This section will cover the time in the novel when change begins again in Rukmani’s life. You may find lessons here that seek to address the following questions: What role does each of these new life forms play in Rukmani’s and the villages life? How would you help students to understand the importance of this new presence? What does this mean to the overall welfare of the rest of the characters?



Mandi Becktel Lesson plan 1: Chapters 3, 4, and 5 of Nectar in a Sieve Time: 50 minutes Rationale and objectives: Students will gain further background knowledge of Third World countries to help them gain a deeper and more complete understanding of Markandala’s novel. They will discuss the readings for the day in small groups to clarify any questions they may have about the content. They will also have the opportunity to speak with a woman from a third world country to gain a more personal understanding about life in the third world and the roles of women in developing countries. MI E.L.A. Content Expectations: CE2.1.4, CE2.2.3 (in summary, students will understand the content of a literary work and interpret its meaning from different cultural perspectives).

Time	Activity
15 min.	Small group discussion about the reading for the day (ch. 3, 4, and 5), monitored and guided by the instructor
7 min.	Freewrite activity: In these chapters we are introduced to the new tannery that is moving into Rukmani’s village. We are also introduced to her sons. Do you think that her sons will eventually work for the factory? Why or why not?
3 min.	Take vote on freewrite responses, explain “foreshadowing” in a sentence or two and add it to the word wall
20 min.	Students field questions to our guest speaker, Jamie Kizy (my roommate in college). Jamie is from Iraq and has had many experiences there as well as many challenges trying to mesh her home culture with American culture. She will focus on telling the students about life in a third world country and also about the roles of women in developing countries. She will also talk about how both items are different in her culture than in ours.
5 min.	Students will do a freewrite (exit slip) about what they learned / were most surprised by from their time with our guest. They will also be required to make one connection between something the speaker said and what they read for today.

Assessment: Formative assessment will be recorded as the instructor monitors the small group discussions of the text. Summative assessment will be given in the form of 5 points of credit for the exit slip at the end of class.

Nectar in a Sieve: The Sons and the TanneryTIME: 60 minObjectives and Rationale: In this lesson, students analyze the salvation and suffering from the Tannery placed in novel’s village. Students will read articles and respond to the effects of businesses on the local economy and relate it to Rukmani’s family, and then will form a position on the Tannery and use it in mini-debates. The purpose for this lesson is to connect the issues in the novel on labor work to modern day issues in the world, specifically the Third World. Content Standards: CE 2.1.11, CE 2.2.2, CE 3.1.9, CE 3.2.5; This lesson will assist in attentive listening and respectful expression of opinion, associating prior knowledge and issues in the text to human experience in various ways. TIMEACTIVITY10 min Free-write response to the question posed on the board: How has the tannery changed the lives of Rukmani’s family and neighbors? Students share their responses and discuss the events of the novel to date. 15 min Students break into groups of three and brainstorm businesses that have entered their community/society within their lifetime (Walmart, Lowe’s, chain restaurants). The groups then will share with the class their brainstorming and together discuss the connections in our lives to the lives in the novel. 10 min Then students will respond in their journals how these businesses in their community/society have affected their lives, and make comparisons to the novel through their analysis.20 min Students will be divided into groups of four to take part in a debate; two people to each side of the argument. One side will take the perspective of the laborers and workers of the tannery, or any business recently established in the area, and the other side will take the perspective of the business owners and bosses. Students will work with their partner to form an argument and then hold a debate with the other half of the group. 5 min The floor will open up and the major points discussed in the mini-debates will be written on the board. Students will be asked to write those down before leaving the class. Assessment: Students will be assessed based on their participation and involvement in discussion, debates and journal entries; formative. Points are given for participation, and credit given for the journal entries.


Andrew Kummer
Nectar In A Sieve: The Tannery and the effects of industrialization.
Time: 50 min.
Rationale and Objectives:Students will examine explore themes of industrialization and modernization inside the novel. They will discuss the potential problems that the tannery presents and compare these to the problems discussed in a supplementary article about Mexican farmers and the NAFTA agreement. Students will draw connections between Indian farmers and Mexican farmers to see that the problems faced in the novel are still relevant and universal.
MI E.L.A. Content Expectations: CE 2.1.4, CE2.1.6, CE2.1.7, CE2.2.1, CE2.2.2, CE2.2.3, CE2.3.4, CE
Schedule:

Time Activity
15 min Small group discussion of assigned reading. Instructor guides discussion towards the problems created by the tannery.

5 min Classroom discussion about the problems that face Indian farmers and other people who live on the edge of poverty.

12 min Class reads In Corn's Cradle, U.S. Imports Bury Family Farmers.

10 min Individual free-write. Students will write what they learned about issues between the US and Mexico and how they relate to Rukmani and her family in India.

8 min Group discussion. Students share responses and findings.

Assessment: Students will be graded based on classroom participation and their free write. The free write serves as an exit slip.