A Chance in the World

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 is foster care? Why might someone be placed in foster care? How has foster care changed over the last several decades?

Teaching Suggestion: With sensitivity to students who are or have been in foster care, consider discussing what foster care is. The author of A Chance in the World was placed into foster care when he was 3 years old. Though there have been some changes to the foster care system, students will explore possible changes that still need to be made as Steve addresses the abuse he experienced at the hands of his foster parents in the 1960s foster care system.

• This article describes what foster care is and why someone might end up in foster care.
• This article provides an overview of the changes that have been made to the foster care system over the years.

2. Why is reading so important? Why is reading important even for adults? How can you find ways to include reading in a busy lifestyle?

Teaching Suggestion: It might be helpful to pique students’ interest in and connection to the book by letting them know that Steve uses reading to escape his situation with his foster parents. Reading helps him generate hope that he will one day leave his abusive home life. Having good grades is one way Steve intends to leave his foster situation. You may want to point out that Steve’s foster family does not like it when he reads and allow students to speculate on why this might be so. Consider discussing the benefits of reading for enjoyment and how people may take it for granted.

• This 16-minute video describes why reading is so important—for a wide range of reasons, not just academic achievement.
• This article describes the benefits of reading for enjoyment in adults and some tips for including more reading for busy lifestyles.

Personal Connection Prompt

This prompt can be used for in-class discussion, exploratory free-writing, or reflection homework before reading the book.

Describe a time when you felt helpless to resolve a situation on your own. How did you resolve the situation? What people and places do you have as support systems to help you resolve difficult problems? How is technology used to resolve difficult problems? What might you do if you did not have access to resources such as phone and computer technology? How would you resolve the situation without the support of family members and friends?

Teaching Suggestion: Steve finds himself in an abusive situation in the 1960s without familial support. He spends most of his time reading to learn how to resolve the volatile family conflicts that arise in his foster home. It may be beneficial to use the prompt above as an anticipatory set to reinforce the helplessness Steve felt at the hands of his foster family without the support systems in place to assist him in overcoming his life difficulties.

Differentiation Suggestion: For students who require an additional challenge, consider asking them to research the difficulty of leaving foster care after children have “aged out” and the lack of support those children feel as they become adults. To get started, they can watch this video.