A Long Walk to Water



Last updated Thursday, February 18, 2021

Author: Linda Sue Park
Date of Publication: 2010
ISBN: 0547251270
Grade Level: 5th    (GLCs: Click here for grade level guidelines.)
Date(s) Used: Feb. 2021

Synopsis: A Long Walk to Water begins as two stories, told in alternating sections, about two eleven-year-olds in Sudan, a girl in 2008 and a boy in 1985. The girl, Nya, is fetching water from a pond that is two hour's walk from her home: she makes two trips to the pond every day. The boy, Salva, becomes one of the "lost boys" of Sudan, refugees who cover the African continent on foot as they search for their families and for a safe place to stay. Enduring every hardship from loneliness to attack by armed rebels to contact with killer lions and crocodiles, Salva is a survivor, and his story goes on to intersect with Nya's in an astonishing and moving way.

Note to readers:
•  Some sensitive topics including death, war, abandonment, loss, displacement.
•  Story influenced by Second Sudanese War, characterized by decolonization along with an unequal transfer of power, resource disputes, and tribal conflict.

Discussion topics for before reading:
•  Ask everyone to think about how many different places they can access clean water.
•  Ask students to gauge how long it takes to obtain water. Seconds? Minutes?
•  Ask the class to come up with reasons why some water isn't safe to drink from (public fountains, reclaimed irrigation).

Vocabulary

•  monotonous (p. 73) - tediously uniform, unvarying
•  emaciated (p. 105) - very thin and feeble especially from a lack of nutrition or illness
•  din (p. 117) - a loud continued noise
•  shanty (p. 155) - a small crudely built dwelling or shelter usually of wood
•  scything (p. 157) - cutting as if with a scythe

Discussion topics for during/after reading:
•  Do you have any emergency plans that you've rehearsed with your family?
•  Why is Uncle's recommendation (p.85) to Salva helpful? Can you think of a time when you had a big task that you struggled to finish?
•  Why do you think the dry/wet seasons help contribute to the territory disputes over resources?

Craft ideas:
•  Using the Zoom whiteboard together with the kids, create a thank you card for the Water Buffalo Club, then take a screen shot of it and email it to info@readingtokids.org! Reading to Kids received a special, three-year grant from the Water Buffalo Club and we would like to share our sincere thanks by sending them digital thank you cards designed by our reading club participants.

You can incorporate their logo by downloading it from http://readingtokids.org/Friends/Organizations/WBC_logo_for_email.png. Read about using the Zoom whiteboard in the last pages of our Zoom Training Guide. You can learn how to take a screenshot at https://www.pcmag.com/news/how-to-take-a-screenshot-on-any-device.
•  Make an informative poster about an animal that lives in Africa.
•  Design a passport for your next international trip (picture, country, name, height, hair color, DOB, departure date).
•  Create an animal silhouette drawing/painting based on African wildlife.
•  Check our craft ideas on Pinterest!
https://www.pinterest.com/readingtokids/february-2021-people-places-around-the-world/

Special activities:
•  Create found poetry during reading (select excerpts from the text to combine).
•  Guess the drawing! Using MS Paint or equivalent, have the Reader screen share a digital drawing they create in front of the students as related to the material (beehive, giraffe, water well, geography: Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya).

*Note: These craft ideas are just suggestions. You can use them, but you don't have to use them. You can expand upon them, or add your own twist. Remember, though, that the focus of your time should not be on the development and execution of a craft; the focus should be on the read-aloud and the enjoyment of the book!