Stargirl Traits and Dramatic Presentations

Our May Stargirl meeting was both happy and sad because we had to say goodbye to our senior Stargirl Leaders and wish them an exciting adventure as they go off to college. One activity we planned focused on Stargirl traits and creating a dramatic skit that portrayed Stargirls characteristics.

Below are the traits we selected and supporting quotes from the book.

STARGIRL TRAITS

Friendliness

Creative

Self Confidence (Doesn’t care what others think)

Empathy

Kindness 

Authentic

Individuality

Compassionate 

Connected to the Universe

Sensitive

                                    STARGIRL QUOTES

Stargirl Quotes

Top of Form

“The earth is speaking to us, but we can't hear because of all the racket our senses are making. Sometimes we need to erase them, erase our senses.  Then - maybe - the earth will touch us. The universe will speak. The stars will whisper.”  (Connected to the Universe)

“Star people are rare.” (Individuality)

“Nothing’s more fun than being carried away.” (Creative)

“Home is everything you can walk to.” (Sensitive)

 “She laughed when there was no joke. She danced when there was no music. “ (Creative)

“She had no friends, yet she was the friendliest person in school.” (Authentic, Kindness, Empathy)

“In her answers in class, she often spoke of sea horses and stars, but she did not know what a football was...” (Creative)

“We wanted to define her, to wrap her up as we did each other, but we could not seem to get past "weird" and "strange" and "goofy." Her ways knocked us off balance. ” (Self Confident, Empathy)

 “Why fit in when you're born to stand out?” (Individuality, Self Confidence)\

“It’s really hard to do nothing totally. Even just sitting here, like this, our bodies are churning, our minds are chattering. There’s a whole commotion going on inside us.” 

 “I’m erased. I’m gone. I’m nothing. And then the world is free to flow into me like water into an empty bowl…. And… I see. I hear. But not with eyes and ears. I’m not outside my world anymore, and I’m not really inside it either. The thing is, there’s no difference between me and the universe. The boundary is gone. I am it and it is me. I am a stone, a cactus thorn. I am rain. I like that most of all, being rain.” 
(Connected to the Universe)

A Stargirl Poetry Lesson

Sir Ken Robinson, one of the world's leading thinkers on creativity and self-fulfillment, states that the Element is the point at which natural talent meets personal passion. He states,"When people arrive at their 'element,' they feel most themselves and most inspired and achieve at their highest levels.  The Element is a breakthrough book about talent, passion, and achievement.

At our last Stargirl meeting we discussed motivation, inspiration, and each Stargirl thought about her own true passion, then wrote two lines for the group poem.

Line One:  Introduce your passion

Line Two: Describe your passion through a metaphor

Enjoy...

STARGIRL POETRY - MY PASSION IS....

Passions are like a river flowing: never ending, always changing, ever present in time

My soul is my passion; my passion is art

released: it comes from the tip of my pencil, thriving within me, a sparrow that can’t fly.

Music is like a sinkhole I want to go down

Being carried away by the rhythmic waves while losing myself in the melody.

I’m like a balloon that makes people laugh.

I float- I don’t know what I want yet...

Volleyball takes me to my happy place.

I always bounce back. I am resilient.

Basketball is trustworthy. It represents something I can always count on...

When I push the ball down, it always comes back to me.

My spirit soars when I am in Gymnastics!

I am flexible. I am strong!

My mind is like a database.

It has a lot of information, but never enough.

Fighting for what’s right is my passion;

it’s like a beast scratching inside of me.

My epee is King Arthur’s sword,

but I can’t always take it out.

My passion is building a kinder future. One we each deserve.

I grasp at ideas that run like sand through my fingers and hope I can hold on to one!

I breathe dreams--

To dream is to live. To live is to dream!

Acting is my passion. On the stage, I transform...

A new character is born.

Checkmate: I’m not who you thought I was.

I’m better.

Stargirls- Creative Thinking and Metacognition

A GREAT Resource Related to Creativity and Metacognition

Working with a group of highly creative students in my role as Gifted Education Specialist motivates me to read research on Creativity. The Partnership for 21st Century Learning highly suggest that we prepare our students for their future careers by teaching them the 4 C's: Creativity, Collaboration, Critical Thinking/ Problem Solving, and Communication. The Economic Forum states that Creativity, Problem Solving, and Critical Thinking will be the top three skills needed for success in jobs in 2020. 

Talking about how our creative mind works is an exciting subject for Stargirls!  

I recently purchased the special TIME Magazine edition called The Science of Creativity.  The magazine has insightful articles that delve into The Creative Mind, Creativity in Action, and Creativity at Any Age.   This is Your Brain on Creativity was one of my favorite articles. If you are interested in the topic of Creativity, I would highly suggest this magazine.  You can find it in the magazine section at stores or purchase it from Amazon: 

https://www.amazon.com/TIME-Science-Creativity-Editors/dp/1547841915

Creative Gifted Children with High Sensitivity (Excellent Article)

The Stargirl Society addresses the social/ emotional needs of gifted adolescent females.  Many of whom are highly sensitive.  Creative high school girls mentor sixth, seventh, and eighth grade middle school girls at risk of conforming to peer pressure and losing their creative spirit. High school Stargirl leaders teach them to value their creative gifts.  Engaging monthly meetings present strategies to help their younger counterparts value individualism. These high school leaders are excellent role models.

I recently read the article featured in this blog entry entitled Why Are So Many Gifted Children Also Highly Sensitive? by Lisa Natcharian.  In the article Lisa discusses how these children have the ability to understand the world more deeply and throughly than others.  I have observed this in my gifted students.  The article also discusses:

• Typical Signs of Sensitivity
• Benefits of Being Sensitive
• Difficulties of Being Sensitive

If you are interested, the article is published by the Institute for Educational Advancement:

               https://educationaladvancement.org/many-gifted-children-also-highly-sensitive/

Create a Stargirl Constitution

Creating a Constitution is an opportunity for any organization or classroom to discuss and think about their ideals and the fundamental principles that empower the members of their organization.  The Stargirl Constitution provides an example.  Inspire your students to write their own! 

The Constitution of Stargirls

Lucy Merriman, one of our Stargirl leaders designed this constitution.  It reflects the ideals we have identified through our discussions of themes in the Stargirl Book.

We, the Stargirls of Kent, Ohio, in order to form a more perfect middle school and someday, a more perfect world, enact this constitution:

1. RESPECT YOURSELF:  This means…

·      Don’t smoke, do drugs or anything harmful to your body.

·      If you are really sad or depressed, call a fellow Stargirl and tell her about it; let her help you.

·      Counter negative self thoughts with positive ones.

·      Avoid peer pressure.  Be true to yourself.

·      Go after your goals.

2. RESPECT YOUR PEERS:  This means…

·      Be responsible.  Let people know they can count on you.

·      Be a positive force in your school.  Start new clubs and support others.

·      Reach out to help others in a time of need.

·      Acknowledge the opinion of others even if their opinion is not the same as yours.

·      Be forgiving.  Give people second chances.

·      Don’t gossip about other girls, or guys for that matter.  Gossip is very hurtful.

·      Make new friends.

3. RESEPECT THE EARTH:  This means…

·      Recycle

·      Don’t litter

·      Be kind to animals.

·      Educate yourself about global issues such as endangered species and habitats.

·      Initiate community service projects both small and large.

Have your class create their own Constitution for your classroom or organization!  Here is a link with other examples on Pinterest.  
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/177188566562928757/?lp=true