"The Blackbird Girls" by Anne Blankman (4th-7th grade)

Quality Rating: 5 of 5

"[Blackbirds are] a symbol for eternity," Feruza said. "And I think... like them, our friendship could last forever." (Blankman, 253)

Overview:

Sworn enemies Valentina Kaplan and Oksana Savchencko find themselves inseparable after a reactor explosion at Chernobyl, the nuclear power plant both of their fathers worked at, causes them to join efforts. Radiation exposure forces the girls to leave Pripyat, Ukraine by train, staying with Leningrad, Russia with Valentina's grandmother Rita. Through their experiences getting to Leningrad and staying there, the girls slowly learn what trust truly means— facing lies and keeping secrets to survive.

This story is told from three alternating perspectives: Valentina and Oksana in 1986 and Rifka in 1941. Blankman highlights the hateful, intolerant, and oppressive stances that the Ukrainian/Russian societies held against their own people, and illustrates that true friendship can overcome it all.

Why use this novel in the classroom?

Teaches multiple perspectives

Reading literature with multiple perspectives helps students realize there are multiple viewpoints of the same story. It allows students to see the world through lenses other than their own. This novel guides the reader to understand how an individual's experiences shape his or her perspective and behaviors.

The novel sharpens readers’ critical thinking skills, allowing students to grasp that believing everything an adult says is not always the right thing to do; sometimes adults are misguided and incorrect. We want to instill these mindsets into our students:

1. YOU have the ability to accept or reject common stereotypes and biases.

2. YOU have to decipher the truth for yourself.

3. Once you do that, YOU can stop stereotypes and biases by standing up against them.

For example:

1. Valentina's Jewish identity makes her a target within society, causing her to be more cautious and defensive in all of her interactions. She receives negative comments from Oksana at the beginning of the novel but after being forced to live with Oksana while escaping the radiation, Valentina begins to let down her guard. She proves to Oksana that she and her family serve no actual threat, invalidating the stereotypes and biases society holds against them.

2. Oksana's father abusing her causes her to be cautious towards men. Yet, despite her father’s instability, she trusts his stereotypical (and negative) opinions about Jews in their community, including Valentina and her family, until she realizes the truth herself.

3. Rifka's Jewish identity makes her a target for discrimination, persecution, and elimination as she runs from the Nazi invasion during WWII. It continues to influence her behavior and religious practices well after the war ended.

Vocabulary exposure

Most of the language used in this novel is pretty easy to follow. Some of the vocabulary, however, may be something new if they are not familiar with common Ukrainian or Russian words such as babulya, Kiev, Pripyat, borscht, dyadya, and many more.

Due to the new vocabulary and because there are no pictures in the novel, this book may present a challenge for ELL students. This website can serve as a tool to see what terms the students knew after reading each section of the book and connect the gaps that may be present. There are practice and spelling quizzes per section, both of which include the definition of the word and the sentence where the word is found in the book. There is also a team feature in which identifying, defining, and spelling the words can be made into a game.

Culture exposure

Many students may not ever get to experience life outside of the country, let alone Russia or Ukraine. Knowing this, exposing students to different cultures through literature widens their perspective of the world around them. I did have a little exposure outside of the mainstream US culture due to some of the literature and topics discussed in classes, but my worldview was very small until I went to college and my eyes were opened through experiences, interactions, and literature. Teachers can mitigate this shock to their students' systems by exposing them earlier, enabling the students to be better able to understand and communicate with those around them.

Until doing research, I did not know individuals living in Ukraine used the Ukrainian language for legal documents but used Russian for daily communication. Foods, clothing, musical instruments, and music are different between the two countries, though they are quite similar. In terms of mannerisms, Russian culture is more communal, whereas Ukrainian culture is more individualistic. Religious differences (another major focus of this text) may seem small to someone living in the U.S., where there is such vast religious diversity, but religious differences are significant in Ukraine and Russia. Imagine what information students would be missing out on if they did not get exposure to worlds other than their own!

For a brief explanation of the differences between the two countries, check out this video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qBP4adzeeAY

Conversations about domestic abuse

It may be hard to think about, but abuse at home may be a reality for some students. Personally, I was not aware of how common this reality is until working as a substitute teacher. Getting into the classroom, you soon realize students have more than just academics on their minds. There is a shame associated with being abused, as the victims often blame themselves for making the abuser upset and may believe they deserved to be punished.

The sad reality is that Oksana's circumstances may be very close to reality for some students. Having conversations about her father and Dyadya Boris's behavior could spark conversations about home life circumstances. Teachers and student teachers are mandated reporters, so if you suspect abuse you are legally required to report it. After doing so, if your student(s) need support and you are unsure of how to discuss the topic, please contact your school's social worker and check out the following resources:

National Domestic Violence Hotline: 800-799-7233

• https://www.thehotline.org/

• https://www.nctsn.org/sites/default/files/resources/children_domestic_violence_listening_talking_to_your_child.pdf

• https://www.domesticshelters.org/articles/childhood-domestic-violence/8-ways-to-talk-with-kids-exposed-to-domestic-violence

• https://www.echotraining.org/domesticviolenceandkids/

Ties to present-day situations-- Relevant Learning

The only way to truly engage with students is to make the content relevant to their lives. Unfortunately, Ukrainian and Russian relations are currently in the spotlight. Though the conflict is a difficult topic, it is very relevant to their lives and needs to be discussed to provide them with all of the tools they need to think critically about the situation and how it impacts them. Teachers can integrate social studies, science, and English/Language Arts in the discussion of the novel and what is happening in the world today.

• Social Studies: geography and international relations

Key Questions: Where are the countries in the world? What is the importance of the invasion? Why should the United States of America care if we aren't even on the same continent?

• Science: radiation and nuclear power plants

Key Questions: What is radiation? Why is it bad for you? What really happened at Chernobyl? Why should we learn about a nuclear power plant explosion that happened in 1986 (a whopping 36 years ago)?

-https://kids.kiddle.co/Radiation This website explains what radiation is and why it is not good to have too much exposure to it.

- https://kids.kiddle.co/Chernobyl_disaster This website breaks down the Chernobyl disaster in a kid-friendly way. It will straighten out any misunderstanding about the disaster that may have come from reading the novel.

-https://www.richlandlibrary.com/blog/2021-07-13/blackbird-girls-anne-blankman This video is an alternative breakdown of the Chernobyl disaster.

• English/Language Arts: different perspectives (Ukraine vs. Russia)

Key Questions: What is Russia's motive behind invading Ukraine? What will Ukraine do in response? Will the US get involved? How can this happen and what can I do to help? What other social injustices are present in the world that the media is not talking about?

-https://newsela.com/read/why-russia-invading-ukraine/id/2001027794/ This article can be adjusted for reading levels. Students will learn more about international relations and why Russia is invading Ukraine.

-Writing prompts can be created to take the perspectives of the leaders of both countries and additional readings can be used to solidify understanding of the conflict.

-Empower students by having them create signs, posters, and speeches to advocate for their opinions about the conflict (Who should the US stand behind/support? Why should/shouldn't the US do so?).

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An important thing to note is that we must discuss our student's safety concerns. I have heard many students this week alone talk about how this invasion may be the start of World War III and must say I am worried about war myself. I have a sister and brother-in-law in the US Marines and another sister enlisting into the Air Force this fall. To say that I am worried for their safety, all other armed forces personnel, innocent civilians, and myself is an understatement. We must be real with our students about life outside our classroom, but we must not be so real that they fear for their lives when they walk out the door. Calm reassurance and a continued focus on the perspectives and voices at play in the conflict (and those that go unheard in the media) ensures they can use their critical thinking skills to rationalize their involvement and proximity to the situation overseas. The Blackbird Girls allows an opportunity to discuss literature and make it relevant and meaningful.

The storyline is just the starting point for discussion possibilities within this text. Some teachers will not use this text because of how close to reality it is currently-- but that is exactly why it should be read in classrooms!