Merci Suárez Changes Gears

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. What is a “coming-of-age” story? What are some examples of this kind of story that you have read or watched? Why do you think this kind of story is so popular?

Teaching Suggestion: Depending on their backgrounds, students may have some knowledge of the coming-of-age story—or they may know little about it. You might consider taking this prompt in stages, using the content from resources below or similar resources to ensure that all students have a strong understanding of the concept before they move on to list examples and speculate on the reasons for the coming-of-age story’s popularity. Students may benefit from discussing the second point as a class or in small groups, as this will allow them to hear a wider variety of examples.

• This guide from the University of Waterloo Communication Centre defines and offers examples of the coming-of-age story.
• This 11-minute video offers clear examples of coming-of-age stories from animated films.

2. What does “social class” mean? Have you heard the terms “classism” and “class bias”? What do they mean, or what do you think they might mean?