ELA  /  5th Grade  /  Unit 2: Exploring Human Rights: The Breadwinner

Exploring Human Rights: The Breadwinner

Students explore how family relationships, community, and lived experience shape identity and decision-making as people respond to oppressive rules through texts set in Afghanistan and Pakistan, including The Breadwinner and I Am Malala.

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ELA

Unit 2

5th Grade

Unit Summary

Please Note: In July 2026, this unit received additional revisions to create a more balanced, culturally responsive approach to the unit texts and topics. The revisions focus intentionally on centering agency, joy, and lived experience rather than primarily framing the content through oppression or violence. 

This unit is now 36 instructional days (previously 39 days). A summary of other changes are available in the High-Level Summary of 2026 Enhancements (G5, U2). Teachers should pay close attention as they intellectually prepare to account for the updates.

In this unit, students explore how the oppressive rules of the Taliban impacted daily life through the eyes of multiple young women. In the core text, the historical fiction novel The Breadwinner, students read about how the rise of the Taliban in Afghanistan drastically altered Parvana and her family's life. Students explore how oppressive rules and systems of power shaped daily life in Afghanistan, and how individuals and families responded through resilience, resistance, and care for one another. Additionally, students realize that a positive attitude, dedication to family, and drive to be self-reliant can help people survive, and thrive, in the worst of situations. 

In the second part of the unit, students read about the experiences of real children living in Afghanistan after the Taliban left. Through those experiences, students explore how education and women's rights are still restricted in Afghanistan and grapple with what it will take to create a society where women have access to the same basic freedoms as men. In the last part of the unit, students meet Malala Yousafzai and analyze how her positive attitude and drive help her fight for women's rights in Pakistan despite facing incredible challenges and threats. Over the course of the entire unit, it is our hope that students build a deeper understanding of the importance of women's rights and access to education around the world, particularly in the Middle East. 

In the second part of the unit, students read sections from Kids of Kabul, which shares the perspective of young people living in Afghanistan after the Taliban lost power in the 2010s. Students are asked to consider how events and experiences shape a point of view. In the final part of the unit, students read I Am Malala and analyze how Malala’s voice and perspective shape her story as she advocates for education and speaks out against oppressive rules in Pakistan despite significant risks. Over the course of the unit, students build a deeper understanding of how point of view influences how we understand people’s choices, identities, and experiences across different contexts.

This unit encourages students to compare and contrast characters and analyze character points of view, noticing how comparing and contrasting can help them develop a deeper, more nuanced understanding of characters–both real and imagined–and events. 

Students also study how the setting of a story influences the way characters behave, foreshadows events, and provides a window into the society where the character lives. Students also notice how authors reveal the theme of a story, often using predictable pathways and patterns. Students also use informational texts, particularly memoir and first-person accounts, to help build a deeper understanding of fiction texts. The focus for informational reading is similar to the focus for fiction, and students analyze how the point of view influences how events are described. When discussing the text, students continue to work on elaborating and supporting their own ideas, using examples and evidence to justify their own thinking. Doing so sets students up for success with discourse in later units when students are encouraged to engage with the thinking of others.

Students continue to build their writing fluency by writing daily in response to the Target Task questions. In the first half of the unit, students use narrative writing to build a deeper understanding of the text and point of view by rewriting sections of the text from another character's point of view. In the second half of the unit, students build on the work they did in Unit 1 to continue writing opinion and literary analysis paragraphs that focus on a strong topic sentence, supporting reasons, and effective elaboration.

Please Note: In April 2026, assessments across Kindergarten–5th Grade ELA were revised. The lessons identified for progress monitoring and the accompanying rubric have also been updated. Learn more about updates for the 2026–27 school year.

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Texts and Materials

Some of the links in the sections below are Bookshop affiliate links. This means that if you click and make a purchase, we receive a small portion of the proceeds, which supports our non-profit mission.

Core Texts

  • Book: The Breadwinner by Deborah Ellis (Groundwood Books, 2015)   —  710L

Supporting Texts

Rubrics

Resources for Lessons and Projects

Text Selection Rationale
All Course Materials

Assessment

Assign

The following assessments accompany Unit 2. For more guidance, see the Summative Assessments and Assessments Accommodations & Modifications Teacher Tools.

Content Assessment

The Content Assessment measures students' understanding of the unit's content knowledge and vocabulary. It should serve as the primary assessment for the unit.

Warm Read Assessment

The Warm Read Assessment measures students' ability to apply the Reading Focus Areas of the unit to comprehend a new text, topically or thematically related to the content of the unit. It may be administered in addition to the Content Assessment.

Fluency Assessment

The Fluency Assessment measures students' oral reading fluency with a passage drawn from one of the unit's core texts. See the Assessing Reading Fluency Teacher Tool for more guidance.

Unit Prep

Intellectual Prep

Unit Launch

Before you teach this unit, unpack the texts, themes, and core standards through our guided intellectual preparation process. Each Unit Launch includes a series of short videos, targeted readings, and opportunities for action planning to ensure you're prepared to support every student.

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Essential Questions

  • How can family relationships and dynamics influence a person's actions?
  • How can people, especially young people, respond when oppressive rules shape their lives?
  • How can one person impact a community?

Reading Focus Areas

  • Comparing and contrasting characters helps readers develop a deeper, more nuanced understanding of the text.

  • Authors reveal the theme of a story by using predictable patterns and pathways.

  • The setting of a story influences the way characters behave, foreshadows events, and provides a window into the society where the character lives.

Writing Focus Areas

Opinion Writing

  • Write strong topic sentences that clearly state the opinion.

  • Support a point of view with strong reasons and information.

  • Elaborate on details to better support the main ideas.

  • Write concluding statements that are connected to the opinion.

Narrative Writing

  • Use detail and description to indirectly develop characters.

  • Use detail and description to develop the conflict in a story.

  • Use relevant text details or background knowledge from the text to develop characters, ideas, or situations.

  • Brainstorm and draft a story with a logical sequence of events that unfolds naturally.

  • Use description and dialogue to develop experiences, events, and characters.

  • Use precise words and phrases to describe character actions and feelings.

Speaking and Listening Focus Areas

  • Prepare for discussion.

  • Elaborate to support ideas. Provide evidence or examples to justify and defend a point clearly.

  • Use specific vocabulary. Use vocabulary that is specific to the subject and task to clarify and share their thoughts.

Vocabulary

Text-based

accessibleanxiousceasedcowerdefydecreedfearlessforbadehospitableimmuneintimidatedmenacinglyresentfulsensiblevital

To see all the vocabulary for Unit 2, view our 5th Grade Vocabulary Glossary.

Notes to the Teacher

Since this edition of The Breadwinner was published in 2015, there has been continued conflict in Afghanistan. In 2021, United States troops evacuated Afghanistan. Later that year, the Afghan government collapsed, and the Taliban took over Kabul once again. To learn more, read "Taliban take over Afghanistan: What we know and what's next" from the Associated Press to provide an overview of events. This article is meant for teachers, not students.

Lesson Map

29
Lesson
Writing
Overview

Write an opinion letter about how a changemaker created positive change using evidence from a unit text to support your claim.
Day 1 - Brainstorming

Brainstorm and organize ideas before establishing an opinion about a topic.

Materials
  • Brainstorming Template (G5, U2, L29)
  • Letter to the Editor Mentor Text (G5, U2, L29)
  • Two Paragraph Outline

Standards

W.5.1W.5.1.aW.5.9

Day 2 - Planning

Plan before writing by outlining main ideas and supporting details.

Materials
  • Brainstorming Template (G5, U2, L29) — Completed on Day 1
  • Two Paragraph Outline — Started on Day 1

Standards

W.5.1W.5.1.aW.5.1.dW.5.9

Day 3 - Drafting

Compose well-developed body paragraphs that expand on key ideas with detailed explanations to support the opinion.

Materials
  • Brainstorming Template (G5, U2, L29) — Completed on Day 1
  • Two Paragraph Outline — Completed on Day 2

Standards

W.5.1W.5.1.aW.5.9

Day 4 - Drafting

Organize opinion writing by crafting clear introduction and conclusion sections that effectively summarize the opinion or position.

Materials
  • Brainstorming Template (G5, U2, L29) — Completed on Day 1
  • Two Paragraph Outline — Completed on Day 2
  • Elements of a Letter Reference Sheet (G5, U2, L29)

Standards

W.5.1W.5.1.aW.5.1.cW.5.1.dW.5.9

Day 5 - Revision & Editing

Delete unnecessary or repetitive language.

Materials
  • Elements of a Letter Reference Sheet (G5, U2, L29)

Standards

L.5.1.dW.5.4W.5.5

Common Core Standards

Core Standards

RI.5.2
RI.5.3
RI.5.6
RI.5.7
RI.5.9
RI.5.10
RL.5.2
RL.5.3
RL.5.5
RL.5.6
RL.5.9
W.5.1
W.5.1.a
W.5.1.c
W.5.1.d
W.5.3
W.5.3.a
W.5.3.b
W.5.3.b
W.5.3.d
W.5.7
W.5.8
W.5.9
L.5.1
L.5.1.a
L.5.1.c
L.5.1.d
L.5.2
L.5.2.b
L.5.2.c
L.5.3
L.5.3.b
SL.5.1
SL.5.1.a
SL.5.1.b
SL.5.2
SL.5.6

Supporting Standards

RI.5.1
RI.5.4
RL.5.1
RL.5.4
RL.5.10
RF.5.3
RF.5.4
W.5.2
W.5.4
W.5.5
W.5.6
W.5.10
L.5.1.b
L.5.3.a
L.5.4
L.5.4.b
L.5.5
L.5.6
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