The Last Kids on Earth

Use this activity to engage all types of learners, while requiring that they refer to and incorporate details from the text over the course of the activity.

ACTIVITY 1: “Tremendous Treehouse”

In this activity, students will design innovations that would help Jack and his friends survive the monster apocalypse.

Jack, Quint, June, and Dirk face great danger during the monster apocalypse, and they continually upgrade their treehouse to withstand the terrifying times. Consider how you could help them with their renovations, and then create a treehouse using both details from the novel and innovations of your own.

• Re-read key scenes in the novel that describe the treehouse.
• Revisit details about the monsters, identifying the main dangers they pose.
• Brainstorm ideas for solving the problems Jack and this team face.
• Sketch out your treehouse plans, including both textual details and original ideas.
• Write a description of your treehouse and explain the purpose of the renovations.
• Present your ideas, descriptive paragraph(s), and sketch in the form of a poster or other appropriate medium.

Posters may be shared in the form of a gallery walk. After viewing your peers’ work, participate in a class-wide discussion about how these ideas would help the characters survive, using specific details from the novel.

Teaching Suggestion: This Activity connects to the theme of The Resourceful Innovation of Adolescent Imagination. It might help to re-read a section of the novel together and then discuss the inventions the characters develop and what problems they help solve. Students might benefit from a list of possible project formats as well. An alternative to the gallery walk might be presentations in small groups or for the whole class.

Differentiation Suggestion: Students with executive function differences and those who struggle with time management could benefit from a graphic organizer or template for their ideas, as well as a list of due dates for each step of the project. For classes that may benefit from the use of technology, consider allowing digital representations of their treehouse designs, which could be shared in an online classroom.

ACTIVITY 2: “Monstrous Monster Scenes”

In this activity, students will write a scene in which a new monster they imagine appears in the monster apocalypse.

The friends in the novel face various monsters, studying them and innovating to survive. But what would happen if a new monster appeared in the story? What new challenges would Jack and his friends face? Write a scene in which you introduce a monster of your own making that is unlike the ones already in the story. Reflect on the following as you begin:

• Re-read some descriptions of monsters in the novel. What makes each one unique?
• Create a new monster with its own unique qualities and behaviors. What makes it different from the rest? Why is it difficult for Jack and his friends to overcome?
• Write a 300–500-word scene in which your monster appears in Brallier’s story. Use techniques like imagery in your description: What does the monster look, smell, and/or sound like?
• Name your monster, and, in an additional paragraph or presentation, explain the purpose of the choices you made.

After everyone has submitted and/or shared their monster scenes, reflect on your creative choices in a journal entry. How does your monster compare to the other monsters in the novel?

Teaching Suggestion: Connecting to the theme of The Resourceful Innovation of Adolescent Imagination, this activity might begin during the reading of the novel. When a monster is introduced, it could be beneficial to discuss the descriptive details and how they impact the characters. Comparing monsters in the novel and noticing ways Jack and his friends approach different creatures in unique ways can also provide helpful background information as students create their own creatures and scenes. If time permits, students could discuss ways the characters might fight the different monsters the class creates.

Use these essay questions as writing and critical thinking exercises for all levels of writers, and to build their literary analysis skills by requiring textual references throughout the essay.

Differentiation Suggestion: For English learners or struggling writers, strategies that work well include graphic organizers, sentence frames or starters, group work, or oral responses.

Scaffolded Essay Questions

Student Prompt: Write a short (1-3 paragraph) response using one of the bulleted outlines below. Cite details from the text over the course of your response that serve as examples and support.

1. The novel begins with Jack on his own and ends with four friends together.

• How do the four friends become a family? (topic sentence)
• Incorporate three or more quotations and/or details to show how Jack’s relationships with Quint, June, and Dirk grow throughout the novel.
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, articulate Jack’s definition of family and discuss its significance in relation to the theme of Genuine Friendship as a Form of Survival.

2. When Jack and Quint encounter Dirk, they face a dilemma.

• How would you evaluate Jack and Quint’s decision to give Dirk a chance to join them during the apocalypse? (topic sentence)
• In your essay, include at least three quotations that show Dirk’s character growth. How does he change in the story?
• In your conclusion, explain whether or not Dirk makes amends for his former ways.

3. Though Jack is the narrator, June and Quint play key roles in the team.

• What is the definition of a strong leader, and who fits this definition more: June or Quint? (topic sentence)
• As you craft your analysis, incorporate at least 3 quotations and/or details that show whether June or Quint is the stronger leader.
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, predict what is next for the leader you chose. What do you foresee in this person’s future?

Full Essay Assignments

Student Prompt: Write a structured and well-developed essay. Include a thesis statement, at least three main points supported by text details, and a conclusion.

1. Consider the role of junk food in the novel. In what scenes does junk food appear with Jack and his friends? What specific foods and drinks do the young heroes turn to? Besides consuming it, how do they use junk food? What does it symbolize or reveal about the characters? In a 3- or 5- paragraph essay, analyze the significance of junk food in the novel. In your conclusion, connect this to one of the following themes: Genuine Friendship as a Form of Survival or The Resourceful Innovation of Adolescent Imagination.

2. Monsters threaten the characters at every turn. Still, they are not the only causes of fear. Who or what is the most frightening threat in the novel? What instills fear in the characters? What types of fear do they experience, and how does it affect each one of them differently? Choose one of the characters to focus on. Craft a 3- or 5-paragraph essay evaluating the top threat to the character and what it reveals about them. In your conclusion, discuss the message the novel is conveying about society.

Multiple Choice and Long Answer Questions create ideal opportunities for whole-text review, exams, or summative assessments.

Multiple Choice

1. What is Jack’s mood in the opening scene as he battles Blarg at the CVS?

A) Terrified and unable to contemplate next steps

B) Indifferent and extremely crabby

C) Scared but also excited and adventurous

D) Awe-struck but also a little tired and sad

2. How do the friends obtain the supplies they need to survive?

A) They find all they need within the school and treehouse.

B) They discover a tunnel where they can travel to a nearby town.

C) They order supplies online and have them delivered.

D) They scavenge from stores and homes and innovate.

3. How does Jack’s image of June differ from reality?

A) Jack thinks June is at her home with her parents, but she is in the school alone.

B) Jack believes June will come rescue him, but June has left town to find safety out west.

C) Jack imagines rescuing June, but June is thriving on her own and rescues him.

D) Jack plans on June publishing the paper about the monsters alone, but she asks for help.

4. Which of the following best describes Quint?

A) Innovative, loyal, and resourceful

B) Impulsive, witty, and talkative

C) Outgoing, kind, and boisterous

D) Wistful, distracted, and lost

5. What is the significance of the ping pong table?

A) Dirk gives it to Quint for his birthday; this solidifies Dirk as a friend instead of foe, and they find joy and a sense of normalcy with it.

B) The ping pong table was a gift from Quint’s great-grandmother; he sees it as a symbol of hope that he will see his family again.

C) Jack brought the ping pong table from his last foster family; he has begun to view it as a way to escape reality.

D) June and Jack played ping pong in school the last time they were together; Jack often dreams of it and of seeing her again.

6. How is Blarg different from the other monsters Jack and his friends encounter?

A) Blarg is kind and becomes a friend.

B) Blarg tracks Jack for revenge.

C) Blarg is tiny but poisonous.

D) Blarg travels with a pack of friends.

7. Why does Jack refuse to abandon the treehouse?

A) He hopes to sell the treehouse and make a lot of money.

B) He wants to rescue June, and the treehouse is near her home.

C) He is too terrified to step outside the treehouse and cowers inside.

D) He feels that, for the first time, he has a true home with his friends in the treehouse.

8. Which literary device does the following quotation include? “It’s time to stop being this monster’s punching bag. See, I’ve kind of been the world’s punching bag for a while and y’know—it just ain’t a whole lotta fun. So I’m fighting back.” (Chapter 1)

A) Irony

B) Metaphor

C) Alliteration

D) Third-person narration

9. Which of the following best develops the theme of The Resourceful Innovation of Adolescent Imagination?

A) Rover

B) The zombie ball

C) Video games

D) Big Mama

10. Which of the following best states what the walkie-talkies symbolize?

A) Friendship and hope

B) Necessity and problem-solving

C) Anger at the monsters

D) Sadness for lost friends

Long Answer

Compose a response of 2-3 sentences, incorporating text details to support your response.

1. What is the importance of the moat?

2. How does the relationship between June and Jack shift over the course of the novel?