The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind is the true story of a Malawi boy who responded to a drought that forced famine on his country. With his formal education interrupted by poverty, he turned to a library funded by the American government to piece together how to harness wind and create electricity. Lessons on renewable and nonrenewable energy sources, text features of graphic novels, film adaptations of text, and the necessary steps to solve a problem will energize and wind the thinking gears of students.
Before you begin...
Each Artful Reading Module is flexibly designed for a 2-3 week duration. Lessons are marked for Before-, During-, or After-Reading to guide your planning. We have added a sample of an After Reading lesson entitled Harnessing the Wind for you to preview. Each lesson is designed in an easy to read format, with standards, materials needed, and step-by-step directions to ensure you are fully prepared when it’s time to deliver.
This module contains the following lessons:
- I’ve Got Your Back
- Renewable and Nonrenewable Resources
- Harness as a Verb
- The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind
- Pencil to Pen
- Paper to Page
- I Try
- One Story. Two Adaptations.
- Harness the Wind
- Harness It
The summative writing tasks will invite students into a PBL experience. While
conducting self and group initiated research, the compelling question students
will explore is How can we harness renewable resources? Optional Extension Tasks are also available to stretch the module further.
Standards Matrix
This module is aligned to National Literacy standards and National Arts Anchor standards. For your reference, we have added images of the standards matrix for this module.
Key Vocabulary
Layout, Frame, Gutter, Special Effects/Sound, Speech Bubble,
Thought Bubble, Close-ups, Caption, Harnessed, Renewable Energy, Nonrenewable
Energy, Tone, Idea, Outline, Pencil Thumbnails, Ink, Color, Lettering, Collage,
Cinematography, Lines, Texture, Contrast, Focal Point, Hanger, Suspension Cords,
Platform, Tubes, Striker, Sail