Lesson 3: introductory questions
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English
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5th Grade
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jp van zyl
Used 2+ times
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25 Slides • 40 Questions
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Introductory Questions
By jp van zyl
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Rip Van Winkle slept for twenty years, Steve Rogers for seventy, Aang for a hundred—in each case, with remarkably little impact on their health. (Rip Van Winke did grow some facial hair.) Imagine that you went through something similar and woke up in the year 2120 (albeit with neither superpowers nor supercharged follicles.) How quickly do you think you’d notice you were in the future? Would beds feel different? Would chairs be strange shapes? Would there be funky new food in the fridge? Would there still be a Global Round in Bangkok? Outside your home, would you encounter a strange new society or one roughly like our own? Or would you encounter no society at all, just a picturesque (and probably terrifying) post-apocalyptic landscape?
Question 1
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Rip Van Winkle is the main character of a Dutch-American short story of the same name. Written by Washington Irving, who was also of Dutch-American heritage, the story follows Rip as he falls asleep in the Catskill Mountains (New York), only to wake up 20 years later.
To give some context, Rip’s story is set in early colonial America, where his lifestyle mostly revolves around avoiding work whenever possible (sound familiar? 😄). After encountering a group of mysterious men in the mountains and drinking with them, he ends up falling into a deep sleep. While he’s asleep, the American Revolution takes place.
(He also grows a long, white beard during this time.)
Interestingly, the story was sparked by a moment of inspiration from Irving, who had never actually been to the Catskill Mountains. It originated from a nostalgic conversation about the region’s past.
Rip Van Winkle
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Multiple Choice
Who wrote Rip Van Winkle?
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Multiple Choice
What major event happens while Rip is asleep?
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Multiple Choice
How long does Rip Van Winkle sleep in the mountains?
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Multiple Choice
What best describes Rip Van Winkle’s personality before he falls asleep?
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Multiple Choice
What physical change happens to Rip during his sleep?
He grows a long, white beard
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Multiple Choice
Where did Washington Irving get the idea for Rip Van Winkle?
A nostalgic conversation about the Catskills
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Steve Rogers, better known by his superhero alias Captain America, is another iconic character with a canonical case of being frozen for decades. While I’m no MCU superfan, thankfully Wikipedia has my back 😎.
According to his backstory, Steve was a super-soldier during World War II, enhanced by a special serum that gave him increased strength, endurance, and speed. In a climactic battle with the Nazi-affiliated group Hydra, Steve sacrifices himself, crashing a plane into the Arctic Ocean. There, he ends up in a state of suspended animation for around 70 years.
Eventually, he's discovered and revived by S.H.I.E.L.D., a secretive U.S. government agency. Much of his character arc deals with the emotional and cultural shock of waking up in the modern world—a future where his old life, friends, and era are long gone.
(And yes, he still somehow looks exactly the same—Marvel logic.)
It’s a cool modern-day echo of Rip Van Winkle: both men fall asleep in one world and wake up in another, forever changed.
Steve Rogers
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Multiple Choice
What is Captain America’s real name?
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Multiple Choice
During which war did Steve Rogers fight as a super-soldier?
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Multiple Choice
What gave Steve Rogers his enhanced abilities?
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Multiple Choice
What happens to Steve Rogers after he crashes into the Arctic?
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Multiple Choice
Which organization revives Captain America in the modern day?
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Multiple Choice
What is one of the key challenges Steve Rogers faces after waking up?
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Aang is the main character of the beloved animated series Avatar: The Last Airbender (and no, it’s not an anime, but it feels like one).
Born into a world where the four nations—Earth, Fire, Water, and Air— lived in balance, Aang learns at just 12 years old that he’s the Avatar—a powerful figure reincarnated across generations to maintain peace. Understandably overwhelmed, he runs away and, caught in a storm, ends up accidentally freezing himself in an iceberg with the help of his airbending instincts.
He stays frozen for 100 years (because what 12-year-old hasn’t done that?) until he’s discovered by two members of the Water Tribe. Upon waking up, he finds the world completely changed. The balance is broken, and the Fire Nation has launched a war to dominate the others, hoping to eliminate the Avatar once and for all.
Aang now carries the burden of restoring peace to a world that moved on without him—for a very long time.
Aang
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Multiple Choice
What is Aang’s role in the world of The Last Airbender?
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Multiple Choice
How old was Aang when he learned he was the Avatar?
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Multiple Choice
What caused Aang to end up trapped in an iceberg?
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Multiple Choice
How long was Aang frozen in the iceberg?
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Multiple Choice
Which nation starts a war during Aang’s absence?
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Multiple Choice
What is the Avatar’s main responsibility?
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“Slice of life” is more than a film genre: research everyday life in the years 1825 and 1925 to learn more about how much things changed between those two years and between 1925 and now. Has the rate of change in your community slowed down or sped up–or does it depend on what you’re looking at?
Question 2
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The Slice of Life film genre is exactly what it sounds like: media that depicts realistic, everyday experiences in people’s lives. First emerging as a term of criticism for certain TV dramas in the 1950s, the genre is notable for its minimal plot, subtle or absent character arcs, and often open-ended narratives. Rather than delivering dramatic climaxes or clear resolutions, Slice of Life focuses on the seemingly mundane, allowing the audience to draw their own interpretations from ordinary moments.
Slice of Live
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A unique subsection of this genre appears in anime and manga, where stories tend to center around relatable, everyday situations—often within the context of high schools or workplaces, and typically with a romantic element. Interestingly, this subgenre has received some criticism for being too dramatic, occasionally straying from its "realistic" roots.
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Funnily enough, there's even a subgenre within that subgenre, known as "air-type". These stories strip away the romantic elements often found in Japanese Slice of Life and instead double down on genuine, unfiltered character moments. The result is a calm, introspective experience with little to no dramatic flair—just a quiet lens on life as it happens.
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Multiple Choice
What does the Slice of Life genre mainly focus on?
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Multiple Choice
What is not a typical feature of Slice of Life media?
A strong plot and dramatic climax
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Multiple Choice
When was the term "Slice of Life" first popularized?
1950s
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Multiple Choice
In anime and manga, Slice of Life stories often focus on:
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Multiple Choice
What criticism is sometimes aimed at Japanese Slice of Life media?
It’s too dramatic to feel realistic
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Multiple Choice
What defines the "air-type" subgenre of Japanese Slice of Life?
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Question 3
A hundred years is a long time. What if the same thing happened, but you woke up (like Rip Van Winkle!) only 20 years in the future? What do you imagine the year 2045 will be like for students like you? What are the easiest things to predict–and what are the hardest? [INT]
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It’s always been really hard to predict what future technology will look like. For example, in the early 1900s, a French artist named Jean-Marc Côté made drawings of what he thought the year 2000 would be like. He got a few ideas right, but most of his machines looked nothing like what we actually have today—they were creative, but kind of funny-looking by today’s standards.
Jean-Marc Côté
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Jean-Marc Cote's drawing
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One thing I found surprising is how few people saw something like ChatGPT coming. The technology behind it had been around for a while, but no one had really made it useful for everyday people until recently. It just goes to show that no matter how smart we are now, the future still has surprises we can't imagine.
As for me, I think in 20 years we might have things like holograms everywhere and cloud-based everything. But who knows? Maybe things get worse. Maybe aliens show up and give us immortality. The truth is, there’s no way to know for sure—and that’s kind of exciting to think about.
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Multiple Choice
Who was Jean-Marc Côté?
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Multiple Choice
What was amusing about Côté’s predictions?
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Question 4
“The best is yet to be,” wrote the English poet Robert Browning, a phrase often quoted (out of context) to evoke a sense of possibility and hope. But we now live, many people are saying, in a pessimistic age–in which some people even avoid having children to protect them from the grim days ahead. If you met someone who was sure the future would be full of suffering, would you try to give them hope again? If so, what would you tell them? [SOC]
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Robert Browning
Robert Browning was an English poet and playwright renowned for his philosophical depth, dramatic monologues, and mastery of irony, characterization, dark humor, and social commentary. His works often reflect a deep engagement with questions of faith, purpose, and the complexity of human experience.
One of his most iconic lines, "Grow old along with me! / The best is yet to be," comes from the poem Rabbi Ben Ezra. In its original context, this quote speaks to aging, divine purpose, and trust in God. Browning presents life as a journey shaped by a higher power, where youth is not the peak, but rather the beginning. As we grow older, our experiences deepen, and the purpose of life becomes clearer. The poem suggests that our later years are not a decline, but a fulfillment of what life is meant to be.
In modern usage, the quote is often interpreted more broadly as an optimistic outlook on the future, detached from its religious and philosophical roots. While this contemporary interpretation simplifies Browning’s deeper message, it still captures the Victorian spirit of faith in progress and hope that runs throughout the original work.
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Multiple Choice
What literary qualities is Robert Browning best known for?
Irony, characterization, dark humor, and social commentary
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Multiple Choice
What is the meaning behind Browning’s quote “The best is yet to be” in Rabbi Ben Ezra?
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Multiple Choice
How is Browning’s quote used in modern contexts?
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Multiple Choice
What major theme connects the original and modern interpretations of “The best is yet to be”?
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Bryan Walsh
Bryan Walsh wrote this article to encourage a more hopeful and action-driven view of the future. He explores a concept called “changeable optimism”, introduced by Hannah Ritchie. It means believing things can get better—but only if we work to make them better. The article is divided into six parts, each focused on a different topic related to progress and positive change:
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1. Human Progress Is Real and Important
This section looks at how the world has improved over time. Things like better nutrition, lower birth rates, and more advanced technology are signs of real progress. It also talks about the Malthusian Trap, the idea that population might grow faster than food supply—but shows how we’ve mostly avoided that. The article ends with Roosevelt’s idea of the Four Freedoms, including the freedom to live with purpose and dignity.
2. Slowing Down AI Makes Sense
Here, Walsh talks about the fear of powerful AI going wrong. He brings up the alignment problem—the challenge of making sure AI systems do what we actually want. He argues that slowing down AI development could help us avoid future disasters, similar to how we try to "flatten the curve" during a health crisis. The article also addresses and challenges some overly optimistic views on AI progress.
3. Climate Optimism—But the Right Kind
This part supports being hopeful about solving climate change, but only with action. People often focus on bad news, but there are real improvements—like progress in solar, wind, and nuclear energy. Changeable optimism means we should stay positive but also do something about the problem. It’s not about ignoring the danger, but about staying motivated.
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4. Why the News Feels So Negative
News is often negative because bad news gets more clicks and reactions. Studies show humans pay more attention to negative content. The article suggests we can change this by seeking out positive news and reacting to it more online. As big media companies lose their hold on the news market, everyday people can influence what gets shared.
5. The Netherlands' Advanced Farming
This part compares the Netherlands to California and focuses on their “Seed Valley”—a center for high-tech farming. Dutch scientists are creating stronger, more efficient seeds. But many poorer countries still struggle to produce food well, a problem called the Yield Gap. As climate change threatens farming worldwide, closing this gap is urgent.
6. Indigenous Stories and Their Lessons
This section highlights Indigenous legends, especially Turtle Island, which tells of cycles of creation and destruction. It also introduces the medicine wheel, a symbol showing life’s balance through colors, seasons, and healing. The article connects this to history and suggests these stories offer wisdom on surviving hard times and staying hopeful about the future.
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Multiple Choice
What is the main purpose of Bryan Walsh’s article?
To promote a hopeful but action-driven view of the future
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Multiple Select
What does “changeable optimism” mean, according to Hannah Ritchie?
Believing things can get better if we take action
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Multiple Choice
What does the article say about the negativity in news media?
Negative news gets more attention and clicks
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Climate Scientists’ Fear of Having Children
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The third article takes a sharp turn in tone from the previous one—shifting from optimism to concern. It focuses on how many climate scientists are becoming hesitant to have children. In a survey, over one-fifth of respondents said they chose not to have kids because of climate change. Their reasons are mostly based on fear—fear that their children won’t have a good future due to worsening climate conditions, and fear that having more people will increase carbon emissions.
The survey mostly involved older scientists, who made their decisions when the climate crisis wasn’t as serious. But even among younger scientists, similar fears are common. However, younger people are more focused on their future children’s well-being, rather than the goal of reducing emissions.
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Some scientists also believe that reducing population is important for protecting biodiversity. Instead of having kids, a few feel that they can leave a legacy through teaching or spreading their beliefs.
This fear of population growth connects to bigger debates beyond climate change. Paul Ehrlich’s book The Population Bomb (1968) raised real concerns about overpopulation, but it also faced backlash—some critics said it had racist undertones, especially because Asia and Africa are now fast-growing population centers.
One important point in this debate is that the extreme consumption of the wealthiest 1% is often left out, even though it has a huge impact on the environment. One scientist in the survey even criticized “large rich families” as being self-centered and irresponsible.
The article also notes that in some parts of the Southern Hemisphere, especially in certain cultures, many women don’t have the freedom to decide how many children to have. Because of this, it makes sense that there aren’t many surveys done in those regions.
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Multiple Choice
Why are some climate scientists choosing not to have children?
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Multiple Choice
What difference is seen between older and younger scientists in the survey?
Younger scientists are more focused on their future children’s well-being
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Multiple Choice
What group’s impact is often ignored in the population debate?
The wealthiest 1% who consume the most
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A Tale of Two Cities
The first section of A Tale of Two Cities is titled “Book the First: Recalled to Life.” While it begins with the famously dramatic opening line—
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times...”
—the rest of this book doesn’t share the same level of popularity. In fact, the novel is often known as one of those “boring high school reads” (though luckily, I haven’t had to suffer through it myself—yet!).
This first book follows Jarvis Lorry and Lucie Manette. At the start, Lorry receives a mysterious message telling him to go on a secret mission. The message simply reads: “Recalled to life.” He soon realizes that his task is to retrieve Dr. Alexandre Manette, who had been locked away in the Bastille for years and was believed to be dead.
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Lorry later meets Lucie, Dr. Manette’s daughter, and together they travel to Paris, where they find Dr. Manette alive but mentally and emotionally shattered. He’s hiding in Defarge’s wine shop, obsessively making shoes—a skill he picked up in prison to cope with the trauma. At first, he doesn’t even recognize Lucie, having become like a ghost of his former self.
The book ends with Lorry and Lucie bringing Dr. Manette back to England, where Lucie tries to help him heal and become the man he once was.
The phrase “recalled to life” doesn’t refer to a literal resurrection. Instead, it’s a symbolic rebirth. Dr. Manette was “dead” in the emotional and spiritual sense while in prison—hollow and broken. His “life” is restored through freedom, family, and human connection. This idea of redemption and renewal continues to play a big role throughout the rest of the novel, as other major characters later face similar emotional “resurrections.”
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Multiple Choice
What is the full title of the first book in A Tale of Two Cities?
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Multiple Choice
What message does Jarvis Lorry receive at the beginning of the story?
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Multiple Choice
What is Dr. Manette doing when Lorry and Lucie find him?
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Multiple Choice
What theme introduced in Book the First continues throughout the novel?
Redemption and personal renewal
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Writing prompts
Can someone who has lost everything still be “recalled to life”?
Is changeable optimism more useful than blind positivity?
Should individuals choose not to have children for the sake of the planet?
Does news media have a duty to report more good news?
Is emotional rebirth more powerful than physical survival?
Are we too quick to label opinions as “radical”?
Do we have a moral responsibility to speak unpopular truths?
If the media only tells half the story, can it still claim to tell the truth?
Can legends and folklore guide modern innovation?
Is fearing the future a reasonable reason not to plan for it?
Should scientists lead by action or by example?
Do extreme events bring out the best or worst in people?
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Debate motions
that redemption is more meaningful than revenge.
prefer a harsh truth to a comforting lie.
that optimism should be taught in schools.
that the media has failed to reflect public opinion.
population control as an environmental solution.
prioritize emotional wellbeing over factual progress.
that news should have a legal balance between positive and negative coverage.
that fears about artificial intelligence are overblown.
that family legacy should not be tied to reproduction.
that resettling after trauma is a form of resurrection.
that telling the truth is more radical than staying silent.
Introductory Questions
By jp van zyl
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