Considering the emerging need to reflect on how teenagers deal with their emotions, a 9th-grade English teacher played the preview of the animation InsideOut, showing how emotions interact in the human brain, and then, presented the following excerpt from the novel Things Fall Apart:
“Okonkwo never showed any emotion openly, unless it be the emotion of anger. To show affection was a sign of weakness; the only thing worth demonstrating was strength”.
ACHEBE, C. Things fall apart. London: Penguin Classics, 2006.

After that, the teacher provided information about Nigeria during the period the novel was set, pointing out the consequences of colonialism on indigenous culture. The students had a moment to analyze the excerpt critically, consider the plot, and establish connections with the animation preview. At the end of the class, the teacher proposed a digital storytelling project, so students could use multimedia elements to quote the novel.
By incorporating the animation preview and the excerpt from Things Fall Apart to talk about emotions, the teacher