The Skin I'm In
by Sharon G. Flake
What do you see when you look in the mirror? Are you proud of your reflection? In The Skin I'm In by Sharon G. Flake, thirteen-year-old Maleeka Madison struggles to accept and be proud of her outward appearance. She befriends a popular bully in exchange for protection and acceptance with the in-crowd, but the alliance proves negative for Maleeka both personally and academically. Will Maleeka ever love the skin she is in? Will she stand up for who she is regardless of what her classmates?
In this novel, Sharon G. Flake explores the issues of personal and cultural identity, racism, and general acceptance desired by young adolescents by their peers, specifically among teenage girls. Each of the issues is relevant to young adolescent readers, and reading the book can provide the opportunity to discuss the dail trials and tribulations of being a young adolescent in today's world.
As an introduction to the novel I would begin with assigning one or two journal articles which discuss racism based on skin color. The articles would be read prior to class after which students would be placed in small groups with the task of completing a graphic organizer about the key points of the article, questions they surfaced while reading, their interpretation of the article, and how the article is relevant to life today. The completion of the graphic organizer would allow students to discuss the novel amongst their peers and also foster a whole-class discussion which would eventually lead into distributing the novel to students.
Pre-Reading Activity:
"Light Skin versus Dark Skin - What's In? by Tia Ewing, Black Horizons Staff Writer
Michael Moore's article from The Guardian
Lesson Plan:
Who is Sharon G. Flake?
Sharon G. Flake is a young adult author who prefers to write about challenges young adults face and how they overcome and persevere such challenges with the help of good friends, family, and determination that shows how capable young adults really are. Sharon's first dream was to become a pediatrician, but ended up with a degree in writing. She thinks being a young adult author is the best, besides giving birth to her daughter, Brittney. She was once a house parent for youth temporarily placed in shelters and worked with young people in a foster care program for eight years. Sharon is a graduate of the University of Pittsburgh, which is where she wrote The Skin I'm In. For more information about Sharon and the many books she has written, please visit the sites below.
Discussion Questions:
1. Maleeka describes herself as "the kind of person folks can't help but tease." Do you think her negative attitude toward herself influences the way others treat her? In what ways do we all internalize judgements about our appearance? How do these feelings affect our self-esteem and confidence?
2. Why do you think Maleeka is ridiculed for being dark-skinned in a school that is predominatly African American? Where do you think such attitudes about skin color come from?
3. In your experience, do peer pressure and intimidation play a role in the way students behave and treat one another? What would it take for you to rise above such pressure and do what is right?
I was impressed with the questions you posited for class discussion. I think a discussion of "the kind of person folks can't help but tease" is an overlooked in the bullying dynamic. A young person's self esteem or lack thereof impacts how they are regarded/treated by others. While it certainly doesn't mitigate the emotional, psychological and often physical damage bullies inflict, including this perspective can give a victim some insight and suggest some ways to empower himself. Although Maleeka's situation speaks directly to the issue of race, in a broader sense it can apply to young person struggling against the labels given them by their peers and the larger school culture. Maleeka's struggle is believable because the reader can see her grow stronger step by step until she finally is able to reject peer pressure and define herself.
ReplyDeleteI have not personally read The Skin I'm In, but by reading your overview, I think many adolescents, regardless of race, can relate to the story. For that reason, I think its a great text to bring into the classroom. I like the pre-reading activity and the link to the unit plan you provided. A lot of great ideas!
ReplyDeleteI really like your first essential question. I think that it would be very insightful to analyze Maleeka's own perspective of herself not just through her peers eyes. The discussion from this question has the potential to bring about confidence and self esteem in students who may be lacking, and perhaps minimize bullying. It may be optomistic, but this text (and paired texts) along with the discussions you have suggested could mend classroom relationships. I think this would be a great text to use very early on in the year to tie into expectations in and out of the classroom, and as literary examples when creating your own classroom culture/classroom procedures. Hearing from the victimized may give some students the strength to speak out and may give other students an insight into how terrible bullying truly is.
ReplyDeleteI really liked your ideas for introducing the novel to the class. The connections that can be made with the articles would really help the students connect to the novel. I think the novel includes elements that each student can connect with, which would help the developing classroom conversations. I agree with barb's comment on how it encompasses more than just a racial tone. I think this book can be used with a webquest, inquiry project, or other types of activities that would help transfer the knowledge gained from reading the book, onto real, authentic experiences, either from their own personal lives, or the lives of others in the world around them.
ReplyDelete