Speaking and writing on leaders

Writing: interview Mandela. One partner is the interviewer, the other plays Mandela. Write five open questions, starting with What, How or Why, not yes/no questions. Note the answers. Aim for an overview of his life and his work against apartheid (the system that kept black and white South Africans apart and unequal).

Get the facts right. In 1994 South Africa held its first democratic election and Mandela became its first black President. It was the end of apartheid, not independence from a foreign ruler.

Comparing two leaders. The book asks you to compare two of Mandela, Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King, who all fought injustice against the odds, and says all three used non-violence. Use a table and compare point by point: country, the injustice they fought, their methods, prison or hardship, what they achieved. (A careful comparison can note that Mandela's movement began peacefully but, after peaceful protest was banned, also took up armed resistance.)

Project: two freedom leaders. Write about leaders from two different countries. Use the prompts: their thoughts, what made them unique, honesty, confidence and leadership, famous speeches, and how they helped free their countries. Put each life in time order. Ask your social science teachers and elders, and use the library.