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. When did the Great Depression occur, and how did it affect people’s lives?

Teaching Suggestion: Since the setting of the book plays such a pivotal role, background information like this can help students get more out of the reading. Discussing what specific details students notice in the photographs can lead to identifying patterns and making inferences about the time period. The suggested article offers some cause-and-effect analysis of the times. Perhaps after studying the following or similar resources, students can discuss or journal about connections between the resources and the novel.

• “5 Causes of the Great Depression” provides background information about some of the historical contexts of the novel.
• This collection of images explores the Great Depression through photographs and background information.

2. How did people find hope in the middle of the struggles of the COVID-19 pandemic? How might those who are still dealing with the pandemic’s effects manage to find hope?

Teaching Suggestion: This question can connect a recent worldwide health crisis with the calamitous impacts of the events of the novel.