Workshop Description

In A Girl Named Disaster, Nhamo lives in her mother’s village in Mozambique.  Her mother is dead and her father is gone.  While her Grandmother provides much needed affection, her Aunt Chipo hates her and the people in her village refer to her as “Little Disaster.”  In The Skin I'm In, Maleeka Madison’s classmates taunt and pressure her to follow the crowd; a new teacher prods and pressures her to achieve. Young, Black and beautiful, Maleeka is a 7th grader who doesn’t blend well with her peers.  Although both stories reflect the troubles and triumphs of young girls, the books present issues that all adolescents face:  fitting in, accepting oneself, taking responsibility, survival and the importance of family and friendships. This hands-on workshop will explore the journey of self-discovery by examining the way in which our main characters' identities are shaped, shifted and stifled by their response to life circumstances.  Activities will address the importance of self-esteem, culture and skin tone bias as the foundation for transforming the relationship between external features and misperceptions of the self.  Through hands-on before, during and after reading activities, this workshop offers teachers a variety of ways to bring these books to our students.   (7th grade and up)

Unit Template

Think in Threes

Read and Write

Agenda for YAL Workshop 10-2007

Identity Power Point

Identity Power Point CD Cover

Reclaiming the Girl Within resource book

Silent Discussion