Ali Benjamin’s The Thing About Jellyfish

Ali Benjamin’s The Thing About Jellyfish novel study lessons CLICK HERE on TpT.

If you’re looking for a novel to engage your students and spark meaningful conversations, Ali Benjamin’s The Thing About Jellyfish is it. This coming-of-age story follows the journey of a young girl as she comes to terms with the death of her best friend. It’s an incredibly thoughtful work of fiction that will challenge your students while also teaching valuable life lessons. Let’s break down how this novel can be used in the classroom.

Incorporate Discussion Questions
Ali Benjamin’s The Thing About Jellyfish is filled with thought-provoking questions that are perfect for classroom discussion. For example, why does Suzy struggle so much to process her friend’s death? How does she find a way to cope? What does Suzy learn about grief and loss through the course of the novel? These are just a few of the ideas you can explore during class discussions. You can even have your students write their own discussion questions.

Ask Students to Create Projects Based on the Book
Another great way to get your students involved is by having them create projects related to The Thing About Jellyfish. For example, ask them to research jellyfish and then create a presentation about what they learned. Or, have them design their own jellyfish art project or write a short story inspired by one of the themes from the book. There are endless possibilities for creative projects based on this book!

Discuss Life Lessons from the Story
At its core, Ali Benjamin’s The Thing About Jellyfish is about coming to terms with grief and finding ways to cope with loss—two important life lessons that everyone needs to learn at some point in their lives. After reading this book, encourage your students to reflect on how they might handle similar situations in their own lives and have an open dialogue about it in class if possible. This will help your students gain insight into their own emotions while also learning valuable life lessons from Suzy’s journey in the novel.

Encouraging Student Discussions
Ali Benjamin’s The Thing About Jellyfish is perfect for fostering thoughtful class discussions because of its complicated themes. Students may have a variety of reactions to Suzy’s journey as she learns more about jellyfish, her relationship with her mother, and her own self-discovery. To help your students express themselves in a safe and respectful way during such conversations, you should provide clear expectations for what constitutes productive dialogue—for example, speaking without interruption or judgment towards other people’s ideas. You can also model effective discussion strategies yourself or bring in guest speakers who are experts on the topics discussed in the book.

Incorporating Related Activities
You can further engage your students by providing them with activities related to The Thing About Jellyfish that encourage critical thinking skills as well as literary analysis. For instance, you could assign an essay that prompts them to discuss how Suzy’s perception of death changes throughout the story or ask them to create a presentation on jellyfish migration patterns using research they conduct independently or in small groups. Another way to get your students involved is by having them create artwork inspired by their favorite quotes from the book or write their own stories based on characters they connect with most deeply.

Creating Opportunities for Reflection
At the end of reading The Thing About Jellyfish together as a class, it’s important to reflect on what they learned while engaging with this powerful story. Individual journals are one option; after giving students some time to write freely about their thoughts and feelings regarding the novel, you can have them share their reflections out loud or through writing pieces that showcase their understanding of themes like grief or friendship in creative ways. Alternatively, you could open up a whole-class discussion about how each student felt about certain aspects of the story or invite them to draw connections between Suzy’s experiences and events that occur in real life today.

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Encourage Discussion and Reflection
The Thing About Jellyfish encourages readers to reflect on the role of mourning in their own lives. As students read through the novel, they should be encouraged to consider how they might respond if they were in Suzy’s shoes. Have them consider how grief manifests itself differently for everyone and how we can best support our friends who are going through difficult times. These conversations can help create a safe space for children to discuss sensitive topics like grief and loss in a supportive setting.

Integrate Science into Your Lessons
Suzy’s curiosity about jellyfish as a way of understanding her friend’s death provides an excellent opportunity for educators to introduce scientific concepts into the classroom. Encourage students to learn more about jellyfish anatomy, behavior, and ecology as part of their study of the novel. Integrating science into your lessons will help make this abstract concept more concrete for your students.

Relate Characters’ Experiences To Real Life Issues
The Thing About Jellyfish also deals with topics like bullying and divorce that many children can relate to. While reading through the novel, encourage your students to think deeply about these issues and how they affect their everyday lives. Ask them to reflect on how they might handle similar situations if they were ever faced with them. Having these types of conversations will not only help your students better understand what Suzy is going through but will also provide an opportunity for them to practice real life skills such as problem solving and emotional regulation.

The Thing About Jellyfish is an incredibly powerful story that can teach valuable life lessons while also encouraging meaningful conversations in any classroom setting. From engaging discussion topics and creative projects to reflective conversations about loss and grief, there are so many ways for educators to use this novel as part of their curriculum and inspire their students in new ways!