S t u dy G u i d e | B r e a d w i n n e r S e r i e s by Deborah Ellis
Study Guide for The Breadwinner
Note:Be sure to check all websites listed in this Study Guide to ensure suitability for your class.
Getting Started
• Have students each research two facts about Afghanistan (e.g., languages, Sample websites for facts on
Afghanistan:
religion, population, area, capital, life expectancy, literacy rate, monetary
The Central Intelligence Agency / The
unit, flag, geographical features, climate, historical information, art,
World Factbook
architecture, music, media). Have volunteers compile the information for a
Compton’s Britannica
“Quick Facts” sheet or a bulletin board display.
The Beacon of Hope for Afghan Children
Society
• Read the Author’s Note (pages 167–69) for background information and Afghanistan: The Harrison Forman
context. Collection
Women for Women: Afghanistan
• Provide information about the author, Deborah Ellis, from online
interviews, videos and the About the Author section on the final page of The For information about the author,
Deborah Ellis, see:
Breadwinner.
The Power of One Voice: An Interview
with Deborah Ellis
• Talk about the meaning of the term breadwinner.
Deborah Ellis Profile
Video Clip: Deborah Ellis Reads at Who
• Display a series of maps of Afghanistan and have students consider its Will Speak for the Child
geographical features such as its landlocked situation, bodies of water, Video Clip: Deborah Ellis interviewed
regions, major cities and bordering countries. Have them discuss the effects by Shannon Skinner on Extraordinary
Women TV
of these features on the people who live there. Have them also figure out
where it is relative to your latitudinal location, and its size compared with
your province or state. See the maps on pages 4–5 of the book,
and encourage students to refer to them
• Have students view photo essays or other collections of photographs of as they encounter place names during
their reading.
Afghanistan and have them discuss their responses with a partner or small
group.
For a collection of photos, see:
Afghanistan Image Gallery
Questions for Discussion/Writing
Chapter One
1. What characters do you meet in this chapter? Begin character profiles for Some characters reappear in the other
books in the series: Parvana’s Journey,
each one: write their names or sketch the character and write some notes Mud City and My Name Is Parvana.
about what you have learned about each of them. Students can continue adding to their
character profiles throughout the entire
series.
2. How has life changed for Parvana’s family in ten years?
3. Imagine that suddenly you were not allowed to go to school. How would you
feel after the first day? After the first month? After a year?
T h e B r e a dw i n n e r | 1
S t u dy G u i d e | B r e a d w i n n e r S e r i e s by Deborah Ellis
4. How long has it been since the mother and children, except for Parvana,
have been outside the house? Imagine you were not allowed to leave your
home. How do you think you would cope?
5. What do you learn about the Taliban in this chapter?
Chapter Two
1. What did the soldiers do to the family? Where do you think they have taken
the father?
2. Why do you think the books are so important to the family? What do they For more about the importance of
literacy, see “Faranoz, 14” (page 14) and
represent? “Sigrullah, 14” (page 129) in Kids of
Kabul: Living Bravely Through a Never-
3. Draw a sketch of the room where the family lives and its contents. ending War by Deborah Ellis. See also
this list of resources on librarianship in
Afghanistan Resources on Librarianship
4. What happened to Hossain, the oldest brother? in Afghanistan and the International
Board on Books for Young People (IBBY)
International Board on Books for Young
5. When you are reading, what techniques do you use to figure out a word you People
don’t know (e.g., read ahead and back to see if it is defined; use the glossary;
use context)? How does the author give clues to a word’s meaning (e.g., how
does “stretched out on a toshak” help a reader understand what a “toshak”
is)?
Chapter Three
1. Why did the Taliban order all windows to be painted over with black paint? For an account of one girl’s experience of
the Taliban, see “Angela, 17” (page 89) in
Kids of Kabul.
2. What emotions did you feel as you were reading this chapter? What caused
them?
3. What character strengths has Parvana shown in the novel so far?
Chapter Four
1. What has happened to the mother? The issue of mental illness and
depression is revisited throughout the
series. See, for example, Parvana’s
2. How do Parvana and Nooria differ on how they should handle their mother? Journey (pages 27–29), Mud City (pages
89–90) and My Name Is Parvana (page
25). See also “Fareeba, 12” (page 64) in
3. “Everybody leans on everybody in this family” (page 18). What does Kids of Kabul.
Parvana mean by this? Would you say this is true in your own family? How
could you be a better support for family and/or friends?
T h e B r e a dw i n n e r | 2
S t u dy G u i d e | B r e a d w i n n e r S e r i e s by Deborah Ellis
Chapter Five
1. What are your first impressions of Mrs. Weera? Find two things she says or
does that give you a strong sense of her character.
2. Parvana is responsible for bringing in water for the family. Why is it such For photographs of water pumps, use
the search words “water pumps in
an important and tiring job? Why must the water be boiled before they can Afghanistan.” For a connection to what
drink it? happens when drinking water is not
boiled, see pages 93–97 of Parvana’s
Journey. See also UN World Water Day,
3. A reference to an Afghan Women’s Union appears on page 57. What kind of a United Nations website about World
services and support do you think this organization would offer? Water Day.
For more on organizations that support
the health and welfare of women in
Chapter Six Afghanistan, see:
Women for Afghan Women Note
that all royalties from the sale of The
1. What is the plan that Mrs. Weera thought of? How well did it work on the Breadwinner go to this organization.
first day? Revolutionary Association of the
Women of AfghanistanNote that some
2. How does Parvana feel when she is out in the market as a boy? photographs on the site are graphic and
disturbing
3. The author mentions Parvana’s special red shalwar kameez on page 69,
already described on page 24. Why is it important to Parvana? As you read,
watch for further mentions of it and think about what it might symbolize.
The red shalwar kameez is a recurring
image in the series. See Parvana’s
Journey, page 67, for example, and My
Name Is Parvana, page 23, for further
Chapter Seven descriptions of what the red shalwar
kameez symbolizes for Parvana.
1. What is Parvana’s job? How does she feel about it?
2. Why do you think the author included the scene with Parvana reading the
letter for the Talib?
3. Parvana must sell her special shalwar kameez. How would you feel if you
were forced to sell something that was important to you?
Chapter Eight
1. How does the family’s life change when Mrs. Weera moves in?
2. Nooria says that she had forgotten how good the sun feels on her face. See The New York Times: Working
to Help a Haven for Afghan Women
Maryam has to be helped to walk down the stairs. If you were forced to stay Blossom for an article and slideshow of
indoors, what would you miss most about being outside? Why is it unhealthy the Kabul Women’s Garden. Read about
to be indoors for so long? the Women’s Garden in “Zuhal, 13” (page
71) in Kids of Kabul.
3. Why do you think the woman in the window is throwing small items down
to Parvana?
T h e B r e a dw i n n e r | 3
S t u dy G u i d e | B r e a d w i n n e r S e r i e s by Deborah Ellis
4. What do you predict will happen when the “tea boy” recognizes Parvana?
Chapter Nine
1. How are Parvana’s and Shauzia’s lives similar? How are they different?
2. What two plans do Mrs. Weera and the mother have? Why are the plans The establishment of schools for girls
and the importance of education are
dangerous? main themes in all books in the series.
The women’s magazine and women’s
secret network are also a recurring
subject. See the Aina website about
Chapter Ten an organization that provides writing,
photojournalism, and reading training for
Afghan children: AINA
1. What is the job the girls do? Do you think you would be able to do it? What
do you think makes them able to do it?
2. “Kabul has more land mines than flowers,” the father used to say (page 109). For information about land mines in
Afghanistan, see Afghanistan: Landmine
Share what you know about land mines. Fact Sheet. For a story on Afghan land
mine survivors, see: UN News Centre
3. The girls say that they must remember the experience of bone-digging when See also Foreign Affairs and
they are rich old ladies drinking tea together. Do you think that vision of International Trade Canada and
Canadian International Demining Corps
their future will come true? Why do you think that? for Canadian government information
on land mines and a Canadian demining
organization.
Chapter Eleven
1. Why did Parvana end up telling her family about the bone-digging even
though she had said she wouldn’t?
2. How did digging bones lead to the girls’ new job?
3. How is the relationship between Parvana and Nooria changing?
4. What happens at the soccer stadium? Why do you think the author chooses For an account of the soccer stadium,
now home to the Afghan Women’s
to include scenes like this one and the scene about the bone-digging? National Football Team, see “Palwasha,
16” (page 81) in Kids of Kabul. See also
a video about the team at Video Clip:
The Afghan Ladies National Football
Chapter Twelve Team
1. What is Shauzia’s dream? What is your opinion of her wanting to leave?
2. Why did Parvana’s parents disagree about leaving Afghanistan?
3. What does Parvana want her life to be like? Are you surprised by what she
wants?
T h e B r e a dw i n n e r | 4
S t u dy G u i d e | B r e a d w i n n e r S e r i e s by Deborah Ellis
4. Pages 131–32 describe areas in Afghanistan outside of Kabul. Locate the Select some Internet photos of the areas
(search “Images” using the place names
areas on the map. How do the descriptions differ from those of Kabul? Why and the search words “Afghanistan fertile
is it valuable for Parvana to talk to the people from these outside areas? valleys”) to display for students.
5. What do we learn about the reasons for the Window Woman’s little gifts to
Parvana?
Chapter Thirteen
1. How is Nooria’s life going to change? How does she feel about it?
2. Parvana feels both relieved and sulky about not going to Mazar-e-Sharif.
Describe a time you have felt that kind of mixed emotion.
Chapter Fourteen
1. What do we learn about Parvana’s character from her actions toward Homa, Parvana is tough, but she shows great
compassion. This aspect of her character
the woman she finds? arises again when she takes a baby,
a boy and a girl under her wing in
2. Why was getting back to Parvana’s house so dangerous? Parvana’s Journey and when she rescues
some girls in My Name Is Parvana.
3. What news does Homa report to Parvana and Mrs. Weera? How do their For an article on the Taliban capture of
Mazar-e-Sharif in 1998, see: Indepth
responses to the news differ? How do you think you would have responded? Afghanistan: The Heartbreak of Mazar-
e-Sharif
4. What do you predict has happened to Parvana’s family?
5. Had you predicted that the father would return? Why or why not?
Chapter Fifteen For general information about refugee
and IDP camps, see these articles:
Anatomy of a Refugee Camp
1. What do Parvana and Shauzia say they are working toward? Why are their
Humanitarian News and Analysis
plans different?
For a UN report on Afghanistan refugee
camps, including photographs, see: 2012
2. What do you know about refugee camps and camps for internally displaced UNHCR Country Operations Profile –
Afghanistan
persons (IDPs)? What do you think the camps are like?
Note that Mud City, the third book in the
Breadwinner series, describes Shauzia
3. How does Parvana say goodbye to the Window Woman? What has their and Mrs. Weera’s life in an IDP camp in
interaction meant to both Parvana and the woman? Pakistan.
4. How does the author give a sense of hope in this chapter?
5. What do Parvana and Shauzia plan to do in twenty years? Do you think this
plan will come true? Explain your reasoning.
T h e B r e a dw i n n e r | 5
S t u dy G u i d e | B r e a d w i n n e r S e r i e s by Deborah Ellis
Activity Ideas
Choose from the following ideas to best suit your purposes and class needs.
• Have students create a large Venn diagram or a T-chart to compare Parvana and her family’s life before and after
the Taliban took over Kabul. Alternatively, ask students to create a Venn diagram or T-chart to compare their own
lives with Parvana’s. English Language Arts; Social Studies
• Have students skim the novel to make a list of the restrictions the Taliban placed on women. Point out that
sometimes the restriction is obviously stated, as in “The Taliban had ordered all the girls and women in
Afghanistan to stay inside their homes” (page 7) and sometimes it can be inferred, as in “Their mother had been
kicked out of her job as a writer for a Kabul radio station” (page 7). Have students compare and discuss their lists
in small groups. English Language Arts; Social Studies
• Have students make a video of a series of interviews with people who have read The Breadwinner. Encourage
them to prepare interview questions that ask about the novel’s themes, the author’s style, thoughts on characters,
favorite scenes and so on. English Language Arts; ICT
• Draw students’ attention to the symbolism of flowers in the book. Have them create a piece of artwork (e.g.,
painting, sculpture, collage, photograph or video) that reflects this symbol and what it represents in The
Breadwinner. English Language Arts; Visual Arts
• Have students work in pairs to study the relationship between Parvana and Nooria and trace how it changes
during the novel. They can present their findings in the form of diary entries for both sisters; an exchange of
letters; monologues or a role-play of the girls as older women looking back on their relationship. Drama; English
Language Arts; Health and Life Skills
• In the classroom or another area in the school, work with students to create an area that is the same size as
Parvana’s (“ten regular steps one way and twelve regular steps the other way”). You might set up sheets or large
pieces of cardboard for walls and include other setting features using details from the novel (pages 22–23, 36).
Have groups of students enter the area to play the roles of the family members, and possibly Mrs. Weera, in a
scene from the novel or an improvisation. If feasible, you might also have students take turns fetching pails
of water (or similarly weighted pails) to get an idea of how arduous Parvana’s chore was. At some point in the
activity, ask the groups to sit quietly in the area to reflect on how it might feel to be in that space for a year and
a half without being allowed to leave. After the activity, have students write about their thoughts. Drama; English
Language Arts; Health and Life Skills; Social Studies
• Talk with students about how the book is told from Parvana’s point of view (even though it is written in the third
person). Have students choose a scene from the book and think about it from another character’s point of view.
Have them write and perform (live or on video) a monologue based on the scene in role as that character. Drama;
English Language Arts
• Talk with students about how the author infuses the novel with some humor, despite the grimness of the themes.
Ask students to recall or look for examples of humor in the novel, and discuss how the author has created it (e.g.,
through dialogue, Parvana’s thoughts, the character of Mrs. Weera). English Language Arts
T h e B r e a dw i n n e r | 6
S t u dy G u i d e | B r e a d w i n n e r S e r i e s by Deborah Ellis
• Draw students’ attention to the mother and Mrs. Weera’s magazine and why it was so brave of them to have
created it. Read from page 164 “… copies are being sent out to women all over the world. She has helped to let the
world know what is happening in Afghanistan.” Ask groups of students to think about what type of stories and
information might have been in the first issue of that magazine, and what they would have wanted other women,
or the outside world, to know about what was happening. Then, have them create a contents page with brief
annotations about each article (5–6 articles). English Language Arts; Social Studies
• Read Mrs. Weera’s words (page 116): “These are unusual times. They call for ordinary people to do unusual things
just to get by.” Ask students to draw or paint a scene or image from the novel that they think best illustrates this
idea. Have them include a title for their artwork. English Language Arts; Health and Life Skills; Social Studies; Visual Arts
• Ask students to imagine they are creating a display of artifacts for a museum in Afghanistan to represent the
time The Breadwinner describes. Have them choose 6–10 artifacts and write a brief description of each one and
why it was chosen. They could design a web page about the artifacts, or sketch the display as it would look in the
museum. English Language Arts; ICT; Social Studies; Visual Arts
• Have students create a “Malali” award to give to Parvana for her courage. The award (e.g., medal, plaque, plate,
trophy or statue) should represent the Malali story in some way. Students will also write and present a brief
speech describing something Parvana did that they found particularly courageous. Drama; English Language Arts;
Visual Arts
• Ask students to research aid organizations that provide support to Afghan citizens, including organizations
created by Afghans themselves. Students could work in pairs to research one organization and report their
findings to the class. The following are organizations listed in Kids of Kabul. Be sure to check the websites first to
ensure suitability for your class. English Language Arts; Social Studies
Afghanistan Youth Center International Board on Books for Young People
Afghan Youth Initiative Little Women for Little Women in Afghanistan
Aina PARSA
Aschiana Foundation Shuhada
Canadian Women for Women in Afghanistan SOLA
T h e B r e a dw i n n e r | 7
