Use these questions or activities to help gauge students’ familiarity with and spark their interest in the context of the work, giving them an entry point into the text itself.

Short Answer

1. What does the term “community” mean to you? What are the benefits of being part of a community?

Teaching Suggestion: Opal, the novel’s protagonist, has recently moved to Naomi, Florida far away from her friends. She often feels lonely in the early part of the novel before meeting a cast of characters that help her to build a sense of community. Consider discussing what community is by establishing a class-created definition for the word before students respond. Students may want to share their thoughts on why it may be valuable before using the resources.

• This 4-minute video describes the concept of community and why it is important.
• This article explores what community is and how to cultivate it.

Short Activity

Observe character collages to make predictions about the characters Opal meets in Because of Winn-Dixie. Record your predictions and discuss possible scenarios involving the characters.

Teaching Suggestion: Opal makes her first friend in Naomi when she stumbles on a stray dog in the Winn-Dixie grocery store.