5 2 3 making friends in mali TG

5.2.3

Making Friends
in Mali
SUMMARY

A young woman joins the Peace
Corps, leaving her rural home in Maine for
a village in Africa. While helping others, she
learns to see both the similarities and the
differences between her old life and her
new life.

LESSON VOCABULARY

ambition
moped
simplicity
volunteer

efficiency
rummaging
thriving

INTRODUCE THE BOOK
INTRODUCE THE TITLE AND AUTHOR Discuss

with
students the title and the author of Making
Friends in Mali. Based on the title, ask students
what kind of information they think this book will

provide. Let them know that Mali is a country in
Africa.

BUILD BACKGROUND

Inform students that the
Peace Corps is an organization that sends
Americans to other countries to help the people there. Discuss what kind of help people
in other countries might need. Ask students
if they think it would be interesting to join the
Peace Corps when they are older. Discuss
where they might want to go and what kind of
help they might want to give. Let them know
that in this book a young woman joins the
Peace Corps and goes to Africa.
PREVIEW/USE TEXT FEATURES

Have students
skim the book for chapter headings and
illustrations. Ask them to use these features
to try and predict what the story will be
about. Do they think the piece will be fiction
or nonfiction? Why? Point out the map on
page 9. Lead students to understand that
it shows part of Africa. Ask them to tell you
anything they might know about Africa. If
possible, locate this small map area on a
classroom world map.

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COMPARE AND CONTRAST
PREDICT

READ THE BOOK
SET PURPOSE

Have students set a purpose for
reading Making Friends in Mali. Remind them
what was discussed while previewing the book
and building background. Some students
might want to find out what it is like in an
African country. Other students might be more
interested in learning about what happens to
the main character or what it means to join
the Peace Corps.

STRATEGY SUPPORT: PREDICT

Suggest students
predict what might happen before they read
each chapter. Remind them that they should
check and revise their predictions as they
read and get new information. Encourage
them to take notes to keep track of both their
predictions and their revised predictions.

COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS
PAGE 7

What does Georgia say that convinces
her father that it is okay for her to join the
Peace Corps? (“I’m just like you, Dad . . . I want
to improve things.”)
PAGE 18

How do you think Georgia will feel
during her first few days in Mali? What are
you basing your prediction on? (Responses will
vary but should be text-based and should draw
from pertinent, personal knowledge.)
PAGE 22

How is the weather in Mali different
from the weather in Maine? (It is much hotter
in Mali.)

PAGE 29

Why does Moussa give Georgia the
piece of fabric? (to thank her for helping him)

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REVISIT THE BOOK

READER RESPONSE

1. Information on graphic organizer should
include the weather, experiences with
chickens, friendship with 11-year-old boy,
and motivated people.
2. Possible responses: The family will have
more food. They might sell extra eggs like
Georgia’s family.
3. You can pedal or use the motor. Pedem
means “foot.” Words include biped,
pedestal, pedestrian, pedicure, pedometer,
quadruped.
4. Responses will vary.
EXTEND UNDERSTANDING

Because this story
is set in two very different places, we are
able to see how the character reacts to her
change in setting. How a character reacts to
changes lets us know a lot about him or her.
With a partner, discuss how Georgia reacts to
her change in setting and what that tells you
about her.

RESPONSE OPTIONS
WRITING

Invite students to imagine that they
are Georgia in Mali. Have them write a diary

entry that Georgia might write.

Have students create vocabulary word
cards. Students place the cards facedown
in a pile and take turns picking a card and
making up a riddle for others to guess the
word. Provide a model or pattern for the riddle
such as:
This word starts with the letter
.
This word ends with the letter
.
This word means the same as
.

SOCIAL STUDIES
CONNECTION
Ask students to
brainstorm a list of ways
they can help others in their
own communities. Help them use the
Internet or library to find organizations that
welcome student volunteers.

Skill Work
TEACH/REVIEW VOCABULARY
Have students rate the words Know, Have
Seen, or Don’t Know on a Word Knowledge
Rating Chart. Revise the chart after students
have read the book.

TARGET SKILL AND STRATEGY
COMPARE AND CONTRAST

Remind students
that to compare and contrast things means
to look for how they are alike and different.
Point out that although much in the main
character’s life will change, some things will
still be familiar to her. As students read the
story, have them takes notes comparing
Georgia’s life in Mali with her life in Maine.
PREDICT Review that to predict means
to tell what might happen in a story based
on what has already happened. Remind
students that understanding how a character
is affected by changes will help them predict
what might happen next. For example, in
this story, some things in Georgia’s life
change in huge ways while other things
remain familiar. Students should use this
information to predict how Georgia might
react to things that happen. Ask students
to write a sentence before reading the
last chapter, predicting how they think the
story will end. After reading the story, have
students share their predictions and discuss
whether they were correct.

ADDITIONAL SKILL INSTRUCTION

CHARACTER AND SETTING Lead students to tell
you that a character is a person or animal
who takes part in the events of a story. The
setting is where the story takes place. In
Making Friends in Mali, setting has a strong
effect on the main character. As students
read, suggest they take notes on places
where they see Georgia, the main character,
being affected by her setting. Afterwards,
have students compare notes and use them
to draw conclusions about Georgia.

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Name

Making Friends in Mali

Compare and Contrast
• To compare is to tell how two or more things are alike or different.
• To contrast is to tell only how two or more things are different.

Directions Use Making Friends in Mali to help you answer the questions below.

1–2. Compare Georgia and her father. How is Georgia like her father? How is she different?

3. Contrast Georgia’s home in Mali with her home in Maine.

4–5. Contrast the Zeroulias’ garden center when they first bought it with the way it is now.

6–7. Compare Moussa and Georgia.

© Pearson Education 5

8. How are Ibrahim and Charlie alike?

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Making Friends in Mali

Name

Vocabulary
Directions Use a word from the box to complete each sentence below.

Check the Words You Know
ambition
simplicity

efficiency

thriving

1. Georgia started
favorite picture of Charlie crowing.
2. Many people love the

moped
volunteer

rummaging

through the photographs looking for her
of life in developing countries.

3. Georgia was impressed with the
the bricks.

with which Ibrahim made

4. A characteristic that both Moussa and Georgia’s father had in common was
.
5. Costa had built an old barn and greenhouse into a popular,
business.
6. Georgia had become a

worker for the Peace Corps.

7. Georgia hopped on the

behind Moussa.

Directions Underline the word does not belong in each set.
8. volunteer, tradesperson, professional

© Pearson Education 5

9. waste, effectiveness, efficiency
10. rummaging, selling, searching
11. book, moped, magazine
12. simplicity, difficulty, complexity
13. ambition, laziness, drive
14. prospering, failing, thriving

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