Text type

Main Book

Supplementary
Books

Title
The Kite Runner (Hosseini,
2003)

A Thousand Splendid Suns

(Hosseini, 2007)

The Places In Between

(Stewart, 2006)

Synopsis

Purpose

The unforgettable, heartbreaking story of the unlikely

friendship between a wealthy boy and the son of his
father's servant, The Kite Runner is a beautifully crafted
novel set in a country that is in the process of being
destroyed. It is about the power of reading, the price of
betrayal, and the possibility of redemption; and an
exploration of the power of fathers over sonstheir love,
their sacrifices, their lies.
-Taken from Amazon

A Thousand Splendid Suns is at once an incredible

chronicle of thirty years of Afghan history and a deeply
moving story of family, friendship, faith, and the salvation
to be found in love. -Taken from Amazon

In January 2002 Rory Stewart walked across

Afghanistan-surviving by his wits, his knowledge of

Persian dialects and Muslim customs, and the kindness of
strangers. By day he passed through mountains covered in
nine feet of snow, hamlets burned and emptied by the
Taliban, and communities thriving amid the remains of
medieval civilizations. By night he slept on villagers'

Used as the anchor text to

explore many different
themes (betrayal,
redemption, power of
reading, etc.) and to
introduce students to the
country of Afghanistan.
This novel has graphic
scenes and includes
difficult themes; parental
permission will be
obtained from students
parents and/or guardians.
Used to introduce students
to Afghan history in an
interesting way.
Used as a prompt for
student journaling.

Used as a non-fiction text

to provide students with
insight into life in
Afghanistan (post 9/11)
from an Americans
perspective.

floors, shared their meals, and listened to their stories of

the recent and ancient past. Along the way Stewart met
heroes and rogues, tribal elders and teenage soldiers,
Taliban commanders and foreign-aid workers. He was
also adopted by an unexpected companion-a retired
fighting mastiff he named Babur in honor of Afghanistan's
first Mughal emperor, in whose footsteps the pair was
following. - Taken from Amazon

Poems

For Women of Afghanistan

(Kalbasi)

Websites

Time for Kids: Around the

World: Afghanistan
http://www.timeforkids.co
m/destination/afghanistan
/history-timeline

An outstanding and honest voice from the Middle East,

Sheema Kalbasi (born November 20, 1972, in Tehran,

Iran) is a human right activist, an award winning poet, and
literary translator.
Taken from
http://voiceseducation.org/content/sheema-kalbasi
Sightseeing Guide

History Timeline
Native Lingo
Challenge
Day in the Life

http://teacher.scholastic.co
m/scholasticnews/indepth
/afghanistan_kids/

Scholastic: Kids in
Afghanistan

Play

The Great Game:

Afghanistan (Various

Authentic testimonies from Afghan kids

A Day in and Afghan School
Womens rights
Life in a Village
Life in a City
About the country

Published as part of the Tricycle Theatre's Afghanistan

festival in April 2009, this anthology brings together

A look into the life of

women in Afghanistan.
A different perspective
than the other texts.
Students can explore the
websites to get a look into
what it is like to be a child
in Afghanistan. They can
compare their own life to
the children they read
about.
Students can explore the
websites to get a look into
what it is like to be a child
in Afghanistan. They can
compare their own life to
the children they read
about.
This collection of plays can
be used as a creative outlet

Authors, 2009)

thirteen renowned playwrights on the subject of

Afghanistan. The Great Game explores the politics, social
affairs and history of a country that is likely to be the most
important focus of British, European and American
foreign policy for many years to come. Taken from
Amazon

Photograph

Why is this boy carrying a gun?

How is this childs life different than yours?
What else do you notice about this photograph?

for students. The class

could pick one of the plays
and perform it for an
audience. Additionally, they
will learn about the history
and current affairs of
Afghanistan through the
plays.

Students can closely read

the photograph and
examine the content,
relating what they have
learned so far in the unit to
what is pictured.

Documentary

MISSION AFGHANISTAN:
Documentary Film
https://www.youtube.com
/watch?v=0h11jAyO0zg

A young adventurous Afghan Sikh, Pritpal Singh, who had

left Afghanistan 2 decades ago, set out from the UK to
document the suffering of fellow Afghan Sikhs and Hindus
communities in Afghanistan. The film "MISSION
AFGHANISTAN" portrays the life and hardships of
minorities in War-torn Afghanistan." YouTube

This multimodal unit does

not focus on war in
Afghanistan, but because in
recent years war has been
one of the main hardships
for the people of
Afghanistan, this
documentary will touch on
some of the struggles
related to the war.

Movie

The Kite Runner (2007)

After spending years in California, Amir returns to his

homeland in Afghanistan to help his old friend Hassan,

Integration of Knowledge
and Ideas:

whose son is in trouble. -IMDB

Cartoon

Video Clips

A political cartoon touching on the treatment of women in

Afghanistan.

https://www.youtube.com
/watch?v=jiNsZaxAMLc
https://www.youtube.com
/watch?v=S-efk59Piz4
https://www.youtube.com
/watch?v=Ta2xTe3LoEE

Videos clips depicting different facets of life in Afghanistan

ranging from children, to the city, and the treatment of
woman.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1112.7
Analyze multiple
interpretations of a story,
drama, or poem (e.g.,
recorded or live production
of a play or recorded novel
or poetry), evaluating how
each version interprets the
source text.
Students will compare the
novel to the film
Students can use this
cartoon to compare it to
the other texts they have
read on the treatment of
women in Afghanistan.

Students can see actually

footage of Afghanistan to
get a better idea of what
the country looks like.