Slacker

The story of Slacker changes perspectives each chapter, allowing the narrative to trace the thoughts and feelings of a multitude of characters. How do the changing perspectives influence the narrative?

Consider these questions before you respond to the bolded question.

• How do the different perspectives develop each character’s motivations?
• What would be missing if the story were only told from Cam’s perspective?

Teaching Suggestion: This prompt challenges students to consider how the narrative structure of a novel can influence the story. You might invite them to use terms like “first-person,” “third-person limited,” and “third-person omniscient.”

Differentiation Suggestion: Students who work better with visual learning might benefit from making a bubble chart for each character to trace their motivations and changes over the story. An alternative to the bubble chart could be a three-column list that charts each character’s motivations, feelings at the beginning of the story, and feelings at the end of the story.