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. Many schools have a group of students that are elected to represent the student body’s interests. This group is often called a “student council,” but it can have other names, too. What are some specific things that a student council does? What kinds of decisions do you think a student council should get to make?

Teaching Suggestion: As students offer their answers to this question, give them some ideas about what kinds of decisions student councils make in elementary and middle schools. It may be interesting to discuss the differences between what adults think a student council should be for and what students themselves wish a student council could do. It will also be helpful to them to know about some of the specific roles that students can fill on a student council. If they have little experience with this kind of student government, one of the following resources may be useful:

• a 2.5-minute video from a Newton Elementary School staff member
• a website hosted by the Texas Association of Student Councils

2.