For the companion website, go to: www.ericwalterswalkinghome.com
Walking Home by Eric Walters
Day 1: Chapter 1 & 2 (p 1-31)
Comprehension and Discussion Questions:
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Chapter 2:
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Vocabulary:
Matatu: minivans used in various African countries that “carried everything and everyone into the cities”
Online:
https://ericwalterswalkinghome.com/
Chapter 1: Read author’s notes, look at the photos and watch the video for p. 13
Chapter 2: Read author’s notes, look at the photos and read article (if time allows)
Walking Home
Day 2: Chapter 3, 4, 5 (p. 32 - 66)
Chapter 3
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Chapter 4
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Chapter 5:
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Online:
https://ericwalterswalkinghome.com/
Chapter 3 and 4 (if time permits)
Walking Home by Eric Walters
Day 3: Chapter 6, 7, 8 (p. 67 - 86)
Chapter 6
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Chapter 7
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Chapter 8
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Discussion Questions:
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Online:
https://ericwalterswalkinghome.com/
Chapter 5 - 8
Walking Home
Day 4: chapter 9, 10, 11 (p. 87 - 113)
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Online:
https://ericwalterswalkinghome.com/
For Chapter 10, go to the bottom of the page and watch the video in red font (link to YouTube) for My Name is Blessing. (11 minutes)
Walking Home
Day 5: chapter 12 & 13 (p.114 - 143)
Chapter 12
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Vocabulary:
Lorry: truck
Shilling: a unit of currency used in Kenya
Vigilant: keeping careful watch for possible danger or difficulties
Swahili: a Bantu language spoken in Eastern Africa; spoken in Kenya.
Online:
https://ericwalterswalkinghome.com/
Chapter 12 and 13.
Look at the website for Chapter 12 and zoom in on the map to see Eldoret (where Muchoki and his family were from), Nairobi and Machakos. Zoom out until you can see most of the African continent; what do you notice?
Look up Chapter 13 to see photos of the matatu that Muchoki and Jata are riding on and the short video of the road to Nairobi.
As a group, read the children’s book based on Baraka’s story called “My Name is Blessing”. Compare the book to the story. How is writing this story for children different than writing the book, Walking Home for young adults? Consider the narrator and how much of the story is told and what the final message is.
Walking Home
Day 6: chapter 14 & 15 (p. 144 - 169)
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Chapter 15
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Vocabulary
Gorge (n.) a narrow valley between hills or mountains, typically with steep rocky walls and a stream running through it
Foreshadowing (n.) is a literary device that gives a hint of what is to come later in the story. It often appears at the beginning of a story, or a chapter, and helps the reader develop expectations or predictions about the coming events in a story.
Walking Home Name: __________________________
Day 7: Chapter 16, 17 (p. 170 - 207)
Chapter 16 (p. 170 -186)
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Discussion Questions:
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After finishing these questions, logon to www.ericwalters.com and go to Chapter 16.
Chapter 17 (p. 186 - 207)
Comprehension Questions:
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Discussion Question:
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After finishing these questions, logon to www.ericwalters.com and go to Chapter 17
Day 1: Chapter 1 & 2 (p 1-31)
Comprehension and Discussion Questions:
- What was the nightmare that Muchoki had about?
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- Muchoki, his mother and sister are living in an internally displaced persons (IDP) camp. What food and water do they get?
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- What does Muckoki’s name mean? What tribe(s) does he belong to?
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- What does the conversation at the water tank reveal?
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Chapter 2:
- What are the symptoms of malaria as Muchoki describes his mother? Why does his mother say that she is “feeling better every day” when clearly she is suffering from malaria again?
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- On p.19, Muchoki says “Within this camp there are teachers, drivers, shoemakers, seamstresses, well...everybody except the rich. They had been forced to flee as well…”. Discuss the impact of this statement.
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- On p.20, Muchoki reflects, “My friends--people I had known for years whose fathers and brothers and uncles had come after us in angry mobs, carrying machetes, clubs and torches…” Discuss the significance of this statement.
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- Muchoki leaves the camp to look for firewood; who does he meet as he heads out? What do we learn about Muchoki and Jomo’s families, respectively?
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Vocabulary:
Matatu: minivans used in various African countries that “carried everything and everyone into the cities”
Online:
https://ericwalterswalkinghome.com/
Chapter 1: Read author’s notes, look at the photos and watch the video for p. 13
Chapter 2: Read author’s notes, look at the photos and read article (if time allows)
Walking Home
Day 2: Chapter 3, 4, 5 (p. 32 - 66)
Chapter 3
- What is the story that their mother tells them? Why is it significant?
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- Why did Muchoki and Jata never go back with their mother to Kambaland?
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Chapter 4
- What misgivings does Muchoki have about going to the church? P. 40
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- Who are the Masaai people (the Masaai warrior)? P. 49
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Chapter 5:
- Why did Muchoki invite the guard to their tent for soup made from the meat of the gazelle?
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- Muchoki’s mother explains that she didn’t return to her parents because of hope. Explain what this means?
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- On p. 58, Muchoki says, “Every journey, no matter how far, starts with one step.” This phrase has already come up several times in the story. Why?
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- “The politicians who should unite us as Kenyans have divided us a tribes. The fault lies with them,” says the guard. Discuss this quote.
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- What does the guard tell them about the conditions of the camp they are staying in?
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Online:
https://ericwalterswalkinghome.com/
Chapter 3 and 4 (if time permits)
Walking Home by Eric Walters
Day 3: Chapter 6, 7, 8 (p. 67 - 86)
Chapter 6
- On p. 70 Muchoki thinks a lot about the importance of hope and how it is the most powerful thing that could sustain a person. Even though he and his family have suffered terribly, how does he manage to keep hope alive?
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- What does Muchoki see and realize at the end of this chapter?
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Chapter 7
- Jomo’s father has come to pick up his family. What impact does this have on Muchoki?
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Chapter 8
- Muchoki’s mother seems to be getting weaker from the malaria, yet she has also started to have hope that she will see her family again. What do you predict will happen?
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Discussion Questions:
- What have you learned so far about life in a “Displaced Persons Camp” (IDP) also called Refugee camp?
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______________________________________________________________________ - Compare your life in Aylmer to Muchoki’s life in the IDP / Refugee camp?
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- What does the word resilience mean? How does Muchoki show resilience?
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Online:
https://ericwalterswalkinghome.com/
Chapter 5 - 8
Walking Home
Day 4: chapter 9, 10, 11 (p. 87 - 113)
- Briefly summarize what Muchoki tells the guard about what happened on the night that they fled his village. (p. 90- 94)
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- P.96 “It is important that Kalenjin show friendship to Kikuyu, and that Kikuyu do the same to Kalenjin,” he [the guard] said. “You must try to do this...you cannot fight evil by becoming evil...the only cure for darkness is light”.
Do YOU believe it is possible to show kindness and offer friendship to a group that has caused you and your family terrible suffering?
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- Why does Muchoki tell Jata that he can see ‘the string’ that goes all the way back to Kikima?
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- After Muchoki leaves the office of the chairman of the camp, he realizes that the plan is to separate Muchoki from his sister, Jata, now that their mother has passed. What do you predict will happen next?
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Online:
https://ericwalterswalkinghome.com/
For Chapter 10, go to the bottom of the page and watch the video in red font (link to YouTube) for My Name is Blessing. (11 minutes)
Walking Home
Day 5: chapter 12 & 13 (p.114 - 143)
Chapter 12
- On p. 119, Muchoki thinks to himself, “It is important that she have faith so she didn’t have fear”. What does he mean by this?
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- What are the dangers outside of the camp that the sergeant warns them about?
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- Many African countries do not have well planned infrastructure such as roads, transit systems or public facilities. How does the matatu system work?
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- How far were they able to drive on the matatu? Explain what happened.
_______________________________________________________________________ - On p. 136, Muchoki reflects “(the people along the road)...had that look I’d seen in the eyes of the people in the camp--a look I’d seen in the eyes of my mother. They were beaten down, afraid; they had witnessed things, and things had been done to them. It was in their eyes…” What does he mean?
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- On p. 140, what is the horrific site that Muchoki wants to protect his little sister from?
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Vocabulary:
Lorry: truck
Shilling: a unit of currency used in Kenya
Vigilant: keeping careful watch for possible danger or difficulties
Swahili: a Bantu language spoken in Eastern Africa; spoken in Kenya.
Online:
https://ericwalterswalkinghome.com/
Chapter 12 and 13.
Look at the website for Chapter 12 and zoom in on the map to see Eldoret (where Muchoki and his family were from), Nairobi and Machakos. Zoom out until you can see most of the African continent; what do you notice?
Look up Chapter 13 to see photos of the matatu that Muchoki and Jata are riding on and the short video of the road to Nairobi.
As a group, read the children’s book based on Baraka’s story called “My Name is Blessing”. Compare the book to the story. How is writing this story for children different than writing the book, Walking Home for young adults? Consider the narrator and how much of the story is told and what the final message is.
Walking Home
Day 6: chapter 14 & 15 (p. 144 - 169)
- Where do Muchoki and Jata stop to make their meal? Why is this a good spot?
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- ‘In my head I knew it was only for two but in my heart and in my habit, I had put in enough for three’ (p.148). Explain how this an example of foreshadowing. Who will eat the extra porridge?
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- How does Jata make the encounter with the Maasai warrior into a positive experience?
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- What things do Muchoki and Jata learn about the Masaai people from Wilson? Why are they significant?
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Chapter 15
- How did their kindness towards the Masaai pay off the next morning? Provide some examples.
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- You have probably noticed that Muchoki chooses his words very carefully and is always kind and respectful. How does this help them to survive on their journey?
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- Where were Muchoki and Jata able to find shelter for the night? How did they stay warm? (p.166)
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- Muchoki has become both parents to Jata, how does he keep her from despair at the end of this chapter? (p. 169)
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Vocabulary
Gorge (n.) a narrow valley between hills or mountains, typically with steep rocky walls and a stream running through it
Foreshadowing (n.) is a literary device that gives a hint of what is to come later in the story. It often appears at the beginning of a story, or a chapter, and helps the reader develop expectations or predictions about the coming events in a story.
Walking Home Name: __________________________
Day 7: Chapter 16, 17 (p. 170 - 207)
Chapter 16 (p. 170 -186)
- On p.172, what does Jata notice ahead of them? Where are they going?
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- How/ why does Muchoki keep reassuring Jata about the string?
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- “I couldn’t help admiring the land we were passing. The crops were thick and lush and green. It looked as if the rain was a blessing to them on an ongoing basis.” (p. 172) Despite the misery that the rain and mud is causing them, Muchoki is able to see the beauty in the landscape around them. What does this tell us about his personality?
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- How does God “speak to them” as they are walking along?
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Discussion Questions:
- Why did being in the church make Muchoki feel both “at home and uneasy”? What role does faith / church have in their lives?
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After finishing these questions, logon to www.ericwalters.com and go to Chapter 16.
Chapter 17 (p. 186 - 207)
Comprehension Questions:
- On p. 187, Muchoki says that he had felt hopeful. What acts of kindness made him feel hopeful?
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- Muchoki philosophically observes, “A storm had passed through that had not come from the sky but from the people beneath it”. What does he mean?
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- Why doesn’t Muchoki want to enter Nairobi before finding a place to rest for the night?
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- On p. 197, the man with the donkey tells Muchoki and Jata about Kibera. Why has it become such a dangerous place?
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Discussion Question:
- Explain the importance of the scene with Muchoki, Jata and Omolo (the man with the cart and donkey). What do we learn about life in Nairobi? Why didn’t Muchoki abandon Omolo when the “tribe of hoodlums” arrived? What is the final outcome of their encounter with Omolo?
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After finishing these questions, logon to www.ericwalters.com and go to Chapter 17