•  Find a picture of a person from a hundred years ago or more. Write a short story that explains this person as a distant relative of yours, including details about real relatives that would make your story sound factual to people who know you.

•  Contact a social services provider and interview the people there about what they would do with an unattached homeless woman like Aunt Helen Beck. Record your specific questions and the answers you receive, and then write your recommendation about how Aunt Helen Beck should be convinced to apply for social help.

•  In the story, Ford makes quinoa, which he refers to as “the grain of the ancient Aztecs.” Research the diets of the Aztecs, and find out how important quinoa was to their balanced nutrition. Then prepare...