"Over, Under, Around, and Through is an excellent read. The short stories were compelling and I could relate to all of them. As a man, the stories touched my heart as no other. I have faced many of the same hurdles in my life. As an educator, in a Project Based Learning Environment, being able to expose the students to these stories was an experience. So many of the students had no knowledge of how much influence and impact these women had on the City of Denver, State of Colorado and our Country. I am so very grateful for the time Jill spent with us sharing her experience, strength and hope around the influential experience of women here in Colorado."
–Darryl Brown, Humanities Teacher, 5280 High School
 
This collection of brief biographies of fifty successful women focuses on the characteristics that helped the woman overcome obstacles to success. Each biographical sketch presents an “argument” for the characteristic that woman had.
 
These lesson plans are geared toward middle school and early high school students.
 
Common Core Standards addressed during reading (Reading for Information):
Grades 6-8
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.6-8.1
Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources.
 
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.7.8
Trace and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, assessing whether the reasoning is sound and the evidence is relevant and sufficient to support the claims.
 
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.8.3
Analyze how a text makes connections among and distinctions between individuals, ideas, or events (e.g., through comparisons, analogies, or categories).
 
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.8.8
Delineate and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, assessing whether the reasoning is sound and the evidence is relevant and sufficient; recognize when irrelevant evidence is introduced.
 
Grade 9 -10
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.9-10.8
Delineate and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, assessing whether the reasoning is valid and the evidence is relevant and sufficient; identify false statements and fallacious reasoning.
 
College and Career Readiness Standards:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.R.8
Delineate and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, including the validity of the reasoning as well as the relevance and sufficiency of the evidence.
 
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.L.4
Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases by using context clues, analyzing meaningful word parts, and consulting general and specialized reference materials, as appropriate.