These prompts can be used for in-class discussion, exploratory free-writing, or reflection homework before or after reading the novel.

Pre-Reading “Icebreaker”

Imagine that a friend has done something wrong and that you know about it. How would you handle the situation? Would you feel obligated to tell someone what they’d done, or would you feel a responsibility to protect your friend? Would it depend on the seriousness of what your friend had done?

Teaching Suggestion: The question of Moral Responsibility looms large in Red Kayak. Brady bears some minor responsibility for the accident that kills Ben, but the real ethical dilemma arises when he learns that his friends directly caused the kayak to flood (though not with the intention of hurting anyone). Further complicating matters are the potential repercussions for Brady’s family and the class dynamics fueling Digger and J.T.’s resentment. Use this prompt to spark discussion about the different factors we weigh when making moral decisions and what we do when those factors conflict.

• “Ethical Decision Making”: short video from the nonprofit Ethics Centre on how unconscious thoughts, custom, personal ethical thinking profile, and conscious reflection factor into our choices
• “Thinking Ethically: A Framework for Moral Decision Making”: article from the Mark Kula Center for Applied Ethics at Santa Clara University; discusses various approaches to making ethical choices and distills them into a set of questions to consider in any given situation