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 stories have you encountered that include the most interesting problems or challenges for a person your age? Brainstorm a list of 3-5 stories (books, TV shows, or movies). What makes each story a good fit for this list? How can you connect with the main character’s problem in each story, even if you have never experienced the same challenge?

Teaching Suggestion: This prompt introduces the theme of Overcoming and Learning Through Challenges and helps students access it through other books they have read with similar themes. How to Eat Fried Worms offers a high-interest conflict for readers;. Billy’s desire for a minibike represents a desire for freedom, and his engagement with Alan’s bet provides a way for him to grow in self-confidence—two points with which students might strongly connect. Additionally, many students will connect with his camaraderie with his friends and his parents’ desire to protect him. As students discuss why they included each story in their lists, you might encourage them to name specific literary elements—plot, conflict, character, theme—to explain their choices.