Teaching Half the Sky

About four years ago, I read a book that changed my life: Half the Sky. It came to me on a whim - I was trying to join a book club my friend was in, and this was the book they were reading. On the surface, it seemed like a dry read - nonfiction, international issues. But once I started reading, I was hooked. The book is about the oppression of women in countries around the world, but focused mostly in Asia and Africa. The book is alternates between statistics and personal stories of these women.

 With every page, I kept thinking, Why aren't these things on the news every single night?! It truly changed my views on the world and got me more involved in international women's issues. Others must have felt the same way because it has spawned a movement , a game, a documentary, and a follow-up book this fall. I heard the authors speak at Kent State University last fall, which solidified my adoration for them. Nicholas Kristof is a writer for the New York Times and writes often on issues effecting disadvantaged people, both in America and abroad. I follow his posts on Facebook and Twitter, which give me my daily dose of activism inspiration. 

Since reading, I really wanted to teach this book. In my previous school district, there was little to no budget for new books. I contacted Kristof's agent and tried to score a classroom discount, but it wasn't happening. When I moved to my current school district, I was thrilled to be teaching in an international school. We're a member of the International Studies Schools Network. (I'll be presenting at our annual conference in NYC on Thursday!). I requested classroom copies of Half the Sky, and they said yes! Easy as that! I've taught this book for the past 2 years and have had great experiences each time. 

The goal with this book is more than to inform - it's to inspire. Inspired people are the ones who want to change the world, who look for more opportunities, who want to be the activists. I believe that anyone can be inspired; you just have to present them with the right stories. As we found in class, human stories are what inspire people to act. I could throw a million statistics at you - like more women have been killed in the past 50 years than all the men killed in all the wars of the 20th century - but does that inspire you to act? You feel sad, I'm sure, but it's not exactly inspirational. The book is full of inspiring stories AND ways to act to create change. The reader leaves the book feeling empowered, and my students did as well. 

I wanted my students to be informed, inspired and engaged in these stories. One activity I had them do was an experiential learning activity - Live Below the Line. This is an organized international movement, but in my classes, we created our own version. Students had to "live below the line" (poverty line) for 5 days by eating on less than $2/day. Students bought food for the week beforehand and journaled during the week. At the end, they turned in receipts, food pictures, and their journals to me. They also presented their experience to the class. 

This was probably the coolest assignment we did all year. Students reported how much it changed their lives - they had more sympathy for people in poverty after truly walking in their shoes. Some even brought their families on board to live below the line together. One mom told me that she blogged about it on her Facebook page. This took learning past understanding and comprehending, but truly experiencing life like the people they read about in the book. 

Here are some other resources I used with teaching the book:

Discussion Guide

Educator's Guide - such an AMAZING resource! Lesson plans, video clips, extension activities. 

Documentary - I bought my own copy and used it a lot in class to supplement the reading. Seeing the lives of people in these countries really brought it alive for my students.