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 is punk culture?

Teaching Suggestion: It may be beneficial to provide students with a chance to work with a partner to generate a list of objects or adjectives that come to mind when they think of punk culture. For instance, they may choose to describe a band or a celebrity, or simply talk about what they think would be the typical appearance of a punk. After talking with a partner, students may wish to share their ideas with the whole class.

• This article on punk contains accessible information to help students understand the punk aesthetic and culture arising out of punk.
• This article from National Geographic contains a clear definition of punk as well as a history of the movement and its aesthetic.

2. What do you think would be the most difficult thing about changing schools in seventh grade?

Teaching Suggestion: Because this topic is hypothetical, students can discuss their answers without having personal experience or knowledge about this experience. Consider breaking students into small groups and having them come up with a list of things they think would be difficult, such as making new friends, learning where classes are, and trying out for new sports teams or joining new clubs.