This Is How It Always Is

How does Penn’s metanarrative, in the form of the ever-evolving bedtime story he tells his children, both comment on and incite elements of the novel’s action?

• Which aspects of the family’s real lives end up as elements of the bedtime story?
• How does Penn help his children process their real lives through the story?
• What values and ideas does Penn try to transmit?
• How does Penn’s story influence his children’s choices in the real world?

Teaching Suggestion: Although the Discussion/Analysis Prompt is relatively straightforward, some students may miss the cyclical nature of the phenomenon it identifies. The bulleted sub-questions that follow the main prompt are intended to make this explicit. You might extend this conversation by asking students what this element of the novel is trying to convey about the power of storytelling, and by extension, about the overall novel’s purpose.

Differentiation Suggestion: Students who struggle with reading fluency, attention, or organization may find it difficult to review large sections of text in order to thoroughly answer this question. You might allow these students to work with a partner to gather evidence. Alternatively, you might divide the class into small groups and assign a different sub-question to each group for evidence-gathering purposes before reconvening as a whole class to share ideas before trying to answer the main question.