1. Pre-Reading Activities

Pre-Reading Activities

Welcome to the Reader Support Kit for Does My Head Look Big in This? While reading this book you will most likely come across many terms and cultural customs that are unfamiliar to you. To help facilitate your understanding and create a better understanding, I have designed the following pre-reading activities. From the list of five activities, please complete at least one of them prior to reading the book. Remember, for this book you need a total of five activities with at least one from the three different sections: pre, during, and post.

Pre-Reading Activity 1 - The Hijab

This novel takes place in Australia, where a sixteen-year old teenager, Amal, decides to where the hijab, an Islamic headdress full-time. In the Islamic tradition, there are many different types of hijab varying by regional and cultural influences. Take a look at the following website to review the most common types of Islamic headdresses for women: http://www.cbc.ca/news/interactives/who-muslimheadscarves/

Once you have reviewed the various headdresses, I’d like you to do a search online for the specific kind Amal wishes to wear, the hijab. Tell me what kinds of hijabs you find, and how a fashion conscious sixteen year old like Amal might incorporate the hijab into her daily outfits.

Pre-Reading Activity 2 - Moving Across the World

In this novel, we get the viewpoint of Amal, a sixteen year old Palestinian-Australian, who decides to wear the Hijab, an Islamic headscarf for women, full-time. For this activity, I’d like you to create something to represent the journey of Amal’s family journey from Palestine to Australia. To complete this activity you may utilize something like Google Earth, Google Maps, create a poster, a list of items that need to be packed, etc. Be creative, if you have ever moved before think about what that process was like and how it would be to move from one country to another. You can utilize any method you wish to represent the transition/journey from Palestine to Australia.

Pre-Reading Activity 3 - Why Wear It?

Prior to reading this novel have you had any exposure to anyone who wears the hijab or any other version of an Islamic headdress? Think about the reasons someone might choose to do this, if you are struggling do some research online for interviews. YouTube has several videos that you can look up from various organizations and teenagers explaining their choice. Once you have done some research to understand about the reasons people might choose to wear the headscarf, reflect upon the information and tell me what you think.

Pre-Reading Activity 4 - Visit a Mosque

Reach out to the local mosque, (if you need help setting this up let me know) and ask if you can come for a visit. Please be polite and respectful when explaining your reason for visiting. Once you arrange a visit, ask if you can meet with one of the following: imam, ‘alim, hafiz, mufti, mullah, or sheikh. These are all various clerical positions in Islam which vary depending on the religious orientation of the mosque. For example, in Christianity there are priests, reverends, bishops, etc. Once you arrange a meeting with the religious leader at the mosque have a conversation with them and feel free to ask (politely!) any questions you have. After your conversation, write a reflection about your visit to the mosque. How did it go? Was it like you expected? Were there any major differences that stood out to you?

Pre-Reading 5 - Oh No, She Didn't!

The book you are about to read depicts a teenage girl who decides to wear the hijab. Imagine a situation where a close friend of yours shows up the next day wearing a hijab at school. In this situation, the friend might have decided to convert to Islam, might already be a Muslim, or might be wearing the hijab for a multitude of reasons. You simply do not know their reasons. What is your reaction? Depict a conversation between yourself, your friend, and other friends. Be creative! This conversation can be a series of text messages, Facebook posts, actual conversations, video made from your phone, a poster, anything. The way you depict your reaction, thoughts, and conversations regarding this is completely up to you.