The Clay Marble

Use this activity to engage all types of learners, while requiring that they refer to and incorporate details from the text over the course of the activity.

PRESENTATION: “Refugee Camps Globally”

In this activity, students will research and present on the conditions of a refugee camp in contemporary society.

As a result of war and displacement, many individuals who are forced to flee their country reside in refugee camps. While these camps are intended to be temporary residences, many people spend their whole lives in such camps. Working in small groups, select one of the following countries and research its refugee camps: Bangladesh, Colombia, Greece, Jordan, Kenya, Lebanon, Pakistan, Turkey, and Uganda. Use the following questions to guide your research:

• What is the name of this camp and where is this refugee camp located?
• How many people are estimated to live there?
• What are the primary nationalities living in the camp? Why is this the case?
• How long do people usually live in this camp, waiting for asylum/refugee status?
• Are there any amenities (e.g., food and clothing distribution, educational opportunities, vocational trainings, medical care, etc.) made available to those in the camp?
• What type of government support does the country offer the people living in the camps?
• What is the projected future of the camps? For example, are there any plans to close or expand?

After researching your camp, prepare a presentation with your group. Be sure to include visuals and/or media, if applicable, in your presentation. Finally, participate in a post-presentation group discussion that reflects on the similarities and differences in these camps.

Teaching Suggestion: This activity invites students to consider the similarities and differences of refugee camps around the world. The above countries host some of the largest displaced populations; however, depending on the location of the camp itself, and the abilities of national governments to process asylum requests, the lengths that people regularly stay in these camps ranges from months to decades.

Differentiation Suggestion: Some of your students may have been refugees or had family who were refugees. It could be helpful to talk to this student privately and ascertain their comfort level with this assignment. If they are comfortable speaking about the experience, they might focus on that refugee camp and present on it (or bring their insight into another refugee camp of their choice). But it could also be a painful and challenging subject for them that brings up traumatic memories, and if that is the case then it could be best to exempt the student from this particular project and potentially allow them to go to an alternative location during presentations and discussions.

For a more writing-focused exercise, this activity may be amended to a group research paper, where each member of the team is responsible for responding to one of the above questions/sections.

Use these essay questions as writing and critical thinking exercises for all levels of writers, and to build their literary analysis skills by requiring textual references throughout the essay.

Differentiation Suggestion: For English learners or struggling writers, strategies that work well include graphic organizers, sentence frames or starters, group work, or oral responses.

Scaffolded Essay Questions

Student Prompt: Write a short (1-3 paragraph) response using one of the bulleted outlines below. Cite details from the text over the course of your response that serve as examples and support.

1. Explore the various ways that violence manifests in the novel, both overtly and subtly.

• What are some of the different forms that violence takes? (topic sentence)
• How are these different forms of violence connected? Identify one situation and explain the connection to violence.
• In what way does the presence of violence in the novel speak to the larger theme of The Effects of War on Civilians?

2. Creativity is presented in the novel as an important, almost “magical,” force.

• How does Ho depict creativity in this manner? (topic sentence)
• What role does creativity play in Dara’s experiences and personal growth?
• How does this creativity link with the novel’s larger theme of Hope and Courage in the Face of Adversity?

3. The novel explores both interpersonal ties formed through bloodlines (family) and those voluntarily formed through friendships.

• How are these different interpersonal dynamics related in the novel? (topic sentence)
• How do these connections contribute to the novel’s narrative, characterization, and/or key ideas?
• How does the concept of chosen family and bloodline family speak to the larger theme of Friendship and Loyalty?

Full Essay Assignments

Student Prompt: Write a structured and well-developed essay. Include a thesis statement, at least three main points supported by text details, and a conclusion.

1. Explore the gender dynamics in the novel. How are femininity and masculinity represented? What is the significance of the similarities and differences between the two? How does gender impact the choices and abilities of the characters?

2. In The Clay Marble, a distinction is made between objects, which are temporary, and feelings, which can be kept forever. How does Dara’s character arc illustrate this shift from a reliance on objects to a reliance on feelings, memories, and/or personal qualities? What is the meaning of this transformation and how does it relate to the idea of permanence and impermanence?

3. While the characters experience instances of hardship and trauma, there is also hope and solidarity in the novel. What are some of the forces for good in the novel? In what ways and by what means do characters meaningfully resist the pressures they are under? Highlight 3 examples from the text and explain your answer.

Multiple Choice and Long Answer questions create ideal opportunities for whole-text review, unit exam, or summative assessments.

Multiple Choice

1. Based on the Khmer Rouge’s policies, as well as Dara’s family background, what is most likely the reason her father was assassinated?

A) Because he was educated

B) Because he was poor

C) Because he was an adulterer

D Because he was a communist

2. Dara observes that, “[l]ike a patchwork blanket […] the people here were survivors of families who had been ripped apart and then joined again.” (Chapter 2) Which of the following literary terms does Dara use in this quote?

A) Metaphor

B) Personification

C) Simile

D) Allegory

3. Which of the following words best describes how Dara handles people teasing and bullying?

A) With shame

B) With fear

C) With reproach

D) With laughter

4. Which of the following words best describe how families interact with each other in regard to the food rations?

A) With contempt

B) With violence

C) With hesitancy

D) With cooperation

5. Which of the following values is important to the characters of the novel?

A) Family

B) Money

C) Politics

D) Travel

6. Which of the following phrases best describes how displaced Cambodians felt after the bombing of Nong Chan?

A) Betrayed by their government

B) Unsure of how to find safety

C) Convinced the Vietnamese people were the enemy

D) Bewildered by the support and love of the Thai social workers

7. What does Dara believe that Jantu’s marble gives her throughout the novel?

A) Courtesy

B) Calmness

C) Courage

D) Confidence

8. Over the course of the novel, which of the following skills does Dara learn?

A) Survival

B) Literacy

C) Vietnamese language

D) Hunting

9. Which of the following phrases best describes how Dara reacts to the rice seeds being fed to the soldiers?

A) Intrigued at the new farming process

B) Discouraged at the waste that would impact future generations

C) Apathetic to the manual labor production

D) Pleased with the fact that she will finally learn traditional Cambodian harvesting

10. Which of the following phrases best describes the primary change in interest that Sarun experiences?

A) He is no longer interested in becoming a doctor.

B) He is primarily interested in military activities.

C) He is uninterested in the well-being of animals.

D) He is focused on pursuing the arts.

11. Which of the following words best describes how Dara feels looking at the wagons that she packs with Nea?

A) Dismayed

B) Excited

C) Satisfied

D) Alarmed

12. Which of the following weather patterns is Dara concerned about throughout the novel?

A) Tsunamis

B) Hurricanes

C) Earthquakes

D) Monsoons

13. Which of the following words best describe the hospitals of Khao I Dang?

A) Orderly

B) Sterile

C) Bleak

D) Refreshing

14. Which of the following words best describes how Dara and her family view the enemies of Cambodia?

A) They are certain that the only enemy is the Vietnamese soldiers.

B) They are confused about who is fighting whom.

C) They are ardently anti-Communist.

D) They are against the American involvement with Thai forces.

15. What statement does Jantu make regarding the majority of people who are hurt in armed combat?

A) They are Communists.

B) They are Vietnamese soldiers.

C) They are Thai nurses.

D) They are civilians.

Long Answer

Compose a response of 2-3 sentences, incorporating text details to support your response.

1. Describe the narration style of the novel. Who is the narrator and how does the narration style relate to characterization?

2. How does Minfong Ho blend historical and fictional elements to tell the story? What insights does a novel provide that a work of nonfiction could not?