Below you will find a list of discussion questions that can be used with students before, during, and after reading The Future of Us. We have based these questions on several different literary theories. Feel free to adapt any of these questions as you see fit.
** Please note, the answers to the following questions are very subjective, so the answers will vary. Students' answers should have some reasoning behind their answer that is logical.**
Pre-Reading Questions:
1. If you could see into your future, would you take that information seriously or would you not believe it?
2. If you were doomed to a life of unhappiness, would you try to change it?
3. Do you spend more time thinking about the present or about the future?
4. If you and your best friend started to develop feelings for each other (or if only one of you developed feelings) and shared an awkward moment or kiss, do you think you could move past it and be the same?
5. If you read about your life fifteen years in the future, would you be able to keep the secret to yourself, or would you tell everyone you know?
6. How big of an impact do you think Facebook has on society? Do you think about what you're writing on Facebook, or do you just write whatever and not care?
Reader Response Questions:
1. Which version of Emma do you prefer: the present or the future? Which version of Josh do you prefer: the present or the future. Why?
2. Do you see yourself reflected in any of the characters? If so, which character, and how? If not, connect a character to someone you know and explain the connection.
3. Did your thoughts/feelings about the novel change as you read? Explain. If they didn't explain that. Overall, did you enjoy the novel? Why or why not?
4. Do you think the title of the novel, The Future of Us, is appropriate? Why or why not? If you could, what would you rename the title and why?
5. If you were an English teacher, would you require your students to read this novel? Why or why not?
6. If you could be any character in the novel, who would you be? Explain.
7. If you could rewrite the ending would you? Would you want to keep it the same? Explain. If you would want to rewrite the ending, give a brief summary of what your ending would be.
8. Were there any parts of the novel that made you confused? Which parts? Why do you think you got confused? If you were never confused, why do you think that is?
9. Do you share any of the feelings with any of the characters in the novel? Explain.
10. What do you feel the most important word, phrase, passage, paragraph, or chapter(s) is in the novel? Explain why this is the most important selection.
Interpretive Community Questions:
Picture yourself as a neighbor to Emma and Josh. You live on the same block as these two characters and have known them for years. All three of you go to the same high school. Since you know them well, answer the following questions to add details to their novel characters. If it is easier, you may assume that Josh and Emma are teenagers in 2012 (since 1996 may be unfamiliar to you). You will be sharing at least some of the responses with the class.
1. What do you have in common with Josh? How are you different?
2. What do you have in common with Emma? How are you different?
3. Who is easier for you to understand Emma or Josh? Why?
4. What restaurants, besides Goodtimez Pizza, does Emma eat at? Where does Josh prefer to dine at?
5. We know that both Emma and Josh like Toy Story and dislike Wayne’s World. What other movies does Emma like? What other ones does Josh like?
6. If you had a serious problem to discuss, would you talk to Emma? Would you talk to Josh? Why or why not.
7. What causes (world problems) are important to Emma? What causes (world problems) are important to Josh?
8. Do your parents like Josh’s parents? Do your parents like Emma’s mother and stepfather? Why or why not.
9. Are you friends with Emma? Are you friends with Josh? Explain.
10. Write about one experience that you have had with Emma. Write about one experience that you have had with Josh. These experiences can be either in class or in someone’s home or out in public.
Critical Synthesis Questions:
1. (Psycho-Analytical Question)Think of Emma's unhappiness in the future. Is that unhappiness present in the Emma of 1996? How much of Emma's future depression is related to what she feels in the present?
2. (Moral Question) Considering how Facebook brings anxiety to the characters, is the moral of the story that a person should live more in the real world than the wired one? Justify your answer with passages from the text.
3. (Marxist Question)Think of how Josh reacts to Emma’s changes on Facebook after he learns that he will marry rich, beautiful Sydney. Is Josh wrong for acting this way? What value does Josh place on worldly things?
4. (Formalist Question) What are the strengths and weaknesses of having two first person narrators?
5. (Reader Response) In your opinion, should Emma and Josh have became romantically involved or should they have stayed only friends?
6. (New Historian Question) Research online to discover what was going on with technology in 1996. How has technology changed since then? Would the teenage Emma and Josh be considered computer savy in 1996? What about now (2012)?
7. (Archtypal Question) In romances, the male usually wins his love by performing some feat. How does Josh win Emma in The Future of Us? How does this differ from what is typical?
8. (Feminist Question) Think of Emma’s relationships in the novel (Graham, Cody, Jordan Jr., Kevin Storm, and, in the end, Josh). Is the novel arguing that Emma must have a man to be happy?
Below you will find three activities that can be used for students to generate their own discussion questions. This is important so students think critically and they learn how to develop questions on their own.
- Role Playing - The characters of Emma and Josh have published their true life adventures in the non-fiction book: The Future of Us. They are holding a press conference. The teacher, since presumably he or she knows the novel better than anyone else in the class, plays the roles of “Emma” and “Josh.” The students represent the media. Students are able to ask questions to these characters. Questions may range from “Why did you do (blank)?” to “What’s your favorite food?” Students must come up with at least 5 questions with this activity.
- Student Teaching – Rather than having the instructor teach the students every chapter in the book, have every student be the teacher for one day each. The student will have to become an expert on the section of the novel he or she is teaching (4-6 chapters). That student will have to know the text well enough to lead a discussion and the student will also have to ask questions for clarification from the teacher, and the student will possibly have to look up references online.
- Silent Discussion- Students will individually write two questions on a piece of paper. Once their questions are written down, students will pass their piece of paper to the person to their right. That person must answer one of the two questions on the paper, and then add one of their own questions to the sheet. The paper is then passed to the next person, and the process continues to repeat until the original owner gets his/her sheet back with his/her original questions and all the new questions as well.