Pax

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. When an event such as a natural disaster, war, or other conflict causes individuals to leave their home, what might be five essential items they take with them? Provide an explanation for each choice.

Teaching Suggestion: This question broaches the general discussion topic of the ways in which major conflicts affect individuals. As some students may have experienced similar circumstances, it may be fitting to consult with these learners beforehand and provide them with an alternative question. If students feel comfortable sharing, they might briefly explain their experiences with peers.

• “Evacuation” is a multilingual preparation guide published by the United States government that includes recommendations on preparing for evacuation from one’s home due to natural disaster.
• “Global Trends of War and Their Humanitarian Impacts” is a 2018 publication from the International Committee of the Red Cross that may provide language, terms, and ideas helpful in extending classroom discussion toward the topic of war’s effects on civilians, groups, relationships, and environments (teacher-appropriate; not student facing).

Differentiation Suggestion: English learners, visual learners, and students who benefit from alternatives to written expression might be offered an option to draw or sketch five essential items.

2. What is a fable? How does a fable differ from other genres?

Teaching Suggestion: With its loosely established time and place, unnamed and foreboding war, quest-like structure, animal characters, and communication of morals, Pax includes elements that are fable-like. The nebulous setting in particular may cause some readers to experience uncertainty as they begin the novel; an exploration of the goals and characteristics of a traditional fable may provide some footing for readers seeking more context. It may be helpful to introduce or review the term “fable” by asking for examples from childhood literature or modern media offerings. Students might consult resources in their search for a definition, brainstorm a list of short fables from Aesop or other sources, or try to construct a brief fable (or the premise of one) in their reading journals.

• This brief explanation of a fable includes four well-known examples.

Personal Connection Prompt

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

Does your family own a pet, or do you know a family or an individual who does? What is this pet’s name? What is this pet like? How do you feel about this pet? Compose a brief journal entry describing this pet and their connection to you or others. Then, in pairs or small groups, create an oral story about a pet and share it with the class. In your story, show the significance of relationships between humans and animals.

Teaching Suggestion: Students who have trouble remembering the details of their story may benefit from taking a few notes to recall key events in the retelling. While the story can have any sort of beginning or ending, some moments in the story should demonstrate characteristics of the relationship between humans and animals.

Differentiation Suggestion: English learners may benefit from advanced opportunity to prepare. Visual learners and writers working on conveying detail might bring in photos of their pet or images of pets from magazines or other publications.