Sec Values - Aspiration & Gratitude 1: Shahnaz

Teacher notes

This lesson introduces 15-year-old Shahnaz who lives in a mountainous region in Iran. Shahnaz and her family are Bakhtiari nomadic people, travelling over the mountains from their summer camp to their winter village of Sar Agha Seyed every year. Like ALL Lyfta storyworlds, these characters are unique. We don't share stories as being 'typical' or as 'single stories' of people or places. This is the first lesson in the Aspiration and Gratitude unit in the Secondary Year of Values programme. The next lesson focuses on Eshmaeil, Shahnaz's teacher, and his experience of teaching children in the winter village. **About the Aspiration and Gratitude unit** This unit explores the values of aspiration and gratitude through a sequenced set of human stories from different global contexts. Students are encouraged to reflect on how aspirations are shaped by context, opportunity, relationships and resilience, and how gratitude can strengthen motivation, purpose and identity. Across the six lessons, students encounter aspiration as curiosity, perseverance, creativity, service and long-term commitment. Gratitude is explored as recognition of support, opportunity and responsibility to others. The sequence moves from lived experience and access to education, through personal ambition and creativity, and concludes with aspiration despite many obstacles. By the end of the unit, students are encouraged to think critically about how their own aspirations are shaped, and who and what they are grateful for along the way. **Curriculum Links:** Citizenship (KS3) The different ways in which a citizen can contribute to the improvement of their community. Citizenship (KS4) The roles played by individuals in society, including the contribution of young people to family and community life. PSHE (KS3) L7: To value the different contributions that people and groups make to the community. H1: To understand how to manage change and build resilience. PSHE (KS4) H6: About change, its impact on mental wellbeing and the need for emotional support during life transitions. L18: To evaluate social and moral dilemmas and the influence of values on decision-making. Geography Human geography: population, settlement and ways of life, including nomadic communities.