On the Come Up

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. In literature, what does “world-building” mean? What do stories share if they take place in the same “world”?

Teaching Suggestion: This novel takes place in the same neighborhood as The Hate U Give and occurs about a year later. For students who have not read The Hate U Give, it may be beneficial to gain some understanding of the setting, conflicts, and situations before beginning On the Come Up. Students might use a recap, summary, or excerpt of The Hate U Give as a way to gain helpful context.

• This article discusses the different elements authors consider when building a “world” for their novel.
• This 2-minute trailer for the film version of The Hate U Give shows the setting and main conflicts of Angie Thomas’s first novel. (Content Warning: The trailer contains scenes of violence, riots, and demonstrations.)

2. How does money influence people’s choices? What is the deeper meaning behind the traditional saying “Money can’t buy happiness”?

Teaching Suggestion: Bri’s family struggles with money, and their financial circumstances influence how she sees her potential rapping career. One way to approach the discussion of socioeconomic circumstances in this novel includes researching or reviewing real-world examples of the cost of living in the time setting of the novel (late 2018/early 2019). Due to the sensitive nature of the prompt, a private, independent response may be the best strategy. These and similar resources may help to provide additional context, discussion points, and reflection ideas.

• This news article discusses survey results surrounding money and happiness in America.
• This 2018 article examines research on mindset and decision-making processes of people with lower incomes.

Differentiation Suggestion: Visual learners and students seeking opportunities in artistic expression might include captioned sketches or drawings along with or instead of their written response. Students who benefit from opportunities in creative writing might compose their response in the form of a poem, spoken-word poetry, or rap.  

Personal Connection Prompt

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

What factors contribute to one’s “legacy”? To what degree are young people and teens affected by a parent’s “legacy”? Your response may include personal experiences, personal observations, or examples from fiction or history.

Teaching Suggestion: It may be beneficial to discuss the concept of “legacy” through an example from history or literature; students can speculate about the legacy of a historical figure or character, then brainstorm ideas regarding the impact of that legacy on family members or children. It may be helpful to broach the idea of the negative impacts of a parental legacy and the possible challenges that might come from them; in the novel, Bri contends with the “legacy” of her father’s rap career. For a way to access and connect with this topic, students might brainstorm a parent’s (or guardian’s or caretaker’s) most consistent or stand-out traits, then rate the extent to which those traits might impact them from 10 (student is heavily influenced) to 1 (student sees little to no impact). Due to the sensitive nature of the prompt, a private, independent response may be the best strategy.

• This article from BBC discusses how a parent’s accomplishments, initiative, or fame might cause friction in the parent-child relationship.
• This article from Afrotech discusses recording artist Stevie Wonder’s nine children and how his accomplishments may have inspired them.