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.

“Collection and Curation”

In this activity, students collect items to create a museum box representing important events in their lives.

Throughout the novel, Ben carries his museum box around as a reminder of his parents and his own identity. Create your own museum box that represents your most important memories and items. After you have created your collection, draw connections between your collection and Ben’s collection. How are the items you selected different, and how are they similar?

Use the list of suggestions below to consider which items you might wish to include in your collection.

• Sports you enjoy
• Schools you’ve attended
• Places you’ve seen
• Where you want to go
• Important people in your life
• Trophies you’ve earned
• Hobbies you have
• Extracurricular activities you enjoy
• Places you like to visit

Plan to share your collection with others in the class; draw connections and comparisons between collections that represent the class and Ben’s collection in the story.

Teaching Suggestion: Students might be invited to participate in deciding the specific guidelines for the activity, such as a minimum number of items to bring to class. Students may require additional instruction on how to present their comparison to Ben’s collection.