The Breadwinner

This Inquiry Project was like a journey…..the only thing I knew was my chosen destination (my topic). I did not know how I would arrive there….and what I would discover along the way. The journey had some twists and some bumps, but gaining the information and lessons from The Breadwinner as well as the knowledge of the research process was well worth the challenging journey. My last thoughts about the Inquiry process will be about the topic that one chooses. As a media specialist, I will encourage my students to pick a topic that interests them, that rouses feelings in them or for which they have a personal connection. My personal connection to Parvana’s story does not lie in knowing someone who lived in Afghanistan under the Taliban regime, although I do know men who have provided medical and military aid in this country. I do, however, know someone very well who has fought a similar battle as Parvana—the battle to survive. Our youngest child was diagnosed with a pediatric cancer, Neuroblastoma, when she was two years old. She battled this disease for two years, through chemotherapy, a stem cell transplant, three surgeries, and radiation therapy—all with courage, resolve, and hope. Today she is a happy, healthy twelve year old. Parvana’s battle against the Taliban and my daughter’s battle against cancer represent the battles children face everywhere; their challenges are all different, but their strength and desire to see their future helps them overcome their fears. They inspire those around them, and their attitudes are a testament to their spirit and will to live, even under the direst of circumstances. Life offers no guarantees, but there is much to learn from children who show courage and wisdom beyond their years as they cope with life-threatening situations. Those who study Parvana’s story will learn about Afghanistan, yes, but they will learn a whole lot more. It is my hope, as a media specialist, that I can help my students find Inquiry topics that speak to them as The Breadwinner did to me. I think it is in this way that I can help students “see learning as an adventure” (Rankin 1999) and can bring optimal learning and enrichment to their Inquiry projects.

1. Connection--Middle School
Seventh Grade
Indiana Academic Standards for English/Language Arts
Standard 3: Reading: Literary Response and Analysis
7.3.2 Identify events that advance the plot and determine how each event explains past or present action or foreshadows (provides clues to) future action.

Information Literacy Standards Correlations:
2: The student who is information literate evaluates information critically and competently.
5: The student who is an independent learner is information literate and appreciates literature and other creative expressions of information.
6: The student who is an independent learner is information literate and strives for excellence in information seeking and knowledge generation.

The English teacher could introduce the students to the concept of plot analysis in order to understand a novel’s events due to past happenings, or to foresee future ones. The Breadwinner has several elements that exemplify this literary concept. The media specialist and the English teacher could collaborate to lead a book discussion of The Breadwinner. Plot events of the book that would be discussed include Afghanistan’s past history of war, the Taliban uprising in 1996, the background and education of Parvana’s family, the imprisonment of her father, the past career of her mother, and the invasion of Mazar-e-Sharif. All of these aspects of the plot correlate to events that happen throughout the book. Along with discussion, students could construct a cause and effect diagram with the help of the media specialist and English teacher. The media specialist could also recommend other books to the students to read whose plots are affected by historical or political events, from United States history or from the seventh grade social studies curriculum areas of Asia, Africa and the Southwest Pacific.

2. Connection--High School
Indiana Academic Standards for Social Studies: Sociology
Standard 8: Individual and Community
S.8.5 Examine factors that could lead to the breakdown and disruption of an existing community.

Information Literacy Standards Correlations: Standards 1, 2, 3: The student who is information literate accesses information efficiently and effectively (1), evaluates information critically and competently (2), and uses information accurately and creatively (3).

Connection: The Sociology teacher could use The Breadwinner as a novel that illustrates the dissolution of a society because of sociological factors. This novel, simple to read, would serve all reading levels of high schoolers, but the aspects of society which it addresses are not simple at all: roles of women, men, children, the work force, the family structure, sense of individualism, and the infrastructure necessary for a society to survive. Students could be asked to research one of these areas for more details about what happens to the Afghanistan people under the Taliban regime. The students could compare/contrast what happens to this society with another society which undergoes similar dissolution, such as Nazi Germany. The sociology teacher could introduce these issues and then the media specialist would offer instruction about available sources the students could use for their research. After accessing and evaluating this information, students could then create Venn diagrams or other visual scaffolds to depict the information they find, with the collaborative efforts of the Media Specialist and the Sociology teacher. Creatively, the students could use their research to construct a Power Point presentation or written document to the United Nations, outlining the different areas of society suffering under Taliban rule, in order to encourage humanitarian and economic aid by the UN organization for Afghanistan.

In the past when I have done a research assignment, I just did it—this is the first time I needed to explain the process along the way. By going through this Inquiry Project and being conscious of my steps, I am more prepared to help students learn the Inquiry process as they research. I am more aware of the challenges and pitfalls. I can also provide them with strategies along the way to assist them in their Inquiry projects.

In retrospect, looking back at the 8Ws, I think I could have spent more time in the Watching stage. I had recently read The Breadwinner, and was anxious to begin reading the highly-regarded The Kite Runner (Khaled Hosseini), so these books and the theme of Afghanistan was on my mind. I do love books and am not surprised I gravitated to a book as my topic, but I also could have pursued interests that I have in gardening, antiques, Marco Island, and the pediatric cancer, Neuroblastoma. I am not sorry at all that I chose The Breadwinner as my Inquiry Topic, but I think I could have spent more time gazing around me as I considered Inquiry topics. I am not used to the freedom I was granted in this assignment. This freedom feeds interest in the assignment, but students may have a hard time at first with this independence, including topic choice; they usually receive a topic or question, or at least are given a framework by a teacher with which to work. It is good for them to begin with unlimited choice and to learn to narrow down to an aspect of a topic that can be researched reasonably. In order for them to be successful with this step, however, organizational tools such as Think Tank are essential to help their thinking process. This Wondering stage, when the narrowing of a topic occurs, was difficult for me. I can always see lots I want to include, and I struggle to isolate a topic into a “doable” amount. I think this self-knowledge will make me extra-sensitive to students who may struggle with this phase. Think Tank was a wonderful tool--I will definitely use this type of organizational tool with students.

Wiggling and Weaving were also challenging phases for me. Organizing and blending information into something brand new is quite a challenge, and can be intimidating, especially, perhaps, for novice researchers. It is very exciting, however, to create something brand new. I will utilize note-taking organizers, and graphic organizers to help students with Wiggling and Weaving who think in this way. Guiding Questions helped me stay on track, and I will encourage their use for my students.

Waving was a new concept for me to think about as I planned my product. I had one teacher in high school who instructed me to think about the audience when I wrote my papers, but for the most part, I never thought beyond the eyes of the teacher who would read and grade my paper. Thinking about an Inquiry product as being any creative item is very liberating, and I think opens up the concept of Inquiry for students by providing originality. Knowledge can be reflected in so many ways. I will encourage my students to explore their creative interests as they design their Inquiry product, and also to give careful thought to the best presentation what they have learned.

In the beginning of this project, I mentioned Wiggins and McTighe’s Three Levels of Priority (included in Stripling and Hughes-Hassell) as a valuable yardstick for an Inquiry project. I thought it would be interesting to revisit those questions as the Inquiry project nears completion.

1. Is it a big idea that has value beyond the classroom?
The lessons incorporated in this book: courage, self-identity, family values, survival, loyalty, (among others) can all be called “big ideas” when facing life’s challenges, beyond those of Parvana in Afghanistan.

2. Is the idea at the heart of the discipline?
The Social Studies content standards for seventh grade include Asia, directly linking the setting of this book with that content area. Literary analysis of character, theme, and plot are a part of seventh grade Language Arts standards, and The Breadwinner is rich in possible study points regarding these literary elements. The lessons from this book involving geography, history, political systems, self-esteem, depression, the role of the individual, and the conditions necessary for a healthy society will meet several standards in the Social Studies content area for several grades.

3. Is the idea complex enough that it requires uncoverage?
This book touches on several topics that students could research to learn more: the Taliban regime, refugee camps in Pakistan, land mines, underground groups organized by and for women, societal conditions, interpretation of Islamic law. There is much potential here for research and discussion in order to understand different cultures, beliefs, viewpoints.

4. Will the idea engage students?
The fact that the main character is close in age to the readers of this book will draw students’ interest. Also knowing the events of this book are based on true accounts in a time not long ago adds relevance. Afghanistan and the Taliban are part of our news and our country’s history, too, since September 11, 2001, also adding interest to this book.

I think these are excellent questions to use as a guide when striving to develop Inquiry-based curriculum units.

In comparing myself to young student researchers, I think my experience was similar in several ways. I had difficulty in finding a focus, I worked hard when I evaluated my information, and I was challenged in putting it all together. Although my age and years in school provided more research experience, the fact that every research project is a new experience leveled the playing field in many ways; I know I shared their feelings of uncertainty at various times through the process. I also think I experienced the range of emotions described by Carol Kuhlthau. As I familiarized myself with her description of student emotions, I recognized them from my own experiences as a researcher—in my past and in the present. I think it is important to acknowledge these feelings with students to alleviate their anxiety that they are odd in experiencing these emotions. Journals will certainly be a tool my students use throughout their Inquiry projects for brainstorming, note taking, and as a way to express their feelings about the process. This is an essential tool for the Wishing stage, but optimally beneficial when maintained by students throughout the entire project.

Overall, I am pleased with my product and know that I learned so much about the process of researching. This will benefit my students when I pass these strategies on to them.

The Power Point presentation is my main vehicle of communication to convey the value of the book, The Breadwinner. Additionally, an article in the parent newsletter of the local middle school, written by the media specialist, would help make parents and students aware of this book. The media specialist could also booktalk it amongst Language Arts classes and have a display in the library of Afghanistan and related fiction books. Publicity from the public library, including an article in the local newspaper, would also spread the word about this book.

The following is a link to a list of the sources I used in my Inquiry project.

The Breadwinner—Resources

I decided to create a Power Point presentation in order to promote The Breadwinner to my hometown’s One Book One Town committee. I think this would be an excellent book for young people to read. If the committee would like for the adult choice and young adult choice to share a theme, this would be an excellent companion to Khaled Hosseini’s The Kite Runner, as they both look at the history and culture of Afghanistan in recent years. The Breadwinner, however, also can stand alone as a valuable read for young people as it touches upon several important themes, including survival, hope, courage, and human rights. Although its specific time and place is Afghanistan, young people could benefit from reading about Parvana’s courage to face adversity, as they face their own challenges in life, no matter where and what they are. Please follow the link below to view this Power Point Presentation; I make it available here for others who would like to learn more about this book for use in their communities, schools, or families.

The Breadwinner: The Story of an Afghan Girl

Through this Inquiry, I have learned so much about Afghanistan, the country, and its recent political and historical past. I have also learned much about the human spirit by studying the fictional character, Parvana, whose story is based upon true accounts of childhood bravery in the face of great adversity. This book holds a wealth of information and fodder for discussion--including refugee camps in Pakistan, underground revolutionary groups run by women for women, extremist religious groups, geography of Asia, and the values and culture of different societies. The relevancy of this information is magnified by the direct repercussions our country has faced from the Taliban, since September, 11, 2001. Our troops are still in Afghanistan today, trying to maintain stability and peace so that its people can rebuild their lives, and we often hear of insurgency attacks by the Taliban resulting in harm to our troops. This war against the Taliban’s terror is ours as well as Parvana’s.

Because of the connection our country has to Afghanistan, I think students today will want to hear the message of The Breadwinner, and I think they should. I think it is also important for this book to reach young people since it portrays the reality many children are living today, being based on a true-life account. I have a few ideas how to bring this book to young people.
1. I could present this book to the comunity group of my town to consider for their One Book One Town program. The Breadwinner could be a companion study to The Kite Runner for younger ages so that all ages can learn about Afghanistan life during the Taliban. Families could learn about the challenges of this place and time together. A committee comprised of community leaders, teachers, residents, librarians and young people comprise this community group. They form a candidate list, read the finalists, and then together make their One Book One Town choice. I would introduce this book in a Power Point presentation to promote it as a candidate for the program.
2. Another idea is to present this book for inclusion in the Indiana Reading List for middle grades. The study of Afghanistan fits into several content standards for Social Studies and Language Arts for 7th grade. Its historical value and lessons regarding personal character warrant its inclusion on the middle grade reading list.
3. I could also create a Pathfinder of information that could be used in the Seventh Grade Social Studies class when Asia is studied. Teachers could encourage The Breadwinner to be read as enrichment to this unit, and my Pathfinder of information would be available to students working on assignments or for those interested in obtaining more information about Afghanistan, the Taliban and other aspects of the story, as mentioned above.

I think that Weaving together your research is like putting ingredients into a big bowl, combining them, pouring them into a pan, and then baking them to create a wonderful dessert. It is often a mystery to know exactly what will come out of the oven from all those separate ingredients. So it was with all the pieces of this Inquiry: I was never quite sure what the final synthesis of the information would be. I found that I had information that fit into all my guiding questions, although at times I thought that Questions #2 and #3 could merge, because the political reality of the Taliban became in itself a series of crises. I thought Parvana’s perspective was the one that needed to be told as her reality was that of countless girls and children in Afghanistan at that time, but I do think it is interesting that Deborah Ellis allowed Parvana an opportunity to interact with a Taliban soldier in a way that showed a different, more human side of the soldier. This perspective would be interesting to develop as another angle of Inquiry: the perspective of the Taliban soldier in a time of unrest, religious fervor, and opportunity.

When I asked myself Rankin’s Three Basic Questions about my information, I was able to answer that my information did relate to my topic, it was all up-to-date from current nonfiction books, websites, and articles, and I could easily understand the information I used. I also found it very useful to have my Guiding Questions along the way. I will always use Guiding Questions with my students to help them stay on their research path. Without them, it would be easy to gather interesting but not necessarily pertinent information. Guiding Questions do exactly that: guide the researcher through the Inquiry project. I also think this is the perfect time to teach students to gather bibliographic information for all sources so that they can cite their research sources correctly in the final product. Online citation tools can be taught to them, but I also feel it is important for students to understand the pieces of information necessary to include for the different formats used, where to find them in their sources, and how to correctly assemble them (without a tool’s help) into citation form.

As I synthesized my notes and pieces of information by my guiding questions, I definitely experienced the emotions described By Kuhlthau. I gained confidence in completing my Inquiry and enthusiasm for my topic. I was always interested in studying this novel and Afghanistan, but I began to feel personally connected with Parvana and zealous to present her situation and redeeming qualities of character. She represents so many lessons about life for young people and adults today, no matter where they live or what adversity they face. It became so important to me for her to be known through this Inquiry for all she did and represents. This leads me to begin pondering what audience will want or needs to hear the message of The Breadwinner.

I found information to answer my Guiding Questions #1, #2, and #3. Guiding Question #4 is a more speculative question; I will look at it after synthesizing the information for the other three questions.

Guiding Question #1: Where did this person live?

Guiding Question #2: What things were happening politically in the country in which
this person lived? Did this person fit in with the political climate or was she in opposition to it?

Guiding Question #3: Were there crises happening in the country in which this person
lived? Did these affect this person’s choice of work, interests, or
lifestyle?

Guiding Question #1
1. Parvana lived with her family in Kabul, Afghanistan.
2. Afghanistan is a country with a long history of internal strife between tribal groups. Throughout the centuries many countries have tried to invade this country and as they do so, have attempted to indoctrinate the people of Afghanistan into adopting alien languages, beliefs, and cultures.
3. Afghanistan is a land-locked country between Pakistan, to its east, and Iran, to its west.
Afghanistan’s diverse ethnic groups makes it a culturally rich but also vulnerable to social, political and ethnic strife.
4. The Afghan people are friendly but very proud and will defy any outside group that tries to control them.
5. The capital, Kabul, used to be a beautiful city of gardens, bazaars, mosques and elaborate palaces. It was an important trade city. After years of internal fighting amongst tribes and wars with other countries, Kabul at the time of The Breadwinner (late 1990’s) consisted of much rubble and ruin.
6. The family is considered to be the center of Afghan society.
7. Kabul was a major military base during the occupation of the Soviet Union from 1979-1989.

Guiding Question #2
1. In 1996, a group of “religious scholars” or “Taliban” took over control of the Afghan government, led by Mullah Muhammad Omar. They overcame corrupt warlords who were all vying for control at the time, creating mass lawlessness.
2. The Taliban rose up from the Southern regions of Afghanistan and moved slowly northward to Kabul. They were pronouncing peace and control over long-standing mayhem since the end of the Soviet occupation in 1989. When the Taliban took control of Kabul, they violently killed the acting President, Mohammad Najibullah.
3. The Taliban took control of Kabul and most of Afghanistan from 1996-2001. They became more violent in their occupation as they advanced into the Northern provinces where the people are from different tribes than their own Pashtun tribe. Their regime ruled over two-thirds of Afghanistan during this time.
4. As the Taliban gained control, they imposed strict rules in their interpretation of Islamic law, called “Sharia”. Women could not work and girls could not go to school. Women were required to wear a Burqa, a heavy flowing garment which conceals them from head to toe, only leaving a small vented area for seeing or they were beaten.
5. Men were required to grow beards or they were beaten.
6. Women could be stoned if accused of adultery.
7. Those accused of stealing faced amputations of hands or feet.
8. Women were secluded from public observation.
9. The Taliban destroyed films, videos, tapes and other media and merchandise representing Western culture.
10. The Taliban banned all TVs, computers, movies, music, singing, dancing.
Parvana’s mother and father were both educated from respected families in Kabul. Her father was a history teacher and her mother a writer. Parvana and her brothers and sisters had all attended school until the uprising of the Taliban. Education of girls and women was against the Taliban’s interpretation of Islamic law.
11. Parvana’s family’s belief in the importance of education and work for both men and women was directly in opposition to the Taliban.
12. Parvana’s father was educated in England. This influence and education by the Western World was in opposition to the beliefs of the Taliban; they blamed Western influence for the internal unrest and strife in their country. His arrest and imprisonment was presumably due to his Western education.

Guiding Question #3
1. The violence and warfare caused by the Taliban as they moved northward left deteriorating living conditions. Homes and infrastructure already damaged from the Soviet occupation and subsequent civil unrest were furthered destroyed by Taliban insurgency fighting.
Much of Afghanistan, including Kabul, had no running water, plumbing, or electricity.
The prohibition of women working led to the crumbling of government and business as well as the deterioration of health facilities and care because of a deficiency in nurses and doctors.
Women could not receive medical care from male doctors, and since women could not work, they received no medical care at all. There was no medicine or sanitary conditions. Mortality through childbirth and sickness was rampant.
2. There was no money flowing into the government, therefore no jobs.
3. By removing the culture and entertainment, the Taliban “cut the heart out of the people”. (Stewart, 2005)
4. Parvana’s mother could no longer keep her job as a writer for a radio station. She lost interest in doing any writing at all and in her family. She sunk into depression.
5. Parvana’s father was arrested and imprisoned due to his Western education.
6. Parvana became the “Breadwinner” of the family so they could survive in these conditions. To do this she had to cut her hair and disguise herself as a boy so that she could go outside of their home. Her younger siblings were too young and her older sister was considered a woman, prohibited to leave her home alone.
7. Parvana and her sister, Nooria, could no longer attend school, and she could no longer read her beloved books for fear of being caught by the Taliban. Rather than a student and a young “girl”, she became a “boy” who dug up bones, translated letters, and sold things from a tray to earn money for food.
8. Her lifestyle which included a nice home, education, and regular childhood activities was replaced by one primitive and laden with fear.

Guiding Question #4: Do you think Parvana could have done the same thing in a different time period? Why or Why not?

I can answer this question two different ways. The easy one is to say, no, Parvana would not have done what she did in any other time because this was the only time in which the Taliban ruled in her hometown with such totality. I do know that although there are still isolated attacks by Taliban rebels in Afghanistan today, they are ruling anymore. Girls are returning to school in Kabul and slow progress is being made to improve living conditions and safety for the Afghan people. Circumstances are not as dire as they were when this story took place, and Parvana would probably not be driven to such desperate measures.

The more complex way to view this question, however, is to ponder whether or not Parvana would embody such courage in another time and place, under other conditions of crisis. I think she would. What made her so brave? Were all children her age so brave? That I cannot answer for certain, but I do think that Parvana is a product of her father’s faith in her to be his “brave Malali”, her love for her family, her unwavering hope for the future, and her resolve to “stay alive” –and that all these things would fortify her in another time period. Parvana, and The Breadwinner, is a testimony to the spirit of all children who want to live to see a better tomorrow, no matter where they are or what there challenges may be.

Weavings—Summary

After synthesizing my information in light of my Guiding Questions, I look now at my Essential Question:

How did the era and the time influence Parvana in The Breadwinner?

Parvana lived in a country in crisis under the Taliban regime. Her life was turned upside down by the imposition of the strict interpretation of Islamic law by the Taliban. She never knew the beauty of Kabul when it was a city of culture, trade, and laughter, but the comparative peace she did know when she attended school, played, and shared happy times with her family was destroyed when the Taliban came into power. The arrest of her father, depression of her mother and inability of her siblings to help forced Parvana into the undesired but necessary role of the Breadwinner. The critical conditions and the remembered teachings of her father gave Parvana the courage to become a boy and perform acts of bravery and desperation. Hope to see her father again and to live to see the day beyond the Taliban, (whether that be in Paris with her friend Shauzia or in her home country) allowed her to persevere through very difficult times. All of these conditions were in direct opposition to what she had known all her life, yet she was able to survive and even find rare slivers of happiness. Parvana had no choice about her work, her interests, and her lifestyle during this time—the alternative would have led to starvation for her family. Considering the facts of the conditions in which she lived under Taliban rule gathered through research in addition to evidence from the book that confirm these conditions were in direct opposition to her upbringing and beliefs of her family, Parvana was definitely influenced by the time and era in which she lived. She lost her life as Parvana and became someone else, “Kaseem”, the Breadwinner. However, she was a girl who became much more than a Breadwinner of food: she was a Breadwinner of faith, hope, and courage in a desperate time.

I will use the pages I created when I took notes from my sources. I used four pieces of paper, each with a Guiding Question at the top. I added information as I found it to the appropriate page. Weaving together this information pertaining to my guiding questions (primarily the first three) will help me answer my Essential Question:

How did the era and time influence Parvana in The Breadwinner?

My fourth Guiding Question is an opinion question, to be answered as I reflect on the factual information that answers my first three Guiding Questions. This synthesis of information for a Language Arts inquiry is explained by Stripling and Hughes-Hassell on page 28: “While inquiry might inform and provide background to students’ interpretations, the focus of thinking and the collection of evidence always have to originate and end in the narrative text itself.” I think this is very true for my Inquiry project; the information I have found regarding the time and place of the book’s setting will assist me in studying Parvana’s thoughts and actions to see if they influenced her character in any way.

As I begin to weave things together, I anticipate that I will make some selections of things more useful, perhaps, for another guiding question. I may also find some facts that don’t really work for any of the questions. Recursively, this is wiggling a little more…I think that this “fine-tuning” of information should continue to happen through the Weaving process. I do see the advantages of a Graphic Organizer or concept chart to help students hone in on concepts and not sentences. This definitely will help avoid the major problem of plagiarism and help them see the big picture of their project. In keeping with the idea of remembering different learning styles, however, I know that I am not a visual learner. Lists have always been my best friend. I work much better from lists such as these I have used to accumulate my information. I cross out information after integrating it, I sometimes draw arrows to where something better fits, and I number items to help me sequence the best order for pieces of information. It helps me to see it all out on paper as I begin to weave it into a final form. This preferred form of learning for me can be seen in the example of receiving directions to go somewhere: I would much prefer directions written out for me to follow then to read from a map.

I have been able to discuss The Breadwinner with the library media specialist in the middle school library where I work. She read the book this fall. She is no “expert” about Afghanistan and the Taliban by any means, but shares a love of literature that allows us to ponder certain scenes and conversations in the book and draw conclusions about Parvana based on these happenings as well as her actions. Just today we were talking about the reality for women during the Taliban control as that of being prisoners in their own homes if they have no husband or male figure to escort them in public. We drew the similarity of this to the lives of secrecy and hiding of the Jews in Nazi Germany, a study with which we have been helping the 7th grade recently in Social Studies and Language Arts. Having someone else to talk to about the book helps me think about the information that I have found and how it relates to the evidence from the story. I feel that I have data to reinforce the actions and thoughts of Parvana, but I see how useful it is to communicate your thoughts about your Inquiry with someone familiar with your topic and share information and viewpoints. It further enhances your thinking about the topic. As a media specialist, I will encourage my students to find someone familiar with their topic or willing to be a "sympathetic listener" so that the researchers have this opportunity to think out loud about their information and Inquiry focus. In this way, the researcher helps achieve Information Literacy Standard #6: The student who is an independent learner is information literate and strives for excellence in information seeking and knowledge generation. I think that up to this point, the researcher has been implementing ILS Standards 1 & 2: Accessing Information efficiently and effectively and Evaluating Information critically and competently.
The Weaving Stage brings into play the ILS 3: Using information accurately and creatively.

I have a lot of information about Afghanistan, the city of Kabul, and the Taliban. For example:

Kabul is located on the Kabul River.
Kabul University was founded in 1932.
Afghanistan is about the size of Texas.
The leader of the Taliban at the time of its uprising was Mullah Muhammad Omer.

These are all interesting things to know, but I do not think these facts fit into any of my Guiding Questions, so I will not use these pieces of information as I begin to weave my findings together.

I have been able to find information, however, which substantiates Deborah Ellis’s account of the hardships faced by Parvana and her family. For example:

1. There are refugee camps in Pakistan where women risk their lives by providing shelter and school for children who have fled from the Taliban. RAWA (Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan) is one such group that organizes these refugee camps in Pakistan.

2. Land mines are a serious threat to children, like Parvana’s brother, Hossain, who died from one. They are brightly colored, left by the Russians, and designed to be appealing to children. Although they are not designed to kill, they seriously injure those who touch or walk on one, and can be fatal if tripped by a small child.

3. Secret schools around Kabul were held by women who desperately wanted to continue the education of girls during the Taliban regime. These schools would meet in small groups and on irregular schedules so as to not be detected. They risked their lives doing this.

I know that students do not always evaluate as they go along, so it will be important for me as a media specialist to introduce evaluation tools to help them sort through the different kinds of information they discover. As part of the information gathered for this Inquiry, researching The Breadwinner has led to various websites and photographs. I think it is also important to note that this Inquiry involves research regarding a country very different from ours, with different languages and a different culture. With these characteristics in mind, students could benefit from several different Reception scaffolds for this particular Inquiry.

Process Guide: Viewing a Photograph
http://projects.edtech.sandi.net/staffdev/tpss99/processguides/photographs.html
This scaffold provides excellent guidelines to follow when extracting information from a photograph. The gallery of photographs I discovered at:
http://nationalgeographic.com/photography/uimonen
would definitely benefit from such a scaffolding exercise. I think students would gain glean optimal information from such an information source when prompted by these questions and details to analyze.

Glossary of Terms
A glossary of terms specific to the Afghanistan language or culture would be helpful for students to develop as they research this topic. They could refer to this glossary if they forget the meaning of something during their research. A glossary is included in the back of The Breadwinner, but a working one that students have in their research folder would be very useful. The media specialist could provide this glossary at the onset of research if many students are researching The Breadwinner.


Checklist for Website Evaluation
Quick: Quick Information Checklist Internet Evaluation
http://www.quick.org.uk/menu.htm
Whenever students discover relevant websites, they must have some tool to use to evaluate the websites for reliability, accurateness, and currency of information. I will introduce students to a checklist like this. It is easy for students to read with friendly icons and a question format.

Reading Guide
http://www.readwritethink.org/lesson_images/lesson19/RWTa11-2.pdf
A Reading Guide would also be useful for students working on this Inquiry project since it involves analysis of a novel. The website linked above is an example of one that would prompt students with questions to think about as they read. A guide like this that helps students identify theme, qualities of the main characters, symbolism, and vocabulary would enhance the study of the novel, The Breadwinner, as it would any novel being studied.

As I gather information from various sources, my main evaluation criteria will be whether or not each piece of information will answer any of my guiding questions or my Essential Question.

My Guiding Questions are:
Where did this person live? (details about Kabul and/or Afghanistan)

What things were happening politically in the country in which this person lived? Did this person fit in with the political climate or was she in opposition to it?

Were there crises happening in the country in which the person lived? Did these affect this person’s choice of work, interests or lifestyle?

Do you think this person could have done the same things in a different time period? Why or why not?


My Essential Question is:
How did the era and the time influence Parvana in The Breadwinner?

I will not keep material that does not answer any of these questions.

I also will use Virginia Rankin’s Three Basic Questions for Judging Usefulness of Sources, as listed in her book, The Thoughtful Researcher.

1. Does this resource relate to my topic and questions?
2. Is my information up-to-date?
3. Can I read this information?

I think these questions would be excellent for students to remember as they evaluate information. They are straight forward, easy questions for them to understand and apply to any information they are considering in their research projects. Rankin also recommends considering the perspective of the information source. I will stress the importance of this to students, as it will help them assess the validity of what they are reading, and whether or not the information is being influenced by the author’s position on the subject or their point-of-view. For me, perspective from eyewitness or personal accounts may shed clues on Parvana's thoughts and actions. On the other hand, information regarding Afghanistan and the Taliban needs to be as factual and impersonal, as possible.

I think that it is hard for me to separate the Webbing, Wiggling, and Weaving stages in the research process. As I have read about Wiggling, I think that I was actually doing some of that as I traveled through the Webbing stage. As I located information, I unconsciously did a preliminary evaluation of each piece to decide if it would be useful or not. I skimmed through everything, and I kept my guiding questions in front of me: these were other forms of Wiggling. By keeping my guiding questions nearby physically, I kept them near me mentally as well. They guided and helped me evaluate as I gathered information.

I also know from experience that when I research, I write down anything that I think remotely might pertain to my topic, knowing that later I can go through and siphon out what doesn’t quite fit. Often, as I continue researching, the focus of a project becomes clearer. Material that at the beginning of the research process seemed pertinent sometimes seems less so as the focus shifts or crystallizes. When this happens, I still need to go through another phase of evaluation. I think evaluation of data occurs from the very beginning of the Webbing stage all the way through the Weaving stage, as I (or any researcher) works with the data found, gets to “know” it, and becomes more comfortable with the Inquiry topic. This is another plus for the recursive personality of research. I think it is interesting that although students usually don’t look at recursiveness as a good thing (often they just want to get done), I see it as liberating, allowing for freedom and flexibility to revise and adjust as the Inquiry project goes along. I think it must be a goal of a media specialist to try to change this mindset of students about recursiveness…I think it would make the research process less “scary” for students.

I remember working on my first big research paper….my topic was “education for gifted students”, but I don’t remember my grade…probably sixth or seventh grade. I was taught to keep track of my information on index cards—one card for every separate thought. I also had an outline that I created for my topic. In the top corner of the index card I was to write the outline section where this information would fit. If it didn’t fit into any of the sections of my outline, then I was not supposed to make a card for it. I organized my cards by outline section. When I was done researching, I laid out my cards for each section and organized them into the order I wanted to write my paper. I also had one main card of bibliographic information for each source used. All my index cards with information on them also had the last name and page number of its source, so I knew who to cite for each piece of information when I wrote my paper. This method did keep my information organized, but it is interesting to reflect on how bound I was to the outline. There was no accommodation for “Wiggling” in this method….I am glad to learn of this phase for students to use for Inquiry topic revising or data manipulation. I also notice when thinking about this research experience, that I was organizing the information but not necessarily evaluating it very well.

I am a mix of feelings as I finish the Webbing stage. I am excited about all the information I have found, but I am also a little nervous to begin the evaluation (Wiggling) stage. I think I have the information to begin answering my Guiding questions and ultimately my Essential Question, but I won’t know until I actually start using it, evaluating it, plugging it in to the “holes” (my questions). I am glad to know, according to many of the research models, that good research is not linear, but recursive; I can go back and add information if I need to, I can revise my questions if necessary, or delete one if I have no information that applies to it. Knowing this makes the process not seem so nerve-wrackingly rigid. My last guiding question: “Do you think this person could have done the same things in a different time period? Why or why not?” I know will not be answered directly from my research, but will be determined by the knowledge I gain from researching the other questions and then studying Parvana’s character in the book. I am hopeful that this inquiry about The Breadwinner not only provides lessons about Afghanistan, its political history and issues regarding human rights, but also provides lessons regarding a person’s spirit and ability to cope in very difficult times.

Research is like digging for treasure. It is hard work, but motivation comes from hoping that the next shovel-ful will unearth a special “gem” of information, and you want to keep digging with the hope of finding lots of “gems”.

I planned a two-prong approach to my research: finding information about the living and political conditions of Afghanistan, particularly Kabul, during the time The Breadwinner occurs (approximately 1996-2000); and finding personal accounts from people there during this time. I found non-fiction books at the local public library and in our middle school’s media center through their online catalogs which provided information about Afghanistan under Taliban rule. I hope that the information about the Taliban will help me answer Guiding Question # 2: “What things were happening politically in the country in which this person lived? Did this person fit in with the political climate or was she in opposition to it?” I hope to also use this information to better evaluate the thoughts and actions of Parvana.

I was also able to locate more personal information through Internet and database research. This includes personal accounts of the author, which helps shed light on her characters as she shares her motivations for writing the book. The personal research also includes testimonies of women who have written about their childhoods in Afghanistan during this time period or of journalists who relate their personal experiences with residents of Afghanistan while covering the rise of the Taliban regime. I feel like many of these resources help me “hear the voices” behind the facts in the non-fiction books. I can see the value of having both primary and secondary sources. As a media specialist, I will make sure my students understand the importance of considering both types of sources for their inquiry topics. Finding the photographs depicting this time illustrates to me the value of different formats of information. These images speak volumes about this time, even without their compelling captions. They definitely enrich the whole inquiry process, and I think are drawing me emotionally into my inquiry even more.

I began Webbing with the following terms:

Afghanistan
Taliban
Deborah Ellis
Pakistan
Kabul
Bone-digging
Burqas
The Breadwinner (research the book itself—any literary analysis?)
Women in Afghanistan
Children in Afghanistan
Education in Afghanistan


“Bone-digging” did not produce any information. The other terms provided pertinent information from the different resources I tried, but also brought material that I did not need, creating the need for Wiggling. I thought often of students’ researching capabilities as I researched, and how important it is for them to determine search terms that are specific to their topic, but not so specific that they do not acquire any information. I agree with Dr. Callison when he points out in his book, Key Words, Concepts and Methods for Information Age Instruction, that search strategy instruction must include not only developing search skills to locate potential sources of information, but emphasizing the “strategies for understanding information and how to use what is extracted in a meaningful and constructive way.”

I also think maintaining organization over material as it is gathered is critical for researchers in this Webbing stage. I know that organization is one of my strengths (often the case for librarians!), but not the case for many researchers. I will definitely teach organization strategies with my researchers. I think that Virginia Rankin’s handouts in her book, The Thoughtful Researcher, which help students organize their research questions and think about their options for researching, would be very useful. She also provides trouble-shooting checklists for students to use when they are either finding their search terms too broad or not broad enough. I think students also need to keep focused on their guiding questions as they research, so they do not become bogged down as they gather information. I found in many of the non-fiction books I used that there were references in their bibliographies to related websites. This is a helpful tip to tell students, but it would also be important to advise them that these links may no longer be “live” (as I found out). Reminding them of possible variant spellings of search terms is another strategy which may help students succeed in their research. Anything that a media specialist can do to help students be successful in this Webbing step will diminish their potential feelings (according to Kuhlthau) of confusion and uncertainty. They are right on the cusp of that turning point as they "dig" and begin to evaluate their information—it is important they remain interested in their inquiry and confident in their ability to complete the process.

Journal articles that discuss my inquiry topic have not been easy to find. I searched the EBSCO's periodical database, INSPIRE, visiting the Academic Journal area, the Newspaper index, and the General Interest magazines. I used search terms: “Afghanistan”, “children”, “Taliban” along with new terms, “hope” and “courage”, in an effort to eliminate articles focusing on other military issues involving the fighting in Afghanistan against the Taliban that mention children. Although I could find articles that discuss the extreme living conditions maintained during Taliban rule, I could not locate any articles that discussed girls disguising themselves as boys as a means of survival under the Taliban. I did find an article entitled, “The Day my Life Changed: An Afghan Girl’s story of Tragedy and Triumph” that introduces the story of Farah Ansary, an Afghan girl who became crippled at the age of seven when she walked over a land mine….profiling one of the concerns Ellis confronts in The Breadwinner. I also found an article published February 2, 2006 in the Christian Science Monitor that reports the recent torching of a girls’ school in Kandahar, illustrating that education and civil rights for girls is still not a certainty in much of Afghanistan, even after the toppling of the Taliban regime by U.S. and ally forces in 2001. I also found a story, entitled, “Making kids’ struggles come alive”, covering a school visit by Deborah Ellis where she discusses her motivation in writing The Breadwinner. All of these articles do look at the harsh conditions present during and since the Taliban’s reign. I was not overly surprised at the lack of abundant articles found--children who participated in survival tactics like Parvana may have amazing stories to tell but the fact that they are children and illiterate will preclude their stories from being known. I also know that the discernment of Parvana’s character comes from studying the facts of her background in light of her actions in the book. These articles do, I think, show the resolve of young people to survive in the difficult conditions of Afghanistan, information pertinent to my Essential Question.

The following websites provide information about the author of The Breadwinner, Deborah Ellis, or about Afghanistan under the Taliban regime, the setting of Ellis’s book. Some of these websites provide factual information while others share personal accounts from journalists of their experiences in Afghanistan.

Click on The Breadwinner Internet Sites to see these websites.

I used Google and Yahooligans to research Deborah Ellis. In addition to learning about her personal and educational background, I discovered new information that I can use as I research my Inquiry project. She was spending time in Pakistan refugee camps, where many women and children evacuated to escape the Taliban regime, when she met a woman whose daughter was still in Kabul, under the guise of a boy, earning money in the market for her family. At this time, Ellis was actually researching for a different book which has since been published, entitled Women of the Afghan War. This true-life tale led to Ellis’s writing of The Breadwinner, so it is a fictional book based on true happenings. I also learned that all the proceeds from sales of The Breadwinner go to support a group, called Women for Women in Afghanistan, that is dedicated to educating Afghan girls in Pakistan refugee camps. She has also written two sequels to The Breadwinner: one called Parvana’s Journey and the other Mud City. Now I can also work with “Pakistan refugee camps” as a descriptor, and explore this advocacy group and others that support women and children victims of the Taliban to help me deduce the impact of this time on Parvana’s character.

I am keeping those index cards in front of me as I explore, so that I do not lose sight of my guiding questions. I think it might be helpful for students to have separate sheets for their different sources as they find information (e.g. encyclopedias, online databases, Internet, books, periodicals, personal interviews), to help them organize what information came from where—and then so they can know which citation form applies to the information. This thought has occurred to me as I accumulate more information. I am also trying to decide if students should organize their information by their questions, or by source. Maybe this is something they can choose depending on their preference—but some form of organization needs to occur in this Webbing stage. Without it, students might easily feel overwhelmed or lose their focus as they journey through their research. According to Kuhlthau, uncertainty, doubt, or confusion can set in during this stage; I think retaining focus of the guiding questions and clear organization would help minimize these feelings. As I dig deeper, I think I could be experiencing some of those feelings, if I wasn't organizing my findings and maintaining focus on my questions.

I have found several books about Afghanistan at the call # 958.104. I also found a book entitled, Life under the Taliban (Stewart, 2005), which provided much detail about the development of this political/religious group and their beliefs as well as the practices under their regime.

When I searched the catalog at our local public library (using “Taliban” as my search term), I found a reference to a book that sounds potentially useful:

Behind the burqa: Our life in Afghanistan and how we escaped to freedom (Yasgur, 2002) 958.104 YAS

I also discovered books in the public library regarding women and human rights at the call number 305.486.

These two sources seem like they would serve both my research needs: factual information about life under this regime as well as personal accounts that will help me study Parvana’s thoughts and actions in The Breadwinner as I read about other children and women coping in this time and place.

Although I started with each guiding question on an index card, as I have found information that pertained to them, I have begun to take notes on paper: a separate page holding information for each guiding question. I have always been one to learn from note-taking; writing things down helps me internalize the information. Seeing the facts written in their appropriate section helps me feel organized. On each page, I then keep track of the source I am using and what information it offered. Being from that “older generation” of students, I am very comfortable with note-taking on paper, using red pen and highlighting to note what is important for each question.

Sources about Afghanistan at the public library are available in the Children’s department and in the Adult department, providing information for a variety of reading levels (and a variety of middle school learners). I am hoping to find references to audio visual materials in my search, as they serve certain learning styles as well as content enrichment. I am pleased with the amount and currency of information that I have found so far, and I have yet to search on the Internet. I have discovered that "Taliban" can also be spelled “Taleban”. I would make sure that my students are aware of the possibility of variant spellings and other such details (though they don’t always happen) as they begin to plan search terms and strategies for their research. Knowledge of details like this will help them be successful in their search for information, the main goal in this Webbing stage and one way to avoid frustration.

So far I have been able to find solid background information about Afghanistan and conditions in this country under the Taliban regime. I did go to the media center home page of my daughter’s middle school as my “starting point” (I can see the usefulness of having such a point of origin for students to begin their research projects), and found that there were several promising places to begin my research. I decided to first search an online encyclopedia; Grolier Online. I chose the Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia and typed in “Afghanistan”. Several listings resulted, including “Afghan Hounds” which was not useful. The first entry provided a broad background of Afghanistan, and this entry proved to be the most beneficial. It provided links to an article about the Taliban, which also provided information. After searching Grolier, I searched the website for National Geographic, choosing the History & Culture section to search. Using the term “Afghanistan”, I found articles that gave comprehensive information about the country and its people. I also found articles that discussed historical perspectives from National Geographic journalists and photographers as they looked at life over the last few decades in Afghanistan. Information from this source included a photo gallery from photojournalist Ilkka Uimonen, who documented, through photographs, the fall of Kabul under Taliban rule in the fall of 1996: these photographs and accompanying narration were riveting. This visual source of information reinforced its importance as another form of information retrieval.

Using basic terms such as “Afghanistan” and “Taliban” has thus far provided pertinent information as I try to answer my guiding questions regarding the political situation when The Breadwinner took place, whether there was a “crisis” happening at the time, and details about the city, Kabul. I am going to continue my strategy in finding background information as well as personal accounts, if possible. In addition to the information about Kabul, Afghanistan, and the Taliban, I am also trying to find information about the children living under these conditions.

I think I need to find two kinds of information in order to answer my Essential Question:

How did the era and the time influence Parvana in The Breadwinner?

I will need to find information about Afghanistan at the time this story takes place. I know that the setting is Kabul, Afghanistan and it is sometime after the Taliban regime has taken control of the government, which was in 1996—so I am looking for information that discusses the political and social conditions of this time period. If I can find any references to how these conditions impacted children or families, that would be ideal. I think it would also be helpful to find information about the author of this book, Deborah Ellis. Biographical information about her might lend insights into the time and place; this information provided by Ellis herself from background work she did for the novel, may relate to my Essential Question.

I think I must also study this book to gain information about how these conditions defined Parvana's thoughts, actions and personality. As this is a novel, I can know nothing for sure, but based on the facts I find about life in Afghanistan at this time, I can make inferences as to how they influenced Parvana in The Breadwinner. I think it would be amazing if I could find any memoirs or accounts from girls (or women who were girls 10 years ago, roughly the setting of this book), documenting their feelings and observations of this time. These primary documents would be invaluable as I study Parvana’s character, and amazing to read. I also think it would fascinating and a great enrichment to my research if I could find an eyewitness or “expert” to talk to—someone with personal knowledge or experience of this time in Afghanistan.

As I begin my research, I will keep my four guiding questions on index cards before me, easy to see:

1. Where did this person live? (I know that I have this information, but I want more details about the conditions of Kabul at this time.)

2. What things were happening politically in the country in which this person lived? Did this person fit in with the political climate or was she in opposition to it?

3. Were there crises happening in the country in which the person lived? Did these affect this person’s choice of work, interests or lifestyle?

4. Do you think this person could have done the same things in a different time period? Why or why not?

Secondary and any primary sources that I find will help me answer the first three guiding questions—at least the first question of #2 and #3. The second parts of those questions, as well as question #4, will need my deductions from research gained in light of evidence from the story.

Descriptors/Keywords that I will use as I begin my searching:

Afghanistan
Taliban
Deborah Ellis
Pakistan
Kabul
Bone-digging
Burqas
The Breadwinner (research the book itself—any literary analysis?)
Women in Afghanistan
Children in Afghanistan
Education in Afghanistan

Who am I searching? Girls in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan; Parvana
What? Effects of Afghanistan under Taliban regime on actions, thoughts of girls
When? Est. 1996-2000
Where? Kabul, Afghanistan
Why? To see the effects of surroundings and challenges on human spirit and purpose
How? How do our surroundings influence our thoughts, personalities, spirits? How does
Parvana become the girl she is?

My daughter is a student at a nearby middle school. I am going to begin my research at the home page of their Media Center, where I would recommend middle school students begin the majority of their inquiry projects. Links to the online catalog and the local public library are there, as well as links to online databases, encyclopedias and search engines. In addition, I may find Visuals that enhance written information I find. I anticipate that most of my information will come from print sources or these virtual sources, mentioned as significant over mere Internet searching in Fitzgerald and Galloway’s article, “Helping students use virtual libraries effectively” (Teacher Librarian, Oct. 2002) and perhaps an interview. We will see where I fare best in terms of my research.

I have a big task in front of me. I can imagine how students feel…Webbing means a lot of questions with no answers yet. A large mountain to climb. I feel like I am about to undertake an exploration--not sure what I am going to find, but excited to see. I know that this feeling of “lots to do...what’s in store?” can be overwhelming for students. As a media specialist, I would help them organize their possibilities of sources and start with search strategies such as key words, questions, keeping flexibility in mind, so that they stay calm and focused as they begin their research. I am not experiencing intense “confusion, doubt, uncertainty”, as mentioned by Kuhlthau, but I will feel better once I have dug into the research and made some progress….kind of like being the “breadwinner” of information. I am ready to begin.