Alabama Moon

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 do you know about forms of technology used in the 1980s? How do the technologies from the 80s compare to technology today? How might someone isolated from society react to a more modern lifestyle? What unconventional skills might those who live “off-grid” possess?

Teaching Suggestion: The protagonist, Moon, is a 10-year-old boy in 1980. He lives off-grid with his father in the Alabama wilderness without electricity, hot showers, health care, and other modern resources. Consider discussing the contrasting lifestyles of those living in the modern 80s and those without modern amenities.

• This 12-minute video describes the lifestyles of those living in the 1980s.
• This 10-minute video depicts the life of a family of 7 who lives off-grid in a rural location; they avoid many of the components of modern society, like public school, running water, and television.

Short Activity

Read the following questions with a partner, adding “Would you rather…” to the beginning as a paired discussion. Each person has 60 seconds of uninterrupted response time before answering the next question.