Afghanistan One Year Later

1. Set Focus
Pose these essential questions to guide discussion: What causes an economy to crumble? What connections exist—if any—between human rights and a thriving economy?

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

• barred (p. 6)
• edict (p. 6)
• reneging (p. 7)
• constraints (p. 7)
• prosperity (p. 8)
• onerous (p. 9)

3. Engage
Have students discuss what they think the article will be about based on the title and subtitle of the article as well as the two pictures on pages 6 and 7 of the article.

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

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

• What main points does the article make about Afghanistan and the Taliban? (summarize, central ideas) (The article makes the point that Afghanistan has fallen into an economic crisis since the Taliban took over again. The article also makes the point that women’s rights in Afghanistan have deteriorated greatly since the Taliban regained power.)

• In the opening section, Bruce Hoffman says, “The Taliban are reneging on all their promises about an open and inclusive society.” What does he mean? Which details support his point? Are you surprised that the Taliban are reneging on their promises? Explain. (word meaning, make judgments)(Hoffman means that the Taliban have been ruling in a much more oppressive way than they said they would when first taking over again in 2021. The opening anecdote about Zulhijjah Mirzadah not being able to enter the amusement park, as well as the list of restrictions the Taliban have implemented—such as women having to cover themselves from head to toe when they leave their homes—support his point. Students’ opinions will vary but should be supported by text evidence and/or their knowledge of the world.)

• According to the article, why is Afghanistan in the midst of an economic crisis? What is daily life like for Afghans suffering through this crisis? (cause and effect, key details) (The article explains that after the Taliban took over, most Western nations halted their aid to Afghanistan. As a result, the country’s biggest employer, the government, has no money to pay salaries, including for teachers and doctors. Desperate families are taking their children out of school to work. Many families eat a proper meal only once every three to four days. Some people must walk two to three hours to get health care.)

• What inferences can you make about the first time the Taliban ruled in Afghanistan based on Bruce Hoffman’s quote in the section “A Bitter Pill”? What point does he make about the Taliban today by referencing their past rule? (make inferences, compare and contrast)(Based on Hoffman’s quote about how “we’re not seeing stadiums filled with people watching individuals being stoned to death,” you can infer that the Taliban stoned people in stadiums when they ruled Afghanistan in the past. Hoffman references the stadium stonings to make the point that the Taliban are operating in a much less visible but much more oppressive way today.) 

• In the section “A Bitter Pill,” what claim does Fatima Farahi make? How does the author support this claim in the paragraphs that follow? (claims and evidence, text structure)(Farahi makes the claim that Afghan women today are not like the Afghan women of 20 years ago, when the Taliban were kicked out of power. Since that time, Afghan women have enjoyed many rights and freedoms, and therefore, today, they are more willing to fight for those rights. The author supports this claim by listing several examples of Afghan women resisting the edicts and protesting the loss of their rights, such as a 24-year-old university student who went out wearing a headscarf but no face covering.) 

• What does the timeline “Afghanistan: Key Dates” add to the main article? (integrate multiple sources) (The timeline—which summarizes the invasions, wars, and other conflicts that Afghanistan has endured since 1979—helps support the author’s point in the section “Economic Crisis” that “suffering is nothing new for Afghans.”)

6. Writing Prompt
What do you think life in Afghanistan will be like for women in 10 years? Write a brief essay explaining your prediction. Support your points with details from the article.

7. Video
Watch the video ‘My Dreams Died.’ What does it add to your understanding?

8. Classroom Debate
Should democracies around the world stop trading with Afghanistan until human rights there have improved?

9. Quiz & Skills
Use the quiz to assess students’ comprehension and Organizing Ideas to review outlining skills.