Classroom+Application

Teaching Context The average United States student's understanding of the Middle East politics, Middle Eastern religions, and Middle Eastern people is very limited. Many students see anyone who wears a turban as a terrorist. In order to broaden the horizons, to demystify the myths of the Middle East, and to dismantle common misconceptions, the teaching of Khaled Hosseini’s novel //The Kite Runner// is used. The novel tells of a boy and his father who are forced to flee from Afghanistan to America during the time of the Russian invasion. After many years, the boy, now a man, goes back to Afghanistan to visit an old friend and encounters a changed homeland due to the destruction of the Taliban, and saves a dead friend's young son from the hands of a Taliban official. Often though, students need more than a fictionalized account of events to put their faith in as well as to begin the breakdown of long-held stereotypes of a post September 11th world. With this in mind, the use of "Class Dismissed: Death of an Education" will allow students to visually explore and to collaboratively discuss how our stereotypes and misconceptions can frame our beliefs and values.

Entry Activity In order for students to recognize stereotypes and build skills to see past those stereotypes, this entry lesson will focus on previous knowledge of common stereotypes that most teenagers hold. Pictures of a typical nerd, jock, and cheerleader will be shown. After a discussion of what characteristics are common for each picture displayed, the class will be split into collaborative pairs and tasked with creating a stereotypical depiction of an “American” and of a “Middle Eastern.” In order to differentiate to different styles of learning, students will be given a large piece of butcher paper that they may either list out, or draw, the characteristics of their assigned stereotype. These depictions will be used to stimulate interest and discussion from the students to lead into a larger discussion about misconceptions and misunderstandings of the American media-driven view that Middle Easterners are terrorists. With this increased interest and sensitivity of the topic, we will view "Class Dismissed: Death of an Education" and "A School Girl's Odyssey" in order for students to see an example of life in the Middle East that is different from the American Media View. After viewing, students will return to their depictions and notate changes to their depictions of a Middle Eastern. This will also be revisited at the end of the study of Kite Runner in order to show how the breaking down of stereotypes helps to understand our fellow man.