Hoops

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

Harlem, a neighborhood in Manhattan, is the setting of Hoops. What knowledge or suppositions do you have about this neighborhood? Where does your knowledge come from? Some questions you might discuss (or investigate) are: Why is there a largely Black community in Harlem? How was Harlem initially developed? What role did Harlem play in the civil rights movement? What is the Harlem Renaissance? What is the Great Migration?

Teaching Suggestion: It might be helpful for students to read the article and watch the video or utilize resources they discover on their own before responding. In Hoops, Lonnie, the protagonist, is aware of the disadvantages he faces as a poorer Black resident of New York. Basketball is an opportunity for him to escape his surroundings and overcome poverty.

• This article describes the history of Harlem and why it has a large Black community.
• This 5-minute video describes the Great Migration and its role in the Harlem Renaissance as depicted in an exhibit of historical photographs.

Short Activity

Hoops is about a basketball team that does not work together well. To achieve their goal, they must develop team-building skills.

Using the supplies listed, work as a team to build the tallest possible tower. You may use only the supplies provided to you, and the marshmallow must be at the top of the tower when you have finished building. You will have 18 minutes to complete your challenge.

• 20 sticks of spaghetti
• 1 yard of tape
• 1 yard of string
• 1 marshmallow

Teaching Suggestion: Consider using this 7-minute video to clarify the parameters of the activity, or watch afterwards to aid in analysis of groups’ efforts. If desired, you can choose an alternative team-building activity here. Allow groups to work without assistance. After 18 minutes, students might brainstorm ways in which their attempt was successful and ways they might have improved their methods; then they might add points regarding what they think makes a good team. The article below might aid in supporting student thinking and discussion on the activity’s challenges.

• This article describes how to build an effective team.

Personal Connection Prompt

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

Describe a dream you have for the future. What is the likelihood you will be able to accomplish your dream? Why do you have this aspiration? What are some potential obstacles that might stand in the way of achieving your dream? What behaviors or mannerisms might you avoid to make your dream possible? Who are the people you will rely on to realize your dream?

Teaching Suggestion: Students might benefit from quiet reflection time before responding. Lonnie dreams of becoming a professional basketball player. Many obstacles stand in the way of his dream, including his socioeconomic background, some of the people in his life, and his upbringing.

Differentiation Suggestion: For students who require an additional challenge, consider allowing them to research socioeconomically disadvantaged children and the intergenerational consequences of socioeconomic disadvantages. You might allow students to use this scientific article to begin their research.