The Benefits of Being an Octopus

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

What causes dysfunctional families? Why might perfectionism be considered dysfunctional? What role do finances play in dysfunctional families? What is the impact of chaotic households on children? What are ways to prevent chaos in the home?

Teaching Suggestion: With sensitivity in mind for varying circumstances, discussing the potential definitions and causes of the term “dysfunctional” may be beneficial before having students address the prompt. Zoey, the protagonist, is part of a chaotic, dysfunctional household. Lenny is her mother Kara’s live-in partner; he is a perfectionist with unrealistic expectations for Zoey’s mother and is emotionally abusive. To cope with her circumstances, Kara leans heavily on Zoey to fulfill the role of caretaker for her siblings, as Kara works a menial job making very little money.

• This 5-minute video describes aspects of dysfunctional families. (Teacher-appropriate, not student-facing; brief mention of sexual abuse)
• This article describes the effects of household chaos on families and children.

Short Activity

In The Benefits of Being an Octopus, Zoey, the protagonist, gains confidence by learning to debate. Read or listen to a debate topic selected by your teacher and choose how you feel about it—strongly agree, agree, disagree, or strongly disagree. Find and stand in the designated spot in the classroom that corresponds with your feelings. Then, locate someone from an opposing viewpoint to debate or discuss your topic.

Teaching Suggestion: Consider preparing the activity beforehand for ease of discussion. Designate and label places around the room for strongly agree, agree, disagree, or strongly disagree. Ask students the question, providing guidelines for how they are to reflect on their choice before moving to their desired location; students might then use eye contact in choosing a classmate with whom to meet and discuss opposing views on the topic. Consider discussing appropriate conduct in debate (e.g., giving a time limit of two minutes of uninterrupted discussion for each partner). Students may wish to discuss their viewpoints with the class.

• This article describes the above activity of “Pick a Corner.”
• This article provides a variety of fun debate topics to discuss in the classroom.

Personal Connection Prompt

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

Describe when you felt you were at a disadvantage to your peers or those around you. To what extent did you feel helpless in resolving your situation? What impact did the helplessness have on you and your compassion toward others in similar situations? Do you think all people feel as though they are at a disadvantage in one way or another? How do people define disadvantages in a variety of ways? Do you think disadvantages have an impact on character growth?

Teaching Suggestion: Zoey lives with her mother and her mother’s boyfriend. Although Zoey is intelligent and hardworking, she has many obstacles that prevent her from fitting in with her peers and succeeding academically, such as her household’s low socioeconomic status. With sensitivity to individual differences, consider discussing various disadvantages some people may face, including taking care of younger siblings, availability of resources, and physical disadvantages.

Differentiation Suggestion: For students who require an enrichment challenge, consider asking them to research the likelihood of overcoming disadvantaged circumstances; what behaviors, traits, or skills might assist people in rising above challenging situations? Students might share what they discover in a brief presentation to the class or note bulleted points on visual aids to display throughout the unit.