The Juvie Three

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. The term “juvie” refers to juvenile detention centers. Why would a person be sent to “juvie," and which age range of people are in these centers? How would attending one of these institutions impact a person’s life?

Teaching Suggestion: This Short Answer question invites students to consider their prior knowledge of young people who commit criminal offenses and the youth detention center system in the US. Although there is a plethora of information and data regarding the effect of juvenile incarceration on youth in the US, the main takeaway is that juvenile detention centers have had significant negative effects on incarcerated adolescents’ overall well-being. Korman’s novel explores these themes with difficult detention center conditions, harsh treatment, and the general negative perceptions that at-risk youth experience as they transition from the juvenile detention system. Ultimately, Korman’s characters of Arjay, Gecko, and Terence exemplify the fact that for at-risk youth, The Future Is Not Reliant on the Past.

• This resource from the Annie E. Casey Foundation explores the definition, purpose, and effect of juvenile detention centers.
• This article from the Juvenile Law Center provides an overview of the effects of the justice system on youth and includes a teacher-facing video presentation about its history.
• These statistics from the Sentencing Project explore the racial and ethnic disparities in youth incarceration throughout the US over the past 20 years.

Short Activity

Interview a friend or a relative about a difficult obstacle they were able to overcome. What was the situation? How did they overcome the obstacle? In the end, did they grow from the difficult endeavor? If so, how? Provide a written record of your conversation, along with a short summary of what you learned from your interviewee.

Teaching Suggestion: This Short Activity invites students to consider the themes The Future Is Not Reliant on the Past and Honesty and Self-Awareness Is Integral for Growth in the context of an interview. This task would be best completed as a take-home assignment. Students who require support in formulating interview questions and conducting interviews may benefit from discussing the video below. The teacher-facing resource may help you prepare a lesson in advance on the skills students need to conduct a successful interview.

• This 10-minute video includes interviewing tips for kids.
• This resource approved by the US Department of Education provides guidance on how to teach students to prepare and conduct interview questions. (Teacher-appropriate; not student facing.)

Differentiation Suggestion: For students who have difficulty with communication, directions, or task completion, consider asking them first to complete a practice round of this Short Activity by preparing questions and interviewing a partner during class. This will give you the opportunity to monitor their progress and offer guidance before students conduct interviews independently. Students who feel comfortable may share a summary of the interview with the class, while a discussion of what worked well and where there is room for improvement could help students complete the assignment with more focus and attention.

Personal Connection Prompt

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

What does the word “family” mean to you? Does a family member need to be related by blood or marriage, or can this definition be applied to non-relatives? Share an example from your life.

Teaching Suggestion: This Personal Connection Prompt invites students to consider their personal understanding of the term “family” as it applies to their own lives in relation to the theme Blood Family and Found Family. In Korman’s novel, “The Juvie Three” have different relationships with their family; some are still quite close to their parents and relatives, while others feel alienated. For the latter, these characters find family through friendships. Please note: this question may be triggering for students experiencing non-traditional family structures; for an alternate prompt, please see the Differentiation Suggestion below.

Differentiation Suggestion: For a broader question that does not focus on students’ family connections, the personal example may be amended to the following: In literature or film, share an example of a non-traditional family, which is made from friendship as opposed to blood relation. What bonds these characters together? Alternatively, advanced students who benefit from creative outlets may wish to rewrite their answer to the prompt in the form of a poem or comic strip, which they may be more comfortable sharing with the class. This Prompt directly segues into the Discussion/Analysis Prompt.