Furia

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.

“Camila’s NWSL Fantasy Draft”

In this activity, students will demonstrate their understanding of Camila’s character and the theme of Soccer as a Means of Advocating for Gender Equality by creating a fantasy team for Camila from NWSL players.

At the end of Furia, Camila finally achieves her dream of playing in the NWSL. When she was still in Rosario, she must have often thought about the other women who were able to play at this level. In this activity, you will show your understanding of Camila’s character and how important gender equity in soccer is to her by creating a NWSL fantasy league team for her.

Think About Who Camila Is

• Use the text of Furia to make some notes about what Camila values in other people, what she values in soccer players, and what she believes about women’s equality.
• Jot down your evidence so that you can use it in the next two parts of this activity.

Construct A Team

• Do some online research into NWSL players, past and present. Your choices do not have to be active players.
• Choose 11 players: one goaltender, three midfielders, three forwards, and four defenders.
• Choose women who exemplify Camila’s values—women who broke gender barriers, who are good teammates, who persevere and play with passion, etc.
• Create a fantasy lineup: On one page, place a small picture of each player you have chosen, a note about which position they will play, and a few sentences explaining why this player would appeal to Camila.

Present Your Team

• Meet with your small group and present your team, along with your justifications for why this is the best team for Camila.
• Your group will vote for the winning team, so make sure that you make a strong case for your choices!

Teaching Suggestion: Students will need individual access to the internet to research players and create their fantasy lineups. If this is not feasible in your classroom, you can modify this assignment by choosing about 20 player profiles yourself, presenting them to students, and then asking students to debate as a class who should be included in Camila’s fantasy lineup, and why. When small groups meet to present and vote on lineups, they will need to know how the voting happens. You might tell them to write down the name of the peer they are voting for and their own name, for instance, to ensure that they are not voting for their own lineups. Alternatively, you might ask students to post their work on a class website for a class-wide vote.

Differentiation Suggestion: Students who might struggle with the large research task of reading about and evaluating many potential players—English language learners, those with attentional and organizational issues, etc.—may benefit from working on this activity with a partner or in small groups. Alternatively, you might ask for less than a complete starting lineup—perhaps a goaltender, a midfielder, a forward, and a defender. Students with visual impairments can complete the assignment without adding pictures to their lineups.