This Is How It Always Is

Use this activity to engage all types of learners, while requiring that they refer to and incorporate details from the text over the course of the activity.

“Poppy’s Sequel”

In this activity, students will demonstrate their understanding of the lessons that Poppy has learned about fairy tales and her own identity by creating a Grumwald sequel from Poppy’s perspective.

Penn uses his nightly story to express his perspective on the events in his children’s lives and to give them advice. Eventually, he turns this story into a book that expresses a hope related to Poppy’s transition—but is this the story that Poppy would have told?

In this activity, you will write the next installment of Grumwald’s adventures as you believe Poppy would tell the story.

Write Your Story:

• Pick up where Penn’s version leaves off.
• Recreate the style of Penn’s storytelling.
• Express what Poppy has learned about fairy tales, the world, and herself.
• Complete the story within 2-3 pages.

Share and Discuss:

• Read your story to a small group.
• When everyone has finished reading their stories, discuss the following:

○ What similarities and differences were there in the stories?

○ What did these similarities and differences demonstrate about Poppy’s perspective and each of you as readers and writers?

Teaching Suggestion: Before writing, students may benefit from either a discussion or an individual review of later sections of the text that demonstrate what Poppy learns about fairy tales, her own identity, and how the world operates. After they have finished writing and sharing their stories, you might further extend discussion by asking students what Poppy’s brothers might have to say about both Penn’s story and Poppy’s sequel, since the Grumwald story originally was about all of them but gradually became more about Poppy—much as their family life did.

Differentiation Suggestion: Literal thinkers and those who struggle with verbal and written expression may have difficulty understanding how Poppy’s perception of events might differ from Penn’s and how this would translate to the way she might write a sequel to Grumwald’s story. These students might benefit from a prewriting discussion of Poppy's perspective; you might ask them to make a list of Poppy’s ideas about the world, herself, and fairy tales, and then annotate this list with notes about how each idea could be represented in an adventure of Grumwald’s before trying to construct a narrative.

Use these essay questions as writing and critical thinking exercises for all levels of writers, and to build their literary analysis skills by requiring textual references throughout the essay.

Differentiation Suggestion: For English learners or struggling writers, strategies that work well include graphic organizers, sentence frames or starters, group work, or oral responses.

Scaffolded Essay Questions

Student Prompt: Write a short (1-3 paragraph) response using one of the bulleted outlines below. Cite details from the text over the course of your response that serve as examples and support.

1. Rosie and Penn approach Poppy’s gender identity in markedly different ways.

• What do the differences in their approaches reveal about their priorities as parents? (topic sentence)
• Identify three key scenes that demonstrate Rosie’s and Penn’s parenting styles in regards to Poppy’s gender identity. Include specific evidence that demonstrates their priorities and explain your ideas carefully.
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, show how their differing priorities contribute to the novel’s thematic concern with The Challenges of Parenting and The Dangers and Realities of Transphobia.

2. In Thailand, Poppy tells stories to teach English—and as she does so, she comes to an important understanding about fairy tales.

• How does Poppy’s realization about fairy tales represent a turning point in her journey to express her real identity? (topic sentence)
• Identify 2-3 key scenes that depict Poppy’s journey and her identity in relation to your claim. Give at least three pieces of evidence that support your interpretation.
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, show how Poppy’s realization and her larger story arc of learning to express her identity relate to the realism of This Is How It Always Is.

3. Near the novel’s end, Rosie’s statement that she misses “Poppy” is especially resonant because of the name’s origin in Rosie’s life.

• What is Frankel’s purpose in giving both Rosie’s child and her deceased sister this name? (topic sentence)
• Identify 2-3 key scenes in the novel that depict this relevance. Give at least three pieces of evidence and explain how that evidence supports your interpretation.
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, show how Poppy’s name supports the novel's thematic concern with The Challenges of Parenting.

Full Essay Assignments

Student Prompt: Write a structured and well-developed essay. Include a thesis statement, at least three main points supported by text details, and a conclusion.

1. Of all of the siblings, Roo’s responses to Poppy’s transition are the most complex. How do Roo’s age and personality influence his responses? What opinions related to Poppy, her transition, and his parents’ handling of the situation does Roo express? How does the characterization of Roo shape the reader’s response to his opinions? Write an essay analyzing how Roo’s character contributes to one or more of the book’s themes: The Ambiguity of Gendered Behavior, The Dangers and Realities of Transphobia, and The Challenges of Parenting. Support your ideas with evidence drawn from the text, making sure to cite any quoted material.

2. What is the impact of Rosie and Penn’s preoccupation with Poppy’s situation on their other children? How do Poppy’s brothers suffer, grow, and benefit as a result of the decisions their parents make on Poppy’s behalf? Is there any evidence that Poppy’s brothers need more of their parents’ attention? Write an essay analyzing how Penn and Rosie’s parenting choices related to Poppy impact the other children in the family. Show how this supports the text’s thematic concerns with The Challenges of Parenting and The Ambiguity of Gendered Behavior. Support your ideas with evidence drawn from throughout the text, making sure to cite any quoted material.

3. What is the purpose of changing the novel’s setting temporarily to Thailand? How do the cultural and material differences between Thailand and Seattle impact Rosie and Poppy? Are these impacts ones that might easily be recreated without the change in the novel’s setting? How is Poppy’s character growth while in the Thai school similar to Rosie’s growth throughout her relationship with K? Could Poppy have learned these lessons from American peers? Write an essay in which you consider the necessity of the novel’s secondary setting in Thailand. Analyze the messages about the “otherness” of the Thai people inherent in this section and comment on how this interacts with the setting’s purpose. Support your ideas with evidence drawn from the text, making sure to cite any quoted material.

Multiple Choice and Long Answer Questions create ideal opportunities for whole-text review, exams, or summative assessments.

Multiple Choice

1. What is the primary difference in the way Penn and Rosie react to early indications of Poppy’s true gender identity?

A) Penn is concerned with Poppy’s adjustment and happiness, while Rosie is concerned that her own longing for a daughter may have influenced Poppy’s choices.

B) Penn is concerned with the possibility that Poppy’s gender identity may be a phase, while Rosie is concerned with the practical realities of effecting a gender transition.

C) Penn is concerned with the impact of Poppy’s gender identity on their other children, while Rosie is concerned with the impact of Poppy’s gender identity on family and friends.

D) Penn is concerned about the consequences of hiding Poppy’s gender identity, while Rosie is concerned about how the world will treat Poppy if her gender identity is revealed.

2. Which character is the most wholeheartedly supportive of Poppy’s early efforts to express her true gender identity?

A) Roo

B) Aggie

C) Carmelo

D) Rosie

3. Which thematic idea is most clearly supported by Penn’s struggles to complete the log Mr. Tongo suggests, Aggie’s behavior, and the kathoey Poppy encounters in Thailand?

A) Parenting is a delicate balancing act, and mistakes are inevitable.

B) Society is rife with transphobic beliefs and structures.

C) Family cohesiveness and loyalty create an important safety net.

D) Gender roles are not as clear-cut as some people believe.

4. Which message is most clearly conveyed by Roo’s slipping grades, Orion’s accidental outing of Poppy’s secret, and Roo’s fight with Derek McGuinness?

A) Siblings have a natural desire to protect one another, regardless of the personal cost.

B) Not all children are capable of fully supporting and remaining loyal to their siblings.

C) Parents can accidentally penalize children with choices meant to help their siblings.

D) It is unhealthy and unfair to ask children to keep secrets on behalf of their families.

5. Which message is most clearly conveyed by Penn’s bedtime story, Poppy’s choice of clothing in kindergarten, and the game that Aggie invents to play with Poppy?

A) Poppy’s identity is her own act of creation and imagination.

B) Penn’s profession positively impacts his children’s faith in themselves.

C) Poppy’s ability to define herself is unusually mature.

D) Aggie’s behavior outside of gender norms is accepted in ways Poppy’s is not.

6. Which of the following statements is most clearly supported by the novel?

A) It is foolish to reject the benefits of patriarchy by choosing life as a woman.

B) Patriarchy creates an almost entirely one-sided burden on women.

C) Women’s greater latitude in gender expression makes them the more privileged sex.

D) Rigid gender role expectations are harmful to both men and women.

7. Which is an important lesson that Rosie learns during the course of the novel?

A) People are complex and multifaceted.

B) Life is inherently unpredictable and uncontrollable.

C) It is dangerous to jump to conclusions about people’s beliefs.

D) Sometimes compassion means doing nothing.

8. Which character most clearly functions as a foil to Poppy?

A) Roo

B) Aggie

C) Carmelo

D) Rosie

9. Which character is most clearly intended as a form of comic relief?

A) Cindy Calcutti

B) Jake Irving

C) Mr. Tongo

D) Frank Granderson

10. Which of the following statements does the novel most clearly support?

A) Keeping secrets is immoral.

B) Secrets have both benefits and drawbacks.

C) Too much honesty damages relationships.

D) Radical honesty is a form of love.

11. Which plot event most clearly signifies a turning point for Roo?

A) His fight with Derek McGuinness

B) His college essay

C) His accusation that his parents are liars

D) His film about the military

12. What does the novel frequently use to symbolize Poppy’s emerging control over her own identity?

A) Art

B) Food

C) Music

D) Clothing

13. Which of the following characters can be described as static and does not experience obvious personal growth?

A) Ben

B) Roo

C) Rigel

D) Penn

14. What is foreshadowed by Rosie’s realization that it is only hair length that distinguishes the girls from the boys in Poppy’s kindergarten class?

A) Rosie’s assertion about when Claude will officially become Poppy

B) Poppy’s decision to cut her hair after she is bullied at school

C) The Thai students’ belief that Poppy is a monk because of her shaved head

D) The kindergarteners’ lack of reaction to Poppy’s initial transition

15. Which aspect of Poppy’s being does Penn focus on in trying to understand how to help her?

A) Her emotions

B) Her body

C) Her social life

D) Her intellectual understanding

Long Answer

Compose a response of 2-3 sentences, incorporating text details to support your response.

1. On page 15, Penn thinks, “My daughter will be named Poppy. Not a decision. A realization.” What does this statement foreshadow? Which message about transgender people does this diction convey?

2. What does Rosie find upsetting about Penn’s storytelling approach to their family life?