I just finished watching the National Geographic channel’s airing of the stirring documentary of the life-to-date story of Malala Yousafzai. I thought it would be to introduce her to students around the world. To help, I have teamed up with Brain Waves Instruction to develop a pair of Malala Yousafzai classroom activities to help teachers share her inspirational story in the classroom. Make sure you get your FREEBIE at the end of this post.

The Film

The film, He Named Me Malala, follows Malala from her early childhood through her rise to the international stage. It is available to be rented from Amazon Prime. We see her first attending a school established by her father and ultimately as a leading advocate of children’s (especially girls’) rights to an education.

When the Taliban began to increase its presence in Malala’s hometown in the Swat Valley region of northwest Pakistan, it increasingly became an act of defiance for girls to attend school. When Malala started speaking out against the Taliban’s oppression, the Taliban leadership reacted by sending out a hit squad specifically targeted to silence her. On October 9, 2102, when Malala was 15 years old, they attacked the school bus she was riding on. They asked for her by name, shooting her in the head, gravely injuring her and two of her friends.

But, Malala (and her friends) survived the attack, and she worked hard in her recovery. She regained not only her ability to walk but her ability to talk. And talk she does…to world leaders and on the international stage. She has become an important and influential advocate for human rights and the education of women.

Less than a year after the attack, in July 2013, Malala delivered an inspirational speech to the United Nations International Youth Assembly. In her speech, she reminded the crowd, “One child, one teacher, one book, and one pen can change the world.”

A year later, in 2014, at the age of 17, she became the youngest recipient ever of the Nobel Peace Prize. The Taliban may have wounded her, but they did not silence her. Malala Yousafzai’s story is a truly inspirational one.

The Projects

To help bring her story to the classroom, I have teamed up with Brain Waves Instruction to develop two complementary lessons that combine language arts and fine arts to celebrate Malala and emphasize collaboration and art integration.

English Language Arts Resource

Brainwaves Instruction’s Malala Yousafzai Unit introduces students to her life history. This resource provides opportunities to practice sequencing, listening comprehension, writing, group discussion, and poetry analysis. See the full Malala ELA resource HERE and keep reading for a free sample. 

Malala Portrait Collaboration Poster Art Activity

My art activity provides you with the resources you need to create a modern-style, large mosaic collaborative portrait of Malala for your classroom. It includes her most famous and inspiring quote, “One child, one teacher, one book, and one pen can change the world.”

Together, these two resources combine to provide a strong and memorable experience for your students. They will etch the story of the brave and inspiring Malala Yousafzai into their minds forever.

Freebie

Get started right away teaching your students about Malala with this FREE sample developed by Art with Jenny K. and Brain Waves Instruction. Have kids show their creativity and color the  Malala quote coloring page. Then have kids analyze the famous Malala quote using the free ELA sample.  

Thanks for reading and for all you do in the classroom! I hope these Malala Yousafzai classroom activities help to make your job easier and serve to enrich your students.

Jenny K.