Conversely, select a key scene (e.g., her interview on the Hot Seat, the Ocotillo Ball,Įtc.) from Stargirl and write it as a poem. Select one of the poems and rewrite the poem as a field report that contains facts about where Stargirl has visited.

There are several poems written by Stargirl on her various field trips in Love, Stargirl.

Suggest extra credit for students who put their plan into action over the weekend and create journal reports Ask them to write a lesson plan for one of the topics.

Let students loose to design their own “shadow curriculums” like Stargirl’s! Prompt them to explore some of the nontraditional subjects they would elect to explore on their own.

In both books, Stargirl is encouraged by her parents and by Archie to explore subjects of interest to her.

Have them select one of these parallels and write a paragraph that explains its significance to the continuing story of Stargirl. Ask students to note parallels such as this from the two novels.

Point out to students that Stargirl opens with a passage about porcupine neckties, and Love, Stargirl mentions the man sitting in a chair near a gravestone wearing a yellow and red plaid scarf.

Ask them toĭo the same for the passage from Love, Stargirl, writing from the point of view of Alvina, Betty Lou, or another one of the characters. They could elect to use Stargirl, Archie, Hillari, or Kevin. Passage from Stargirl using a different character’s point of view. Ask students to select one passage from each of the novels. Leo’s point of view, Love, Stargirl is narrated by Stargirl. For instance, whereas Stargirl is told from

Discuss with your class the difference point of view can make in the way one comprehends a novel.

When Archie comes for the solstice celebration, he tells Stargirl that the students in Mica did the bunny hop again at the Ocotillo Ball.

126) Based on the content of the poem, what would be the time for each of the following characters: Leo, What does this poem suggest about howĭifferently each person measures time? (p.

On her field trip to the clock on the Morning Lenape Building, Stargirl reflects about clocks and time.

Discuss the commonalities shared by these four

Dootsie, Alvina, Perry, and Betty Lou share some similarities though each is a distinct character.

For example, Stargirl observes a lone goose in flight and wonders where the rest of the

Trace the references to emptiness and loneliness in the novel.

Why is she a bit secretive? Why does she eventually relent and tell Leo more and

At first, Stargirl is reluctant to tell Leo much about her new home.

What does this observation reveal about Stargirl and her sense of herself? Even when she is sitting alone on the hill, she feels as if she is at the center of the universe. Stargirl writes to Leo early in the novel that nothing is empty.These characters: Perry, Betty Lou, Stargirl’s mother and father, Stargirl herself. One method of developing characters isthrough extensive use of details about each person.įor instance, Dootsie adores ketchup and Alvina wears a necklace with Winnie the Pooh dangling from it. Spinelli develops characters effectively in many ways.Their sixĬhildren have given Jerry Spinelli a plethora of Separate rooms of the house, the couple edits andĬelebrates one another’s work together. He lives with his wife and fellow writer, Eileen, My Daddy and Me, a loving tribute to fathers and sons.

Times bestseller and an ALA Top Ten Best Book for Winner of the Newbery Medal, and Stargirl, a New York Jerry Spinelli is the author of more than a dozenīooks for young readers, including Maniac Magee, In the “longest letter ever” to her old boyfriend, Leo, Stargirl explores the magic in her new home and her decision to mark time in her own unique way. never one with an inclination to conform, empathizes with the outcasts, making many of them her new friends. She notices the agoraphobic neighbor, the seemingly homeless young boy, and others who do not fit in easily. She explores her new neighborhood with an eye for the unusual. In letter format, Stargirl herself breaths life into the odd and poignant minutiae of life and love. Love, Stargirl finds Stargirl again transplanted-this time farther east. High school narrator Leo Borlock chronicles the impact just one new girl can have on an entire Arizona town.

Jerry Spinelli’s bestselling novel Stargirl is a deceptively complex tale about love and loss, about fitting in and standing out, about speaking out and being quiet.

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