What if I took it off for you? Reading Comprehension Gr 4, 6, 8, 10 SEL-007

This singer / songwriter wonders if she took it off for you, would people like her better?

What are we talking about?

Can your Middle School* and High School* students infer based on clues from the text?

* WARNING: Although this text is available at a Grade 4 reading level, please read the content warning and mental health warning at the bottom of this product description to decide if the subject matter is appropriate for your class.

High-Interest Social-Emotional Learning Reading Comprehension Worksheet.

• Have your students ever felt excluded, powerless, or frustrated?

• Have they ever considered doing something just to get accepted by others?

• Have they been able to turn feelings of exclusion and frustration into something positive?

Differentiated Text (Grades 4, 6, 8, 10, ESL, IEP) with matching paragraphs.

Nemah Hasan is a singer / songwriter who goes by the name Nemahsis. Growing up, she was the only Muslim family in a small community. She wonders if she took off her hijab, would she be treated differently by people?

Nemahsis also has a large TikTok following where she talks about her original music, viral covers, beauty tips and forward fashion.

A global advertising campaign by a multi-million dollar cosmetic company did a photoshoot with her. However, they didn't pay her to use her image. Their reason for not paying? "It's more of an opportunity for the people of your community.”

Instead of being a victim or defeated, Nemahsis turns her experiences with social exclusion and powerless frustration into a song that goes viral: "what if i took it off for you"

How does Nemahsis go from a household where music is forbidden to performing concerts with her family supporting her in the crowd?

Hasan's journey shows us that if we make a conscious decision to pay attention to events in our lives and actually take action, we can change what we do so that, eventually, "dreams do come true."

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QUICK + EASY DIFFERENTIATION for students who are reading ABOVE, AT, or BELOW grade level:

• Non-fiction article is written at four reading levels: approximately Grades 4, 6, 8, and 10.

• Paragraphs are numbered to allow differentiated instruction.

• Students at different reading levels can do the same lesson!

• Easy accommodations or modifications for students who are GIFTED, have an IEP or are English Language Learners (ELL)

Social Emotional Learning (SEL) that isn't babyish:

• The social-emotional learning lesson focuses on SELF-AWARENESS and SELF MANAGEMENT through goal setting.

• Explore this approach towards OPTIMIZING what we do: "Pay attention to life, consider options, and then take positive action"

21st-Century Learning: Lead great classroom conversations about real-world issues!

• Discussion questions follow Bloom's Taxonomy: retell, understand, apply, analyze, evaluate, create.

• Detailed answer key / discussion guide with sample answers.

• BONUS answer key using the reading strategy INFERRING.

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• PDF handouts.

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• Easel by TpT™ digital version for virtual handouts.
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CONTENT WARNING:

The title “what if i took it off for you” is suggestive. 

• Younger students might only focus on the issue of taking off the hijab to gain acceptance.

• Older students will likely realize that this song appeals to both religious and non-religious girls, girls feeling pressured to wear more revealing clothing or to have sex or be intimate with a partner.

There is no mention of sex, romance, or intimacy in the article, although these are logical inferences that may come up based on lyrics quoted in the article. 

• what if i took it off for you? 

• would you love me the way they never do? 

• i thought i should take it off for you

• what a fool

• i'm such a fool (article page 4, par 30-34) 

You can read the full lyrics and watch the official video for Nemahsis - what if i took it off for you on YouTube: https://youtu.be/8gQIH80tEZ4

MENTAL HEALTH ALERT:

This article and the ensuing discussion questions are powerful because they explore real-world issues of doing things we may not really want to do to gain acceptance (i.e. what if i took it off for you.) 

In particular, Questions #3 (Describe something you thought about doing to gain acceptance) and #6 (Create a self-script for younger you to get through the moment you described in question #3) have the potential to inspire great social-emotional learning moments, or unintentionally trigger mental health challenges.

The learning objective of this article is to develop reading strategies and inference skills to explore how themes of social exclusion and powerless frustration can lead to positive change. i.e., if we feel social exclusion or powerless frustration, maybe if we can pay attention to life, consider options, and take positive action, we can get to a place where “dreams do come true.” 

The reality is that as teachers, we can never fully be aware of who is in the audience or what hidden trauma or life obstacles our students are going through. 

Every classroom reality is different.

Please consider checking in with your parent/guardian community and principal/administrator for feedback.

Teaching Ideas 

Here are some guidelines to consider before leading classroom discussions or having students fill out the worksheet. 

1. Share only what you’re comfortable sharing. Consider giving students the right to pass and not answer.

2. Make sure your response is appropriate and safe for a school environment:

• Only share things you’re okay with your teachers, classmates, parents, and principal finding out.  
• Your teacher has a professional obligation to pass on information to other adults to help keep you and other students safe.  
• A school worksheet is not an ideal place to ask for help with a tough situation. (Teachers have a lot of marking and may not see a plea for help.) Get help in person from a trusted adult

3. Know where to get help

• MENTAL HEALTH ALERT: Life is not fair. Life can be challenging. 
• If you’re going through tough situations, please talk with a trusted adult to get help! 
• Sometimes, everyone needs a helping hand, and that’s okay. 

Preparing for student discussions / responding to questions #3 / #6

1. Consider brainstorming with your class examples of responses that teachers might have a professional obligation to take action on.

• If you wrote about committing a crime…

• If you wrote about someone getting physically hurt (you or someone else)… 

• If you wrote about someone getting emotionally / mentally hurt (you or someone else)… 

• If you wrote about property getting damaged…

2. Consider brainstorming with your class examples of too much information at school…

• Your friend may not want you telling the teacher about that information…

• You may trust your teacher and some close friends to know about something personal about you, but what if a classmate accidentally reads your work (because it was left on a desk somewhere… or someone grabbed it from you?) 

• You may not want your parents to know about this. What if your teacher or classmates mention it in passing to your parents? What if your parents want to see your marks? (i.e., In Grade 8, Hasan was probably okay if the teacher told her mom about her music but would be horrified for her dad to know.)

3. Consider brainstorming some “school appropriate” examples

• Peer pressure to like a certain song or type of music

• Hiding the fact that you like playing Minecraft / Paw Patrol

• Laughing at jokes / pretending to be dumb / something you’re not so that your crush likes you

• Not trying out for something because it’s not cool. Only trying for something so you look cool / fit in. Not answering in class because you don’t want to look dumb.

4. Consider brainstorming a list of trusted adults. 

• Who could we turn to get help or a second opinion about how to handle a tough situation? 

• Some people will trust some adults, but not others. 

• Nobody is trusted by everybody, all of the time. 

• Friends are good, but they may not have the years of life experience or the breadth of knowledge that adults might have to help you get through tough times.

Possible adults:

• Parents/Guardians? Other Adult family members? 

• Teachers? Guidance Counsellors? Principal? Other caring adults at school?

• Religious Leaders? Community group leaders? Police officers? Outreach Groups?

• Doctors? Counsellors? Therapists? Social Workers? Psychologists?

• Anonymous help lines? Distress and Crisis Lines? Kids Help Phone (Canada)?

If you have any questions, please email Mike@educircles.org or ask in the TpT Question section!