×
Grades level iconsGrades 9–12
Session time icon60+ Minutes
Video resource type iconVideos

Write With. . . Life Stories: Tending Your Creative Spark with Suleika Jaouad

by 826 National and Life Stories
Presented by: Life Stories
Like any muscle, creativity can be strengthened and developed over time. In this lesson, you will carve out time for your own creative practice and reflect on the process along the way.
About the Author

Suleika Jaouad is an award-winning author, speaker, and advocate. At 22, her career aspirations were cut short when she was diagnosed with leukemia. She then began writing her acclaimed New York Times column, “Life, Interrupted,” from her hospital room. Her work has since appeared in Vogue and other major outlets. During the pandemic, she founded the Isolation Journals, a creative community project. She is the author of the New York Times bestselling memoir Between Two Kingdoms and The Book of Alchemy.

What Your Students Will Learn

About Life Stories 

Life Stories is a 501(c)(3) non-profit media organization that creates and distributes documentaries, interviews, and educational resources about people whose lives inspire meaningful change. These stories address issues of civics, history, politics, the arts and culture by shining the spotlight on relatable human stories of purpose and meaning in times of change. They provide open access to all their content for communities and classrooms through their curated website and YouTube channel.

 

About The Thread 

The Thread is a documentary interview series exploring what it means to live a purpose-driven life through conversations with multi-faceted people who have helped shape our society. Each 30-minute episode takes viewers on a personal journey into the life of extraordinary people who candidly share their triumphs and failures. The Thread is available on the Life Stories website and YouTube channel, and as a podcast across all major platforms. Teaching The Thread brings the series into the classroom with episode lessons designed to strengthen social emotional learning and media literacy skills and expand the scope of subject matter in Social Studies and English Language Arts.

What You Will Do

Content Notes:

  • An important part of Suleika Jaouad’s story is her leukemia diagnosis, and she speaks candidly about her experiences with cancer in the clip students are asked to watch. While delivering this lesson, it is important to remember that this conversation may be upsetting to some students.
  • If time allows, we recommend completing Write With. . . Life Stories: Creative Influences with Fab 5 Freddy after this lesson, to help students get a sense of what or who has helped shape their creative spark.
  • This lesson aligns with the following CASEL Competency:
    • Self-Awareness
      • Developing interests and a sense of purpose

 

Introduction

Suleika Jaouad’s life was forever changed when she was diagnosed with a rare form of acute myeloid leukemia at the age of 22. Told she had only a 35% chance of survival, Ms. Jaouad was determined not to be defined by her...

Login Blurred Image

See more Videos at this level