Sahara Special

In June 2014, NPR published this story about Rashema Melson. At the time, Melson was a homeless high school senior at Anacostia High School in Washington, D.C. She is now a student at Georgetown University.

Introduce this text after chapter one in order to have students think about how other kids deal with loss and tragedy. Ask students to compare and contrast how Sahara copes with the departure of her father versus how Rashema Melson deals with the death of her father. Think about why they handled their unique situations so differently. Use evidence from both texts to support your answer.

In "I Am Offering This Poem," a speaker offers the only thing they have: a poem and their love.

Introduce this poem after students have read Chapter 2. Have students consider how writing is important to both Sahara and the speaker in “I Am Offering this Poem.” What is a theme about writing that both texts share? In the poem, Baca uses both similes and metaphors. Chapter 2 of Sahara Special also contains several similes. Ask students to compare the objects each author describes with similes. What is the tone that the figurative language conveys about the objects?

In this poem, a desperate speaker begs the gods to deliver someone to love.

Introduce this text after reading Chapter 3. In this chapter, Sahara’s shyness interferes with a potential friendship with Paris, leaving Sahara lonelier than ever. Have students compare Sahara’s perspective on friendship to that of the speaker in “At a Window.” What are the similarities and differences in how Sahara and the speaker in “At a Window” view friendship?

In this classic fable by Aesop, the ancient Greek storyteller, a tiny mouse proves to a powerful lion that she is greater than she seems.

Introduce this text during Chapter 6, after Miss Pointy begins discussing the fable of “The Lion and the Mouse.” Ask students to consider why Miss Pointy focuses on this particular fable. How does the moral of the fable apply to Sahara and the other children in the class?

This short but profound poem deals with the experience of hiding one's identity.

Introduce this poem after Chapter 8 to help convey Sahara’s reluctance to show her true self to her classmates. How is Sahara wearing a "mask" at school? Is there any evidence to suggest that she is taking her "mask" off?

In "President Obama's National Address to America's Schoolchildren," President Obama discusses the importance of education and the responsibility of students to commit to their education.

Introduce this text after Chapter 9 when Sahara realizes she’s not living up to her potential and failing herself. President Obama believes that students have an obligation to themselves to find what they’re good at. How might this advice apply to Sahara’s life? President Obama also states that “Some of the most successful people in the world are the ones who’ve had the most failures.” How do his remarks relate to Sahara?

In "Mother to Son," a mother utilizes metaphor to communicate the struggles she's faced and the importance of perseverance to her son.

Introduce this text after students read Chapter 12, when Sahara finally summons the courage to read a journal entry aloud to the class. What messages about perseverance would both Miss Pointy and the speaker of the poem agree on?

In Linda Pastan's poem "To a Daughter Leaving Home," a mother describes watching her daughter ride away on her bike.

Introduce this text after completing the novel. Have students consider how Sahara’s mother and the mother in the poem feel similarly about their maturing daughters. Which words or phrases from the poem and Chapter 13 most reveal the mother’s similar feelings?