Little Bee

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.

Women Refugees Around the World   

In this activity, students will learn and present their findings about the experiences and challenges faced by women refugees around the world.

Women refugees face many unique challenges, including access to education, healthcare, safety, and discrimination. For this Activity, you will research these women and choose a specific group and region to report on in a class presentation.

First, research the topic and gather information.  

• Go online: Safely use reliable websites and resources, like those from reputable news organizations, humanitarian organizations (e.g., UNHCR, World Vision), and human rights groups to research “women refugees.”
• Focus: Learn about the countries and regions with significant populations of women refugees.
• Research: Delve deeper into one specific group of women refugees from a chosen region. Consider the following factors:
• Where are they from, and where are they living now?
• Why did they flee their homes?
• What challenges do they face as women refugees? 
• Are there stories of resilience and hope within this group?
• Form groups: Collaborate in small groups with classmates to share and discuss your individual research findings.
• Create a presentation: Work together to create a presentation that effectively conveys the information you learned about women refugees with the following:
• A map or visual representation showing the origin and destination of chosen refugee groups
• Images or text excerpts highlighting the challenges and experiences of women refugees
• Information about organizations working to support women refugees
• Present your findings: Deliver your presentation to the class, encouraging questions and discussions from your peers.

Additional Considerations:

• Show sensitivity and respect: When researching and discussing the topic of refugees, treat the subject matter with empathy and avoid language that could be perceived as offensive or discriminatory.
• Focus on solutions: Briefly mention potential solutions or ways to support women refugees, encouraging further research and individual action if possible.
• Citations: Always cite your sources when referencing information from other sources.

Teaching Suggestion: This Activity aims to educate and raise awareness about the challenges faced by women refugees. It combines reading comprehension, research skills, and oral and written presentation skills. Consider introducing the activity by referring to text details and highlighting relevant sections that connect to it. Providing activity instructions for students, dividing the activity into parts (e.g., A and B), and/or breaking down the activity into more focused bullet points may help guide students through the process. Refugees International has a page on Women and Girls that collects current information on refugee crises around the world. 

Paired Text Extension:

For a connection to poetry, read “My Tongue is Divided into Two” by Quinique Avilés.

• What does the speaker mean when he says his tongue is “divided into two”?
• In what ways are Little Bee’s experiences both similar and different when compared to the speaker in the poem?

Teaching Suggestion: This poem articulates the pain of being an immigrant in a new country and not speaking the language. Like Little Bee, he has a “heavy accent” and suffers from “confusion” in an attempt to communicate. At the same time, the duality of the speaker’s tongue reflects his conflicted nature at being in a new country, much like Little Bee. Students should be able to draw further connections between the two texts.

Differentiation Suggestion: Students with creative learning styles or those in need of an additional challenge may benefit from the opportunity to compare Little Bee’s experiences to the experiences of other refugees through nonfiction stories, videos, songs, or poems of their choice.

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. Costumes and masks are recurring images in Little Bee.  

• What is the symbolic importance of masks and costumes in the novel, and what happens when characters remove them? (topic sentence)
• In the body of the essay, select two or three instances where characters encounter or remove masks or costumes, and discuss the deeper meaning of those instances.
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, discuss how this symbolism connects to the theme Heroism and One’s Self-Image.

2. Both Little Bee and Sarah allow their narrations to wander off into their memories and private thoughts.  

• How does the inclusion of memories and private thoughts affect the reader’s relationship with the characters? (topic sentence)
• In the body of the essay, select at least one memory that each character reveals and analyze the effect it has on the reader.
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, reflect on how this memory connects to the theme The Meaning of Womanhood.

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. Little Bee says of her time in the United Kingdom, “Much of my life in that country was lived in such confusion.” (Chapter 1, Page 5) What is it about normal life in England that shocks and surprises Little Bee? Why is it that the fates of the UK and Nigeria are so closely intertwined, and yet their cultures are so different? What comment is the author making about British Colonization and Globalization?  

2. Refuge is a central theme in Little Bee’s narrative. A refuge can be physical, like a legal sanctuary, but it can also be psychological. Which characters are in search of refuge? How do they seek it? Are there any similarities between physical refuge and mental refuge in this novel? Why or why not?

3. Sarah undergoes a radical change in perspective when she meets Little Bee. Likewise, Little Bee’s life is forever changed by her interaction with Sarah. Compare and contrast the changes that happen to each woman. Is there an imbalance of power between them? How do they impact each other’s lives, for better or worse? In your response, consider the connection between Little Bee’s and Sarah’s character arcs and The Meaning of Womanhood.

Multiple Choice and Long Answer Questions create ideal opportunities for whole-text review, exams, or summative assessments.

Multiple Choice

1. What is the significance of the sentence “All that stuff happened a long time ago and it wasn’t my fault” (Chapter 2, Page 17)?

A) It is what Charlie tells Sarah when he realizes his father is dead.

B) It is what Sarah tells Andrew when he learns of her affair with Lawrence.

C) It is what Andrew tells Little Bee when she calls from the detention center.

D) It is what Little Bee tells Sarah when Sarah asks about her childhood.

2. How does Charlie react at his father’s burial?

A) In abject panic

B) With surprising maturity

C) In a daze-like state

D) By crying quietly

3. What does Little Bee learn from her interaction with the taxi service?

A) Some people are hostile toward refugees. 

B) She does not know how to communicate in English.

C) Kingston is a city in Jamaica.

D) People can easily tell when she is lying. 

4. How does the novel’s narration style contribute to its meaning?

A) Its third-person omniscient style broadly comments on the theme of British Colonization.

B) Its allusions to different superheroes underscore Charlie’s role as the novel’s Hero.

C) Its use of short chapters emphasizes the role of fate in the characters’ lives. 

D) Its alternating chapters of first-person narration investigate the theme of Womanhood. 

5. What does Little Bee’s red toenail polish have in common with Charlie’s Batman costume?

A) Both allow the wearer the strength to survive a difficult time.

B) Both allow the wearer to present a false image to others.

C) Both allow the wearer to switch back and forth between identities.

D) Both allow the wearer to blend in with those around them.

6. Who makes a sacrifice to save Little Bee from the soldier on the beach with a machete?  

A) Sarah 

B) Andrew

C) Lawrence

D) Charlie

7. Which best describes the reunion between Little Bee and Andrew at Andrew’s house?

A) Apologetic

B) Bittersweet

C) Detached

D) Tragic

8. What does Little Bee’s real name mean?

A) Faith

B) Nigeria

C) Peace

D) Prayer

9. Which theme is best exemplified by the image of the Jeep and the jungle growing together in Little Bee’s memory?

A) Heroism and One’s Self-Image

B) The Meaning of Womanhood

C) British Colonization and Globalization

D) All of the Above

10. How does Sarah describe the relationship between Little Bee and Lawrence?

A) Silent

B) Familial

C) Supportive

D) Tense

11. Who or what did Andrew mistake Little Bee for when she was in his yard?

A) A neighbor

B) A ghost

C) A deer

D) A criminal

12. Which three characters are the main focus of the novel’s final chapters?

A) Charlie, Lawrence, and Andrew

B) Sarah, Charlie, and Lawrence

C) Little Bee, Andrew, and Yevette

D) Little Bee, Charlie, and Sarah

13. What does Charlie think will happen if he takes off his Batman costume?

A) His father will die.

B) Little Bee will be deported.

C) Sarah will abandon him.

D) He will have to go to Nigeria.

14. What does Little Bee tell the reader about her friends in Africa? 

A) They would love to switch places with her.

B) They would find life in England confusing. 

C) They could help her understand English customs. 

D) They would consider English women to be modest.

15. What is the effect of Charlie hiding in the drainage pipe?

A) The police arrive and take Little Bee away.

B) Little Bee spends a night in a barn with other refugees.

C) Little Bee gets him to take off his Batman suit.

D) Little Bee tells him her real name.

Long Answer

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

1. Which character undergoes the most change over the course of the novel? Provide evidence to support your claim.

2. When she leaves the detention center in Chapter 3, Little Bee says, “I realized that I was carrying two cargoes. Yes, one of them was horror, but the other one was hope.” What does she mean by this?

3. What is left unresolved in the novel’s final moments? How do the characters feel when the book ends, and why?