4

UNIT

People Making
a Difference

Even after being shot by the Taliban in

Pakistan in 2012, Malala Yousafzai (born
in 1997) continues to speak out about the
importance of education for young girls.

84
WHAT DO YOU THINK?
Answer these questions with your best guess. Circle Yes or No.
1. Is Africa losing its wild places and animals? Yes No
2. Is it easy to photograph wild animals? Yes No
3. Can girls go to school everywhere in the world? Yes No
4. Is it possible for one woman to build a school? Yes No
 85
 READING   1
PRE-READING
PREPARING FOR THE READING TOPIC
A Discuss the answers to these questions with
your classmates.
1. What are some countries that are famous for
their wild animals?
2. What dangers do wild animals face
from humans?
3. Who is a famous person of the past or present
who worked to save wild animals? What special
animal did that person want to protect?

B Check (✓) the following items that you associate with

a wildlife area in Africa. Then after you have read
“Saving Africa’s Largest Animals,” review your answers.
  brick houses  insect
 crocodiles  lions
 elephants  roads
 heat  snow

KEY VOCABULARY
As you read “Saving Africa’s Largest Animals,” pay
attention to the following words and see if you can
work out their meanings from the context.
daring scratch
dedicated patience
mission disturb
Dereck and Beverly Joubert in
tents passionate
Selinda Reserve, Botswana
conservation inspires

86  Unit 4
Saving Africa’s
Largest Animals

T
1 he temperature is 120 degrees Fahrenheit (48.8 C). Dereck and Beverly Joubert
are standing next to their vehicle in Africa. A lion is coming toward them,
looking for shade under a tree. Anyone else would run for their lives, but not
the Jouberts. As the lion lies down near them, Dereck leans close to take a photo
while Beverly holds him by his belt for safety. It’s just another day in the life of this
daring and dedicated couple.

People Making a Difference 87

 2 Dereck and Beverly Joubert are South African filmmakers who have won
many awards. Beverly is also a famous photographer. For over 30 years, they have
dedicated their lives to filmmaking, research, and exploration in Africa. Their
mission is to save and understand Africa’s largest animals and other wildlife.
3 The Jouberts live in the African bush,1 far from any village. Often they don’t
see people for long periods of time. They sleep in tents and wake every morning at
4 a.m. to follow the animals. Sometimes they work all night to film animals in the
dark. For thousands of hours, they filmed the lions for their greatest film, The Last
Lions, and lived in some very difficult conditions. All their hard work to make the
film was dedicated to the conservation of the lion population. So far, the Jouberts
have made 25 films for National Geographic, published 11 books, and written many
scientific papers and articles.
4 As well as being dedicated, the Jouberts are daring. While they were filming
The Last Lions, they drove through water every morning to get to where they were
going to film. More than once, their vehicle sank and they had to swim through
waters with hungry crocodiles, waters that even lions were afraid to go into. When
the Jouberts weren’t swimming with crocodiles, they were living among rhinos,
buffalo, leopards, and lions. They slept in tents or in their vehicle and didn’t even
have doors to protect them. Lions have run toward them many times. The lions
have come out of nowhere, roaring and kicking up dust right in the Jouberts’ faces.
Unbelievably, the Jourberts have never had even a scratch from a lion.
5 Patience is another quality the Jouberts have a lot of. Because they don’t want
to disturb the animals in any way, it takes them years to make a film. To make The
Last Lions, they followed a lioness for seven years to tell the story of her fight to
survive alone with her three baby cubs. When the Jouberts are making a film, they
go out every day, sometimes for 16 hours or more. They sit quietly, hiding in the
bush with the heat and insects. Some days, they don’t even get one picture. But after
many days and months, their patience is rewarded. The animals don’t notice them
anymore. They become part of the natural environment. Even after a successful
day of filming, the Jouberts must return to their tent and sit for many more hours
editing their film and writing down their notes and observations.
6 The Jouberts are not only a patient couple, but they are a passionate one as
well. Their desire to save Africa’s wild animals is what inspires them to make their
films, have photography exhibitions, and write books and articles. They put a lot of
hard work into explaining their mission and to show the world the importance of
conservation. They speak passionately about the number of animals we have already
lost. They tell people that we must do something now, before it is too late, before
the rhinos, elephants, and lions are gone.

1 bush:  land in hot countries that is not developed

88  Unit 4
 READING   1

7 Determined to save Africa’s animals and wild places, the Jouberts have started
the Big Cats Initiative2 with National Geographic for the protection of big cats, such
as leopards and lions. They have also created a new company called Great Plains
Conservation that brings people together to protect large areas of land in the wild
places of Africa where the animals live. Already they have saved 1.8 million acres.
Protecting the animals and where they live is a life-long mission for the Jouberts,
and it needs dedication, daring, patience, and a great deal of passion.

2 initiative:  a plan that has been started to solve a problem

VOCABULARY
VOCABULARY IN CONTEXT
A What are the meanings of the bold words? Circle the letter of the best answer.

1. Dereck and Beverly Joubert are a daring couple who live in the bush in Africa.
a. kind c. physically strong
b. emotional d. very brave
2. The Jouberts’ mission is to save Africa’s wild animals.
a. a way of talking about things c. a habit or way of doing things
b. a show of interest in a certain subject d. a special duty or purpose a person has
3. Dereck and Beverly Joubert are dedicated to their mission in Africa.
a. hard working for an idea or purpose c. making ones ideas known to others
b. showing love for something or someone d. strong about one’s beliefs
4. They sleep in tents in the bush.
a. houses made of stones c. shelters made of cloth held up by poles
b. dwellings made high in the trees d. protected areas surrounded by fences
5. They work for the conservation of lions in Africa.
a. control of the behavior of c. keeping safe from loss or injury
b. studying and understanding the lives of d. preventing the movement of
6. The Jouberts have never had a scratch from a lion.
a. a bite from the teeth of an animal c. an itch caused by contact with something
b. a cut or mark made with something sharp d. a great bodily injury caused by an attack
7. The Jouberts show a lot of patience when they film animals in the wild.
a. the strength to suffer through harsh and dangerous conditions
b. the ability to stay calm during long waits or unpleasant situations
c. the talent to do the right thing in any situation
d. the intelligence to make the best decisions

People Making a Difference 89

 8. They try not to disturb the wild animals.
a. upset the natural state of c. give too much attention to
b. do physical harm to d. have too much control over
9. The Jouberts are passionate about their work to save the lions.
a. have a high opinion of c. have strong feelings about
b. have plans and dreams about d. have a great ability to do
10. Their desire to protect wild animals inspires them to make films.
a. makes them sad about c. stops them from doing
b. gives them the skills for d. moves them to act

B Answer these questions with complete sentences.

1. When do people live in tents?

2. What common situation requires patience?

3. What sport requires someone to be daring?

4. What person inspires you in your life?

5. What can you get a scratch from?

C Now write your own sentences. Use the following words in the sentences: dedicated,
mission, conservation, disturb, and passionate.

VOCABULARY BUILDING
Complete these sentences with the correct form of the bold words. You may use
your dictionary.
1. patience
a. The young mother showed a lot of with her child.

b. The audience was when the band was late coming to the stage.

2. inspire
a. The speaker gave an talk on how to help others in need.

b. My brother was by his teacher to study astronomy.

90  Unit 4
 READING   1

3. disturb
a. My mother doesn’t like to be when she is doing her
yoga exercises.

b. There was a in the class when a bird flew in through the

open window.

READING COMPREHENSION
LOOKING FOR MAIN IDEAS
Circle the letter of the best answer.
1. Dereck and Beverly Joubert have dedicated their lives to .
a. exploring unknown parts of Africa
b. saving Africa’s lions and other wildlife
c. making award-winning films about Africa
d. having adventures in the wild
2. While the Jouberts were filming The Last Lions, they .
a. were never in any great danger
b. were able to complete the film in record time
c. faced many hardships over a long period
d. had to stop their observation and study of other wildlife
3. To save Africa’s animals and wild places, the Jouberts have .
a. brought people together to protect large wild areas
b. put many wild animals on exhibition around the world
c. created companies to take animals out of the wild
d. stopped making films and writing books

SCANNING FOR DETAILS

Scan the reading quickly to decide if the following statements are True (T) or False (F).
Correct the false statements.
1. The Jouberts’ mission is to make more wildlife films than anyone else.
2. The Jouberts often live in tents among the animals.
3. The Jouberts film animals only during daylight.
4. So far the Jouberts have made 12 films for National Geographic.
5. More than once, the Jouberts had to swim through waters with hungry rhinos.
6. It took the Jouberts seven years to make The Last Lions.
7. The Jouberts try to become part of the natural environment.
8. The Jouberts tell people that they must act before the wild animals are gone.
9. The Jouberts formed a new company to move the animals to protected areas.

People Making a Difference 91

 MAKING INFERENCES AND DRAWING CONCLUSIONS
Answer these questions. You will need to infer the answers and draw your own conclusions
because the answers are not directly stated in the reading. Write complete sentences.
1. What kind of life do the Jouberts live?

2. What are the dangers of their filmmaking work?

3. Why do the Jouberts try not to disturb the animals they are filming?

4. What do the Jouberts believe their films can do?

5. If you asked the Jouberts what they will be doing five years from now, what do you
think they would say?

DISCUSSION
Discuss the answers to these questions with your classmates.
1. Would you like to live and work in the wild like the Jouberts? Why, or why not?
2. What are some reasons why the world is losing wild animals and places?
3. What are some things that people can do to save wild animals and places?

CRITICAL THINKING
Discuss the answers to these questions with your classmates.
1. Is it important to save wild animals and places? Why, or why not?
2. What would the world be like without wild animals and places? Do you think it will
happen someday? Why, or why not?
3. If you could spend your life working for a cause, what would it be? Why do you think
that cause is important? What would your life be like if you worked for that cause?

92  Unit 4
Writing   1
WRITING SKILLS
The Descriptive Essay
Often when we write a descriptive essay, we use the dominant impression. The dominant
impression is the main effect a person, place, or thing has on our feelings or senses.
• We give the dominant impression by selecting the most important feature or character trait
of a person, place, or thing and emphasizing it. Adjectives like shy, dedicated, determined, or
generous can easily give a dominant impression. This impression is then supported by details.
• The first topic sentence in a paragraph will usually give you the dominant impression.
EXAMPLES: As well as being dedicated, the Jouberts are daring.

The Jouberts are not only a patient couple, but they are a passionate
one as well.

The Jouberts speak at the National

Geographic Society, 2006.

People Making a Difference 93

 EXERCISE 1
Look at each dominant impression and the group of sentences below it. In each case, find
the sentences that do not support the dominant impression. Circle the answers.
1. My brother is ambitious.
a. He likes to watch the latest news on television.
b. He takes extra classes at school.
c. He’s captain of his football team.
d. He’s already decided that he wants to be a doctor.
e. He takes a trip to Switzerland every year.
2. My best friend is shy.
a. She never speaks to people at a party.
b. She likes to read books a lot.
c. She never raises her voice.
d. She likes to wear green sweaters.
e. She always disappears when I want to introduce her to someone.

3. My aunt is kind.
a. She always remembers my birthday.
b. She likes to work in the garden.
c. She likes to listen to classical music and read poetry.
d. She always offers me a cup of tea when I visit.
e. She offers me a sweater when I’m cold.

EXERCISE 2
Read the following essay written by a student. Then answer the questions at the end of
the essay.

My Cousin Patricia
My cousin Patricia is a teacher who works for Santa Maria de Fatima High
School in Peru. She has been teaching there for the last six years. She is 32, but she
looks much younger. Patricia is a very nice person to get along with and has some
very good qualities.
Patricia believes all people are equal. She likes to show people that women as well
as men can do anything and be successful. When she talks about current events, she
likes to mention the achievements of men and women of all races and nations. She
often asks her students to do research on organizations in which people work together
to make the world a better place.

94  Unit 4
 Writing   1

My cousin is a good leader. If you ever had a chance to join any of her
group meetings, you would notice right away how she enjoys leading others while
encouraging them to participate in what is going on. When there are decisions to be
made, she listens to everyone’s opinions and respects everyone’s suggestions. People
who know that aspect of her like her very much. People like to be with her, and
she has many friends. The only thing bad I can say about her is that I don’t see her
often enough.
In conclusion, my cousin Patricia is very nice in many ways, is a very good
teacher, and is the best company a person could have. I wish she didn’t live so
far away, but someday maybe she will come to live near my family. That will be a
wonderful day.

1. Where is the thesis statement? Circle it.

2. What is the topic sentence in each of the body paragraphs? Underline it.
3. In the topic sentence of each body paragraph, double underline the words that give
you the dominant impression.

WRITING PRACTICE
WRITE AN ESSAY
Choose one of the following topics to write a descriptive essay.
1. A description of yourself, using two or more adjectives showing dominant impression
2. A description of a family member or a friend, using two or more adjectives showing
dominant impression
3. A description of a group of people, a race, or a nation, using two or more adjectives
showing dominant impression

PRE-WRITE
A Work with a partner and brainstorm examples of adjectives giving the dominant impression.

B Make a list of descriptive adjectives and supporting examples of them. Work on a thesis
statement for your essay.

People Making a Difference 95

 OUTLINE
Fill in the outline below. Write your thesis statement and pick the two best descriptive
adjectives from Exercise B in Pre-Write. Find relevant details to support your dominant
impression for your two body paragraphs.

Essay Outline
Introduction
Thesis statement: 

Body Paragraph 1
Topic sentence: 

Supporting detail 1: 

Supporting detail 2: 

Body Paragraph 2
Topic sentence: 

Supporting detail 1: 

Supporting detail 2: 

Conclusion
Restatement of thesis or summary of main points: 

Final comment: 

WRITE A ROUGH DRAFT

Using the outline you made, write a rough draft of your essay. Remember to begin your
paragraphs with a topic sentence that has a dominant impression.

REVISE YOUR ROUGH DRAFT

Using the checklist below, check your rough draft or let your partner check it.

Essay Checklist
Essay Format
Is the title in the middle of the page?
Did you indent the first line of each paragraph?
Did you write on every other line or double space on the computer?

96  Unit 4
 Writing   1

Essay Organization
Introduction
Does it include general statements?
Is there a thesis statement?
Body
Are there two paragraphs, each with an adjective giving the dominant impression?
Does each paragraph begin with a sentence showing the dominant impression?
Conclusion
Does it summarize the main points or state your thesis again in other words?
Is there a final comment on the topic?
Paragraph Organization
Topic Sentences
Does each body paragraph have a topic sentence with a controlling idea?
Supporting Sentences
Is each paragraph about one main idea?
Do your sentences support your topic sentence?
Do you have specific factual details and examples to support what you stated?

EDIT YOUR ESSAY

Work with a partner or your teacher to edit your essay. Check the spelling, punctuation,
vocabulary, and grammar. Use the editing checklist to help you.

Editing Checklist
Subject and verb in every sentence?
Correct tense?
Words in correct order?
Correct pronoun reference?
Subject and verb agreement?
Commas in correct place?
Wrong words?
Spelling?
Missing words (use insertion mark: ^)?

WRITE YOUR FINAL COPY

After you edit your essay, you can write your final copy.

People Making a Difference 97

 READING   2
PRE-READING
PREPARING FOR THE READING TOPIC
A Discuss the answers to these questions with
your classmates.
1. Why is it difficult for girls and women to get an
education in some countries?
2. How can education change a person’s future?
3. What are the schools like for the children of
your country? Are they modern or traditional?
4. What did you like about school when you were
a child? What didn’t you like?

B Imagine you are someone who wants to do

something that goes against your family and cultural
traditions. Which of the following characteristics
would you need to have? Check two. Then
explain why.
  a strong will
 bravery
 cleverness
 toughness

KEY VOCABULARY
As you read “Educating Kenya’s Girls,” pay attention to
the following words and see if you can work out their
meanings from the context.
remote brave Kakenya Ntaiya surrounded
loyal honors by schoolchildren in Kenya
optimistic opportunities
tribe forced
expected confident

98  Unit 4
Educating
Kenya’s Girls

I
1 n the remote Kenyan village of Enoosaen, there is a school where there was
never one before, and over 150 girls are now getting an education. The woman
who built this school was from this village. But she was also very different. She
was courageous, determined, loyal, and optimistic. Her name is Kakenya Ntaiya.
2 Ntaiya is the oldest of eight children in her family, belonging to Kenya’s Maasai
tribe. When Ntaiya was young, her father worked in a distant city, and the family
was extremely poor. They lived in a grass and mud hut that they shared with goats

People Making a Difference 99

 and sheep. They had no electricity. As the eldest, Ntaiya helped to feed and care
for the younger children. She carried water, gathered firewood, cooked meals, and
worked in the field. Like all the girls in her village, she was supposed to follow
tradition and learn the skills to be a good Maasai wife.
3 At the age of five, Ntaiya’s father engaged1 her to a six-year-old neighbor. Her
father expected her to marry at age 13, as was the custom. Ntaiya’s mother wasn’t
happy. She wanted more for her children. But there was little she could do to help
them. She, too, had to follow tradition. However, Ntaiya didn’t feel the same way.
She had a plan. And she was brave enough to make it work.
4 Ntaiya loved going to school. She made excellent grades and even dreamed of
being a teacher herself one day. Few girls dared to have dreams like that. Even today,
only 11 percent of girls from Ntaiya’s village continue their education past primary
school.2 Instead, at age 13, a Maasai girl marries and begins to have children of her
own. However, Ntaiya didn’t want to marry or go through the ceremonies for a girl
of that age. With all the courage she could find in herself, she went to her father.
She told him she would run away if she had to stop her education. She said she
would do what he wanted if he let her finish high school. Her father agreed. Ntaiya
graduated from high school with top honors.
5 After graduation, Ntaiya decided she wanted to attend college—a university in
the United States. By then, however, her father was sick and in a hospital. All the
family money went to his care, so there was no money for Ntaiya. Ntaiya had once
been brave enough to go against tradition, her father, and the village leaders. Now
she had to do it again. She was determined to follow her dreams.
6 At first the leaders were against Ntaiya. They were angry with her for daring to
do what even few boys dreamed about. She promised she would use her education
to help the village. She promised to come back and build a school. One village
leader saw her determination and agreed to help her. The village gave her money,
and she also received a scholarship to Randolph-Macon Women’s College in the
United States. In 2004, Ntaiya received her bachelor’s degree. Later, she got a job
at the United Nations. In 2011, she received her doctorate in education—all made
possible by her courage and her will to succeed.
7 Ntaiya did not forget her promise to the village. Loyal to her people and her
beliefs, she returned to Enoosaen. In 2009, she opened the first primary school for
girls in her village, the Kakenya Center for Excellence. The school has been a great
success. There the students have education and opportunities that Ntaiya had to
fight so hard for. Girls that were once forced to marry at 13 are now dreaming of
becoming doctors, lawyers, pilots, and business women.

1 engaged:  made an agreement to get married

2 primary school:  school for children between the ages of 5 and 11

100  Unit 4
 READING   2

8 Ntaiya knows that change comes slowly and is difficult. But she is optimistic
about the future. As a girl, she had dreams and was confident that her dreams were
possible. Today, she sees the positive changes in her students and their families. She
believes that the future for the women of Kenya, and of other countries too, can
change through education, one girl at a time. Ntaiya is looking forward to building
more schools—always hopeful, always determined.

VOCABULARY
VOCABULARY IN CONTEXT
A Complete these definitions with the words in the box.

brave expected honors opportunities remote

confident forced loyal optimistic tribe

1. A group of people who have the same race, language, and customs, and who live together in
the same area is a(n) .

2. are chances or conditions that allow you to do something.

3. Something is when people believe that someone will do something, or

something will happen, in the usual and normal way.

4. A(n) person believes in his or her ability to do something.

5. A(n) area is far away and apart from other places.

6. You are when you deal with danger, pain, or difficult situations
with courage.

7. A person who is believes that what happens will be good and that
things will end well.

8. When people are to do something, it means that someone or

something makes them do it even if they don’t want to.

9. A(n) person is faithful and tells the truth to one’s family, group,
or country.

10. are awards or recognition given to people for achieving high marks in
their course work.

B Answer these questions with complete sentences.

1. What homework assignments are you expected to do this week?

2. What are you confident that you can do?

People Making a Difference 101

 3. What opportunities would you like to have in your life?

4. What is a remote place in the country you come from?

5. What are you sometimes forced to do that you don’t really want to do?

C Now write your own sentences. Use the following words in the sentences: honors, optimistic,
loyal, tribe, and brave.

VOCABULARY BUILDING
Complete these sentences with the correct form of the bold words. You may use
your dictionary.
1. expect
a. In spite of their high , the team lost the championship.

b. They rain, but the sun came out instead.

2. confident
a. Years of training gave the athlete to try for the Olympics.

b. She was that she would pass her driver’s test.

3. optimistic
a. When the rains came, the farmer was about his harvest.

b. The business owner talked about the company’s future.

READING COMPREHENSION
LOOKING FOR MAIN IDEAS
Circle the letter of the best answer.
1. The main idea of the reading is that .
a. it is difficult for some girls to get an education.
b. Ntaiya’s courage and determination helped her achieve her dream.
c. traditions and customs are an important part of life.
d. attitudes toward women and girls are changing around the world.
2. As a child, Ntaiya .
a. worked hard to help her family survive
b. was unable to go to school
c. lived a better life than most of the people in her village
d. wanted to follow the customs of her tribe

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 READING   2

3. Ntaiya proved she was a loyal member of her tribe because she .
a. studied hard at her college in the United States
b. dreamed about having a better life
c. understood the importance of education for everyone
d. fulfilled her promise to return and help the village

SCANNING FOR DETAILS

Scan the reading quickly to find answers to these questions. Write complete sentences.
1. According to the reading, to what tribe does Ntaiya belong?

2. Where did Ntaiya’s father work when she was a child?

Ntaiya speaks at The American

Natural History Museum, New
York, U.S.A., November 2013.

People Making a Difference 103

 3. What are four things that Ntaiya did to help the family when she was a girl?

4. What were the girls from Ntaiya’s village expected to do at age 13?

5. Why was there no money for Ntaiya to go to college?

6. What U.S. college did Ntaiya receive a scholarship to?

7. Where did Ntaiya get a job after she received her bachelor’s degree?

8. In what year did Ntaiya open the first primary school for girls in her village?

MAKING INFERENCES AND DRAWING CONCLUSIONS

Answer these questions. You will need to infer the answers and draw your own conclusions
because the answers are not directly stated in the reading. Write complete sentences.
1. What kind of childhood did Ntaiya have?

2. Why did few of the village girls dare to have dreams for their future?

3. Why did Ntaiya need to have a lot of courage?

104  Unit 4
 READING   2

4. Why were the elders angry with Ntaiya?

5. Why is Ntaiya optimistic about the future of the girls in her village?

DISCUSSION
Discuss the answers to these questions with your classmates.
1. What are some traditions for girls and women in your culture? What are some
traditions for boys and men? Do you think following tradition is important? Why, or
why not?
2. What are some traditions you would like to change in your culture or family? Why?
Would you have the courage to go against tradition? Why, or why not?
3. How can educated people make a difference in one village, one country, or the
world? Explain.

CRITICAL THINKING
Discuss the answers to these questions with your classmates.
1. What do you think is a good age for men and women to marry? Why? Do you think
parents should tell their children when and whom to marry? Why, or why not?
2. Why is it important to educate women? Do you agree with Ntaiya that educating
women can change the future of a country? Why, or why not?
3. Are attitudes about women and girls changing in the world today? Why, or why not?
If you believe they are changing, how and why are they changing? If not, explain
why you think they are not changing.

People Making a Difference 105

 Writing   2
WRITING SKILLS
The Narrative Essay
A narrative relates a story of events or actions. A narrative puts events in time and tells us what
happened according to a natural time sequence. A narrative is also a description of people and
places. The story of Kakenya Ntaiya is a narrative essay.
• Here are some examples of time-order words and phrases that are used to show the order in
which events happen.

a few days later finally meanwhile then

after, afterward first (second, etc.) next when
after a while for the next [number] years one day
eventually in 2011 soon

• Time-order words and phrases at the beginning of a sentence are followed by a comma.
EXAMPLE: After graduation, Ntaiya decided she wanted to attend college.

• Here are some examples of descriptions from the Kakenya Ntaiya’s story.
EXAMPLES: She was confident that her dreams were possible.
She was courageous, determined, and optimistic.
She is optimistic about the future.
• We use adjectives to describe people and places. Adjectives modify nouns. They come before
nouns, but they come after some verbs like be, become, and get.
EXAMPLES: She was confident that her dreams were possible.
adjective
She was courageous, determined, and optimistic.
adjective adjective adjective
Her father worked in a distant city.
adjective noun

EXERCISE 1
These sentences about Kakenya Ntaiya are not in the correct time order. Number the
sentences in the correct time order. The first one is done for you.
1. Ntaiya receives a scholarship to a U.S. college.
2. Ntaiya tells her father she will run away unless she can finish high school.
3. Ntaiya decides she wants to attend college.
4. Ntaiya gets a job at the United Nations.
5. Ntaiya builds the Kakenya Center for Excellence.
1 6. Ntaiya’s father engages her to a six-year-old neighbor.

106  Unit 4
 7. A village leader agrees to help Ntaiya.
8. Ntaiya receives her doctorate in education.
9. Ntaiya graduates from high school with top honors.
10. Ntaiya dreams of being a teacher one day.
11. Ntaiya receives her bachelor’s degree.

EXERCISE 2
Complete the paragraph about Ntaiya’s life with the words in the box.

after that difficult later poor

courageous in 2004 loyal remote
determined in 2009 optimistic when

Ntaiya was born in a(n) village in

1.
Kenya. Her family was .
2.
she was five, her father engaged her to
3.
her six year-old neighbor. Ntaiya was expected to marry at

age 13, but Ntaiya didn’t want to. She wanted to go to school.

She was a(n) girl and asked her father

4.
to let her finish high school. He agreed. After she graduated,

she wanted to go to college in the United States, but there

was no money for her to go. A village leader agreed to help

her because she was . The village gave

5.
her money, and Ntaiya received a scholarship to a U.S.

college. , Ntaiya received her bachelor’s

6.
degree. , Ntaiya got a job at the United
7.
Nations. Ntaiya was to her people and
8.
returned to her village. , she opened the
9.
Kakenya Center for Excellence. , Ntaiya
10.
received her doctorate in education. Ntaiya knows that

change is , but she is

11.
Kakenya
about the future.
12. Ntaiya

People Making a Difference 107

 WRITING PRACTICE
WRITE AN ESSAY
Choose one of the following topics to write a narrative essay.
1. The story of your life
2. The life of a person you know
3. The life of a famous person
4. The person who influenced my life

PRE-WRITE
A Work with a partner and brainstorm events in the person’s life and descriptions about
the person.

B Make a list of your events and descriptions and work on a thesis statement for your essay.

OUTLINE
Fill in the outline below. Write your thesis statement, and arrange the events from Exercise B
in Pre-Write in the correct order, in two or more body paragraphs.

Essay Outline
Introduction
Thesis statement: 

Body Paragraph 1
Topic sentence: 

Supporting detail 1: 

Supporting detail 2: 

Body Paragraph 2
Topic sentence: 

Supporting detail 1: 

Supporting detail 2: 

108  Unit 4
 Writing   2

Body Paragraph 3
Topic sentence: 

Supporting detail 1: 

Supporting detail 2: 

Conclusion
Restatement of thesis: 

Final comment: 

WRITE A ROUGH DRAFT

Using the outline you made, write a rough draft of your essay. Remember to begin your
paragraphs with a topic sentence that has a dominant impression.

REVISE YOUR ROUGH DRAFT

Using the checklist below, check your rough draft or let your partner check it.

Essay Checklist
Essay Format
Is the title in the middle of the page?
Did you indent the first line of each paragraph?
Did you write on every other line or double space on the computer?
Essay Organization
Introduction
Does it include general statements?
Is there a thesis statement?
Body
Are the events in logical order?
Are time words used to show order of events?
Conclusion
Does it tell the end of the story or the result of events?
Paragraph Organization
Topic Sentences
Does each body paragraph have a topic sentence with a controlling idea?
Supporting Sentences
Do your sentences describe or illustrate the events?
Do you have specific factual details and examples to support what you stated?

People Making a Difference 109

 EDIT YOUR ESSAY
Work with a partner or your teacher to edit your essay. Check the spelling, punctuation,
vocabulary, and grammar. Use the editing checklist to help you.

Editing Checklist
Subject and verb in every sentence?
Correct tense?
Words in correct order?
Correct pronoun reference?
Subject and verb agreement?
Commas in correct place?
Wrong words?
Spelling?
Missing words (use insertion mark: ^)?

WRITE YOUR FINAL COPY

After you edit your essay, you can write your final copy.

110  Unit 4