Teaching With

He Named Me Malala

Journeys in Film, Inc

Who is Malala Yousafzai?

The girl who was shot by the Taliban
for advocating for girls education
The youngest-ever Nobel Peace Prize winner
In many ways, a normal teenager

Journeys in Film | Teaching With He Named Me Malala

Why teach about her

in your classroom?
She is a world-renowned figure.
She stands for an important cause:
Equal education for women.
She can inspire your students. They dont have to
be adults to make a difference in the world.

Journeys in Film | Teaching With He Named Me Malala

Why use the Journeys in Film

curriculum guides?
Lesson plans are aligned with Common Core standards.
The lessons are fully developed, with materials ready for
photocopying.
The section Notes to the Teacher provides essential background material, all in one place.

Journeys in Film | Teaching With He Named Me Malala

Why use the Journeys in Film

curriculum guides?
Directions to teachers on procedures are clear and concise.
Lessons engage students actively, using a variety of
learning modes.
Interdisciplinary lessons allow for use in various courses.

Journeys in Film | Teaching With He Named Me Malala

How are lessons structured?

?
Each lesson begins with
Enduring Understandings,
the main ideas that students will
remember after the details of the
lesson have faded.

This is followed by
Essential Questions,
the questions that students will
investigate in the course of the
lesson.

For more information about these terms, see

Understanding by Design by Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe.

Journeys in Film | Teaching With He Named Me Malala

Notes to the Teacher

Provides background information
you should know to teach the lesson
Outlines what the lesson is about
Gives additional online resources
Alerts teachers to sensitive issues as necessary

Journeys in Film | Teaching With He Named Me Malala

Standards addressed by the lesson

Lists Common Core standards with which
the lesson is aligned
Occasionally lists other national standards for which
Common Core standards are not available
(e.g., art and music)
Can be useful in identifying state standards for states not
using Common Core

Journeys in Film | Teaching With He Named Me Malala

Duration

Assessment

An estimate
of time needed

Authentic assessments.
Not standardized tests

Materials
A list of what you will need
to carry out the lesson

Journeys in Film | Teaching With He Named Me Malala

Procedure
A step-by-step listing of what the teacher and students
should do during the lesson
Simple and straightforward
Can be differentiated for stronger and weaker students
Suggested answers provided for questions and handouts

Journeys in Film | Teaching With He Named Me Malala

Handouts
Not just busywork
Freely available for you to make as many copies as you need

Graphic
Organizers

Readings

Discussion
Sheets

Planning
Sheets

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What lessons are in

the guide to
He Named Me
Malala?
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Lesson
Introducing Pakistan
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Malala loves Pakistan and would return to it if it were safe for her.
This lesson introduces students to her homeland with
A K-W-L chart to ascertain prior knowledge.
Three readings that they use to complete a timeline from pre-history to
Malalas lifetime.
Demographic and political maps that show ethnic areas of the country.
Production of a simulated newscast on current events in Pakistan.

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Lessons
cover the events shown in the film.

Lesson
The Story of Malala: Growing Up
How did Malala become so dedicated to the cause of education for girls?
What role did her family play in her activism?
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Lesson
In Lesson 2, students
Learn more about the story of the Pashtun heroine Malalai, Malalas namesake.
Consider the impact that Malalas family had on her life, goals, and decisions.
Reflect on early influences in their own lives.
Engage in free-writing and then write a reflective essay about their own lives.
Write a poem about themselves (optional).

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Lesson
The Story of Malala: The Attack by the Taliban
Students hear frequently and uneasily about the Taliban but may not have
a clear understanding of this group. In this lesson, students learn more
about the Taliban and why they wanted to end Malalas advocacy.

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Lesson
In lesson 3, students
Read a government report on the Taliban to find out more information.
Use the film He Named Me Malala to update the information they have gleaned
from the report.
Write a script in which they show residents of Mingora, Malalas home town,
discussing the attack on her.
Perform the scripts and discussion the effectiveness of scenes.
Analyze part of Malalas speech at the United Nations.
Consider the importance of writing as a tool and a weapon.
Think and write about either something that they have survived or a situation in
the world that they feel should be changed.

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Lesson
The Story of Malala:
A New Life of Global Advocacy
The attack by extremists transformed Malalas life in many ways:
Her need for recovery and rehabilitation from her wound
Her familys move to England
Her fame after the attack that catapulted her to a world stage
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Lesson
Lesson 4 is a jigsaw lesson in which students go to classroom stations based
on the five nations in which the Malala Fund supports programs: Nigeria,
Pakistan, Sierra Leone, Kenya, and Syria.
Students form expert groups to learn about girls education in
these countries.
They analyze contemporary news articles.
They return to home groups to share what they have learned.
They react to a quotation from the film by writing a short persuasive essay.

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Lesson
Working for Change
Adolescents are idealists, and seeing the film may inspire them to become
more involved. Lesson 5 shows them how.

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Lesson
Lesson 5 asks students to do independent research and to present their findings.
They research organizations that are working to improve education, especially
education for girls.
They learn how to do an MLA Works Cited page.
They present their findings to the class.
They may choose to take their findings to the larger school community through a
community service-learning fair.

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Lesson
Global Violence Against
Women and Girls
Violence against women is not unique to any one race, religion, culture, or
creed. Many people, men as well as women, are working to end violence
against women.
(Due to the somewhat graphic nature of this topic, this lesson is recommended for older
or more mature students only.)
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Lesson
In Lesson 6, students
Consider whether the denial of education is an act of violence.
Read excerpts from a report by the United Nations and a speech by
First Lady Michelle Obama.
Research individual women and men as well as organizations that work
to prevent violence against women.
Hold a general discussion about ways to prevent violence against women,
including domestic violence, and discuss the role of men and boys in this
effort.

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Image Source: Getty / Cornelius Poppe

Lesson
Let this end with us:
Malalas Nobel Peace Prize Address
As the youngest-ever Nobel Peace Prize recipient, Malala had the chance to
present her ideas in a lecture at the awards ceremony. This lesson gives
students the opportunity to analyze her speech.
It is particularly appropriate for speech, communications, and AP English
Language and Composition classes.
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Lesson
In Lesson 7, students
Discuss the Nobel Peace Prize: Who makes the choice? What are the issues for
which the prizes may be awarded?
Nominate someone to win a school peace prize.
View a video of Malalas speech at the Nobel award ceremony.
Analyze the tone, audience, and main ideas of the speech.
Identify rhetorical advices that make the speech effective.

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Image Source: Flikr / Patrick Gruban

Lesson
The United Nations and
the Rights of Women and Children
What has the United Nations been trying to do to improve access to education
for girls and young women? Why have such efforts met with global support?

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Lesson
Lesson 8 gives students the opportunity to
Consider the issue of gender equality in their own school setting.
Read and analyze UN documents on the rights of women and children.
Generate ideas about how these ideals and goals could be enforced.
Generate ideas about gender equality at home.

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Image Source: Sultanali Barodawala

Lesson
A Global Consensus:
Why Educating Girls Is So Important
Girls have a right to an education for their own growth and well-being.
However, girls education also has important consequences for the broader
society: for community health, family income, and economic development for
the country as a whole.

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Lesson
In Lesson 9, students
Read about five benefits of girls education.
Make posters and do poster presentations on these benefits.
Watch a video about the initiative Let Girls Learn.
Write a journal entry on the attitudes of U.S. students about education.

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Image Source: IntoFilm

Lesson
Viewing a Documentary Film
Documentary films, like books, reflect their creators vision of reality.
It is important to watch actively and critically.

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Lesson
In Lesson 10, students
Learn about techniques filmmakers use.
Acquire a glossary of film terms.
Analyze the film He Named Me Malala to understand the choices that
director Davis Guggenheim made.

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I dont have time

to do all that!

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You dont have to

do all that!
A Journeys in Film curriculum is not designed for a
teacher to use all the lessons (although you could).

Choose the lessons that are most appropriate for:

Your goals

Your grade level

Your discipline

Your students

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Additional Journeys in Film curriculum guides for

documentaries are available for free downloading
from journeysinfilm.org.

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Some films will help your students

explore other cultures...

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...or explore themselves

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Other feature films explore important

contemporary issues.

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More guides on the way

$
Free

Aligned
With Standards

Easily
Downloadable

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Sign up on Journeys in Films mailing list.

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Follow us on Twitter @Journeysinfilm to
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they are released.

In Partnership with USC Rossier School of Education