Students are introduced to Malala Yousafzai and the story of her love of education, her blog, the Taliban attack on her, her Nobel Peace Prize, and her ongoing work for girls’ education throughout the world. Then they will write their own blog post or op-ed piece explaining why girls’ education matters.
Students consider a brief scenario about having basic rights, such as listening to music or attending school as a girl, taken away. They are introduced to Malala Yousafzai and the focus of the experience. Students respond to a prompt on a collaborative wall describing what they know about Malala based on her photo, then watch the trailer for He Named Me Malala. After viewing, they add a question they have about Malala and her life to a shared class table.
Teacher MovesIntroduce the lesson overview and objectives, connecting the opening scenario to issues of rights and education. Prompt students to share prior knowledge about Malala without correcting or fully explaining yet. After the trailer, guide students in generating thoughtful questions about Malala’s life and experiences, noting that these questions will be explored in upcoming scenes.
Students read Malala’s Story to learn about key events in Malala Yousafzai’s life and why she is viewed as a modern-day hero. As they read, they complete a concept map graphic organizer by recording five important events or points from her life and highlighting the one they consider most important in the center. Then, on a collaborative wall, they respond to the question “How did the Taliban’s attack on Malala Yousafzai backfire?”
Teacher MovesSupport students as they read by clarifying key events and vocabulary as needed. Guide them in identifying and prioritizing significant moments in Malala’s life for the concept map. Facilitate partner or whole-class discussion about how the attack on Malala increased global attention to her cause and strengthened advocacy for girls’ education, helping students connect individual events to broader social impact.
Students read selected excerpts from Malala’s Blog to understand her firsthand perspective on life in her community under Taliban influence. They then post responses on a class wall explaining what they learn about the society she was living in based on details from the blog.
Teacher MovesPrompt students to look for specific evidence in the blog excerpts that reveals social conditions, restrictions, and attitudes toward girls’ education. Highlight and share exemplary or especially insightful student responses with the class to deepen discussion about how Malala’s writing documents her society and the challenges she faced.
Students read Girls’ Education to explore Malala’s ongoing work and the broader global movement for girls’ access to safe, quality education. Drawing on what they have learned throughout the lesson, they write a blog post or op-ed for a local audience explaining why safe and quality education for every girl matters, using evidence and examples to support their position.
Teacher MovesEncourage students to connect Malala’s story to global issues of educational access and to their own community context. Provide guidance on crafting a clear, persuasive blog post or op-ed, including audience, purpose, and use of evidence. Share strong student examples to model effective writing, and, if possible, invite students to submit their work following the suggestions in the available how-to guide.
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