These objectives target both cognitive (academic) and affective (social-emotional) learning.

Students will be able to:

• Consider how society and culture influence a girl’s life.

• Discover how communities benefit by educating girls.

• Compare and contrast challenges that hinder or prevent girls’ access to education in Pakistan and Tanzania.

• Describe how Girls Education International helps girls pursue schooling.

• Imagine the impact they want to make on the world.

• Commit to helping increase girls’ access to education.

If you'd like to send a letter to students' families about this learning experience, we've got one ready for you to use (just add your name). Click here.

1. Introduction: Introduce this learning experience as a collaboration with Girls Education International in celebration of the International Day of the Girl Child, October 11.

2. Warm-Up Activity (15 minutes): What Does It Mean to Be a Girl?

First. invite students to (individually) consider how their lives are influenced by their society and culture answering the questions on this worksheet (5 minutes). (Note: Student answers to the questions on the first two pages can be private, while the reflection questions on page 3 are meant to be discussed.)

Then, hold a class discussion about the reflection questions on page 3 (10 minutes). Ask students to write their ideas in the chat. Invite students to elaborate by sharing verbally:

3. KWL Chart (5 minutes): Girls' Education

The KWL chart helps students (1) prepare for the learning to come by considering what they Know about a topic and identifying what they Want to know, and (2) reflect on that they've Learned at the end of the lesson.

Invite students to fill out the "K" and "W" columns of the KWL chart. Ensure students keep these charts so they can fill out the "L" column during the "What Can We Do: Take Action" section/module of the lesson.

This section has two parts, investigation and discussion.

Investigation (20 minutes):

1. Review the instructions for the investigation and all the resources before sending students to breakout rooms.

2. Divide students into groups of no more than four (or use previously formed groups). Assign Tanzania to half of the groups and Pakistan to the other half.

3. Have students investigate:

   • Challenges that hinder or prevent girls from going to school in Tanzania or Pakistan.

   • The impact education has on their communities.

4. Invite students to organize their thinking using a T-Chart.

5. Resources:

Tanzania:

3. • My Life Elsewhere: United States Compared to Tanzania

   • Video: Second Chances: Releasing the Power of Girls in Tanzania

   • T-Chart

Pakistan:

3. • My Life Elsewhere: United States Compared to Pakistan

   • Video: Girls Deprived of Education

   • T-Chart

6. Prepare for breakout room work: Ensure all students open the T-Chart before going into their breakout groups and know which country they are investigating. Put the links to the website and video in the chat, so that virtual breakout groups can see them. Broadcast a message to breakout groups with the links to the website and video.

7. Conduct breakout room group work. When time is up, bring students back to the full group.

Discussion (20 minutes):

1. Share: Invite on groups representative at a time to share their T-Chart.

Invite students to respond using hand signals or to share comments and questions in the chat.

2. Ask these questions for some of the challenges groups have shared:

   • What would you do if you faced this challenge?

   • How would you help a friend if they faced this challenge?

   • How might the lives of girls vary within a country, region, or community? (Hint: While girls in a country, region, or community will face certain challenges in common, not all girls are the same! Religion, socio-economic level, family occupation and composition, rural/suburban/urban, and other factors can create a variety of experiences).

3. Think-Pair-Share: Create new breakout rooms of two. Have students consider these questions with their breakout room partner (individual writing 2 minutes, sharing 4 minutes):

Imagine what would happen if the girls in Tanzania and Pakistan didn't face these obstacles.

3. • • How would their lives change?

     • How would their communities change?

ALTERNATE: As groups share their challenges, add them to a slide. When all the challenges are all recorded, ask students to stamp two (each) challenges they find most interesting, disturbing, or intriguing. Hold a short discussion about the challenges that got the most stamps.

*This entire section can also be conducted as a full class using the chat and Raise Hand functions. Or students can work individually, offline.

Individual Writing Activity:

1. Have students read "Meet Bernadeta" and answer the reflection questions at the end.

2. Invite students to share their responses with a partner in a short breakout room conversation.