Lesson Plan - Help From the Heart
Learning Objective
Students will understand how the recent Taliban takeover has affected Afghans and identify how one child is helping to make a difference.
Text Structure
Description, Problem/Solution
Content-Area Connections
World Cultures; Social and Emotional Learning
Standards Correlations
CCSS: R.1, R.2, R.3, R.4, R.5, R.6, R.7, R.8, R.10, L.4, SL.1, W.1
NGSS: Global Connections; Civics
CASEL: Demonstrating Empathy
TEKS: Social Studies 5.5, 6.14
1. Preparing to Read
Watch a Video - Coming to America: What Is a Refugee?
Discuss: How are refugees similar to and different from other immigrants?
Preview Words to Know
Project the online vocabulary slideshow and introduce the Words to Know.
Set a Purpose for Reading
Draw attention to the “As You Read” question. Invite students to think about why the crisis in Afghanistan feels personal to Maryam.
2. Close-Reading Questions
1. What are the main ideas of the article?
The main ideas are that Afghanistan is in crisis after a recent takeover by the Taliban and that an Afghan American girl is working to help people there.
R.2 Main Idea
2. How does the author support the claim that the Taliban oppressed Afghans starting in 1996?
The author notes that the Taliban enacted many strict laws, banned women from working outside the home or showing their faces in public, and refused to let girls go to school.
R.8 Reasons and Evidence
3. What have been some effects of the recent Taliban takeover?
Effects include businesses closing, food and supplies running low, people trying to flee Afghanistan, and people being afraid to leave their homes.
R.5 Cause and Effect
3. Skill Building
FEATURED SKILL: Writing a Plan
Use the skill builder “Make a Difference!” to have students develop an action plan to help solve a problem they care about.
W.2 Explanatory Writing
