Wonderstruck

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. Think about life one hundred years ago. What new forms of entertainment appeared in the 1920s? What new industries developed during the 1920s? What was the economy of the 1920s like? How might film in the 1920s have been different from film today?

2. Now think about what you know about the 1970s. How did the role of women change in the 1970s? What inventions became commonplace alongside changes to the American family? How does entertainment in the 1970s compare to entertainment in the 1920s?

Teaching Suggestion: The two main characters, Rose and Ben, have parallel experiences though they are from two different time periods. Rose’s experiences predominantly take place in 1927, while Ben’s take place in 1977. The two cross paths near the novel’s conclusion. Once you introduce the general time periods, it may be beneficial to compare lifestyles in the 1920s and 1970s and discuss the ways in which people might have experienced the world differently during these time periods.

• This 9.5-minute video describes the historical context of the 1920s (includes discussion of Prohibition, the Great Depression, the Great Migration, the Harlem Renaissance, and gender roles).