Some of the topics that are listed on the sidebar work well as pre reading activities. One of the first tasks that we do with our students is to have them go through the Prep School listings that are located in the Assignments section.  This works particularly well with public school students who have little idea what prep school and boarding school life is like.  This particular assignment also offers opportunity to have the students make some predictions as to the character of Holden.

Another topic that works well as pre-reading activity is Post World War II. This section of the website is meant to give the student a sociological sense of the time and place that the character comes from and lives in. 

The New York section of the website can be used as another pre-reading activity and it also works well after the reading is begun, but before chapter 9 is assigned.  

The Assignments section includes chapter questions.  How these are used is left to the teacher's discretion. We use these questions as a basis for class discussion and consequently allow a certain degree of latitude in student answers. There is no answer key since this would limit the acceptability of some student responses. 

We prefer to have the students visit The Author section after they have finished the novel. Using this section as a post-reading activity allows the students to draw their own conclusion on the novel and then compare their response to some of Salinger's contemporary critics. 

The Censorship section of the website is one of the students' favorite post-reading activities.  Heated discussions on first amendment rights highlight the ending of this unit.

We would appreciate any feedback or suggestions on this site.  Please contact Leah Marquis