Teachers Resource

Discussion questions

1. What do you think it was like to live way back in 1914?

2. What was family life like then? What was the role of the mother? The father? The children?

3. What did people do in 1914 for entertainment without television, computers, or cell phones?

4. Do you think people were as happy then as they are now, or were they happier? Why?

5. What are some of the ways we receive news today?

6. What if we had no television, no Internet, and no radio? How would we get news of what's happening in our city, our country, or anywhere in the world?

Curriculum connection

7. Research to find out what how people traveled around their county, state, or the country in 1914.

8. Write a paragraph about it.

Character Discussion

1. Describe Gus's personality

2. Describe Cynthia's personality

3. Describe your personality. Are you more like Gus or Cynthia?

4. List three scenes in which the girl's friendship and loyalty were apparent.

Curriculum connection

5. Cynthia's grandmother, her Aunt Belle, and Gus's dad were three characters who were very important in the girls' lives. Describe a relative or good friend of yours, and how they've made a difference in your life.

Plot Development

1. Do you think that time travel is possible?

2. If you could travel through time, to what year/time would you go?

3. Is there a person in history or in your family that you would like to interview or talk to?

Curriculum connection

4. Write 5 questions you would ask that person.

Fantasy Fiction

1. How does fantasy fiction differ from regular fiction?

2. How does historical fiction differ from regular fiction?

3. Does Cynthia's Attic have fantasy elements? Name 2.

4. Does Cynthia's Attic have historical elements? Name 2.

Curriculum connection

5. Write a short fantasy fiction paragraph about you and a friend.

6. Write a short historical fiction paragraph about meeting a famous character from the early 1900s.

Vocabulary

1. Give the meaning of "spelunking." Write a sentence using the word.

2. Give the meaning of "rambunctious." Write a sentence using the word.

3. Give the meaning of "constricted." Write a sentence using the word.

4. Give the meaning of "mesmerized." Write a sentence using the word.

5. Give the meaning of "stalagmite" and "stalactite."

Curriculum connection

6. What is the largest cave in the United States? How long is it? How large is its biggest "room?"

7. Do you have a cave close to your city/town? How does it compare with the largest cave in the U.S.?

Prediction

Teachers:

1. After each chapter, ask the students to predict what will happen next. This could be spontaneous, or could be homework for the next day.

2. After an exciting event, ask the students how they would have changed the outcome. This can also be a written assignment.