2023 Nobel Peace Prize

For the teacher:

Start the lesson by showing the students the pictures in this PPT.

Let the students have a think individually or in pairs before you have a classroom conversation about the associations. What do the images make the students think about? The goal is to elicit what the students know and to awaken their curiosity.

See notes in PPT for questions you can ask the students.

Ask the students to read this text.

After reading, tell the person next to you:

• One thing you found especially interesting or surprising in the text.
• Two things you now know about Iran

Watch the film

Watch the film from NRK Skole and the Nobel Peace Center
As you watch, answer the questions below.
Discuss the questions in pairs:

Questions about Narges Mohammadi

• Why did Narges Mohammadi win the Nobel Peace Prize
• Which rights is she fighting for?
• What has Narges sacrificed in her struggle?

Questions about the demonstrations in Iran:

• Who was Mahsa Jina Amini – and what does she have to do with the demonstrations?
• Who are the demonstrators, and what are they risking?
• Chair of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, Berit Reis-Andersen, talks about how young people outside of Iran can show their support. What does she say?

The teacher provides the class with some background information:

Iran has strict laws that limit the freedom of the people. There are also laws that restrict music and dancing. The death of Mahsa Amini sparked a massive protest movement – in Iran, but also worldwide.

Young people and the use of social media play a significant role in this movement. Protesters in their teens make TikTok videos of themselves dancing in the school yard, film clips of young girls cutting their hair have gone viral, and people write strong X (former Twitter) messages about why this matters to them.

The musician Shervin Hajpour decided to use these tweets in his work. That led to the song “Baraye” which means “for/because of”. The video went viral, but was soon taken down, and Shervin himself was arrested. Thankfully, he was released from prison shortly after, but is still awaiting trial. The song is now seen as the song of the movement - and has even won a Grammy award!

Task:

Hand out post-its

As you watch the video, ask the students to write down the reason mentioned that they like the most.

Ask the students to share the reason they chose and collect them in a word cloud.

• Were some of the reasons mentioned several times?
• Which messages was the most powerful? Why?

In this creative writing task, the students will have a chance to explore the perspective of someone who is affected by Narges Mohammadi being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

In the writing process, the students may want to do a bit more research about the topic.

The tasks have increasing difficulty levels. The most complex is task d. You may introduce only some of the tasks, or all four, depending on your class.

A) Ali Rahmani (Narges Mohammadi’s son. This is a true background story):

You are in your classroom. You live in France because it is not safe for you to stay in Iran, where you were born. Your mother, who you have not met in person for eight years, is in prison in the Iranian capital of Tehran. She is locked up for fighting for equality, freedom and human rights for all.

You remember well the last time you were together. It was a morning before school, and your mother was preparing breakfast for you and your twin sister. You remember her telling you that you need to work hard in school. She said goodbye and sent you off to school. When you and your sister returned, your mother was gone. You were eight years at the time.

Back in your classroom, you have sneaked your phone into class. It is not allowed, but today you just had to. The reason: Today is the announcement of the Nobel Peace Prize! The clock strikes 11, and you refresh and refresh. And there. Your mother’s name appears! She has won!!

Send a short letter (half a page) to your mother in prison. What would you like to tell her?

Suggestions to your text:

• What do you wish for her.
• How are you doing.
• Your thoughts on your mother being awarded the peace prize.

B) Narges Mohammadi (This is a true background story):

You are locked up in the Evin prison, one of the most notorious prisons in Iran. You are imprisoned because of your relentless struggle for human rights. You have not met your children for 8 years. You are ill-treated and denied access to proper healthcare. Still, you refuse to give up and continue to stand up for what you believe in. In your point of view, equality and human rights should be a matter of course.

Your communication with the outside world is limited, but luckily you manage to receive the news that you have won the 2023 Nobel Peace Prize. You are extremely happy about this and this evening you celebrate with your fellow inmates with song and dance, even if this is forbidden in Iran. Before you go to bed, you write half a page in your diary about what this award means to you.

Suggestions to your text:

• What was your first reaction when you found out you had won the Nobel peace prize?
• What does it mean to you?
• What are your thoughts about the future, now that you have won the prize?

C) A mother in Iran (This is a fictional background story)

You live in the Iranian capital of Tehran. You live under a strict regime which limits your freedom. For example, you cannot leave your home without covering your hair, and you are not allowed to travel without the permission of your husband.

You live with your husband and your son, Armin. Your son has now taken an interest in the protest movement fighting for human rights. He talks a lot about “Woman - Life – Freedom". You are proud of him, but also worried, considering how the protests have been met with brutal violence from the infamous riot police. Many have been injured, blinded and even killed.

Armin says he wants to join the protests, and he would like you to join him. You are not sure what to do and need to organize your thoughts. You write a list of pro’s and con’s (half a page) about whether to join the protests or not:

• What have you got to lose?
• What is there to win?
• Is it worth it?

D) The Iranian government (This is a fictional background story):

You work for the Iranian government. You receive a call which informs you that activist Narges Mohammadi being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. You see her as a threat to yourself and other people in power. In your point of view, she is spreading false propaganda/fake news about the people in power and is posing a threat to security and stability in Iran. She says she is demanding freedom for women, but this “freedom” will only cause chaos and disobedience among the people. Write a half page statement about the reactions of the Iranian regime to the Iranian people.

Suggestions to your text:

• What do you think about the Norwegian nobel committee awarding their prize to an enemy of the Iranian state?
• What kind of fake information is Narges’ spreading?
• How should the Iranian people respond to these news?

Denne leksjonen er laget for ungdomstrinnet og vgs, og går inn i arbeidet med det tverrfaglige temaet Demokrati og medborgerskap i Fagfornyelsen (LK20).

Elevene får også trening i å lytte til engelsk i filmklippet og musikkvideoen, samt snakke og skrive på engelsk.

Det kan passe godt å arbeide med leksjonen i engelskfaget alene eller tverrfaglig i engelsk og samfunnsfag/samfunnskunnskap - eller kanskje som en nyhetstime i klassens time?