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. How many different kinds of intelligence are there? What kinds of intelligence can you think of? Why might it be important to identify different types of intelligence in others?

Teaching Suggestion: The Unteachables is about a group of learners who are thrown together in Room 117 at Greenwich Middle School due to their different ability types and behavior issues. The group—deemed by the school as the “Unteachables”—may struggle with school but excel in areas such as the arts, mechanics, and other topics. Consider exploring the novel’s theme There Are Different Kinds of Smart by encouraging students to brainstorm different abilities that may not necessarily be assessed in school. The links below could help inform students of different intelligences. It could also be helpful to allow them to explore Howard Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences and why they are important to recognize. It may be helpful for students to have access to a chart of multiple intelligences to reference as they reflect on the novel.

• This 7-minute video explains the different intelligences and how they apply to individual success.