Theories of Relativity

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 should schools and other organizations consider or take into account when working with homeless youth? What aspects of a student’s daily life are likely impacted by housing insecurity? How might a homeless student’s age or grade level affect this impact?

Teaching Suggestion: This question is designed to prompt students to consider the challenging life circumstances homeless youth face and how they can be supported. With sensitivity to individual circumstances in mind, encourage students to consider how daily home and school routines would change, like brushing their teeth, taking showers, sleeping, and where to go after school. Some students may have experience with housing insecurity or volunteering with people who are homeless. If students wish to do so, they might keep their experiences anonymous. This question relates to the central theme of The Consequences of Life on the Streets.

• This National Conference of State Legislatures report details the causes, demographics, and statistics of youth homelessness in the United States.
• This 5-minute interview features homeless 18-year-old EJ explaining how he’s lived on the streets for 11 years. There is also a 20-minute follow-up interview with EJ after he has escaped homelessness that you may want to bookmark for the end of your unit on Theories of Relativity. Many of the experiences EJ discusses mirror Dylan’s experiences during the novel. (Content Warning: This source is teacher-facing and not student-appropriate. EJ uses profanity throughout the interviews. EJ’s follow-up interview also mentions recreational drug use.)

2. What is a “coming-of-age” story? What are some examples of this kind of story that you have read or watched? Why do you think this kind of story is so popular?

Teaching Suggestion: Depending on their backgrounds, students may have some knowledge of the coming-of-age story—or they may know little about it. You might consider taking this prompt in stages, using the content from resources below or similar resources to ensure that all students have a strong understanding of the concept before they move on to list examples and speculate on the reasons for the coming-of-age story’s popularity. Students may benefit from discussing the second point as a class or in small groups, as this will allow them to hear a wider variety of examples.

• This guide from the University of Waterloo Communication Centre defines and offers examples of the coming-of-age story.

Personal Connection Prompt

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

Describe one or more ways you’ve tried to help someone. Has anyone ever refused your assistance? What are some reasons why someone might not want to accept help? In your opinion, can age, closeness, or relationship affect whether or not a person will accept help? Why or why not? Have you ever been the person who needed help but couldn’t accept it?

Teaching Suggestion: Students may have a hard time coming up with answers to this question, so you may want to remind them that there are many ways someone can need help, from completing chores to needing mental health and relationship advice. Consider sharing a hypothetical scenario to demonstrate the concept of needing help but not accepting it or offering help that isn’t accepted. This question revolves around the central theme of Choosing to Accept Help.

• This HNC International resource details the steps one can take to be open to receiving help from others.
• This article explores the reasons someone might be unwilling to accept help.