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 do you know about rural farm life? How do families that base their livelihood on farm life work together to produce animals or crops?

Teaching Suggestion: The narrator’s environment is important to this story. Her coming-of-age story would be much different if she lived in the suburbs or in a city. The author’s reliance on animals as symbolic of family dynamics, life lessons, and community is integral to the development of character and plot. Depending on student demographics, students may be familiar with or complete strangers to the unique characteristics of farm life.

• "Vermont Farm Kids Rooted in the Land" – a documentary about kids who help run their family farm in Vermont
• "Everyday Farm Animal Routine" – Rachel, who works on her family’s farm, takes viewers through the routines of caring for the more than 30 animals on the farm.

2. What are some ways that society, historically or in contemporary times, has assigned girls and boys to different jobs?