When You Reach Me

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

ACTIVITY 1: Connecting the Dots

When You Reach Me is written as though it is part of the detailed letter that Miranda must write to Marcus. At the same time, it weaves in hints about the story’s resolution. What hints and connections does the author make that help readers tie the story together? What clues does Miranda leave Marcus so he can find her again?

• To help structure your answer, create a T-chart. On the left, write a detail from the text. On the right, explain how that detail helps the time traveler and/or connects to the overall structure of the plot.

Teaching Suggestion: This activity might work best in pairs or small groups. Students might also require a structure for presenting the information. Students might use the answers from this activity to help answer one of the essay questions about plot structure.

ACTIVITY 2: Leaving Breadcrumbs

What hints would you leave a time traveler who might need help blending into and navigating your community at this time? Choose a person (real or imagined) from the 1970s and write them a letter. Your letter might focus on a specific event, your community, or a political movement; or it might simply serve as a general guide to pop culture. Make sure your letter points out both similarities and differences between the present and the past.

Teaching Suggestion: This activity allows students to have creative expression, demonstrate contextual knowledge, and leverage text-to-self connections. Teachers can use the linked resources from the pre-reading sections of this guide to bolster student research.