World Literature for Young Adults: A Multi-Media Project: Diamond Boy

Patson Moyo, along with his sister, father, and step mother, traveled to the Marange diamond fields in Southern Africa. “Diamonds for everyone,” is what they were promised, along with a new life with hopes of prosperity and a start for a new life. Patson quickly gets to work in the mines, searching for a girazi, a priceless stone that offers the promise of a lifetime of fortune and an escape from the tiny tobacco sheds they have been residing in. Some miners spend their whole lives looking for a girazi, but with luck and a hard working attitude, Patson found three. He hides his precious stones, and is immediately filled with fear for his and his family’s safety in the mines, but hope surfaces as his dreams come to fruition. Shortly after discovering the stones promising a new future, Patson’s world comes crashing down. The mining fields are violently taken over by the Zimbabwean government, entrapping some people while killing others and placing them in a mass grave. Patson’s father is murdered and his sister, Grace, is taken to South Africa beyond her will. Patson saw an escape towards freedom from the diamond mines and steps on a land mine, destroying the lower part of his leg. With the help of his friend, Boubacar, Patson must go on a quest to save his sister and find the diamonds he had handed to a friend in the midst of excruciating pain of having his lower leg amputated. On his trek towards finding his sister, Patson and Boubacar must avoid Commander Jesus who is on the hunt for the priceless stones. By the end of the story, Patson and Grace are reunited, the diamonds are located, and the remaining Moyos begin their lives according to what their deceased mother and father would have wished for them.

Awards/Honors:

Amelia Elizabeth Walden Award
VOYA’s Perfect Tens 2014; 2015 finalist

Teaching Ideas:

Rationale for Use in the English Classroom:

This book would accompany a young adult literature curriculum well. By definition, young adult literature teaches adolescents about diverse people and the world beyond their community. Generally, young adult literature also focuses on main characters that are of an age relatable to the audience. In the book, “Diamond Boy,” Patson is a young 15 year old living in a world that is quite foreign to the majority of students. The characters in the novel are deeply developed and relevant to the audience, and we are given insight into a world far different from ours but with themes central to children of that age. The story of survival and triumph will captivate all readers as they relate to Patson’s ability to overcome seemingly unsurmountable odds. There are very obvious themes that although push students to understand a world outside of their own, it will be difficult to paint an accurate picture of the severity of the situation that children face every day in the diamond mines. Therefore, a video will be shown to the class to assist in setting the stage for the novel and surrounding lessons. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JfxpeHV-fXg )

Before Reading Activity:

A brief youTube clip will be shown in order to motivate the students to read more about the diamond mining in Marange, as well as have a visual of what this process entails. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v-JLPeo1Kd4) Prior to reading the book, “Diamond Boy,” the students must be familiar with several concepts in order to fully comprehend a novel that is outside of their everyday experiences. Several concepts and themes that need to be elaborated on include: diamond mining, history of Zimbabwe, child soldiers, land mines in southern Africa, and Shona people. The students will be split into pairs to further their comprehension for reading as well as evaluate the quality of the websites provided by the teacher. In order to determine the quality of the websites the following things will be considered: whether the website is commercial or educational for example, whether a copyright date can be located, whether this is a reputable source for information based on whether other sites make reference to it, and the pair’s opinion on the website’s reliability. Further, the pair of students will research one of the topics they are responsible for, and then share with the class their findings. Therefore, the class will have a general knowledge of the themes present throughout the novel. The following websites provide several facts about diamonds and diamond mining and Shona people: (http://kidcyber.com.au/tag/facts-about-diamonds-for-kids/ ) and ( http://kids.britannica.com/comptons/article-210592/Zimbabwe ) and (http://kids.britannica.com/comptons/article-301075/Zimbabwe )

During Reading Activity:

While reading the novel the students will be given the choice of one of the following activities to complete. The first activity calls for students to compare and contrast Patson’s life compared to the life of someone living in America. This can be done in the form of a Venn diagram, with at least five commonalities between the two, and five differences. Another activity has the students identify the fundamental differences between Patson’s father and James Baba, by using quotations to provide succinct examples. A final option includes making a timeline of Patson’s time spent on his road to South Africa and his reuniting with Grace. The timeline should include ten monumental events with quotations to support their impact on Patson’s life as he grows from a child to a self-sufficient man. Each child will be grouped with children that have completed other options than themselves, and the information will be shared at the end of the novel.

After Reading:

According to CCSS. LITERACY.RL.9-10.3, students should analyze how complex characters develop over the course of a text, interact with other characters, and advance plot or develop the theme. After reading the novel, the students will complete a choices and summary chart based on the main character, Patson Moyo. In order to do so, the students must study closely the actions of the main character, as well as the progression from where they began to where they ended. The students will record the chapter in which they found an important choice made by Patson, as well as the reasoning behind thinking this plays a part in how the main character changes throughout the novel. In order to meet the needs for various learners, the children will be given the option of how they prefer to present the information to the teacher. Options may include but are not limited to: creating a powerpoint, creating a movie, a visual display on a poster, a dramatic play, or a verbal expression of the changes of Patson. Detailed rubrics will accompany each option provided by the teacher.

Connections to other Content Areas:

This novel can easily be connected to a Social Studies curriculum. In particular, the book would be a great addition to lessons on people of the nation and the world. The students must take a multicultural and historic perspective when reading the book, “Diamond Boy.” For example, the history of Zimbabwe and the conflict between diamond miners and the government would make an easy introduction of a young adult literature addition to the Social Studies curriculum.

Pages

Diamond Boy