Pre-reading Activities:

*Before you walk through the window of The Breadwinner by Deborah Ellis, get your mind working.

• First, do you know what a breadwinner is? Usually a family has at least one breadwinner. Take a guess first and then check your answer by looking it up in the dictionary.

• Next, read the back cover and learn little about the story. Look at the book cover and guess what you think the story may be about and who the characters may be. It is not important to be right, but guessing focuses your reading and you will better comprehend the story.

• Get your bearings. Learn about the setting, the time and place of the story. Turn to the two maps in the front of the book or the one in this study guide and answer these questions:

o On what continent is Afghanistan?

o What countries surround it?

o What are the 4 largest cities?

• Turn to page 167 and read the Author’s Note, which ends on page 168.

• What is the geography of the area? What people have fought against the Afghans for the past 20 or so years? What changes happened in Kabul when the Taliban militia took over in 1996?

• In the fall of 2001, the Taliban were driven from most of Afghanistan. Have women’s rights changed from 2001?

To whom is the book dedicated? What might this dedication have to do with the main idea of the story?

• Turn to pages 169-170, a glossary of important Afghani words/terms. Make sure you understand the difference between a burqa and a chador. Which is more restrictive?

During Reading Activities:

• Now turn to chapter one, page 7 and start reading. Use a note card or post-it as a book marker and write down questions and vocabulary which seem confusing. Always ask questions as you read. This will help to focus your reading. The questions listed below for each chapter are meant to guide you through your reading. Some are intended to check your understanding of the story. Others are meant to give you and your reading partner something to think about and to discuss together.