New Kid is a coming-of-age story. This means that it shows a young character facing obstacles and growing up a little more with each challenge. How does Jordan grow and change during this story? What is he like at the beginning of the story? What kinds of challenges does he face? Does he overcome each challenge right away, or does he have to grow a little to conquer some of his obstacles? What evidence shows he has changed by the end of the story? How do these changes make him more mature and wiser than he was at the beginning of the story?

Teaching Suggestion: Students may struggle to differentiate between coming of age and loss of innocence, or they may be confused about which characteristics “count” in a question such as this. You can use the resources below to explore coming of age with students prior to presenting this prompt.

• This brief definition from Carson-Newman University explains specific ways in which a protagonist might change during a coming-of-age story. (Scroll down to find the appropriate entry.)
• This 7-minute short film from Pixar is a quick example of a coming-of-age story.

 Differentiation Suggestion:  Students who struggle to organize their thoughts may benefit from creating a graphic organizer before answering the prompt; for those who struggle with written English, the graphic organizer itself might be an appropriate end product.