74 pages • 2 hours read
Julia AlvarezA modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
These prompts can be used for in-class discussion, exploratory free-writing, or reflection homework before or after reading the novel.
Pre-Reading “Icebreaker”
Think of a brief incident that caused you to feel surprise, fear, pride, or another strong emotion (for example, seeing a score on a test, the last moments of a game, or a waiting for a message from someone). Retell the story of this incident in a short letter or email to a friend or family member.
Teaching Suggestion: Briefly review letter greetings and closings for clarity on beginning and ending retellings. Length might be a few paragraphs to no more than 1 page. Once students have a chance to reflect on what they wrote, encourage analysis and discussion of this writing process: What impact does the letter format have on tone, style, or dialogue? Would their retelling differ depending on the intended addressee? Was it easier or more difficult to tell a story this way? Connect to the novel by explaining that the narrative includes two alternating points of view; while Tyler’s narrative is third-person limited prose, Mari’s is first-person epistolary. Students can use these sites to learn about the epistolary form:
By Julia Alvarez
Before We Were Free
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How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents
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In the Name of Salome
In the Name of Salome
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In the Time of the Butterflies
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Once Upon a Quinceanera
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Something to Declare: Essays
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The Cemetery of Untold Stories
The Cemetery of Untold Stories
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The Daughter of Invention
The Daughter of Invention
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