When You Reach Me

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

Personal Response Prompt

Think of a time when your first impression about a person, place, or event was completely wrong. What happened that changed your mind? What did you learn from this experience?

Teaching Suggestion: This prompt may also be helpful for students to discuss in small or large groups. Talking about famous optical illusions or the gold versus blue dress incident presents opportunities to expand the topic and go deeper into related psychology concepts. Use these concepts to link back to students’ experiences with first impressions, and to add depth to Miranda’s character development. Student might begin to understand what Marcus means about “common sense” hindering Miranda’s understanding.

• A short video from The Atlantic explains how the brain’s perceptions create reality.
• a collection of optical illusions from VeryWellMind, and a collection of illusions in art from the BBC

Personal Response Prompt

If you could go on any game show, which one would you go on and why? What would you need to do to prepare to win? What would you do with the winnings?

Teaching Suggestion: These questions will help students to understand the excitement in Miranda’s home in the days leading up to her mother’s appearance on The $20,000 Pyramid.

Post-Reading Reflection

What would you do if you received mysterious notes from a stranger similar to the notes Miranda receives?

Teaching Suggestion: Allow students to discuss this question at multiple points in their study of the novel in order to build some text-to-self connections and activate imagination, empathy, and personal study.

Post-Reading Reflection

How would you describe Miranda’s “magic veil” moment during the game show taping? Have you ever had a moment like that? How did you make sense of it? What did you learn?

Teaching Suggestion: Allow students to discuss this question as they conclude their study of the novel in order to build some text-to-self connections and activate imagination, empathy, and personal study.