The Darkest Minds

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

What is ageism? How does it affect young people?

Teaching Suggestion: If students have not already studied this topic, breaking apart the word and discussing the root and suffix can be an opportunity to practice vocabulary strategies and uncover the definition. Once the definition is clear, brainstorming ways in which students feel they are treated unfairly due to their age can be an entry point into the research. The Teen Vogue article includes links to historical background that can expand this discussion and provide additional connections to the novel. If time permits, students could conduct additional research into ways ageism affects young people and movements to stop such prejudice. Additionally, this question provides the opportunity to introduce the theme of Fear and Betrayal of the Young.

• This article from Teen Vogue examines the injustice of discrimination against young people and discusses times youths have stood up against such unfairness.
• This resource from the World Health Organization presents different aspects of ageism, including the definition, its effects, and ways to combat it.

Short Activity

Work in a small group to research camps that have held people prisoner. When in history have different kinds of detainment centers been used, and for what purpose?

Teaching Suggestion: There are unfortunately many examples of such detainment centers throughout history. The resources here might be used to provide background on two examples; both include links for more research. Alternatively, students can continue to find additional resources, then share their findings in presentations or discuss in small or large-group conversations. Both examples listed reference sensitive content, especially because they focus on the harm children experienced. Discussing the history of these and other examples provides real-world connections to the novel and the theme of Fear and Betrayal of the Young.

• In “‘Heartbreaking’ Conditions in US Migrant Child Camp,” the BBC presents details from 2021 investigations into conditions at camps where children were kept after crossing the border into the United States. The resource includes a 4-minute video and written article. (Content Warning: sensitive content)
• “Children of the Camps” from PBS focuses on children forced into Japanese internment camps in the United States during and after World War II. (Content Warning: sensitive content)

Differentiation Suggestion: Students with attentional or executive functioning differences might benefit from a 2-column graphic organizer for the purpose of focused quotation or example study; students write a quotation or example from the research in one column and compose their reactions to the quote or example in the other column. Providing specific questions to answer about these or similar resources could be another helpful strategy.

Personal Connection Prompt

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

What would it be like to suddenly have out-of-the-ordinary skills, talents, or powers? Imagine a power and the possible positives and negatives of that power.

Teaching Suggestion: Brainstorming as a class the different powers and abilities students have seen in books or films might be a helpful approach and, considering the popularity of such texts, will likely build interest in the novel. For additional scaffolding, students might select 2-3 powers from the list to discuss in detail in small groups before addressing the prompt independently. In The Darkest Minds, the main characters face this dilemma and approach it in a variety of ways. Pondering this topic and sharing thoughts on it can provide students with important insights they can apply during the reading of the novel.