Among the Hidden

Among the Hidden is about a future where the Population Police enforce the law limiting a family to only two children, Luke, an illegal third child, has lived all his twelve years in isolation and fear on his family's farm in this start to the Shadow Children series from Margaret Peterson Haddix.

Reading and Writing Workshop:  Among the Hidden
Reading:  Students may read independently or in groups while completing a Literary Thinking Guide. If a rapid reading is necessary, the book can be divided among the groups, and each group summarizes their section and then the groups present their sections sequentially.
Core Focus Areas:
Individual rights • Government control • Fear and compliance • Resistance • Voice • Civic responsibility
Workshop Norms and Group Structure
Group Size
4–5 students per group
Ongoing Group Roles (Rotate Each Session)

• Discussion Leader – Guides discussion and ensures all voices are heard
• Text Evidence Specialist – Locates and reads passages aloud
• Connector – Makes real-world, historical, or personal connections
• Recorder – Records group responses and prepares share-outs
• Reflector – Summarizes learning and emotional responses

Session 1: Entering a Restricted World
Focus: Setting, dystopia, and essential questions
Reading
Chapters 1–2
Mini-Lesson
Introduce dystopian characteristics:

• Government control
• Restricted freedoms
• Surveillance
• Fear as social control

Experiential Learning Activity: The Visibility Exercise
Purpose: To simulate restriction and exclusion.
Instructions:

1. Quietly designate a portion of students in each group as “unregistered.”
2. These students may not speak, raise hands, or leave their seats for the first 10 minutes.
3. Registered students may interact freely.
4. After the activity, students reflect in groups:
   • How did silence affect participation?
   • How did power feel when unevenly distributed?

Writing Task
Quick Write:
What freedoms feel invisible until they are taken away?


Session 2: Fear as Control
Focus: Rules, punishment, and obedience
Reading
Chapters 3–4
Experiential Learning Activity: Rule Creation and Enforcement
Purpose: To examine how rules shape behavior.
Instructions:

1. Groups create three “population rules” for a fictional society.
2. One rule must limit movement, speech, or family structure.
3. Groups role-play enforcing the rules for five minutes.
4. Debrief:
   • Who benefits from the rules?
   • Who is harmed?
   • How does fear ensure compliance?

Writing Task
Paragraph Response:
Explain how fear operates as a tool of control in Luke’s society.


Session 3: Luke’s Inner World
Focus: Character development and internal conflict
Reading
Chapters 5–6
Experiential Learning Activity: Hot-Seat Interview
Purpose: To explore character motivation.
Instructions:

1. One student sits as Luke.
2. Group members ask questions about his fears, hopes, and frustrations.
3. Responses must be supported by textual evidence or logical inference.

Writing Task
Character Journal Entry:
Write from Luke’s perspective after he realizes he is not alone.


Session 4: Jen and the Possibility of Resistance
Focus: Foil characters and differing responses to oppression
Reading
Chapters 7–9
Experiential Learning Activity: Courage Continuum
Purpose: To analyze choices under pressure.
Instructions:

1. Draw a line labeled “Compliance” on one end and “Resistance” on the other.
2. Groups place Luke, Jen, and Luke’s parents along the continuum.
3. Each placement must be justified with evidence from the text.

Writing Task
Comparative Paragraph:
How do Luke and Jen respond differently to the same system?


Session 5: Surveillance and Privacy
Focus: Observation, monitoring, and fear
Reading
Chapters 10–11
Experiential Learning Activity: Surveillance Mapping
Purpose: To visualize power structures.
Instructions:

1. Groups create a map showing who watches whom in the novel.
2. Identify methods of surveillance and consequences.
3. Connect to modern examples such as cameras, data tracking, or school monitoring.

Writing Task
Claim–Evidence–Reasoning Response:
Is surveillance ever justified? Use the novel to support your claim.


Session 6: Moral Choice and Risk
Focus: Decision-making under threat
Reading
Chapters 12–13
Experiential Learning Activity: Ethical Decision Circles
Purpose: To explore moral dilemmas.
Instructions:

1. Groups discuss whether Luke should attend the rally.
2. Students must argue both sides before deciding.
3. Each group presents its final position and reasoning.

Writing Task
Argument Paragraph:
Was attending the rally an act of courage, recklessness, or necessity?


Session 7: Truth, Propaganda, and Power
Focus: Government narrative vs. reality
Reading
Chapters 14–15
Experiential Learning Activity: Dual Narrative Construction
Purpose: To examine propaganda.
Instructions:

1. Groups write two short accounts of the rally:
   • Government version
   • Actual events
2. Compare tone, omissions, and word choice.

Writing Task
Reflection Paragraph:
Why do governments reshape the truth during crises?


Session 8: Luke’s Transformation
Focus: Character arc and growth
Reading
Chapters 16–17
Experiential Learning Activity: Before-and-After Analysis
Purpose: To trace change.
Instructions:

1. Groups list Luke’s beliefs, fears, and actions early vs. late in the novel.
2. Identify turning points that drive change.
3. Discuss whether Luke’s growth is internal, external, or both.

Writing Task
Analytical Paragraph:
Which moment most changes Luke, and why?


Session 9: Themes and Civic Connections
Focus: Rights, responsibility, and warning
Experiential Learning Activity: Dystopia to Democracy
Purpose: To connect literature to civic life.
Instructions:

1. Groups connect novel themes to real-world rights such as:
   • Freedom of movement
   • Privacy
   • Family rights
2. Discuss what happens when these rights are removed.

Writing Task
Synthesis Writing:
What warning does Among the Hidden offer modern societies?


Culminating Assessment Options

• Analytical essay
• Group presentation
• Creative narrative from a hidden child
• Portfolio reflection