Lives Interrupted

1. Set Focus
Pose this essential question to guide discussion: In what ways does a nation suffer when women are shut out?

2. List Vocabulary
Share with students some of the challenging vocabulary words in this article (see below). Encourage them to use context to infer meanings as they read.

• militant (p. 14)
• enshrine (p. 15)
• provisions (p. 15)
• prohibited (p. 16)
• regime (p. 16)
• retribution (p. 17)

3. Engage
Have students discuss what they think the article will be about based on its title and the photos on pages 14 and 15. Ask: What do you know about the Taliban? Revisit this discussion after the lesson, having students confirm whether their predictions were correct and sharing any new insights.

4. Read 
Have students read the article, marking the text to note key ideas or questions.

5. Discuss
Distribute or project Up Close: Lives Interrupted, a close-reading activity for students to work on in small groups. (Note: The questions on the PDF also appear on the following page of this lesson, with possible responses.) Follow up with a class discussion. If you’re short on time, have each group tackle one or two of the questions. Collect students’ work or have each group report its findings to the class.

• What main points does the article make about women’s lives under Taliban rule? (Summarize, central ideas) (The article makes the point that because Afghanistan has fallen back under the control of the Taliban, the quality of women’s lives has deteriorated greatly. Although women are finding some ways to push back, there is little hope on the horizon that things will improve.)

• According to the article, how has life for women in Afghanistan degraded since the U.S. left and the Taliban retook the country? (Compare & contrast, key details) (When the U.S. occupied the country, the government built health facilities and enshrined women’s rights in the constitution, protecting them against violence and requiring that women account for half of all presidential appointments. More women went to school and were allowed to work. When the Taliban regained control, its leaders banned women from most professions and from going to school, and have barred them from traveling without a male relative.)

• According to the section “Humanitarian Crisis,” how have the Taliban’s policies worsened the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan? (Problem & solution, cause & effect) (According to the article, the country cannot rebuild after the war because the Taliban’s return prompted foreign investors to take their money out of Afghanistan. This caused the economy to collapse, which then led to a humanitarian crisis. Furthermore, the Taliban’s policies have worsened the crisis because, by refusing to allow women to work with international aid groups, those groups are unable to reach women and their families in order to provide needed aid.)

• How does the information in the “The Doha Agreement” text box contribute to the main article? (Integrate multiple sources) (“The Doha Agreement” introduces the idea that conditions for women in Afghanistan are bad in part because the U.S. government did not explicitly ensure that women’s rights be protected while negotiating the Doha Agreement. However, the text also notes that the U.S. is pressuring the Taliban and has levied sanctions against the organization. This section adds to the main article by introducing the idea that the U.S. holds some responsibility for women’s lack of rights, and also reinforces the idea that the U.S. has held “firm lines” on women’s rights.) 

• In the section “Women Push Back,” how does the author support the claim that the reversal of rights may have been the hardest for younger women? (Claims & evidence, text structure)(The author notes that girls born during the time when Afghanistan offered opportunities are trying hard to continue their schooling by attending underground schools and online classes, or by being tutored by friends who live abroad. Other women and girls risk punishment by protesting.) 

• The article is titled “Lives Interrupted.” What does the author imply through the use of the word interrupted? How might the message conveyed by the title change if it were “Lives Transformed”? (Word meaning, make inferences) (Students’ responses will vary, but they should note that the word interrupted implies a potentially temporary pause and possibly conveys a more hopeful tone. On the other hand, transformed implies permanent change.)

6. Writing Prompt
In 2020, when announcing the Doha Agreement, President Donald Trump said, “If bad things happen, we’ll go back.” Now that he is back in office, do you think that the U.S. will re-invade Afghanistan? Why or why not?

7. Video
Watch the video about Afghan girls online studies. What does it add to your understanding?

8. Classroom Debate
Should the U.S. do more to compel the Taliban to restore rights for women in Afghanistan?

9. Quiz & Skills
Use the quiz to assess comprehension and the Analyze the Photo and Analyze the Graphs skill sheets to practice visual and data analysis.