These prompts can be used for in-class discussion, exploratory free-writing, or reflection homework before or after reading the novel.

Pre-Reading “Icebreaker”

At its core, The Crossover is a sports story about a middle-schooler who defines himself through his basketball excellence. What are the common tropes and themes of sports stories in American culture? Why are sports valuable to people?

Teaching Suggestion: Many students will be familiar with and excited about organized sports, while others may show reluctance to caring about the subject. Getting them to think about the underlying meaning of sports as a narrative and source of personal value for a character will help students read The Crossover more closely, and may particularly prepare them for discussions of the theme Rules for Basketball, Rules for Life.

Post-Reading Analysis

Throughout the novel, Josh’s relationships with his brother and his father shift, causing him to question what he values and where he belongs. Use these shifts to trace Josh’s character arc and how his sense of self changes over the course of the story.

Teaching Suggestion: The difficulties between Josh and JB are front and center in the novel, but a more subtle shift is the one between Josh and his father, who Josh begins to realize is not the unflappable authority figure he appears to be.