A Long Walk to Water

Noticing Culture in A Long Walk to Water Chapters 1 and 2

​Consider this passage

​"He and his brothers, along with the sons of his father's other wives, would walk with the herds to the water holes, where there was good grazing. Their responsibilities depended on how old they were" (Park 3).

Open Ended

What do you notice about culture in A Long Walk to Water? 

​"He and his brothers, along with the sons of his father's other wives, would walk with the herds to the water holes, where there was good grazing. Their responsibilities depended on how old they were" (Park 3).

​Consider this passage.

​"Salva and the other boys made cows out of clay. The more cows you made, the richer you were. But they had to be fine, healthy animals" (Park 3).

Multiple Choice

Based on the passage in the previous slide, what makes a person rich in Salva's village?

• Having a lot of money.

• Owning many cows.

• Having access to water.

• Being in charge of many other people.

​Consider this passage

​"She [Nya] looked at the bottom of hre foot. There it was, a big thorn that had broken off right in the middle of her heel. Nya pushed at the skin around the thorn. Then she picked up another torn ans used it to poke and prod at the first one. She pressed her lips together against the pain" (Park 8).

Multiple Select

What does the passage on the previous slide (and on page 8 in the book) tell us about Nya's daily life?

• Nya often looks for reasons to avoid work. 

• Nya's journey is challenging and filled with obstacles.

• Nya does not have resources that we take for granted.

• Nya enjoys her daily walk to water and takes pride in what s

Multiple Choice

How old are Nya and Salva in Chapter 1?

• 7

• 11

• 16

• 25

Multiple Choice

Where does the story take place in Chapters 1-2?

• USA

• Southern Sudan

• Western Sudan

• Ethiopia

Multiple Choice

What is Nya on her way to do in Chapters 1-2?

• She's taking out the trash.

• She's walking her dog.

• She is walking to the next village to escape war.

• She is going to get water for her family.

Multiple Choice

Based on the descriptions of what Nya does, we can infer that she is:

• hardworking and determined

• selfish and whiny

• lazy but caring

• a good student

Multiple Choice

In Chapter 2, the book says that the ground where Nya is walking is "littered with thorns". What does "littered" mean?

• scattered around

• clean

• moving quickly

• a lot

Multiple Choice

Why does Salva run away from his school?

• He hates school and wants to go home.

• His teacher is boring.

• His teacher tells the students to run away because of the gunfire in the village.

• There's a rumor going around that the war is coming to the school village next.

Multiple Choice

Both in Chapter 1 and 2, Salva is thinking of his family often--wondering where they are, if they know where he is, and remembering how his father expected him to act. What does this tell us about Salva?

• He is very independent and doesn't like their rules.

• Salva prefers being at home to being at school.

• He is sad that he took them for granted before the war.

• Salva is very close to his family and wants them to be proud of him.

Multiple Choice

What happens at the end of Chapter 2?

• Salva meets Nya for the first time.

• Salva is sleeping because he walked too much.

• Salva got left behind in a barn when his group abandoned him.

• Salva ran away from his group so he could move faster without them.