George

Use these questions or activities to help gauge students’ familiarity with and spark their interest in the context of the work, giving them an entry point into the text itself.

Short Answer

1. What does transgender mean? How have transgender people faced discrimination, and how are they fighting for their rights?

Teaching Suggestion: George (who reveals her real name, Melissa, later in the novel) knows she is a girl and faces repeated societal expectations that hurt her. Student understanding of transgender people will likely vary, and this is an opportunity to provide background information and empower and support any students in class who might be transgender. Both sources include visuals, which can be a powerful opportunity to analyze the details and overall message. The Time source incorporates additional links that could lead to a longer research project. Focusing on individuals like those photographed and Leah in the PBS interview makes this often-politicized topic personal.

• In “The Pain and Pride of a Generation Changing How America Sees Gender,” Time presents photographs and background knowledge of what transgender youth face at this moment in American history.
• This PBS source offers a 12-minute video and written transcript focusing on Leah, a young transgender girl, who faces her state’s anti-trans politics. Excerpting the beginning for a shorter option still includes Leah’s voice and how important being her true self is.

2. What is gender dysphoria? How might it help if everyone learns more about transgender people’s experiences?

Teaching Suggestion: Students might have some understanding of gender dysphoria, but many might not. In the novel, George experiences feelings of discomfort with her physical body and how it differs from her identity as a girl. Gaining some understanding through direct instruction or discussion of the term “gender dysphoria” before reading could help students more fully understand the novel. It might be helpful to read the Mayo Clinic’s article for background knowledge and then study the photographs in the NPR interview. The interview itself and photographs provide a focus on individuals that can help the technicalities of the term become more personal.

• This brief article from the Mayo Clinic provides an overview of gender dysphoria and how it can impact a person’s life.
• “Nonbinary Photographer Documents Gender Dysphoria Through a Queer Lens” from NPR presents photographs and an interview with the artist (teacher-appropriate; not student-facing). (Content Warning: Profanity and an image of a person in their underwear are included in this article.)

Short Activity

The main character in the novel is transgender. She encounters some acceptance but also lots of prejudice. Work in your group to research the best ways to support LGBTQIA peers. Present your key findings.

Teaching Suggestion: Students might use the links here or be free to find others. Both resources point out how to exit the site quickly. It could be interesting to discuss as a class the reasons this information is necessary.

• With “Creating Safer Spaces in Schools for LGBTQ Youth,” The Trevor Project provides background, ideas, and additional links about making schools more accepting.
• “Improving School Climate for Transgender and Nonbinary Youth” is presented by GLSEN and focuses on how to fully support transgender and nonbinary students.

Personal Connection Prompt

This prompt can be used for in-class discussion, exploratory free-writing, or reflection homework before reading the novel.

How important is friendship? What do you look for in a friend?

Teaching Suggestion: It might be most effective to journal first, and then discuss friendship in small groups or as a whole class. While analyzing the poems, students could identify parts they identify with that connect to their definitions of friendship. The class could create an anchor chart with key ideas about friendship. During the novel study, the class might return to the posted anchor chart, these poems, and the students’ reflections and make connections to the friendship between George and Kelly.

• “To All My Friends” by May Yang (also known as Hauntie) appreciates the complex, steadfast, and life-altering power of true friendship.
• “Us Two” by A. A. Milne presents friendship through the eyes of Pooh and Piglet.
• With this brief article, Scholastic focuses specifically on friendships in third grade. This might be helpful for the teacher for background knowledge.

Differentiation Suggestion: For advanced students, writing their own friendship poem offers an additional challenge. Students could incorporate one or more literary strategies in their writing. Another idea could be expanding the poetry analysis to an essay. The prompt might be the following: “How does the poet’s style build on their theme about friendship?” Students could trace the argument of the poem from beginning to end and explain how specific style choices build that argument.