People who Inspire: Shabana Basij-Rasikh

There are countless people in the world who risk their lives to improve the lives of people in their communities. One such person is Shabana Basij-Rasikh who opened a school for girls in her village in Afghanistan. We are going to watch a video of her giving a speech at a TED conference.

Dare to Educate Afghan Girls

http://www.ted.com/talks/shabana_basij_rasikh_dare_to_educate_afghan_girls.html


As we watch the video, take notes in your notebook; make three columns in this way:

What I notice:                               What I think:                                  What I want to know more about?




After the video, write for 10-15 minutes about something the video inspires in you.

Here are some ideas:
- choose 1 or more genres to write in: list, web, poem, story, illustration, article, personal narrative, etc. or create a synthesis page
- choose a topic - write about Shabana or another person who makes a difference in society; write about one of the social issues raised: access to education, developing nations, war, immigration, Afghanistan, the Taliban; connect the video to other texts that you have seen or read

Other related videos and resources:
- http://www.ted.com/talks/natalie_warne_being_young_and_making_an_impact.html

Being Inspired by Other Students

Let other students' Monday Muses blog posts inspire you to write.

1. Whose blog posts inspired you most? Why?
2. What are some ideas you have for writing?
3. Based on the inspiration you have received from student blogs, choose your own topic, and write a Monday Muses entry in your notebook.

Some Writing Prompts to Keep the Muses Alive

We were unable to do our weekly Muses this week, and next Monday, we are off for Veterans' Day. I know we all miss this writing time, so here are 2 prompts to write about in your notebook by Friday November 15. Choose 1 to revise and turn into a polished piece and publish it on your blog by Monday November 18.

1. What is your favorite picture book? Why? What are your specific memories of it? Why is it relevant to your life today? If you cannot think of a specific book, write about a children's movie. Or write about both.



2. Write about something that you recently saw, did, thought or talked about, listened to, or watched that inspired you. It could be a fun activity that you did over the weekend, a sports game you participated in, movie you watched. Describe it.


Here is my example:

Growing up, my parents didn't read to me. They bought me books from Troll Catalogue quite frequently and encouraged me to read. My familiarity and love of picture books didn't come until I became a parent for the first time six years ago. Since then, I have become an avid reader of all the classics and newly published children's books; I use my children as an excuse to read these books.

Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak is a text we have read and recited numerous times in my house. It is a favorite, so much so that on Halloween in 2008, our family costumes focused on the characters from this book. My husband and I were the Wild Things and my daughter was Max in a wolf suit, a costume I made by stitching ears and a tail to an off white hooded sweatshirt and pants.

The themes in the text are so relevant to childhood. Max reminds me now of my three-year old son who is often causing mischief and having tantrums and time-outs. The book helps me appreciate when he gets all wild, and comforts me by reminding me that his period of kicking, crying, yelling, throwing and saying, "I don't like Mommy" will ebb into the horizon until a new tide flows in.

Sendak's illustrations tell the story just as well as the words do. I love the series of wordless pages of Max and the Wild Things and their wild rumpus through the forest. I like to stop at these pages and ask the kids what they see, what they think the characters are doing, and whether or not they would like to be where Max is.

The end of the book is also a wonderful transition to sleep. Max returns to his room safely, tired from his journey, and he has his supper waiting for him, "and it was still hot." It is this feeling that I wish for my children at the end of the day, an appreciation for home after sailing and stomping through the forests of childhood.