The Blackbird Girls

Themes
● Parents love: what it is or isn’t
○ Recurring theme of mothers sacrificing to do what’s best for their daughters
■ Foil of Valentina's mother- Oksana’s mother
● I want to talk about the small differences between the ways that the two girls write and
speak- how often, Oksana has a very flowy and artistic language. Does this reflect as well
in Valentina?

Opening Discussion:
a. Why Blackbird Girls?
a. This is a novel about friendship and how it can grow in the darkest of places. It’s a
novel about generational hatred, and how dangerous it can be. It’s a novel about
discrimination, disasters, and how we deal with them. I chose it because it helps
shed some light on what exactly the USSR was, and the power it had over its
civilians. This is especially an important topic, given the current war in Ukraine.
b. Content Warnings: Child Abuse, Death of a parent, heavy anti-semitisim throughout
c. Show Videos on USSR / Communism
a. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bc7EGTfVCg8
b. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XmBytlA9rS4
d. Introduce Map Project
a. Map Project: Map out where our characters are and where they journey to
b. Keep a copy of a big map on the wall- set out Pripyat, Kiev, etc… show how far the
radiation traveled

Discussion: 1-44, chapters 1-6

● What would it feel like to live in a state of constant surveillance?
○ Does the modern day usage of phones/TikTok ever feel like constant surveillance?
● “The back of her shoulder throbbed, like a tooth gone rotten.”
○ What is this an example of?
○ Rewrite the simile.

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 ● Why don’t the police just answer Valentinas question? Why aren’t they being honest? Do
you think they even know the truth?
● Map of the republics mentioned on page 17.
● Who do you think Rifka is?
○ What is her section an example of? (Flashback)
● How many points of view are in the story so far?
● What are some of Oksana’s biases? What about Valentina’s?

Images/Media
● Pictures of the Ferris Wheel mentioned on 21.

Procedure

Discussion thru 98, 7-14

● Do you think the little measures that Valentina and her mom are taking are doing anything
to stop the radiation? Why do they do them?
● Can you think of other ways in history that have hurt people without exiling them?
● Would you have tried to bring more than just a suitcase? Do you think the government
really thought they would be back? (page 59)
● Why do you think the radiation machine clicked more at Oksana’s shoulder?
● Let’s talk about what Valentina sees on Oksana’s shoulder and back on page 84. Was she
wrong for not telling her mom right away about it? Why might that situation be
complicated? What should someone do?
● What figure of speech is this? “Waves were crashing over her, again and again, and
dragging her to the bottom of the ocean. She was drowning.” (89)
● Why do you think Galina doesn’t speak to her mother?
● Homework for the next section: Find an example of three figures of speech in section
99-

Class Procedure:
● Siberian Location:
○ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seversk
○ Explosion in 93, top ten nuclear disasters

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Discussion: 99-156
● What is the watch functioning as in the narrative?
● “Valentina’s heart sank.” What is this an example of?
● Would you go with Valentina or would you try to find your mom?
● Why was the government lying about the train tickets?
● “The government was deliberately letting its citizens get sick.” (Page 107)
○ Tuskegee experiment
○ What do you think about that?
● What do you think is the significance of birds in this novel?
● “She had to stop thinking of that evening or she would start crying right here in the middle
of the train station. In front of Valentina, who would probably laugh at her.” (117) Is there a
time in the story where Valentina assumes an untrue thought about Oksana?
● Where do we first find evidence of Oksana warming up to Valentina? Where does Oksana
challenge her biases against the Jewish community?

VOCAB:

● Kommunalka

Class Procedure:
● Have the kids look for a map of leningrad

Discussion: 156- 212

● Would Babulya mind being called Babulya by Oksana? Why or why not?
● Why does Oksana marvel at not getting yelled at when she makes a mistake?
● Why does Oksana think adults can hit kids? Can they?
● Who did you initially think the guy by the potatoes was?
● Why can’t you react improperly to news reports? What would an example of that be?
● Why did Babulya help Oksana with her work?
● Is Babylua taking an unnecessary risk by worshiping her Jewish faith? Why or why not?
● Write a metaphor or simile to showcase how Rifka must have felt when the bombs were
dropping.

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 ● Why is Oksana angry about the way that Valentina is mourning?
● Do you think that Oksana’s prediction about how her life will be with her mother now that
her father is gone is accurate? (181)
● Why does she think that Babulya and Valentina would be angry?
● Write a metaphor for how happy Oksana is after Babulya hugs and accepts her.
● What do you think about Oksana’s secret job?
● Why did her father hurt Oksana? Does this change how you felt about Oksana when we
first met her?

212-262
● How do you think Rifka felt when she got kicked out of the group? Do you think you
would have sworn off religion as she did in her mind afterwards?
● Let’s compare their school experience starting 6th grade as it was when we first met
them.
● Why is Oksana scared of boys?
● Oksana and Valentina are so curious. In their free time, they learn, on purpose (such as
with the pulley system). Do kids do this now? Why or why not?
● When did you realize that Rifka was the grandmother? For me, it was when she said she
got the flute for her birthday. Let’s flip through the book and look for clues throughout that
tell us that she is Rifka.
● It is very hard to forgive yourself and befriend someone you once bullied. Oksana is very
brave for that, and so is Valentina for forgiving her. Has anything like that ever happened
to you?
● How did you feel when the mom showed up? How do you think the mom felt, seeing her
hug Babulya?
● What do you think of the quote on 247
● How are the two groups of girls alike?