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. Try to name 2-3 movies or books with nonlinear narratives. How are these narratives different from linear plotlines, especially with regard to plot complexity and audience enjoyment?

Teaching Suggestion: Challenger Deep is a nonlinear narrative, meaning the events are jumbled between the past and present. In addition, the story switches back and forth between Caden’s inner world where he is a crewmember on a ship and the real world where he lives with his family, goes to school, and eventually is committed to a mental health hospital. Discussing nonlinear plotlines with which students are familiar will help them to grasp Challenger Deep’s two narratives and avoid confusion when something that was referenced in the past happens in the present!

• This Masterclass on “Nonlinear Narrative” provides helpful definitions and examples.
• With Visual Computing Group’s “Nonlinear Narratives,” students might enjoy following the template to create their own version of a visual graphic for Challenger Deep’s plotline.

2.  Reflect on a mental or emotional health challenge you endured that other people didn’t see or understand, or one you witnessed a family member or close friend enduring.