1. What do these images show? How do they link to the novel?
Teacher Notes: Teachers should have pre-read the pdf document to enhance their own understanding of the context of the novel. Ask students to think about the military connotations, loss of freedom and oppression evident in these pictures. Links to military coup – corruption – government – loss of trust – the legacy of colonialist rule

2. this have on ordinary citizens? Military Coup 1985
Context for Purple Hibiscus: L/O: to explore how context shapes meaning
Task 3: Watch this
Clip and explain
why the coup
Happened?
What impact does
this have on ordinary citizens?
Military Coup 1985
Key vocabulary:
Military coup: to overthrow the government using force
Propaganda: bias used to promote a particular point of view
Censoring: newspapers not being allowed to report without checks on what they say
Immigration: coming to live permanently in another country
Corruption: the act of being corrupt or unfair in your actions
Assassination: to kill someone who has different ideas to you
Task 1: Context Questions:
Use the novel and knowledge organiser
Where is the novel set?
What is colonialism and how was this important in Purple Hibiscus?
What religion are the family?
How does religion shape the family?
What happens in their country?
What does this mean for the family?
How is immigration described/shown?
How is corruption shown in the novel?
Who is assassinated and what are the ramifications?
Task 4:
How is Nigeria’s history
significant in the life of Kambili and Jaja?
Teacher Notes: clarify the key vocabulary and ask students to explain this – question and answer to begin the lesson and develop understanding of terms that they will use later
Task 1 – Encourage students to have their knowledge organiser in front of them. Get them to answer the questions in full sentences using their previous plot understanding work and the knowledge organiser and novel.
Feedback – Students to be questioned by the teacher and feedback answers – teacher can pose, pause, pounce and bounce the questions to get students to develop answers in full sentences.
Watch the clip on the military coup and get students to explore how this links to the ordinary lives of people in Nigeria.
Link Task 4 – Get students to write in paragraphs about how the context links to the lives of the children in the book.
Task 2 - Link the key vocabulary or ideas to events