Becoming by Michelle Obama: supporting literacy and PSHE education (Key Stages 3-5)

We have teamed up with Penguin Talks to launch a free teaching resource inspired by Michelle Obama’s bestselling memoir, Becoming, to boost secondary students’ literacy skills, leadership abilities and confidence.

Building on the central themes of empowerment through education and the important role of self-belief in achieving your potential in Becoming, the resource features a range of activities designed to give students in Key Stages 3-5 new opportunities to use and develop their reading, writing, speaking and listening skills.

These activities are designed to give students the opportunity to:

• Explore and develop their understanding of the concepts of self-esteem and resilience
• Identify factors that can affect their self-belief
• Consider how they can make a positive difference for themselves and for their community in the future

Activities can be run as individual short sessions or as a single 60-minute careers-focused lesson, depending on your lesson structure, and should complement your school or college’s programme of integrated careers education and guidance. Suggestions for differentiation of activities are included, to adapt for the appropriate Key Stage.

The resource includes:

• Information about Becoming by Michelle Obama
• Classroom activities based on three key themes from Becoming: self-esteem, aiming to succeed and making a difference
• Literacy outcomes for every activity
• Motivational materials for students, including excerpts from Becoming, a video of Michelle Obama’s Penguin Talks event with students at Elizabeth Garrett Anderson School in London in December 2018, and a clip of her final speech as First Lady of the United States

Find out more about Becoming by Michelle Obama.

Find out more about Penguin Talks.

Find out more about the National Literacy Trust's Words for Work: Women in Leadership programme in partnership with Lancôme, which supports girls and young women to develop the literacy skills, leadership abilities and confidence they need to achieve their potential.