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Q1: As we work to develop the Girl Talk curriculum, we need lots of book suggestions. What was your favorite book as a middle school student and why?
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06.30.08 | 07:57 AMDesiree--both romance and history--just what middle school girls love.
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by dbe15506.29.08 | 06:29 PMAs a student, I loved escape literature - science fiction, mythology. I remember loving "A Wrinkle in Time" for example. But I also loved Shakespeare - "Midsummer Night's Dream" and "Julius Caesar" were favorites. As an English teacher in Philly middle schools, I found that coupling Shakespeare with a modern day equivalent was well received - "West Side Story" with "Romeo and Juliet" was a hit, especially with the score playing as students entered the room. "Daddy Was A Numbers Runner" also sparked great discussions.
Best of Luck!!
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by deirdreb06.28.08 | 04:07 PMAlmost all Judy Blume books! They talked about real life aggravations and experiences.
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by clada06.28.08 | 09:32 AMA Wrinkle in Time, An Endless Ring of Light (both Madeline L'Engle)
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by jefner8906.27.08 | 07:29 PMAs a middle schooler I loved Anne of Green Gables because I loved her strong will and inner goodness. I also loved any biographies about women who overcome obstacles to make a difference. You have received so many other recommendations that I are wonderful it is difficult to add to them. I have just discovered Jodi Picoult and she covers very challenging subjects that affect teenage girls and women in general.
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by THHanby06.27.08 | 11:23 AMThe Five People You Meet in Heaven- it makes you realize that all of your actions are important and play a role in the lives of others. Even if you don't realize how important as a person you are, it makes you believe you can impact others' lives.
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by erberry06.27.08 | 10:26 AMSarah Dessen is a great author for teenage girls - she really gets into a lot of issues that can be a good platform for discussion. I'd recommend all of her books. I like them now as an adult!
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06.27.08 | 10:04 AMThe Yearling and Of Mice and Men!
Beautiful stories about America and Americans at their very simplest and most vulnerable.
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by kmanicke06.27.08 | 06:42 AMA Tree Grows in Brooklyn was my favorite because it addressed some of the problems that my friends and I were having.
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by Kalmirall06.26.08 | 10:48 PMHere's a couple additional ones I haven't seen on the list yet:
Diamond in the Window by Jane Langton
Island of Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell
Julie of the Wolves by Jean Craighead George
Pink Motel by Carol Ryrie Brink
The Chocolate Touch by Patrick Skene Catling
Anything by Roald Dahl
Check out Battle of the Books online, they have some terrific title lists (I participated in middle school and loved it!)
http://www.battleofthebooks.org/selection.html
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by searcymilam06.25.08 | 10:53 AMI also taught through Teach for America, and my 8th grade students' favorite book was "The Watsons Go To Birmingham, 1963." It really lends itself to being read aloud, containing ample humor as well as relevant social and racial issues.
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by Stephanielle06.25.08 | 08:56 AMBesides those others have mentioned, I enjoyed:
-The Ear, the Eye, and the Arm by Nancy Farmer
-Anne of Green Gables
-Little Women
-Charles and Mary Lamb's collection of Shakespeare's plays as short stories (a great way to learn about the plays without having to work through all of the plays themselves). Collections of Greek myths as short stories also made me fall in love with mythology and put me ahead of the game when I had to learn about Greek mythology or use it in literary analysis after middle school.
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by pj_cricket06.25.08 | 08:20 AM"The Giver" spoke to me. I thought it touched on interesting themes about a person's niche in society, like the girls who knew the role chosen for them for the rest of their lives was to make children.
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06.24.08 | 11:42 AMI loved the Enchanted Forest Chronicles by Patricia Wrede when I was in middle school -- these would be a great suggestion for kids who loved Harry Potter.
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by leah_nahmias06.24.08 | 11:11 AMElizabeth, middle school was tough because that's when my reading level was past my maturity level and it was hard to find books that were interesting. I know that by 8th grade I was reading a lot of "best sellers" like John Grisham and Mary Higgins Clark, which is funny because I don't read that type of literature any more. Maybe it's a younger level, but I really liked "The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle" by Avi. I'll keep thinking and add more.
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by knelson06.24.08 | 07:23 AMReading was always a struggle for me. I needed soemthing to keep my attention but not too big so it didn't overwhelm me. The Chronicles of Narnia helped me to enjoy reading and they weren't too long.
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by aleaf06.23.08 | 09:05 PMAre you going to supply books that engender issues that face at-risk girls today? The books I see suggested have been in schools for 20-30 years. The problem w/most programs is they do not address real problems currently facing youth. Will there be books on gender identity, cutting, advocacy, volunteering, eating disorders, sexuality, world hunger, racism, politics, suicide, pregnancy, AIDS, war, poverty, rape, abuse etc...? Or will all the books be non-'controversial'? When all teens want to do is question and learn how to face and deal with and resolve all these controversial issues? And when teens don't get to talk about these frightening issues, when they're told 'just say no' or 'don't dress provocatively' or 'abstinence' that's when they really get in trouble. Talking about these issues is the best way 2 avert many of these problems and give teens the skills they need to recognize, face and deal w/ these issues and problems. If you'd like book suggestions please email me @ leafylove@peacemail.com
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by arthurpjus06.23.08 | 05:48 PMNot one I read as a girl, but when I was teaching middle school English I read a wonderful book called "Peeling the Onion" by Wendy Orr. Highly recommend it for adolescent girls. Also, "The House on Mango Street" by Sandra Cisneros.
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by akg11906.23.08 | 02:38 PMHi Elizabeth,
First of all, great idea & good luck! My absolute all-time favorite is To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee because it's so powerful, and its themes and messages are still very relevant today. I graduated with a Masters in Library Science from Pratt Institute and for one of my assignments I created a bibliography for books related to tolerance, which would probably be very applicable to your target audience. If you're interested in this book list, feel free to contact me at akg119@aol.com. FYI, I work with your Aunt Jeanne.
Take care,
Kate
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by jeneumann06.23.08 | 02:20 PMLittle Women: I loved the interaction between the sisters (I am one of six sisters). I loved the 'foreign-ness' of it and at the same time the familiarity.
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by Listie06.23.08 | 11:11 AMI loved the Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis...and I have to agree about Watership Down being a wonderful favorite, although it's a bit on the heavy side! I have so many favorite books...and another on the top of the list is the Count of Monte Cristo, what an amazing tale!
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by stacylp6006.22.08 | 10:40 PMOnce Upona a Marigold by E D Baker. This is a fairy tale story about a prince who runs away from home and the troll that becomes his foster father. It is a charming story that deals with true love and hardships. It keeps you laughing and is not very long.
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by sparksfly06.22.08 | 03:09 AMFirst, I just want to mention that I'm absolutely thrilled with this idea! I've been an avid reader since 2nd grade, and I wish that everyone shared my love of reading.
As for reading material suggestions, I'm going to refrain from doing that. As much as I devoured books, I hated reading for school. Now, in my 40s, I am reading the books I was supposed to read in high school (I read the Cliff Notes back then). I simply wasn't mature enough to understand the significance of what I was reading. I think the key, the most important thing, is to get them HOOKED on reading in general. Whatever that takes, even if it's 3rd rate stuff. Because then you've created readers for life, rather than readers for the duration of a project.
Good luck!
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by MrsDeagle06.07.08 | 08:56 PMWatership Down. It rocked... My favorite book ever. I think all would like it, not just girls. It includes mapping that can also be used as a structureable skill for learning.
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06.07.08 | 11:21 AMElizabeth,
Go for the Gold! I attended high school with Roberta Cormier in Massachusetts whose father, author ,Robert Cormier wrote a number of successful books for adolescents and young adults. You may want to check them out. "The Chocolate War" may be familiar to you. I've attached some basic infor.
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Biography's Source:
Biography:
Robert Cormier is the distinguished author of many books including, "After the First Death," "Eight Plus One," "Now and at the Hour," "Take me Where the Good Times Are," "A Little Raw on Monday Mornings," "Fade," "The Bumblebee Flies Anyway," "The Chocolate War," and "Beyond the Chocolate War." He is the recipient of the Young Adult services Division, School Library Journal Author Award, which recognizes wuthors "whose books have provided young adults with a window through which they can view their world and which will …morehelp them to grow and to understnad themselves and their role in society." Cormier and his wife live in Leominster, Mass.
Anthologies:
Growing Up Stories (1995)
Novels:
Chocolate War, the (1974)
I am the Cheese (1977)
After the First Death (1979)
Bumblebee Flies Anyway, the (1983)
Beyond the Chocolate War (1985)
Fade (1988)
Other Bells for Us to Ring (1990)
We All Fall Down (1991)
Tunes for Bears to Dance To (1992)
In the Middle of the Night (1995)
Rag and Bone Shop, the (2001)
Series:
Love, Marilyn
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06.06.08 | 05:41 PMFast Sam, Cool Clyde, and Stuff--Walter Dean Myers (my 8th graders LOVED this book)
Books about adolescent girls' inner life, family, and social /community concerns--I lived in these books:
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry--Mildred Taylor
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn--Betty Smith
Walk Two Moons--can't remember the author!
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by artist8706.06.08 | 11:23 AMAs a somewhat younger reader than your target audience, I went through every Nancy Drew and Trixie Belden story, but if your girls are not yet strong readers, they might be a starting point. The Harry Potter books, especially the later ones, have strong girls in addition to Hermione, and Luna is a sympathetic outsider who becomes pivotal to the group's success.
I would also suggest some nonfiction and poetry books (not every young reader adores fiction right off the bat). I still have my battered paperback copy of "The Voice That Is Great Within Us" (ed. Hayden Carruth): it has such diverse poems, plus many women poets, that it suits novice poetry readers as well as the more experienced. For wider horizons, maybe "Her Fork in the Road (Women celebrate food and travel)" (ed. Lisa Bach), which has true stories of adventure, exploration, and personal discovery along the global road.
Dig around Amazon's Listmania!, too. There are good lists of books for teens, librarians' choices, and so on.
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by Chaula06.06.08 | 12:38 AMHave you read the "No 1. Ladies Detective Agency" series featuring Precious Ramotswe, a female PI in Botswana? It's the story of a woman who went through hard times and made many mistakes before becoming independent. Instead of one big mystery, she solves multiple cases, and the focus is as much on her life as on the cases, with plenty of advice, moral lessons, and food for thought. Also, the global flavor may make it more appealing to students. I am not entirely sure if it is appropriate for middle school so you may want to confirm for yourself. Good luck!
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by jda23806.03.08 | 02:45 PMI just remembered a book I read this spring, which I believe is considered Young Adult Fiction -- The Book Thief, which was such a powerful story of a girl developing a love of books and surving the unthinkable. I also thought Extremely Loud and Terribly Close was a beautifully told tale of 9/11 survival through the eyes of a child who lost his father.
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by hanichini
06.03.08 | 10:10 AMAs a middle school teacher, my students loved "Number the Stars," "The Giver," and "Our America: Life and Death on the South Side." They could relate in different ways to the stories and thinking in each of the books, and they loved the interactive debates and discussions they prompted.
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by lesliecook0406.02.08 | 07:27 PMI loved The Ear, the Eye and The Arm. It tells the story of 3 detectives in 2194 Zimbabwe who solve a crime using their own superpowers. Despite the sci-fi-type description, the book covers a lot of interesting issues as it follows the 3 detectives on their work.
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by ctmurray06.02.08 | 01:14 PMSome of my favorites, several of which have strong female roles: Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (Lewis Carroll), Number the Stars (Lois Lowry), A Wrinkle in Time (Madeleine L'Engle), Silas Marner (George Eliot), The Devil's Arithmetic (Jane Yolen), Rebecca (Daphne de Maurier), Anne of Green Gables (Lucy Maud Montgomery)
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by jda23806.02.08 | 10:06 AMBelieve it or not the most influential books I read as a middle school student were the complete works of Kurt Vonnegut. My older siblings were in high school and when I ran out of more age-appropriate fare, I started digging into those books. While the themes were very mature and often very dark, I could relate to them and his writing style was very colloquial and readable even at a young age. Another author that might be of value is Stephen King, especially his short stories. He tells a great (if often creepy) story that is incredibly well constructed and he can paint a picture better than almost any author I know. While the classics undoubtedly have a place, there are other authors who can compell with words without it being necesarily "academic."
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by mattlegato06.02.08 | 09:41 AMTrue Confessions of Charlotte Doyle. Written as a diary a la Anne Frank, a young girl grows into herself aboard a ship from England to America.
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Q2: Beyond the Dorchester County Public Schools, what other existing organizations in your community could be potential partners for Girl Talk as it expands nationally?
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06.30.08 | 08:01 AMHave already done so.
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by Sallie06.29.08 | 02:41 PMThe Boys & Girls Clubs, Girl Scouts and/or the YWCA are potential partners.
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by Sallie06.29.08 | 02:41 PMThe Boys & Girls Clubs, Girl Scouts and/or the YWCA are potential partners.
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by clada06.28.08 | 09:31 AMIn Alexandria Virginia the Campagna Center offers "Write to Read"... they would be a good partner. http://www.campagnacenter.org/
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by jefner8906.27.08 | 07:47 PMFor future planning,..follow the money. In New Jersey, the Abbott School Districts receive funding and could use programs that have proven positive impacts. Mercer Street Friends in Trenton is a very strong, well run community based agency. Also New Orleans needs as much creativity as the world can bring to bear. Your program could be the seed that makes an impact in these types of communities. The suggestions of teaming with Y's, big sisters, after school programs and other community organizations are all good.
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by ddanyow06.27.08 | 07:16 PMThere are a number of parent led in- school all female book groups that happen in many schools. I have led such a group for several years and ours has metamorphed into a mother daughter outside of school group. These groups could provide mentoring etc. via technology. Good luck.
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by Bumblenbee06.25.08 | 09:14 AMGirl Talk could create a support system and create even more impact by partnering with local elementary schools or even orphanages, say by reading books to younger children. You could essential create a Junior Girl talk program by offering a reading hour where these girls read to/with children in a one on one setting, or else to an entire room of children. This might further encourage these adolescent girls, while instilling younger generation with a similar interest in reading and learning.
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by bmcdonne06.25.08 | 06:34 AMBoys & Girls Clubs. We're working on starting one in Dorchester.
Bill
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by dbrattgrl06.24.08 | 03:41 PMMany cities have a YWCA chapter they would be excellent partners. The YWCA in the city of Orange, CA works with recently emancipated young women. The program provides them with housing, clothing and training to obtain a job.
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by leah_nahmias06.24.08 | 11:21 AMGirls, Inc. It's an after-school program for girls only because studies find that in co-ed situation boys get more attention. Some of the goals include healthy girls (like a YMCA), positive self-image, improved financial literacy, improved math and science, and cooperative relationships among girls. They usually serve low-income girls.
I think the quality of program delivery varies a great deal from site to site, but in Bloomington, Indiana it was phenomenal (I volunteered weekly for two years). There we were having trouble keeping middle school aged girls interested and finding meaningful programs that were different than those we offered for younger girls.
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06.23.08 | 05:18 PMI recommend creating partnerships with your local library and the YWCA. I loved the books Island of Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell and A Ring of Endless Light by Madeline L'Engle when I was in middle school.
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06.23.08 | 02:34 PMNational Endowment for the Arts Big Read. Am project coordinator for my area (no. Cal.) but it works with communities across the country
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06.06.08 | 05:43 PMThere are some folks here in New Orleans who are interested in girls' leadership development--I am beginning to talk with people about founding an organization, and I think that New Orleans Outreach would be a great partner.
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by zmajeed06.06.08 | 06:51 AMStrong Women, Strong Girls might be a potential partner. As far as I know, they are in Boston and Pittsburgh, and pair female role models with young girls in need of mentoring. Together, they take part in skill-building activities and studies of strong female role models from history. I wish you well with this venture; it sounds wonderful!
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What advice do you have to help me grow my idea?
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by KooDooZ
08.29.08 | 02:47 PMThere are many great foundations across the nation with whom you might want to partner. One that comes to mind is: "Bring Me A Book" which encourages a corporation to "sponsor" a library of high-quality children's books for the benefit of a specific school, teen center, etc.
It's very powerful for a brand to impact a community it serves. Structuring your program to enable local & national brands an *easy* opportunity to be part of GirlTalk would also help keep things cash-positive. Imagine the impact of opening the cover of a book and discovers that it was gifted by Corporate X.
I would also strongly suggest that you consider having a web-presence to fuel your growth as well. This will ultimately stimulate some grass roots support. And many potential donors / sponsors will want to discover more information about you and the service online.
Build it to accept & encourage online donations (see www.bookaid.org and biblioworks.org). More importantly, build it with the goal of developing an online "communi…morety" where the girls can share their thoughts about the books they've read, and rate them.
BTW: It looks like girltalk.org is still available so grab it while you can! (You’ll especially want to do so because when searching online, Google pointed me to , a site “girltalk-online” which is a transgendered magazine. If you have your own web presence, that wouldn’t be an issue.
Good luck!
~Lee Fox
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06.30.08 | 07:59 AMPublishers always have over-runs of books they've published. Most are free for the asking. Libraries clear their old books periodically and you might be on their list for free books.
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by siragwatkins06.30.08 | 04:30 AMYou might be able to get publishers to donate books at least for the pilot--if their books were adopted & the program grew, it would be in their interest.
Coming to America series, American Girl series, Thoroughbred series (horses!), a lot of Scholastic books for adolescents. All of these have pretty accessible vocabulary & positive images of young women.
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by svahairie06.29.08 | 09:43 AMI highly recommend two books by Nnendi Okorofor entitled Zahrah The Windseeker and The Shadow Speaker, published by Hyperion Press. You can find more info here. http://nnedi.com/ Both feature girls of African descent written by a woman of African descent. They are stunning books. As a young African-American woman I was always searching for images of princeses...these books taught me that I was really searching for heros. I would have been a very different person if these has been written in my youth. (While No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency is a wonderful read it is written by a White male and often has subtle colonialist messages.)
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by mholthoff06.29.08 | 08:26 AMMy Antonia was a favorite of mine at that age and I have always remembered it as making a positive impression on me. Your plan/idea is incredible and please know that the community supports you.
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by jpetrino06.27.08 | 08:55 PMI think this is a great program, i was lucky enough to have a group in middle school called girls speak out and i think that having a place where young women can be exposed to new thing and feel comfortable talking about issues is important in those acward formative years.
Meg Cabot's books are great, as well as the Sisterhood of the traveling pants which is a great great series. Also Sarah Dressden's book Lulluby, she was a couple other great books. The Weetzie Bat series which is about an off beat family, by Francessca Lia Block,she has several other books that are great.
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by Bumblenbee06.27.08 | 02:07 AMhonestly the idea is great. and i agree with miss nancy schimmel that anything that can keep children/adolescents actively involved and intrigued, while also out of trouble- giving them a meaningful task can give those at-risk and even others something more to breathe life into. consider it an addition to or alternative to sports and other school activities. while i grew up in a suburban setting, and my adolescent in a stable, normal environment, i'd say that i still felt awkward in my own skin. reading was an alternative, a way of escape, while also serving as a source of intrigue of other worlds beyond my own. these days i aspire to become a children's book writer, general writer amongst other things. i certainly am not able to read as much as i use to, but had a book club or program been available to me in my adolescence, i perhaps would have already been a writer by now. best of luck with Girls Talk. Great mission, great ideas, with the potential to only do good.
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by lesliecook0406.25.08 | 09:30 PMElizabeth, I have two thoughts for you.
First - the Equipoise Fund (www.equipoisefund.org) is a Wyoming non-profit that helps women and girls in WY to find balance for themselves and within their communities. They offer grants to initiatives and also help organizations and leaders make partnerships. As you start up in Dorchester County, it might be good to seek advice about non-profit managment and girls'/women's issues in rural areas.
Second, are there any books that are set in Dorchester County or written by local authors? To help get the students motivated to read, it might be good to find some young-adult literature based in or near Dorchester County. The local library or historical society may be able to help you with finding some of that type of literature. I also imagine that you would be able to find even more literature about the Eastern Shore of Maryland and/or the Chesapeake Bay.
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06.25.08 | 04:30 PMThink of something that you could do for boys!
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by edevlin06.25.08 | 09:24 AMThanks, Bumblenbee, that's a great suggestion. I alread have a high school mentor component built in but it would be great to be able to incorporate younger students as well!
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by leah_nahmias06.24.08 | 11:18 AMOther thoughts: check out List Mania on Amazon...lots of reader-created lists of best young adult fiction.
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by diyonnamarie06.24.08 | 09:15 AMAre You There, God, It's Me, Margaret? This book was funny, interesting, and relative to situations I was going through as a pre-teen. Good luck! This is an excellent project!
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by edevlin06.24.08 | 07:50 AMaleaf--Thank you for your comment! I definitely have been and will be looking into books that relate more closely to the tough issues facing at risk girls in low income communities. There are also certain identity and coming of age issues that are common for adolescents everywhere, so I think some "classics" can have their place too. I would love to get some book suggestions from you, so I will definitely be in touch via email!
Thanks again,
Elizabeth
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by edevlin06.23.08 | 10:08 AMnancyschimmel--I completely agree with you, but I am hoping that the longer the list of books I have to choose from and look into, the easier it will be to find good fits for less avid readers. I love your suggestion about graphic novels and It's Our World, Too! I often find that reluctant readers prefer non-fiction, and that book sounds like a perfect non-fiction selection for adolescents!
Thanks so much for your comment!
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06.22.08 | 10:41 AMAsking readers for their favorite book may not help non-readers. For middle-schoolers really resistant to reading, a graphic novel might be a good place to start. I don't know if Persepolis (a memoir in graphic-novel style) would be appropriate for middle school, but it would give a lot to talk about. Also important: open-ended questions (with no right answer) to get discussion going. Otherwise you will get "I liked it" and "I didn't like it" and not get deeper into the book.
More thought-provoking non-fiction for that age: It's Our World, Too! Stories of Young People Who Are Making a Difference by Phillip Hoose (Joy Street/Little, Brown, 1993), about young activists.
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by teriincali06.22.08 | 03:11 AMPlease provide the same services and offer a similar program for boys. Studies show girls are doing far better than boys in school. More girls and women are entering college than boys and men. Boys desperately need help. We've already focused on girls for years now. Please don't give up on the boys!
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by MrsDeagle06.07.08 | 09:00 PMRun with this, as it is needed everywhere. Go go go.
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by edevlin06.06.08 | 02:40 PMThank you all for the great book suggestions! I can't wait to delve into them all, especially the ones I haven't read, and to figure out how they could be used in the Girl Talk curriculum.
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06.05.08 | 12:28 PMThe Book Thief is sensational and I remember The Outsiders being a favorite. You may also want to see if any appropriate authors live in your area -- it's becoming more common for current authors to occasionally meet with book clubs that read their books. The girls could get their books signed, an extra special feature of a personal library. Good luck, Elizabeth!
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06.05.08 | 08:13 AMHey there - saw this article today and thought of your idea. While it shows how the federal government has not done well with its Reading First program, perhaps there are lessons to be learned from their mistakes: http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2008/06/04/39read.h27.html?tmp=1789198707
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by Adrienne06.05.08 | 07:37 AMDear Elizabeth, What a wonderful idea! My favorite book in middle school, half a century ago, was My Antonia by Willa Cather. I still have my copy of the book, which I have moved many times. Adrienne
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by psujane8506.04.08 | 05:34 PMHow about "The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency? Portrays a female dectective in Africa, her relationships and adventures.
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06.03.08 | 06:59 PMThis is impressive, particularly your eye toward monitoring the program for adapting the curriculum for adaption elsewhere. Once you have your case study and implementation ideas for expansion, where will you go from there? You can't continue to do it long term without salaries etc.
What I read in middle school... I couldn't say. I was taking senior english in the seventh grade so we read Steinbeck, Vonnegut, Orwell, etc. I did read the OZ books over and over in childhood (not the first one, the series is chalk full of can-do girl heroes). I never read Austen, wasn't relevant to me (never liked ****-lit). I read mostly adventure or science fiction, Heinlein mostly.
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by lindseyquick06.02.08 | 05:31 PMJodi Picoult writes really great novels that always involve social justice issues. They're really descriptive and make the reader think. The most popular is My Sister's Keeper, and others that may appeal to the adolescent set are 19 Minutes and The Pact. Other great books with strong female characters are The Bean Trees, Pigs in Heaven, and Tess of the D'Urbervilles. Good luck!
Idea Description
Low reading achievement and disinterest in reading plague low-income schools. Reversing this trend is essential but complicated by an education system where reading is a chore. Girl Talk, a unique solution, will create a network of book clubs for at-risk adolescent girls to empower them, through the discussion of literature, to become leaders in their communities while also increasing their reading and critical thinking skills. Girl Talk will allow girls to develop personal libraries and reframe their reading outlook. Through this replicable approach, participants will use literature to develop the academic skills for success AND the personal skills to impact themselves and others.
What will you do if you win $10,000 for this idea?
Girl Talk has formed a partnership with the Dorchester County Public Schools, a rural school system in Maryland with a strong commitment to students and a need for Girl Talk and programs like it. This pilot of Girl Talk will allow us to evaluate the success of the program and make adjustments to the curriculum and structure prior to expanding the Girl Talk network to other states and districts. Winning the 10K would provide us with enough funds to support the implementation of Girl Talk in the three Dorchester County middle schools by providing the books and materials for 35 participants and teacher stipends and training.
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Post a commentHey Elizabeth, It's been fun (and stressful) running side by side all month long. I'm going to miss seeing your cute logo every day. I wish you lots of success with the program you are creating. It's great that you have so much support, and you seem like a real dynamo. I can't wait to see how it turns out. Best of luck to you, Cindy
I think this is a great idea. Please let me know how I can help out.
Reading group for girls is great but your rebuttal still made me raise an eyebrow. Saying that boys aren't as into books is a serious generalization. Not to be anecdotal, but I have male friends who read way more than I do. And I read a lot. Also, reading didn't help me regarding ****. I was given a text book listed with STD's and told not to do it. I understand that there are some issues men and woman differ on, but I can't see how you can't hold a group open to gender and give people options on what to read next in group if they differ with issues regarding gender/**** or whatever. You can split them based on the book they are reading and they can all come back and share their thoughts and ask each other questions. I work for a non profit organization for teens between the ages of 12-17 …moreand the things they want to learn are very similar and always empowering. Gender shouldn't leave them out of reading and learning. Anyway, I can't remember what I read in high school, I just remember it was boring. I'm not a fantasy fan and I don't read much fiction. I loved reading things about social change, people and groups standing up against oppression, and the history of movements. In middle school, I hardly knew who Malcolm X was. And with our schools as they were, I NEVER heard of gay history. Middle school is a great time to give them those things where they might find inspiration.
This is an awesome idea, Elizabeth. Good luck!
I don't quite understand the logic of it being gender related at all, especially the gender which statistically needs it less. There is absolutely no logical reason to only teach girls other than that you may find it somewhat easier since you clearly have some bias probably from more experience teaching girls rather than boys. Either way it's entirely unfair to at-risk boys and no system should discriminate entirely on gender, the education should go to the most at-risk in a means tested system as opposed to an entirely arbitrary and sexist **** based system. Your rebuttal including teen pregnancy is really unrelated, unless this is going to be themed around **** education literature (which I imagine there is very little of) it makes absolutely no difference to that issue other than a v…moreery very weak argument that better educated girls are less likely to have unprotected ****, which is based on education including **** education as opposed to an entirely literature based curriculum as would occur within this program. Just because boys aren't as openly enthusiastic about books does not mean you should discriminate against them, if it's entirely voluntarily then it would be a large majority of girls anyway so there's no point of exclusive about it and shutting off the genuinely interested boys. Positive discrimination is just the same as negative discrimination because discrimination in just a set of balancing scales.
Good Luck Elizabeth!! It is a phenomenal concept and I wish you great success!
As one of Top 100 Women in Maryland 2007, I applaud your idea! Sometimes girls need to be singled out, not to be sexist but to help them achieve in a what they perceive as a male dominated world!! Good Luck!!
Great idea! I will be sure to pass this on to others. Good luck! (FYI - I work with Andrew!)
I'm not impressed with this idea, it is sexist as other posters have said. I've read the rebuttals to that but they do not really clear up the concerns I have about this idea. If it was gender neutral it would be great, and I do wish you luck with whatever version of it you go ahead with though.
This is a wonderful idea. Girls become women, who, in turn, become moms, and moms are their children's first teachers. Empowering girls in this way will surely have a positive impact on the future.
This idea is a great idea would help girls all over the world, but what about the boys?
God Luck!
Great idea, Elizabeth! I will be sure to pass this on to others. Good luck!
Great idea, Elizabeth! I will be sure to pass this on to others. Good luck!
layboogie--please see my comment above about why I have focused on girls.
you go girl, thank god someone is still teaching in the middle schools....uncle steve:)
I have to say, why does this idea have to be targeted solely at girls? At one point girls were disadvantaged at school, but it seems now like the pendulum has swung the other way. Boys are the ones who are falling behind at school. When I go to the bookstore everything seems to be written for girls - where are the little boy books? Boys need the love too!
AWESOME, AWESOME IDEA! The ENTIRE country needs this and I see that it is your hope to be able to implement this on a larger and larger scale! We need ALOT more of this kind of thinking in America!!!
What a wonderful idea. I have thought about starting a book club with 4th/5th grade girls in a low-income/high-minority school where I have taught. I will love to follow your journey. Keep up the good work.
Awesome idea - I think you have a great idea with a lot of potential! Good luck!!
While there are enormous needs for both boys and girls in under privileged communities, I think Elizabeth has a good idea to start with what she knows and see where it goes.There is enormous need. I am not an educator so do not have the data at my fingertips, but I believe there is likely data that show that under-educated girls are more likely to engage in risky behaviors that lead to unwanted pregnancy, which further feeds the poverty cycle. I also would speculate that the achievement gap is likely much smaller in under privileged communities.
Elizabeth, Sounds like a great idea. Keeping working it! dfmiller
I love this idea! I've been an avid reader since I was a young child, primarily because of the summer reading programs at my school and the emphasis on literature. I especially like the idea of empowering the girls to become leaders. This is a GREAT way to encourage that, and involve the arts and literature as well. Best of luck to you!!
In response to teriincali--Having taught in a low income community, I am acutely aware of the needs of at-risk communities. While it is true that more boys are failing than girls, too many girls in low income communities are failing and until every child (male or female) in every school is succeeding academically and attending college, we are not doing our job. Addressing these issues requires an array of solutions for both boys and girls because boys and girls have different needs and interests. Girl Talk is just one possible solution designed to meet the needs and interests of girls, and educators are working tirelessly to develop unique solutions to address the needs of boys as well. A book club will not appeal to adolescent boys but an after school club that incorporates sports and…more literature or video games and literature would. Furthermore, teen pregnancy is a huge issue in this country. Dorchester County, where Girl Talk will be piloted, has the highest teen birth rate in the state of Maryland. And, teen pregnancy is not only a leading cause of dropout among adolescent girls but also contributes to creating a cycle of poverty in low-income communities. One of the principal goals of Girl Talk is to use literature to improve participants' self-awareness and sense of future, so they will avoid the risky behaviors that lead to teen pregnancy. In this way, Girl Talk is meeting a specific need affecting young women and low-income communities as a whole because it has the potential to break the cycle of poverty. If you email me at edevlin@girltalkreads.org, I would be happy to share the specific statistics and research I have done prior to launching Girl Talk that support the necessity of the idea. There is not a one-size-fits-all solution to the education crisis in our country, and it is going to take a variety of innovative ideas to address the many specific issues causing educational failure. Girl Talk is one such idea, and I hope that others will consider innovative ideas for boys. If it is an issue you are passionate about, maybe you could develop an initiative responding to the needs of that specific population! Thank you for you comment, and I hope I have responded to your concerns.
Good luck, Elizabeth. It really is a great Idea!
Thank Peyton Marshall for letting me know about this. It sounds phenomenal. I do hope you see fit to expand it to include boys, though. My twins (9 yrs) are rising 4th graders at Villa Heights Academic Center in Charlotte, a magnet school which serves disadvantaged children with a learning immersion and talent development program. My boys are in the TD program, but as an active parent, I see a lot of black boys in the LI program who need this sort of program MORE than the girls do. The test scores reflect this, and the crime rate in the low-income African American neighborhoods points to this need as well. --Bill Burkholder
sorry, but I think this is a bad idea. boys are failing in school, not girls. research the facts. please make this gender-neutral or do it for boys.
I am so, so, so proud to be sharing a space on Ideablob with you! I think you've got a great organization going and I can't wait to hear of its successes. I am happy to help you in any way I can--please just let me know what you need.
This sounds great Elizabeth! Good luck.
Good luck Elizabeth! Anna told me you were doing this and it sounds AMAZING!!!
Good luck! This sounds amazing.
Wonderful idea!!! Any type of program to get individuals (especially children) to read more has merit. The biggest question becomes to books and whether you defer to canonical literature that has greater inferential value, but may prove less interesting or tailor your book selections to culturally relevant texts that really capture the minds and experiences of the readers. Either avenue has tremendous upside. Let me know if I can help in any way.
Cheers!!! Great work on this one!! There should be 1000 more of you scattered throughout the country RIGHT NOW!! Such a powerful and daring move to perpetuate change -
I love the logo!
Elizabeth, What a wonderful opportunity for Dorchester county. Kuddos to you. Take care, Mary
It has been a very long time, jr. high has, but I think I was enjoying Edgar Allen Poe, Edna St. Vincent Millay, Ray Bradbury and *maybe* some Vonnegut. I think I didn't find Vonnegut until high school, but I did love his writing as a child. Robert Heinlein and some other old school sci fi. P.G.Wodehouse.
So glad to see this is plugging along. I think it is such a GREAT idea!
Elizabeth - I wish you many, many blessings in your quest to help educate disadvantaged/low income girls and assist them in the preparation of becoming successful adults regardless of their financial and/or personal status and the stigma that is attached to low income areas, especially for girls. I am a firm believer that one person CAN make a difference in this world. You may want to consider a seminar of sorts for the targeted group of girsl - not just good reading materials. Many times, especially if the speaker is from a similar background and is now successful, the audience has someone they can relate to, especially if that speaker is or has been a mentor to others. Best of luck to you.
Great idea Elizabeth! The most current studies I've seen is this is exactly the group to reach to break the cycles of abuse, addiction, etc. Instill the values in the future matriarch, and you've created the best opportunity for them to be carried on.
This is awesome! Let me know what I can do to help especially over the summer. I love designing curriculum and will aid in whatever manner you might need from good ole Charlotte. ~renee~
Good Luck Elizabeth!
Wonderful Elizabeth! Let me know how I can help you reach out to the TFA Alumni Network about this opportunity. Sonya
Book Club for At-risk girls. Love the idea. Good luck!