Beartown

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 kinds of secrets do people tend to keep? In what circumstances might someone be obligated to share a secret? Under what circumstances should someone report another person’s secret to an authority figure?

Teaching Suggestion: Beartown deals strongly with ideas related to secrets and obligation. It may be a helpful activity to start by having a whole-group discussion about the types of secrets people may have in general and why people are driven to keep such secrets. While students should be discouraged from sharing secrets themselves, it is helpful for them to start thinking about the different types of secrets. This conversation may create the opportunity to discuss thematic ideas related to Secrets and Shame as well as Grief.

• This “Secret” dictionary definition comes from the Cambridge Dictionary. It may be useful to look at the different definitions of secret and speculate if any of the students’ answers change based on the definitions.
• “What Does a Mandated Reporter Have to Report?” is an article from the Mandated Reporter. This article describes different kinds of abuse and is a helpful tool for describing and identifying when an obligation to report is necessary.

What is the role of sports in our society? Why are some people passionate about sports, especially ones they do not play themselves? How is that passion often demonstrated or performed?

Teaching Suggestion: Some citizens of Beartown rely on hockey as an escape and as a way to bolster their economic positions. Their obsession over the sport is a central reason why Maya faces so much backlash following her assault. Students who do not feel strongly about sports might be encouraged to discuss other activities that can cause such a reaction.  

• The Guardian’s “College Football Fans Storm Field and Topple Goalposts” records different perspectives of the Tennessee Volunteers’ win over Alabama during which fans stormed the field and removed the goalpost from the stadium.
• Five Thirty Eight’s “The Latest Kentucky Riot Is Part of A Long, Destructive Sports Tradition” describes the 2015 Kentucky riot and provides a spreadsheet of sports-related riots in the United States, along with related arrests, injuries, and deaths.

Short Activity

Review the short list of statements in front of you and decide whether you agree with them. After you have identified if you agree or disagree with each statement, find others in your class with opposite beliefs from you. Discuss your differing perspectives; briefly debate your stance. Try to pull from past experiences or observations to support your claims.

Teaching Suggestion: Beartown describes a town that experiences divided loyalties because of a tragedy. This activity allows students to see how easy it is to become polarized, even with topics that are inconsequential. Students should be provided with a list of polarizing, but emotionally neutral statements (e.g., “Cake is better than ice cream,” “rock music is the best kind of music,” “the Cubs are better than the Cardinals,” etc.) and determine whether they agree with them or not. They can be encouraged to debate in pairs or small groups.

• This I Believe – This website is dedicated to sharing essays in which people argue a particular stance or belief.
• The Behavioral Scientist’s “Conversations on Polarizing Topics Are Possible. If You’re Up for It, Here’s How to Start” is an article that describes the difficulties presented by polarization.

Differentiation Suggestion: For students who are more loquacious or theatrical, give them the opportunity to argue a particular stance. Put up a sixty-second timer (or longer if the time is available) and give students a prompt at random. Allow to give an improvisational speech on the given topic.

Personal Connection Prompt

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

Think about the pressures you have in your life. Where do those pressures come from? How do those pressures impact your choices?

Teaching Suggestion: The boys of the Beartown hockey league are under enormous pressure to succeed. Maya is under similar pressure as the daughter of the general manager. Thinking about how it feels to be under pressure from society, parents, and loved ones is a powerful step to helping students understand why the events of the book unfold the way they do.

• The United Kingdom’s Mental Health Foundation article entitled “60% of Young People Unable to Cope Due to Pressure to Succeed” provides statistics on young adults experiencing pressure and the impact of that pressure on mental health.

Everyday Health’s article “Under Pressure: Are the Stresses of Social Media Too Much for Teens and Young Adults?” describes the positives and drawbacks of social media usage and its impact on the mental health of young adults.