpronounceable became I had no idea what to expect and was bewildered by the simple, and my stuttering speech gained fluidity and pace. attention I received from my classmates, who bombarded So, too, did my understanding of the culture that the me with greetings and questions. After a few minutes of language reflected. sitting at the small wooden desk I shared with two other students, listening to all of the excited chatter and laughter Soon, my brothers and I found ourselves switching to and feeling certain that my classmates were mocking me, Kiswahili to express ideas that eluded us in English, or to I vowed never to return. convey an emotional flavor or spice we instinctively felt we could not capture in English. As I began to learn the The classroom was made of unembellished concrete various subtleties of Kiswahili, I developed a new way of blocks and had no electricity, and there must have been looking at the world. It was not a wholly American or 60 loud kids in my class alone. Chaos reigned until the Tanzanian perspective, but reflected the influence of teacher finally arrived. The students rose to greet her, different traditions. Sometimes it seemed that we shared a chanting Shikamoo, mwalimu ("Good morning, teacher"). cultural identity that no one but us would ever understand. When my presence was brought to her attention, she However, as we became increasingly comfortable in assigned a fellow student named Sandi, who had lived in Tanzania, we learned to shift easily between cultural Zambia and spoke some English, to guide me through the contexts. day. Except for math (which I had always hated) and English, the subjects were almost completely incomprehensible to me. But I did enjoy music, a simple affair in which the teacher wrote some lyrics on the blackboard and waved Read the excerpt from Kinship: A Family’s Journey in Africa and America. Soon, my brothers and I found ourselves switching to Kiswahili to express ideas that eluded us in English, or to convey an emotional flavor or spice we instinctively felt we could not capture in English. In the context of the excerpt, the word “convey” most nearly means A)communicate. B)transport. C)cause. D)feel. 2 Which choice best explains how the experience of learning Kiswahili influences the author in Kinship: A Family’s Journey in Africa and America? A)It increases the author's feelings of isolation. B)It changes the way the author sees the world. C)It strengthens the author's identity as an American. D)It enables the author to form a relationship with Sandi. 3 Part A: Which statement best describes a central idea in the excerpt from Kinship: A Family’s Journey in Africa and America? Music can help people relate to one another. Learning a new language can be a way to connect to another culture. Different countries have different ways of educating their citizens. Private lessons are helpful for people who want to learn languages. Part B: Which sentence from the passage best supports the answer selected in Part A? A)To supplement the words and phrases I was quickly picking up from my friends, I began to take private Kiswahili lessons from a teacher who lived next door. B)Except for math (which I had always hated) and English, the subjects were almost completely incomprehensible to me. C)But I did enjoy music, a simple affair in which the teacher wrote some lyrics on the blackboard and waved her arms to establish the rhythm, and everyone began to sing with unrehearsed exuberance, adding harmony and embellishments at will. D)The language was the most significant barrier, but once we began to grasp the fundamentals of Kiswahili, everything proceeded that much more rapidly. 4 Part A: Which choice best describes the author’s point of view at the beginning of Kinship: A Family’s Journey in Africa and America? A)He is excited to embrace a new lifestyle. B)He feels isolated as a foreigner among strangers. C)He feels inspired by the prospect of making new friends. D)He is nervous about having to switch between cultural identities. Part B: Which sentence from the passage best supports the answer to Part A? A)During my first year in Dar es Salaam, Tanzanian guides helped me understand this different lifestyle, and my extensive interaction with my new companions helped me learn Kiswahili. B)To supplement the words and phrases I was quickly picking up from my friends, I began to take private Kiswahili lessons from a teacher who lived next door. C)I had no idea what to expect and was bewildered by the attention I received from my classmates. D)After a few minutes of sitting at the small wooden desk I shared with two other students, listening to all of the excited chatter and laughter and feeling certain that my classmates were mocking me, I vowed never to return. 5 “There will always be hope, hope never dries up.” Five Hope Renewed years ago, in June 1998, I delivered the above words with by Proud Dzambukira the innocence of the child I was. I was being interviewed by David Moricca and Eric Farmer, who were shooting video footage for a documentary, Meet Zimbabwe's Young deepened my gratitude and heightened my appreciation Scholars. They thought I had a remarkable story to tell. and outrage at the disparity that exists between the rich And I did. It was a tale of hope renewed. and the poor. I started growing up then. My resolve to make the most out of the opportunities available to me In 1996, during the final year of my primary school was thus steeled, but more importantly, I defined what, for education, my world collapsed. I suffered the same fate me, has come to be a life statement: to balance the scale, suffered by so many children in Zimbabwe today. My to reach out and make available the same opportunities father, the sole bread winner in the family, died. With his that I have had to children in circumstances to mine in passing, died my hope of proceeding with my education 1996. and being the sole architect of my future. In Zimbabwe, education is the key to prosperity and happiness. I had not In 2002, I was chosen to be a participant in the United just lost my father; I had lost the key to unlocking the door States Student Achievers Program (USAP). Each year to a happier future for my family and myself. this program assists thirty students from around the country to take advantage of the educational and personal My hope was resurrected by Students for Students growth opportunities available at some universities in the International, a student organization based at the United States. I applied and was accepted into Harvard on University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. In 1998 I was a full scholarship. at a well renowned secondary school, trying to mold a better future for myself, my family, and in turn, for my This is my story today. In the fall of 2003, I traveled community. I was very grateful and optimistic. halfway around the world to begin a new chapter in my life. It is impossible to look into the future without pausing Of course I did exceptionally well in my studies—I had to. to reflect on the past. Seven years ago my life, my hopes, Not because I was particularly intelligent, but because I and my dreams lay broken at my feet. Today, the future is understood only too well the value of the education that I full of boundless possibilities. The happy contrast is had almost been denied. My studies took me, at no humbling and gratifying. However, with the gratitude expense to my family or myself, halfway across the always comes the reminder that my happiness is not country to one of the best schools in the region for the last universally shared. So many people around me are still two years of my high school education. There my eyes trying to put together the broken pieces of their hope. were opened to a wider world of opportunities, which Read the excerpt from the story “Hope Renewed.” My father, the sole bread winner in the family, died.