Listen&Learn: Malala Yousafzai

Posted by: Jaksyn Peacock
Learn about the activist who spoke up for girls’ education in Pakistan.

Pre-listening vocabulary

  • activist: someone who stands up for a cause
  • invade: to enter and take control of an area
  • hometown: the town where a person grew up
  • motivate: to make someone want to do something
  • pseudonym: a false name
  • recover: to heal from an injury or illness

Listening activity

Gapfill exercise

Malala Yousafzai is a Pakistani activist. She was born in 1997 in Mingora, Pakistan. In 2008, the Taliban invaded Yousafzai’s hometown. They closed and many of the girls’ schools in the area. This motivated Yousafzai to speak up about girls’ rights to . When she was only 11 years old, she started publishing her under a pseudonym. Her activism drew a lot of attention, and her real name was soon revealed to the . In 2012, Yousafzai was shot by a Taliban gunman while riding the bus. She recovered from the attack at a in Birmingham, England, and began to go to school there. In 2014, Yousafzai became the youngest person ever to win the Nobel Peace Prize.

Comprehension questions

1. Yousafzai began to speak up about girls' education after

Correct! Wrong!

Yousafzai began to speak up about girls' education after the Taliban invaded her hometown in 2008.

2. Yousafzai started publishing entries when she was

Correct! Wrong!

Yousafzai started publishing entries when she was 11.

3. In 2014, Yousafzai became the youngest person to

Correct! Wrong!

In 2014, Yousafzai became the youngest person to win the Nobel Peace Prize.

Discussion/essay questions

  1. Malala Yousafzai’s activism led to the approval of a Right to Education bill in Pakistan in 2012. Who are some other activists whose protests have changed laws?

Transcript

Malala Yousafzai is a Pakistani activist. She was born in 1997 in Mingora, Pakistan. In 2008, the Taliban invaded Yousafzai’s hometown. They closed and destroyed many of the girls’ schools in the area. This motivated Yousafzai to speak up about girls’ rights to education. When she was only 11 years old, she started publishing her opinions under a pseudonym. Her activism drew a lot of attention, and her real name was soon revealed to the public. In 2012, Yousafzai was shot by a Taliban gunman while riding the bus. She recovered from the attack at a hospital in Birmingham, England, and began to go to school there. In 2014, Yousafzai became the youngest person ever to win the Nobel Peace Prize.

Written and recorded by Jaksyn Peacock for EnglishClub
© EnglishClub.com

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