School for Girls Lesson: Objective 1 (5.10) (G) paraphrase and summarize text to recall, inform, or organize ideas

Grade: 5 (TX)

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Today’s lesson will make you realize how special you are – you go to a good school. Not all kids are that fortunate as you shall see. In some other parts of the world, there are no schools.

Or, there are schools where the conditions are pathetic. Every

child has the right to go to a good school. Maybe this lesson will inspire you to help other children.

Apart from inspiring you, the lesson will teach you to paraphrase and summarize text to recall, inform, or organize ideas.

Introduction

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1. Do you know how lucky you are to go to a good school? So many children in today’s world are not so lucky. Many girls in Afghanistan don't have the opportunity to attend school. In 1996, a group called the Taliban (tah-lih-bahn) took control of Afghanistan. Its leaders made harsh rules that restricted freedom. Girls were not allowed to go to school. In 2001, the United States decided to remove the Taliban.

2. Today, Afghanistan has a new government. But the Taliban still rules in some areas. Girls' schools have been burned down. Many families refuse to allow their daughters to go to school because there are no female teachers. A girl's life is hard. But a 13-year-old girl from Canada is making every effort to change that.

3. Alaina Podmorow, 13, admits that she once took her education for granted. She often grumbled about getting up at 6 a.m. Now she feels "quite lucky" that she actually has a school to attend. So what changed her?

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4. When she was 9 years old, her Mom took Alaina to a speech by journalist Sally Armstrong. In the speech, Armstrong talked about how many girls in Afghanistan can't go to school. "The worst thing you can do is nothing," Armstrong said.

5. Less than 10% of girls in Afghanistan are able to attend school and 11,000,000 Afghans are illiterate. The schools that are operating don’t have running water or bathroom facilities. Alaina decided then and there to take action. She created a group, called Little Women for Little Women in Afghanistan, to support education in the war-torn country.

6. Little Women began with 20 members. Today, there are many chapters (branches) in elementary and middle schools around Canada, and one in the US. Alaina and her friends organize fundraisers, including doughnuts and bake sales, and car washes.

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7. The money they raise pays for teacher salaries, teacher training and library books. On average, a teacher in Afghanistan makes $750 per year and young Alaina originally set herself a goal to raise enough money to hire one teacher. Today the group has got a lot of positive response and encouragement.

8. Alaina travels around Canada and the US speaking about her humanitarian work. “Girls in Canada are very lucky. Sometimes we don't realize it.” she tells people. “Education for everyone is the path to peace in Afghanistan.”

9. Little Women's symbol, which Alaina designed, is a flower in the colors of the Afghan flag: red, green and black. "It looks like a bird being set free," explains Alaina, who is 13 now. "It symbolizes the girls in Afghanistan, their freedom and their ability to grow."

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Check Your Understanding1. Which is the main idea for this passage?

a. Afghanistan war b. Alaina’s efforts

c. Sally Armstrong the journalistd. Taliban’s harsh rules

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Check Your Understanding2. Can you recall the reason why many families in Afghanistan do

not allow their girls to go to school?

a. lack of trained teachersb. lack of text booksc. lack of running water in school washrooms d. lack of female teachers

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Check Your Understanding3. Which of these was a reason that Alaina did not like about

going to school?

a. she had to get up at 6 in the morning b. homework took up too much of her time c. school was a 50 minute bus ride away from homed. she was regularly bullied by her classmates

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Check Your Understanding4. Which is the correct name of the group that Alaina formed?

a. Little Teachers and Little Women in Afghanistan b. Little Women and Little Men in Afghanistan c. Little Women for Little Girls in Afghanistand. Little Women for Little Women in Afghanistan

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Check Your Understanding5. What is the organization’s symbol supposed to mean

according to Alaina?

It symbolizes:

a. a war-free country, poised like a flower for growthb. freedom for girls and the ability to growc. equal rights for a girl as for a boy (sp. to education) d. a bird carrying a message of peace

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Check Your Understanding6. According to Alaina how will education benefit everyone in

Afghanistan?

It is the path to:

a. prosperityb. happinessc. knowledged. peace

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Check Your Understanding7. Which is the best summary for this passage?

a. Alaina was just nine when she first heard about a group called Taliban in Afghanistan. She immediately formed a

group, collected money and traveled all over to spread her

message. Girls were scared to go to school and there were no

bathrooms in schools.

b. Alaina’s group Little Women for Little Women in Afghanistan

was formed to help spread education to girls in Afghanistan. The

group organized bake sales and car washes to raise money for

teachers’ salaries. A teacher in Afghanistan makes $750 per year.

(contd. on next slide / screen)

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Check Your Understanding7. (contd. from previous slide / screen)

c. Alaina was just nine when she heard a speech by journalist Sally

Armstrong. She said girls in Afghanistan were not able to go to

school because of several reasons. Alaina decided to take action.

She created a group with 20 members to support education. She

travels a lot to talk about the conditions. It raises funds to aid

teacher salaries and teacher training.

d. Alaina used to hate getting up early in the mornings for school.

She often took her education for granted. When she heard a

speech by a journalist, she realized how lucky she was. Imagine

no running water or bathrooms! She formed a group to help out.

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Check Your Understanding8. Discuss and recall all the reasons why girls could not go to

school in Afghanistan.

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Feature # 2 – Man on a Mission

1. In 1993, Greg Mortenson's goal was to climb K2, the world's second-tallest mountain. But as Mortenson and his team made their way up the snow-covered cliffs, one climber got sick. They decided to turn back. Mortenson lost his way. Days later, he wandered into Korphe (kor-fay), a small village in Pakistan. The people there took good care of him.

2. While recovering, Mortenson met a group of children sitting in the dirt writing with sticks in the sand; he made a promise to help them build a school. Mortenson wanted to repay the villagers for their kindness. When he visited Korphe's outdoor classroom, he knew just what to do. The children didn't have desks. They just sat on the dirt using sticks to scratch their lessons into the sand.

3. Mortenson had a new goal. He promised to return to Korphe to help build a school. Back home in California, Mortenson wrote about 600 letters to movie stars, athletes, politicians and others, asking for help.

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Feature # 2 – Man on a Mission

4. One person sent a check. Other checks followed. Then Mortenson visited a school in Wisconsin and told the kids about his plan. Many were eager to pitch in. They collected more than $620 worth of pennies. "I would never have been where I am today if it hadn't been for those kids and those pennies," Mortenson says.

5. More than 15 years later, Mortenson has helped build 131 schools in rural areas of Pakistan and Afghanistan. No education opportunities existed in these remote mountainous regions before. Of the schools' 28,000 students, about 18,000 are girls. Taliban fighters in these countries follow a strict version of Islam. They do not want girls to go to school. Sometimes it is dangerous for girls. But Mortenson believes education is the best path to peace.

6. He has written several books including Three Cups of Tea: One Man’s Mission to Promote Peace…One School At A Time.

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Feature # 2 – Man on a Mission7. Mortenson is a living hero to rural communities of

Afghanistan and Pakistan. In 2009, Mortenson received Pakistan’s highest civil award, Sitara-e-Pakistan (“Star of Pakistan”) for his dedicated and humanitarian effort to promote education and literacy in rural areas for fifteen years.

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Check Your Understanding9. Which is the main idea for this passage?

a. Mortenson: the man who climbed K2b. Mortenson: the writerc. Mortenson: the man who builds schoolsd. Mortenson: Star of Pakistan

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Check Your Understanding10. Which one of these countries did Greg Mortenson wander

into?

a. Afghanistanb. Uzbekistan b. Kazakhstan d. Pakistan

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Check Your Understanding11. Why did Mortenson want to repay the villagers and help

them?

a. they made arrangements for his journey back to Californiab. they helped him to write and print his bookc. they took good care of himd. they helped him climb the mountain

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12. Can you recall whether Alaina and Mortenson shared the same view regarding education? Or did they have different views?

They (a) share / (b) do not share the same view on education.

Check Your Understanding

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Check Your Understanding 13. Which is the best summary for this passage?

a. Greg Mortenson wanted to climb K2, the world's second- tallest mountain. While taking a sick climber back, he wandered into Korphe. The existing schools there were

in an appalling condition. He promised to come back and

help, which he did.

b. After climbing K2, Greg Mortenson had to take care of a sick

team member. Mortenson lost his way. He wandered into a

village in Pakistan. The poor and backward conditions shocked him. He went back home and after raising

funds, returned to the country to help them for 15 years. (contd. on next slide /

screen)

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Check Your Understanding 13. (contd. from previous slide / screen)

c. Mortenson had a goal to climb K2 the world's second-tallest

mountain. While helping a sick climber, he wandered into

Pakistan. There he saw school children who had no desks or

books. They were sitting on the ground and writing with the

aid of sticks in the sand. He was very moved by this sight.

He built many schools in Afghanistan and Pakistan. d. While climbing K2, Greg Mortenson had to take back a

sick climber. He lost his way and wandered into Korfe. Very

few schools existed in such remote areas. They had no

desks and no books. Grateful for the care he received, he

returned with funds and stayed for 15 years, promoting education in

rural areas. He has been awarded Pakistan’s highest civil

award.

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14. Discuss and compare the similarities that occur in Feature # 1

and Feature # 2.

If you had the chance to help under-privileged children move on

in their lives, what would you do?

Check Your Understanding

Summary

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Today’s lesson was about American people lending a helping hand to the children from poor and war-torn countries.

You have learned to paraphrase and summarize text to recall, inform, or organize ideas.

GREAT JOB TODAY!