The World According to Humphrey

Use this activity to engage all types of learners, while requiring that they refer to and incorporate details from the text over the course of the activity.

“Your World According to Humphrey”

In this activity, students will strengthen their creative writing skills by coming up with a series of journal entries written from Humphrey’s point of view.

Throughout the book, Humphrey keeps a journal of things that happen to him every day. In this creative writing exercise, you will pick up where Humphrey left off. Emulating his journal-writing style, write a short story with a beginning, middle, and end. Use the following prompts as a guide:

• What would Humphrey think of your classroom? Imagine Humphrey walking across your desk or your teacher’s desk. What would he see? Who would he encounter?
• What would Humphrey think of your home’s living room? Imagine Humphrey sitting on your sofa at home. What would he see if he looked to his left or to his right? What might he think of the smells and sounds of your household?
• How would Humphrey interact with another animal? Imagine Humphrey reacting with your pet, your friend’s pet, or an animal at the zoo. Considering how Humphrey felt about Clem, how might he feel about another animal? Would they be friends?

After you’ve written your story, participate in a class discussion. Was it hard to imagine Humphrey’s point of view during some parts of this exercise? How did students differ in their opinion of what Humphrey would think of the classroom, and why?

Teaching Suggestion: For students needing some guidance on how to compose short stories, you may want to walk them through “How to Write a Short Story in 5 Steps: Writing Tips for Great Story Ideas.” Students may also find inspiration from stories beyond The World According to Humphrey when it comes to writing from an animal’s point of view; consider encouraging them to explore this list of other “Stories Told From the POV of Animals,” as compiled by the Oakville Public Library.

Differentiation Suggestion: For advanced classes, you may want to consider having students add a scientific element to their story, such as a detail about hamster biology. As inspiration, they might review Chapters 6-7 of the book, which draw on hamster biology: Humphrey puffs up his cheeks when he feels threatened by Garth’s behavior.

Use these essay questions as writing and critical thinking exercises for all levels of writers, and to build their literary analysis skills by requiring textual references throughout the essay.

Differentiation Suggestion: For English learners or struggling writers, strategies that work well include graphic organizers, sentence frames or starters, group work, or oral responses.

Scaffolded Essay Questions

Student Prompt: Write a short (1-3 paragraph) response using one of the bulleted outlines below. Cite details from the text over the course of your response that serve as examples and support.

1. Ms. Mac tells Humphrey that people can learn a lot about themselves by taking care of another species.

• What does Humphrey learn about himself by “taking care” of the students of Room 26? (topic sentence)
• Explore how Humphrey cares for the students by analyzing 2-3 moments in the text in which Humphrey tends to students’ needs.
• In your concluding sentence, consider how individuals taking care of one another helps the process of Self-Discovery Through Learning From Others.

2. Bullying, or the fear of being bullied, is an important part of The World According to Humphrey.

• What does bullying reveal about the underlying fears and/or motivations of the students of Room 26? (topic sentence)
• Identify 2-3 related moments in the text, and then explain how these moments reveal the motivation behind Garth’s bullying personality.
• In your concluding sentence, consider the connection between bullying and Finding One’s Place in the world.

3. Friendship plays an important role in the characters of The World According to Humphrey.

• How does Humphrey help others build friendship? (topic sentence)
• Analyze 2-3 relationships in the book, focusing on how and why Humphrey brings these people together.
• In your concluding sentence, discuss how Humphrey helps characters overcome isolation and negativity through Self-Discovery, during which they can form true friendships.

Full Essay Assignments

Student Prompt: Write a structured and well-developed essay. Include a thesis statement, at least three main points supported by text details, and a conclusion.

1. Throughout the book, Humphrey comes to understand that the events and aspects of the students’ home lives affect their behavior in class. What are the most important examples of this? What do the students teach Humphrey about humans? In your conclusion, explain how Humphrey’s unique perspective allows him to move past Judging Others and get to know students’ true selves.

2. Describe Humphrey’s relationship with Ms. Mac. Why is she so important to him? What does he learn about himself upon her return to Room 26 at the end of the book? Consider how Humphrey’s feelings about Ms. Mac change over the course of the novel. In your conclusion, describe how Ms. Mac helps Humphrey in light of one of the following themes: Finding One’s Place or Self-Discovery Through Learning From Others.

3. Reflect upon Mrs. Brisbane as a character. How is she the main antagonist of the book for Humphrey? How are her actions perceived differently by different characters? In your conclusion, consider the motivation(s) behind Mrs. Brisbane’s actions and relate the misconceptions about them back to the book’s theme of Judging Others.

Choice and Long Answer Questions create ideal opportunities for whole-text review, exams, or summative assessments.

Multiple Choice

1. Which of the following best paraphrases Ms. Mac’s final words to Humphrey in Chapter 1?

A) “Take care of the students.”

B) “I’ll be back soon.”

C) “Goodbye, never forget me.”

D) “Don’t trust Mrs. Brisbane.”

2. What is the biggest irony about Mr. Morales’s character?

A) He claims to be open-minded, but he discriminates against people from out of town.

B) He’s treated with respect at Longfellow, but not within his own home.

C) He seems outgoing, but he is an introvert.

D) He says that he is obsessed with health and wellness, but he eats donuts daily.

3. What is the name of the fictional pet-care book in The Life According to Humphrey that serves as a motif (a repeated reference) throughout the novel?

A) The Guide to the Care and Feeding of Hamsters by Dr. Harvey H.

B) The Handbook for Taking Care of Your Hamster by Dr. Steve H.

C) Hamster Care 101 by Dr. Barry J.

D) The Manual for Helping Your Hamster Live Their Best Life by Dr. Shirley P.

4. Which of the following best describes the biggest similarity between Golden-Miranda and Humphrey?

A) They both have parents who dote on them.

B) They both are scared of Mrs. Brisbane.

C) They both love to read.

D) They both have golden hair.

5. Which of the following best describes the main conflict between Mrs. Brisbane and Humphrey in Chapters 1-5?

A) They both want to earn the approval of Mr. Morales.

B) They must learn to live with each other.

C) They each want the students to love them the best.

D) They are afraid of each other.

6. Which of the following is the primary literary device that Birney uses in The World According to Humphrey?

A) Anthropomorphism

B) Allegory

C) Satire

D) Folklore

7. Who does Ms. Mac miss most of all, as noted in the postcard from Chapter 6?

A) Mrs. Brisbane

B) Sayeh

C) Aldo

D) Humphrey

8. Which student’s relationship with Humphrey changes the most by the end of the book?

A) Garth

B) Mr. Morales

C) Aldo Amato

D) Sayeh

9. Which of the following best describes Humphrey’s feelings when he is left alone in the classroom at night in Chapter 2?

A) Excited

B) Mischievous

C) Energized

D) Anxious

10. Which of the following is the correct order of events?

A) Humphrey learns to read and write; Bert reignites his love of woodworking; Humphrey meets Aldo.

B) Humphrey meets Aldo; Humphrey learns to read and write; Bert reignites his love of woodworking.

C) Bert reignites his love of woodworking; Humphrey learns to read and write; Humphrey meets Aldo.

D) Humphrey learns to read and write; Humphrey meets Aldo; Bert reignites his love of woodworking.

11. Which one of the following adjectives best describes A.J.’s family?

A) Loud

B) Eager

C) Strict

D) Friendly

12. Why does Bert build an obstacle course for Humphrey in Chapter 14?

A) Because Bert wants him to have things to do while staying at the Brisbane home

B) Because Bert wants to test just how smart Humphrey is

C) Because Bert wants to teach him tricks before selling him to the circus

D) Because Bert wants to impress Mrs. Brisbane by teaching Humphrey a new skill

13. Which of the following best describes what Humphrey’s cage symbolically represents?

A) Restriction, confusion, and imprisonment

B) Human kindness, warmth, and affection

C) Domestication, education, and submission

D) Home, security, and friendship

14. Which of the following statements best describes how Aldo and Humphrey are alike, especially in Chapter 2?

A) They both avoid Mr. Morales.

B) They both worry about Sayeh.

C) They both fear the dark.

D) They both feel a sense of loneliness.

15. Which of the following best describes how Humphrey thinks of himself in relation to the students?

A) As the class pet

B) As a fellow classmate

C) As their guardian

D) As a burden

Long Answer

Compose a response of 2-3 sentences, incorporating text details to support your response.

1. What does the “lock-that-doesn’t lock” refer to, and why does it play an important role in the novel?

2. What epiphany does Humphrey have regarding Ms. Mac at the end of the novel? Why is this realization important?