Peak

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

Brainstorm a list of potentially dangerous activities that require participants to be above a certain age. Explain why you think the age limits for these activities are enforced. Do you think young adults are more prone to destructive behavior than older adults?

Teaching Suggestion: Students may discuss various topics such as driving, skydiving, or riding roller coasters. Peak, as a 14-year-old boy who plans to climb Mount Everest, is an adolescent more prone to risk-taking behavior due to his earlier stage of brain development. Use the below links to show students how the brain develops and how that development affects decision-making. Other links explore possible reasons why adults would make similarly risky choices, lending scientific and cultural context to the theme Risk and Obsession.

• This 4-minute video demonstrates the development of the brain from a person’s teen years to adulthood.
• This NPR article delves into why some adults may be prone to thrill-seeking behavior.
• This quiz, attached to the above NPR article, is used to assess how likely a person is to be a thrill-seeker.