The Red Umbrella

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. Where is Cuba, and what is this country like?

Teaching Suggestion: Allow students to read and view the resources listed below. You might want to point out to students that in addition to the ideas that are directly discussed, they can also make observations based on the images they see within those resources. What are the people doing? What do the buildings, cars, landscapes, and homes look like?

• A factsheet from National Geographic Kids showing both the urban and natural landscapes of Cuba
• A 4-minute video by Al Jazeera English News describing a food shortage from a Cuban’s perspective

2. View this timeline that describes key events in the relationship between Cuba and the United States. What events (before 1961) might make Cuba think of the US as an enemy? What events (before 1961) might make the US think of Cuba as an enemy?

Teaching Suggestion: With sensitivity in mind, especially regarding background and heritage, divide students in pairs or small groups and ask half the students to write about Cuba’s perspective and the other half to write about the US perspective.