Ghost

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 does experiencing violence affect a child? How can we help children?

Teaching Suggestion: Castle and his mother run and hide in the middle of the night as his father shoots at them. This event shapes parts of Castle for years. The scene could be difficult for students; some may have experienced domestic abuse in some way. Providing a safe place to talk about it, the effects, and ways to get help might be a helpful part of introducing this novel. It can also help prepare students to read this book and see the lasting effects of that night on Castle. Learning about some ways people face trauma could be a chance to connect those ideas to Castle and the theme of Overcoming a Traumatic Childhood. Depending on your class, the resources here could be teacher-facing, or excerpts could be given to students.

• “Cincinnati Students Get Violence Prevention Lessons to End Relationship Abuse” discusses a curriculum and how it is helping young people.
• “How Domestic Violence in One Home Affects Every Child in a Class” from NPR includes a written and audio interview with a school counselor exploring the effects of domestic violence and some ways to help children cope.
• In “Treating the Effects of Childhood Trauma,” Very Well Mind explores impacts from trauma and how to help children who have experienced such a life-changing event.  

2. What do you know about track and field? Have you ever participated in or watched a race? How fast is fast in running?

Teaching Suggestion: Castle runs a lot in the book. His coach talks about how fast Usain Bolt is. The videos here can be important ways for students to visualize the story, including the track meet. If applicable, watching current or recent Olympic races might help connect the book to current events. The class might benefit from discussing details and emotions they noticed and returning to these ideas at the end of the novel during the track meet.

• In this 5-minute video, NBC broadcasts Usain Bolt’s world record 100-meter race in the 2009 Olympics.
• This 4-minute video from NBC provides context and shows Erriyon Knighton beating Bolt’s meet record in the 200-meter race.

Personal Connection Prompt

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

Think about a team, club, activity, or other type of group you are a part of. What helps you feel connected to the others in that group?

Teaching Suggestion: Castle finds Teamwork and Belonging on the track team. It does not happen immediately. Guiding students to reflect on how they have found belonging can provide them with a chance to more fully access the novel. This might also be an opportunity to build community within the class. The Marshmallow Challenge can be fun for all ages; it gets students working together and talking. The Drake article, though focusing on younger grades, could be modified through middle school; the suggestion for students to try the activity with their families could be a powerful way to bring the learning from class home.

• The Marshmallow Challenge offers a fun activity for students to build community.
• This article from Drake University includes rationale and an activity that could be used in the classroom to increase trust.

Differentiation Suggestion: For advanced students, writing an essay extending their learning from this discussion might benefit them. The prompt could be the following: What is the definition of belonging, and how does it impact a person’s life? Students could include specific examples from their lives or texts they have read to illustrate their ideas.