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Suleika Jouad, Writer

Surviving and Thriving (Season Two) - Available 01/06/25

Overview

Suleika Jouad, Writer - Surviving and Thriving (Season Two) - Available 01/06/25 - Lessons - Life Stories Interviews

"I'd like to live every day as if it's my first, to wake up with a sense of wonder and curiosity and awe that a newborn baby might." - Suleika Jouad, The Thread

At the age of 22 Suleika Jouad was diagnosed with a rare form of acute myeloid leukemia. Determined not to become defined by her illness she has continued to create art, writing a best-selling memoir "Life Interrupted", creating the "Isolation Journals" during COVID, while continuing to share her life and work with husband, musician Jon Batiste.

Watch "Surviving and Thriving" - 01/06/25

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Lesson Objectives

Social Studies

* Reflect the impact of illness on individuals and society

* Analyze the role of support systems in navigating challenging life events

* Explore the concept of resilience and how it manifests in different contexts

* Examine the intersection of social and economic factors in healthcare access

English Language Arts Focus

* Examine perspective taking from the point of view of one artist and writer

* Reflect on the place of writing and other forms of creative expression as an emotional outlet

* Analyze the structure and purpose of a narrative, identify key themes in the episode, and synthesize information from a spoken text

* Analyze, reflect on, and discuss the title “Surviving and Thriving” after watching the episode

* Explore the idea of purposeful work and a meaningful life

* Use Suleika Jouad’s episode to inspire different expressions of creative writing and expression

Social Emotional Learning: By offering engaging personal narratives, students can discuss and strengthen the five SEL competencies - self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making.

Media Literacy: Students will practice media literacy skills by analyzing information, points of view, and claims made in The Thread and be able to translate these strategies with all forms of media to make more informed decisions..

Suleika Jouad, Writer - Surviving and Thriving (Season Two) - Available 01/06/25 - Lessons - Life Stories Interviews

First Take >

The “First Take” activity is a warm-up writing or conversation exercise created uniquely for The Thread to strengthen media literacy skills. Like an opening song in a musical, the first stanza of a poem, or even the first impression one person makes on another, the “First Take” asks students to reflect and share their initial thoughts and feelings about the episode’s opening and why the filmmaker and editor made these choicess.

Download Suleika Jouad’s lesson to access the complete “First Take” activity.

Suleika Jouad, Writer - Surviving and Thriving (Season Two) - Available 01/06/25 - Lessons - Life Stories Interviews

The Thread Up Close >

After watching the interview, students will debrief and discuss the life story and engage in a close read and analysis of her interview using the “Surviving and Thriving” episode and transcript.

In this lesson, the suggested close read looks deeply at the skill of resilience and asks students to draw upon background knowledge and tie it to individuals in literature or history.

Download the lesson to access “The Thread Up Close” activity.

Suleika Jouad, Writer - Surviving and Thriving (Season Two) - Available 01/06/25 - Lessons - Life Stories Interviews

"Surviving and Thriving" >

In this activity students will create their own surviving and thriving portfolio to demonstrate their understanding of the episode's title but also to explore their own resilience and outlets for creative expression.

Download the lesson to access the entire “Rebel With A Cause” activity.

Resources

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