Liza Mundy chronicles the untold story of the young women working to break codes during WWII in the book Code Girls. This literary non-fiction novel follows female codebreakers who cracked countless enemy codes, changing the course of WWII. Liza Mundy impressively depicts some of the social issues and difficulties women faced during that time in an engaging manner, which I enjoyed. This book reads like a narrative, but it also has factoids between chapters and non-fiction elements, providing further information. While reading ‘Code Girls’ you learn a lot about the process of cryptanalysis and the specific factors of code-breaking which was very interesting to read about.
During our unit ‘Stranger than Fiction’ we tracked the book ‘Hidden Figures’ as a class. We followed daily mini-lessons that helped us develop central ideas and make insightful connections from the text, which we then applied to our own books. Below, you will find some of the notes I took throughout this unit!
NOTE PAGE #1 (Lesson 6 – Central Idea Assessment)
These are notes I took in a mind map format, which was pretty out of my comfort zone. I enjoy taking notes in a very linear format, and I steer away from very visual note-taking. However, I really enjoyed creating this page and really got to showcase some creativity. The advantage of this format is how easy it is for the eye. You can clearly see the information in one glance. For this page, I identified a central idea from the book and developed it with supporting quotes. My central idea was based on responsibility and the impact it brings. To support my thinking, I took 6 quotes from the book. 3 quotes show the positive effects it brings and 3 quotes show the burdens of responsibility. This central idea was echoed through the female code-breakers, as they were empowered to have a purpose in the war, but were also burdened with the responsibility of thousands of lives. I drew specific connections from the quotes and wrote a short paragraph to summarize my thinking.
NOTE PAGE #2 (Lesson 8 – Analyzing Descriptive Passages)
This is a note page I took from our mini-lesson where we analyzed the setting and descriptions of our texts. As a class, we watched a video: ‘San Quentin’s Giants’, and described the setting and tone of the video which we then further developed into a central idea. Next, we looked at a text from ‘Hidden Figures’ and did the same, except this time, we took adjectives from the text and judged if they shed a positive light or a negative light. Lastly, I applied the same method to my own book, ‘Code Girls’. I chose a paragraph on page 104 describing the state of Arlington Hall, where the code-breakers worked. Some adjectives found in the passage were “Hodgepodge” and “Crowded”. Using these adjectives, I could gain new insight into the book and develop a new central idea. The central idea I took from this passage was that even in substandard conditions, the women still worked hard.
NOTE PAGE #3 (Lesson 9 – Recognising Complex Causes and Effects)
This mini-lesson was focused on finding the causes and effects of different sources, such as a situation, a video, and a book. It consists mainly of tables which is the typical format for showing causes and effects. We first watched a short clip from the ‘Hidden Figures’ movie, and we were each given a question. Mine was how this video shows the causes and effects on society, and I showed my thinking on a cause and effect table. Next, we did the same for our own books. I identified two main causes and effects throughout my book and then gathered a couple of quotes to support my thinking. While reading this book, I learned that things are rarely simple in history, and there are countless different reasons why things happen. I realize that I have barely scratched the surface of WWII, but here is some of my thinking regarding the causes and effects shown in this book! One of the biggest central ideas echoed through the book is that WWII opened up many opportunities for women. Since so many men were off at war, there was a sudden decline in code-breakers, and the US was in dire need of intelligence. Therefore, tons of job opportunities opened up for women.
NOTE PAGE #4 (Lesson 10 – The Joy of Rereading)
Rereading and researching our text helps us gain new insight and helps us generate deeper connections within the text. This is what we practiced in lesson 10, which was all about rereading and researching our text. We read two texts as a class and discussed the parts that seemed confusing and important, then generated questions that needed some clarifying. This helped me look at the text at a deeper level and made the rest of the passage make sense. For example, in my book, there was a section where ‘The Battle of Midway’ was mentioned, and I was confused about what it was. I later researched it, and it turns out that the battle was a major naval battle that put the US at a great advantage. I skimmed through the book and found pages that seemed important or pages where something happened.
Thank you for reading my blog post on the book ‘Code Girls’!
It was overall an enjoyable book and I had a great time discussing this book with my book club. I would recommend this book to readers who enjoyed the book ‘Hidden Figures’, as they have similar themes and recurring central ideas. It’s a great book to learn the suppressed side of WWII, and before reading this book, I too had no idea of the code-breakers.