The Sun Is Also a Star

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 fate? Consider the stories you have encountered in film or literature that have fate as a central idea or conflict. What plot devices are common with fate-filled stories?

Teaching Suggestion:  After discussing these questions, it might be helpful to tell students that the plot of this novel is pushed forward by occurrences that one character sees as coincidences and another sees as fate. To develop discussion, consider addressing similar concepts, such as destiny, free will, or luck, and have students compare and contrast their definitions. The resource below may help provide background knowledge for students who are unfamiliar with the Fates in Greek mythology, which are referenced in the novel.

• This article from The Collector provides a short summary of the Fates as understood in Greek mythology.

2. What is your understanding of “The American Dream”? Is it something everyone can achieve? If not, who has access to the American Dream and why?

Teaching Suggestion: It might be helpful to provide a definition of the American Dream after students have had a chance to define it in their own terms before discussing the additional questions. The resources below could be used as post-discussion readings to help students develop greater understanding of the concept and its history.

• This article from The Catalyst discusses the original sociopolitical understanding of the American Dream.  
• This article from The Brookings Institute by Senator Cory Booker argues that the American Dream is out of reach for the majority of Americans.

Short Activity

Why do people immigrate to the United States? What does this country have to offer? Research and create a list of at least three common reasons why people choose to immigrate to the United States.

Teaching Suggestion: It might be helpful to remind students how to find reliable sources as they conduct their research. For students who struggle with research, consider providing the sources below as a starting point. This activity relates to the themes of Empathy Through Cross-Cultural Connection and The Precarity of the American Dream.

• This article from CNN considers the history of immigrant populations in the US from the 1960s to 2021.
• This article from USAFacts considers why people immigrate to the US and includes charts and statistics for reference.

Differentiation Suggestion: Students with attentional and executive function differences might benefit from collaborating in a small group with individually assigned roles, such as researcher, recorder, and discussion leader. Advanced students who need a challenge may work well independently and could conduct additional research on the origins of immigrant populations.

Personal Connection Prompt

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

The “multiverse” describes the idea that other universes beyond our own exist simultaneously. In other words, our decisions open up infinite possibilities for alternative histories. Do you think the multiverse exists? What might be the benefits and disadvantages of the multiverse?

Teaching Suggestion: For students that struggle with writing, it might be helpful to discuss these questions as a group before releasing students to complete independent written responses. The resources below can be shared with students after discussion to help them generate ideas about The Multiverse and Alternative Histories.

• This trailer of Spider-Man: No Way Home might help students visualize the concept of a multiverse.
• This article from LiveScience covers the theoretical and physical evidence of the multiverse.