Lake of the Big Snake Unit Study

Affiliate Disclaimer

We sometimes use affiliate links in our content. This won’t cost you anything, but it helps us to keep the site running. Thanks for your support.

Thanks to Celia Hartmann for preparing this Lake of the Big Snake unit study.

Lake of the Big Snake Unit Study Lessons

This unit study includes lessons and activities based on the book Lake of the Big Snake by Isaac Olaleye.

Here is a sample of the lessons found in this Lake of the Big Snake unit study:

Social Studies: Nigeria, Africa
Locate Nigeria on a map. Print out a map and flag. Nigeria is part of West Africa. It is about twice the size of the state of California. Discuss the varied terrain and climate of Nigeria, explaining terms where necessary. In southern Nigeria are lowlands and the climate is equatorial. Central Nigeria has hills and plateaus and the weather is tropical. Northern Nigeria has plains and is arid.

Language Arts: Parts of a Story
Most stories include the same basic components: characters (who the story is about), setting (where the story takes place), conflict (problems between characters), and a solution (also called the denouement, it is how the characters solved the problems). Ask your child to identify all the parts of Lake of the Big Snake.

Art: Make Dashikis
Buy 45-inch African print fabric. Measure the length from your shoulder to desired hem. Double that number and add 2 inches for the hem. That is the length of fabric needed. Supplies needed: sewing machine, needle and thread, or tacky glue

1) Wash the fabric to preshrink and press.

2) Fold up an inch hem on both cut edges of the fabric. Stitch or glue it down to prevent unraveling.

3) Fold the fabric in half, wrong sides together, with the finished edges (selvedges) together and the sewn hems together.

4) For the neck hole, cut a slit along the top center fold about 10 inches across. From the center of the slit, on the front edge only, cut 10 inches towards the hem. Slip this over the head. If it won’t fit, make small adjustments to the slits until it does.

5) Fold the front edges down in a V-shape to make a narrow edge around the neck. Stitch or glue in place.

6) Pin a seam on both side of the length about 8 inches from each outside edge. Stop the seam 18 inches from the top edge. Try on the dashiki. Adjust the seams to allow the garment to fit. Finish sewing or gluing.

You can grab a copy of the entire Lake of the Big Snake unit study in an easy-to-print file at the end of this post.

How to Get Started with the Lake of the Big Snake Unit Study

Follow these simple instructions to get started with the Lake of the Big Snake unit study:

Buy a copy of the book, Lake of the Big Snake, or grab one from your local library.
Print the Lake of the Big Snake unit study.
Choose the lessons you want to use with your student (a highlighter works great for this).
Enjoy a week of literature-based learning with your student.