Harbor Me

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. In what specific ways are friendships and small groups healthy for young adults? What are ways individuals might achieve healing with the help of peers? What is the importance of diversity in friendship?

Teaching Suggestion: Harbor Me explores the growth of six characters as they learn to become a cohesive group and find healing through discussion, empathy, and support. Students might participate in timed brainstorming activities in which they list examples of types of friendships and how diversity plays an important role in friendship. Information from these or similar resources can help students develop additional context on the topic.

• This 5-minute video describes the importance of friendships for teenagers and how they affect the brain.
• This article explains the importance of diverse friendships in expanding individual perspectives.

2. What components or traits comprise a person’s identity? How might identity grow and change over time? What factors might contribute to changes in a person’s identity?

Teaching Suggestion: Harbor Me explores the growth of six characters as they share their personal experiences with racism, immigration, prejudice, bullying, and xenophobia. Though all the characters have diverse experiences based on their background, they learn to listen and appreciate their individual struggles and develop their own unique identity. Students might extend their personal written responses to include the ways in which background, family, and given circumstances might impact individual needs and experiences.

• This 8-minute video describes personal identity and how it grows and changes.
• This article explores the basics of identity and the role of early adolescence in developing identity.

Personal Connection Prompt

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

Describe a time when you bonded with someone over similar hardships or experiences. Why are bonds with individuals who have similar experiences powerful? How might bonds be created with those who have different experiences? What is the best way to overcome differences with peers?

Teaching Suggestion: In the novel, each of the characters in the group they form—called the ARTT—has a different perspective on life because of their personal hardship. Small-group discussion topics to extend this prompt might include how friend groups change over time, how friends might bond over similar experiences, and how differences can also bond peers.