Decisions, decisions...

For the past eight weeks, fourth graders had been inquiring upon how their decisions can influence who they are and who they will become. They read biographies of various famous people and explored the decisions they made and how these decisions played a significant role in their life. As students are also learning how to write a narrative in this unit, a formative task was designed to assess their narrative writing skills, as well as assess their understanding of the central idea. Take a peek at a writer’s perspective and reflection toward the decisions of a famous revolutionary hero.

Nelson Mandela

by Adrian Lai 賴泯碩, 4th grade

Nelson Mandela cared about the people of South Africa. He fought in peace and was a good communicator. He worked to create a free country, where people of all races could vote. He became the first black president of South Africa. As president, he talked about forgiveness. It was time for people of all races to work together.

Nelson Mandela was born on July 18, 1918. His father was the chief of the Thembu tribe. When his father died, he moved and went to live with the king. When he was twelve, he was not happy that the whites made all the rules. It was not fair. He joined the African National Congress, a group that worked for equal rights for black Africans.

He helped organize marches and strikes. On July 11, 1964, he was sentenced to spend the rest of his life in prison because he was trying to overthrow the government.

After Nelson Mandela had spent 27 years in jail, F.W.de Klerk became the new president of South Africa. He also wanted peace, so he freed Mandela. Mandela talked to president de Klerk to create a free country. Together, they ended apartheid in South Africa and were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993. Now, people remember Mandela as a hero who bravely fought against racism.

Mandela taught us that we should not fight with violence. If you fight with violence, the problem will never be solved. But if we come together in peace or communicate, maybe we can change a rule (or something else). I think Mandela was a brave person and also a good communicator. He never gave up and in the end, he won the battle.