Name:

A Girl Named Disaster

Assignment #1 – Chapters 1-9
All assignments due Monday, October 25

Read chapters 1 through 9. Do not read chapter 10.

1) Vocabulary: Look on the page number given in column one. Read

the definition in column two. Find the word that begins with the
letter given in column three and complete the word.

Page Definition Vocabulary Word

1 constantly moving or wanting to change r
4 to say something quietly or unclearly m
5 conflict, struggle, or hard work s
after the sun sets but before it is completely
7 d
dark
9 mother m
10 empty, abandoned by people d
14 add exaggerated details to a story e
17 trade b
24 the price fathers pay for their son’s wives r
27 dragged or carried h
28 serious, depressing g
29 people who feel sad after someone dies m
29 hollowed-out, dried shell used as a container c
to move from place to place without a known
30 w
destination
33 shocking, unexpected o
40 serve w
53 the feeling that you are about to throw up n
58 dull pain a
60 punishment given in return for a wrong v
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2) Think and Write: Choose _____ of the following questions to answer

thoughtfully and in a complete paragraph. Write your answer so it is
clear to which question it corresponds. Number your responses.
ALWAYS date your work and check your spelling, punctuation, and
grammar.

1) Describe five rules or customs in Nhamo’s family. Describe an

equivalent custom from your own culture for each one. (For
example: When people meet someone new in Costa Rica, they
touch cheeks and kiss the air. When I met someone new in New
York, I would shake their hand.)
2) Choose two characters in the village to compare and contrast.
You can use a Venn diagram or any other chart to organize your
ideas. Under your chart, explain how the characters are different
and how they are similar.
3) What is the roora? What is your opinion of this system? What
might be some advantages and disadvantages of this system?
4) People tell a lot of stories in Nhamo’s village. Look back at the
stories on pages 4, 12, 30, and 37. For each story, explain what
you think is the main message. Why would these values be
important for the village?
5) Nhamo loves her family but also feels separate from them. Write
about three moments in the story that you see Nhamo feeling
different or separate.
6) Why does Nhamo embellish her story about the leopard?
Describe a time when you found yourself changing the details of
a story. Why did you do this? What were the results?
7) What does Nhamo’s family blame for her mother’s death? Why?
Is this reasonable or not? Explain why you think so.
8) Describe Ambuya’s actions and attitudes when it comes to her
village’s traditions and customs. Do you know anyone else (real
or fictional) who is like Ambuya? Describe how he or she is
similar. (If you choose this question, I suggest you answer
question 1 also)
9) The muvuki is a controversial character. Do you trust him? Why
or why not? Make a chart showing evidence that he is truthful on
one side and evidence that he is not to be trusted on the other.
Include the number of the page where you found the evidence.

3) Think and Create: Choose one and complete it carefully and

completely. Your final product should be clean, organized, and error-
free.

1) Prepare an informational poster about the disease Cholera. Find

out the symptoms, how it spreads, and how it can be prevented.
Also read a little about the history of the disease: When and
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where were the major outbreaks? Where is it still a problem

today?
2) Create Nhamo’s family tree to show how she is connected to the
people in the story.
3) Do a full color illustration of Nhamo’s village the way you see it in
your mind’s eye. This could be a map from a bird’s view or a
human’s view of a part of the village. On the back of your
drawing, keep a record of the pages in the book that helped you
develop your ideas for the illustration.