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. According to the National Alliance to End Homelessness, in January 2020, there were about 580,000 people experiencing homelessness throughout America. What do you think are the primary factors that cause a person or an entire family to experience homelessness?

Teaching Suggestion: Raspberry’s experience with homelessness shapes her entire personality (and especially her relationship with money), thus testifying to The Lasting Effects of Poverty and Financial Insecurity. This prompt allows students to explore the systemic root causes of homelessness and can help them develop empathy and understanding toward individuals experiencing homelessness in the United States.

• State of Homelessness: 2022 Edition and What Causes Homelessness? are two resources from the National Alliance to End Homelessness to help educate the public about the factors that lead to homelessness.

Differentiation Suggestion: For English language learners and different learners, who may learn more readily via visual resources, particularly when it comes to facts/figures, you may opt to also show the following 7-minute video that features an interview with the CEO of the National Alliance to End Homelessness:

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