Boys And Girls

Use these questions or activities to help gauge students’ familiarity with and spark their interest in the context of the work, giving them an entry point into the text itself.

Short Answer

1. What do you know about rural farm life? How do families that base their livelihood on farm life work together to produce animals or crops?

Teaching Suggestion: The narrator’s environment is important to this story. Her coming-of-age story would be much different if she lived in the suburbs or in a city. The author’s reliance on animals as symbolic of family dynamics, life lessons, and community is integral to the development of character and plot. Depending on student demographics, students may be familiar with or complete strangers to the unique characteristics of farm life.

• "Vermont Farm Kids Rooted in the Land" – a documentary about kids who help run their family farm in Vermont
• "Everyday Farm Animal Routine" – Rachel, who works on her family’s farm, takes viewers through the routines of caring for the more than 30 animals on the farm.

2. What are some ways that society, historically or in contemporary times, has assigned girls and boys to different jobs?

Teaching Suggestion: Central to “Boys and Girls” is the gendered conflict of what boys should do and what girls should do, according to certain social norms. Though gender norms differ somewhat between cultures, time periods, and places, they are an accessible way to explore the themes and characterizations of the story. This is particularly important because the narrator starts the story doing “boy jobs” and ends the story seeing herself being moved into “girl jobs.” 

• "Gender Stereotypes and Education" – a PSA on gender norms from the European Institute for Gender Equality
• "How Evolving Gender Norms and Social Change Impact Rural Farming Communities" – A mini documentary explores the impact on rural farming communities of evolving gender norms.

Short Activity

Create a presentation for the class in which you highlight a man or a woman who is known for having defied gender norms. The presentation should include a picture of the person, a brief biography, and a brief analysis of how this person challenged gender norms in their society or community.

Teaching Suggestion: Students can use their knowledge from English and Social Studies classes, or teachers can supply a list of examples for students to research and explore well-known figures who challenged gender norms. The links below can help students with this research.

• "LA's Best Barber is a Woman Breaking Gender Stereotypes" – an Insider video featuring Sofie Pok, an LA-based barber who defied gender stereotypes to pave the way for other female barbers
• "These Women Challenged Convention (And Won)" – a Bustle article that highlights thirteen women from history who challenged and prevailed over gender conventions