Rachel Ippolite

Reading Lesson Plan for Breadwinner

9/23/14
Rationale: This lesson gives students an opportunity to discover another side of the
Afghan people. By looking at the book Breadwinner students are able to sympathize with
an Afghan family, and distinguish them from the Taliban, the people causing war and
havoc in Afghanistan. By doing this students are able to recognize that we should not
classify all people into the same group because they belong to the same race, heritage, or
culture.
Core Content Standards:
o RL. 8.1-Cite the textual evidence that most strongly supports an analysis of what
the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
o RL. 8.3- Analyze how particular lines of dialogue or incidents in a story or drama
propel the action, reveal aspects of a character, or provoke a decision.
o RL. 8.5: Compare and contrast the structure of two or more texts and analyze how
the differing structure of each text contributes to its meaning and style.
Objective: Students will be able to find particular moments in the story that fit the central
theme of stereotypes and judgment of a particular person or group of people.
Understand what a stereotype type is and the negative effects it has on a particular person
or group of people.
Procedures:
o Do now: Read articles about September 11 and the Taliban in groups of four.
Students will then share with the class a brief summary about their specific article.
These articles show Afghan people in a bad light. However, not all people
from Afghanistan are terrorists or in the Taliban.
o Discuss the definition of stereotypes and different examples of stereotypes in our
society today.
Definition: A widely held but fixed and oversimplified image or idea of a
particular type of person or thing. What does this mean?
o Teacher read aloud chapter 1-3 of The Breadwinner.
o Small group discussion about what was just read aloud.
Circulate around groups listening to group discussions. Guide discussions
when necessary.
o Whole class discussion on stereotypes we have about the Afghanistan people.
Why do we think all Afghan people are bad? Arent people like Parvana
and her family living in this country occupied by war and hatred?
o Why are these stereotypes wrong? How are the lives of innocent Afghan people
affected?
o Identify specific parts from chapters 1-3 where students feel sympathetic for
classifying all Afghan people as bad.
Materials:
o Articles on September 11
th

o Current events on the Taliban
o Breadwinner
Assessments:
o Small group discussions
o Whole class discussions
o Assessed on class participation and knowledge of material as well as ability to
apply the novel to theme of stereotypes.
Future Connections:
o Will apply later in the book in Chapter 7 as well

Rachel Ippolite
Writing Lesson Plan for Breadwinner
9/23/14
Rationale: In conjunction with reading Breadwinner, students will be able to conduct
research on Afghanistan and the Taliban, and will be able to relate it back to the class
novel Breadwinner. By doing this students will be able to get a better understanding of
what is going on in the country and how the Afghan people feel during this time.
Common Core Standards:
o W. 8.7. Conduct short research projects to answer a question, drawing on several
sources and generating additional related, focused questions that allow for
multiple avenues of exploration.
o W. 8.8. Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources, using
search terms effectively, assess the credibility and accuracy of each source; and
quote or paraphrase the data and conclusions of others while avoiding plagiarism
and following standard format for citation.
o W. 8.9. Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis,
reflection, and research.
Objective: Students will be able to access multiple forms of text while doing research on
current events in Afghanistan while also gathering information on the Taliban, and what
the people of Afghanistan face on an everyday basis.
Procedures:
o Students will be directed to print as well as media based texts, using classroom or
library resources and/or computers.
o Will go over how to do proper research. Discuss reliable resources. How to cite
material properly without plagiarizing. Walk around classroom/area to monitor
work and research.
o Students will be asked to fill out research worksheets with what information they
found helpful as well as how to cite each source.
Materials:
o Computers
o Print sources on Afghanistan/Taliban
o Guided research worksheet
Assessments:
o Guided research worksheet to be turned in at the end of class
o Research gathered will eventually be used for research paper
Technology Connections:
o By using the Internet students are learning how to find proper sources as well as
citing them.
Future Connections:
o This research will help students further understand the characters present in
Breadwinner.
o By doing research students will be able to find texts similar to this book
o Research will be used to complete a full paper