Nicole M. LeBlanc
Engl 5922/Unit Plan
Linda Miller-Cleary
The Journey
Prefatory Statement: This unit is centered around two very good young adult novels: Walk Two Moons, by Sharon Creech, and Hatchet, by Gary Paulsen. Sal, in Walk Two Moons, and Brian, in Hatchet, are two thirteen year-olds who embark on amazing journeys that take them to new and interesting places, and help them to discover the bravery that neither thought they had. The reason for teaching these novels together is not just to promote their very similar themes, but because both Sal and Brian must face issues in their lives which are very relevant to today=s adolescents, such as the break-up of parents and the death of loved ones. Also, by giving students a choice between the two novels, they are going to feel they have more control over their learning and will probably get more out of the reading experience. It is important for adolescents to read books that they like and be able to relate to characters in a very real way. By reading and discussing these novels along with supplemental unit materials, students will examine journey themes which they will also be able to identify in their own lives. They will come to understand the importance of their personal Ajourneys@ and how these journeys are what lead to change and growth.
While the students read their chosen novels, they will be keeping reading and dialogue journals. We will also have daily writing and other assignments which will be kept in an assignment notebook. There is a very large writing component to this unit because the students= final project is to write their own, personal journey stories. Because Sal and Brian represent both sexes, students will be able to examine some very similar issues from both points of view. Sal, in Walk Two Moons, has American Indian ancestry, which is why I chose to add the book Rising Voices to the teacher resource list. Rising Voices is a collection of writings by young people of American Indian descent and is very relevant to this unit. The writings in this book are also a nice contrast to the middle-class protagonists of the novels and with strong issues of social justice, which the novels lack.
Class Specifications: This unit is designed primarily for seventh grade students, although it could be modified for sixth or eight graders. It would work best with students who are self-motivated and good readers because the unit, as it is now, moves along fairly quickly. If there are a majority of students who do not consistently complete their homework assignments, the whole class will fall behind and it will be impossible to have engaging class discussions, which are important to this unit. Both male and female students are going to find this unit interesting, although there is little minority representation in it and that could be an alienating factor. I have included a list of web sites, one of which deals primarily with multicultural adolescent literature and lesson plans, and has a lot of great material that could be added as supplements to this unit. The final class project can be modified to fit any ability level, which is also true with the other unit assignments.
Significant Assumptions:
1. Students are interested in the lives of others their own age.
2. Hatchet and Walk Two Moons are engaging novels.
3. Brian and Sal are interesting characters that students can relate to.
4. Students will be able to connect the journey themes in Hatchet and Walk Two Moons to journeys, literal and metaphorical, to their own lives.
5. Choice is a good motivational tool when it comes to reading.
6. Students need in-class time for reading and writing in order to promote the value and importance of these activities in real life.
7. Students learn best whenteachers use a variety of methods.
8. Students will be able to write a short, creative story and word process it.
9. Students will be able to keep up with reading assignments and create their own discussion questions.
10. Students will be able to work independently during reading and writing workshop time.
11. The teacher will closely monitor student progress to keep the class from falling behind.
Standards To Be Met: Comprehend, interpret and evaluate information in fictional reading, viewing and listening selections (Minnesota High Standards; Middle Level; Read, View, Listen).
Desired Outcomes:
1. Students will practice interacting in various group settings and accepting and respecting each other=s responses and opinions.
2. Students will learn to make connections between their own lives and the lives of Sal and Brian, along with other characters we encounter through supplemental materials.
3. Students will practice developing their own questions for discussions and tests.
4. Students will practice reflective thinking through journal and daily writings.
5. Students will practice writing short stories and learn the value in writing about and examining the events in one=s own life.
6. Students will practice speaking in front of one another and also listening to each other speak.
7. Students will learn how to give appropriate and constructive feedback to each other on their creative work.
8. Students will learn how to identify journey themes in the world around them.
9. Students will gain more exposure to contemporary poetry and will be able to discuss how it is unique in meter, rhyme, and rhythm.
Possible Whole-Class Activities:
1. Listen to each other do prepared readings.
2. View a movie tied to the journey theme, such as ANever Cry Wolf,@ AHomeward Bound@ etc.
3. Listen to teacher read to class out loud from unit materials.
4. Read creative short stories to the class.
5. Guided imagery exercises.
Possible Small-Group Activities:
1. Discuss assigned questions.
2. Perform a scene from the novel as a skit.
3. Formulate interpretations of supplemental poems and short stories.
4. Respond to each other=s creative stories.
5. Discuss journal responses.
6. Produce a survival kit (Survival!).
Possible Individual Activities:
1. Create discussion questions to be used in class.
2. Read assigned pages of chosen novel.
3. Write a character sketch of either Brian or Sal.
4. Write one test question.
5. Interview someone in the community about a journey in her/his own life (Survival!).
6. Write a book review/critique for the school paper, etc.
7. Prepare a survival manual (Survival!).
Ongoing Activities:
1. Write short stories.
2. Do reading and dialogue journals.
3. Map a character.
4. Write a nonfiction narrative based on journey interview (Survival!).
Student Resources:
Copy of Hatchet or Walk Two Moons
One notebook for daily writings and assignments, and one for journaling
Access to supplemental materials
Computer disk
Unit Launch:
Week 1:
Day 1
Standards:
Global: Comprehend, interpret, and evaluate information in fictional reading.
Skills: Categorize events, behavior, and characters.
Methods:
1. The teacher brings a backpack to the front of the room, opens it, and takes out things that she/he might take on a journey. The teacher asks for volunteers to identify the objects and what each one=s purpose/value might be. (It may also be a good idea to include things that Brian or Sal might have wanted if they would have had backpacks.) 5 min.
2. Read portions of each book (Hatchet, by Gary Paulsen, and Walk Two Moons, by Sharon Creech) out loud to the class. Give a short summary of each and then let students pick which one they want to read. Pass out unit materials and answer any questions. 20 min.
3. Students move into groups of three-four people according to the novel they chose. Have students brainstorm pre-reading questions from things like titles, headings, and pictures. Make sure each group chooses a secretary to record questions and report back to the class on what was accomplished. 10 min.
4. Come back to large group and discuss pre-reading questions. 5 min.
5. Give assignment. (Those reading Hatchet are to read chapter 1, those reading Walk Two Moons are to read chapters 1 and 2. Use the questions in the unit materials as a guide for journal writing. Each student is to come to class with his/her own discussion question.) Students read independently for the rest of the hour. 10 min.
Evaluation: I will know that the students are learning if . . .
there is active participation in large group discussions.
they formulate creative and thoughtful pre-reading questions.
Day 2
Standards:
Global: Students will understand interaction among individuals, groups and institutions.
Skills: Students will examine tension between individuality and conformity.
Methods:
1. Students move into large groups according to the novel they chose and together summarize the reading assignment. Discussion begins using the questions from the unit materials, then students go around the group and ask their own questions. (Students should record their questions, daily writings, and other assignments in the appropriate notebook to be handed in and checked off on Fridays. Journals are to be handed in on Wednesdays. I would require two entries per week). Teacher should migrate between groups, checking understanding and helping them along. 20 min.
2. Read AIn Indian Country@ (a brief essay on page 111 of Rising Voices) out loud to class. Discuss the narrator=s journey and how it changed or didn=t change him. Explain short story writing project. 10 min.
3. Students work independently, brainstorming ideas and free writing about their own journey stories. 10 min.
4. Have students discuss in pairs the results of their brainstorming and free-writing until the end of the hour. They need not have concrete ideas for their stories at this time, only possibilities to think about. Remind them to come prepared to begin writing on Wednesday and suggest that they begin their reading assignments for Thursday: H-chapters 2 and 3, WTM-chapters 3, 4, 5, and 6, and one discussion question. 10 min.
Evaluation: I will know the students are learning if . . .
they actively participate in group discussion.
they listen attentively when I read out loud.
they come to class with thoughtful discussion questions.
Day 3: Writing Workshop (see Atwell) begins today! At the beginning of every writing workshop, the teacher should read excerpts from her/his own journey story. Students hand in journals and begin work on their stories which can be read in front of the class and parents on the last day of the unit (since there probably wouldn=t be enough time for each student to read his/her story in one class period, it is optional; but, each student should participate in Aparent day@ at least once during the school year- all parents are invited regardless of which students are planning to read). A good idea for a mini-lesson on this day might be the Story Map on page 11 of Survival!, because it will help students in organizing how they will tell their stories. Remind students of the assignment for Thursday: H-chapters 2 and 3, WTM-chapters 3, 4, 5, and 6, and one discussion question.
Day 4
Standards:
Global: Comprehend, interpret, and evaluate information in fictional reading.
Skills: Categorize events, behavior, and characters.
Methods:
1. Read AAs I Walk along the Hillside@ (a poem on page 17 of Rising Voices) out loud to the class. Discuss the form that the poem takes, along with its other technical devices. Ask students to identify how it may look and sound different from other poems they have read. Discuss the visual and emotional journeys that the students experience while reading this poem. Have students write in their journals on why they like or dislike the poem and why. 15 min.
2. Have students move into groups of four or five people. Give each group a large piece of paper and a colored marker. Have each group elect a secretary to write the word Asurvivor@ with a circle around it in the middle of the paper. Explain that they are to create a web (Survival! p. 11) of words and qualities that describe a survivor. When everyone is finished have the secretaries present their group=s web to the class and tape it to the wall. 15 min.
3. Have students move into large groups according to their chosen novels and follow the same procedure as on Day 2. Remind them to come prepared on Friday for Reading Workshop. 20 min.
Evaluation: I will know the students are learning if . . .
they listen attentively when I read out loud.
there is active participation in large and small group discussions.
they create interesting survivor webs.
they come to class with thoughtful discussion questions.
Day 5: Reading Workshop (see Atwell) begins today! Students are to hand in assignment books as they come into class and quietly find their seats and begin reading. They can either read their novels or the collection of supplemental short stories and poems on reserve in the classroom. Once class begins, no one is to leave the room unless it is an Aemergency.@ When the teacher has finished checking assignment notebooks, she/he should be reading, too. Be sure to have the assignment for Monday written on the board: H-chapters 4 and 5, WTM- chapters 7, 8, 9, 10, and 11.
Week 2: T: H-6, WTM-12 and 13, writing mini-lesson; W: writing workshop; TH: H-7 and 8, WTM-14, 15, 16, and 17; F: reading workshop
Week 3: M: H-9 and 10, WTM-18, 19, 20, 21, and 22; T: H-11, WTM-23 and 24, writing mini-lesson; W: writing workshop; TH: H-12 and 13, WTM-25, 26, 27, and 28; F: reading workshop
Week 4: M: H-14 and 15, WTM-29, 30 , 31, 32, and 33; T: H-16, WTM-34 and 35, writing mini-lesson; W: writing workshop; TH: H-17 and 18, WTM-36, 37, 38, and 39; F: reading workshop
Week 5: M: H-19 and epilogue, WTM-40, 41, 42, 43, and 44, wrap up discussion of novels, review; T: unit test; W: writing workshop; TH: writing workshop; F: writing workshop, last day to hand in stories to be edited, computer lab access begins for those who are ready to word process stories
Week 6: M: writing workshop and lab access; T: writing workshop and lab access; W: writing workshop and lab access; TH: writing workshop, practice for those reading stories on Friday; F: parent day and story reading, students fill out response forms for the readers, portfolios handed in
Unit Test:
For the unit test, students will write about the change that takes place in Sal or Brian as a result of her/his journey. They will need to cite specific events in the novel that prompt the change and speculate on how it will effect the lives of Sal and Brian in the future. Also, students will be asked to identify one thing they would change about their novel if they were the authors.
Assessment Package:
Journey Unit Project
For this unit, each of you will be writing your own journey story. It can be fiction or non-fiction, but the protagonist must be yourself and you should take into consideration that we will be sharing them with each other and with parents. Here are some guidelines to help you create a successful story:
1.Your story must be word processed (I have scheduled time in the computer lab to make this possible, see your unit calendar).
2. It should be around five pages (double-spaced) long.
3. It needs to be handed in to me at least once for editing.
4. You need to have one other student read your story and fill out a response form.
5. Let your creative juices flow and have fun!
When your story is finished, you must answer the following questions in essay form (word processing your answers is optional). Attach your answers to your story and it will be put in your portfolio for grading.
1. How did your journey change you?
2. Are there any similarities between your change and the change in the protagonist of your novel? Please explain why or why not.
3. What do you admire most about Sal/Brian and why?
4. What do you think Sal/Brian would admire most about you if she/he read your story and why?
5. What did you learn most from this project?
Teacher Resources:
Alvermann, Donna, et al. Survival! Lexington, MA: D.C. Heath, 1995.
Atwell, Nancy. In The Middle: Writing, Reading and Learning from Adolescents. Heinemann, 1987.
Campbell, Joseph. The Hero With a Thousand Faces. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1949.
Creech, Sharon. Walk Two Moons. New York: HarperCollins, 1994.
Gere, Anne Ruggles, et al. Language and Reflection: An Integrated Approach to Teaching English. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1992.
Hirschfelder, Arlene B. and Beverly R. Singer. Rising Voices: Writings of Young Native Americans. New York: Ivy Books, 1992.
Paulsen, Gary. Hatchet. New York: Puffin, 1988.
Web Sites:
At Home with Multicultural Adolescent Literature @ http://botg.lib.vt.edu/ejournals/ALAN/ fall95/Ericson.html
Young Adult Poetry Bibliography @ http://falcon.jmu.edu/~ramseyil/yapoetrybib.htm
Author WWW Links (for children and young adults) @ http://falcon.jmu.edu/~ramseyil/ bioyahome.htm
Young Adult Author Rating List @ http://www.ced.appstate.edu/whs/authors.htm
Hatchet Questions
Chapter 1
1. How does the scene where the pilot lets Brian fly the plane alone actually foreshadow what is to come later in the chapter?
2. How would you feel about flying in a single engine plane above the Canadian wilderness, alone, with a pilot you have never met before?
3. Why is it so hard to tell those we car about that we are angry, frustrated, or upset with them, like when Brian is in the care with his mom on the way to Hampton?
Chapter 2
1. Why does Brian have problems using the radio, and why does it end up not helping him at all?
2. If you were in Brian=s situation, would you try to land immediately or wait for the plane to run out of fuel? What are the pros and cons to each alternative?
3. What are some ways that people deal with fear, and how successful do you think Brian was at dealing with his fears in this chapter?
Chapters 3 and 4
1. What actually happens to Brian when he tries to pull himself up on land at the end of chapter 3 and why?
2. What is the first thing you would do if you were wet, cold, hungry, and in the woods alone, like Brian?
3. Why do you think young people have such a difficult time understanding and accepting their parents= mistakes, like Brian with his mom=s secret?
Chapter 5
1. What is Brian=s most valuable asset and what does that mean?
2. How long do you think it will take for Brian to be found and why?
3. How does hunger effect the lives of people around us everyday and how is that hunger different from the hunger Brian is experiencing?
Chapter 6
1. What sort of shelter does Brian find and why is it so good?
2. Have you ever been week after and illness? Explain what it felt like.
3. What are some reasons why people shouldn=t overeat when they haven=t eaten for a long time? What are some possible dangers, especially for Brain?
Chapter 7
1. What name does Brian give the berries he ate and why?
2. What would you do if you were confronted by a bear, like Brian was?
3. What are the differences between being alone in the city and being alone in the wilderness?
Chapter 8
1. What is the source of the rotten smell that wakes Brian in the middle of the night?
2. Have you ever had a dream that somehow guided you in real life? Why, or how, do you think that might happen?
3. What are some of the tools we use everyday that we take for granted? What would life be like without them?
Chapter 9
1. Why does Brian become so obsessed with making a fire? What are some things a fire will do for him?
2. If you were going on a backpacking trip into the Canadian wilderness, what are five things that Brian would tell you to bring?
3. What do you think it is like for people who have no one to talk to or confide in? How are they like Brian?
Chapter 10
1. What information does Brian use to uncover the mystery behind the pile of sand and the animal that made it?
2. Why does Brian have to change his Acity boy@ mind-set in order to understand what is happening around him? Describe a situation where you had to change your mind-set in order to understand your surroundings?
3. What is the danger in losing hope when faced with difficult circumstances, and why is hope so important to Brian?
Chapters 11 and 12
1. How is Brian changing as he spends more and more time in the wilderness, both on the outside and on the inside?
2. How is your view of Brian changing? Look back to chapter 1 and examine your initial thoughts about Brian. Compare those thoughts to how you see him now.
3. At the end of chapter 12, Brian loses all hope of being rescued. Even though he has developed skills and tools that would enable him to survive indefinitely, he doesn=t see how survival could be possible. What is so unbearable about the thought of being alone, and is it possible to be Aalone,@ even when there are other people around you?
Chapter 13
1. What happens to Brian immediately after he realizes he isn=t going to be rescued, and how does he find the strength to continue?
2. Think back to a time when you achieved something you had been wanting to be able to do for a long time. What did that victory feel like and who did you tell about it? How do you think Brian feels when he has no one to share his achievements with?
3. At the end of this chapter, Brian has a feast day. Think of some of the feast days in your culture and describe their significance to you.
Chapter 14
1. What are the two main mistakes Brian makes in this chapter and how does he learn from them?
2. How do you feel when you make a mistake? Describe a serious mistake you made and what it taught you.
3. Do you think it is possible to learn from the mistakes of those around you? Explain how this may or may not be true.
Chapter 15
1. Describe what happened on the day of First Meat and why it was so important.
2. At the beginning of chapter 15, we are told that Aevents were burned into his memory, and so he used them to remember time.@ What are some of the events of your life that have not only helped you mark the passage of time, but also a change in who you are?
3. Because of Brian=s patience and determination, he was able to achieve the day of First Meat. Who are the people in your life that display those qualities, and how are role models like them helpful to us?
Chapter 16
1. What two events in this chapter nearly kill Brian? How do they effect him, physically and emotionally?
2. How you ever been in a tornado, hurricane, or some other natural disaster? Describe what it was like and how you survived.
3. At this point in the novel we see Brian eating meat, more than anything else, in order to survive. There are many people in our world who do not need meat to survive and choose not to eat it. What are some of the reasons people have for not wanting to eat animals and how do you feel about this issue?
Chapter 17
1. What are some of the things that Brian might find if he can get the survival pack?
2. On the night before he swims all of the way out to the raft, Brian witnesses a beautiful sunset and wishes that he had someone to share it with. Describe a time in your life when you witnessed something beautiful and also describe who you shared it with.
3. Describe how people sometimes don=t appreciate the things in their lives until they do not have it anymore. Do you think Brian has learned anything about this lesson?
Chapter 18
1. Describe the things that make getting to the pack a lot more difficult than Brian had anticipated?
2. Have you ever experienced a time when you had to face your fears in order to get something you really wanted or needed, like Brian had to do when he went down into the plane? Describe what it was like.
3. When Brian sees the remains of the pilot, it is very upsetting to him. What are some of the reasons why we are so uncomfortable around dead people?
Chapter 19 and Epilogue
1. What are some of the objects that Brian found in the survival pack, and how do you think his experiences in the wilderness would have been different if he=d had the pack in the first place?
2. How do you feel about Brian being saved and the novel ending? Do you think he would have been able to survive a winter at his camp? Explain why or why not.
3. What is it like for people who survive amazing experiences to return to their normal lives? What was it like for Brian?
Walk Two Moons Questions
Chapters 1 and 2
1. What happened to Sal=s mother? When Sal refers to her as Aresting peacefully,@ what does she mean?
2. Have you ever gone on a family trip, like Sal and her grandparents? If you could leave tomorrow, where would you go and which family members would you want with you?
3. Why is it hard for kids to accept new people into their families when their parents split up? Does this have anything to do with Sal=s attitude toward Margaret?
Chapters 3 and 4
1. What are some of the differences between where Sal used to live, in Bybanks, Kentucky, and where she lives now, in Euclid, Ohio?
2. Sal says in chapter 3 that Aif people expect you to be brave, sometimes you pretend that you are.@ Have you ever acted a certain way because it was what other people expected of you?
3. Sometimes people make judgements about others before they really know them. How do Sal and Phoebe do this to Margaret Cadaver?
Chapters 5 and 6
1. Describe Sal=s Grandma and Grandpa Hiddle. Would you like to go on a cross-country trip with them?
2. At the end of chapter 2, Sal foreshadows for us that Phoebe=s mother is going to somehow Adisappear.@ Based on the impression you got from Sal=s dinner with the Winterbottoms, what do you think is going to happen to Phoebe=s mother and why?
3. Many people experience strong memories, like Sal did, from something as simple as blackberry pie. Has this ever happened to you, and why do you think it occurs?
Chapters 7 and 8
1. Where are Sal and her grandparents planning to stop on their way to Lewiston, Idaho, and why?
2. Have you ever felt homesick before? Explain where you were, what it felt like, and what you did about it?
3. Many parents tell their children not to talk to strangers. Is this why Phoebe is afraid of the man, or Apotential lunatic,@ at the door, or is there another reason. Explain.
Chapters 9 and 10
1. When Sal tells us that it is Acomplete pandemonium@ at the Finney=s, what does she mean?
2. Have you ever received a mysterious message like the one Sal and Phoebe found? If you could find one tomorrow, what would you want it to say?
3. People dance for many reasons. Why are the Native Americans/Indians dancing at the end of chapter 10, and, what makes you feel like dancing?
Chapters 11 and 12
1. What is the second message and what does it mean?
2. In chapter 11, Ben makes Sal uncomfortable by asking her about her mother. Explain what it feels like when someone tells asks you about a subject that is difficult or painful.
3. Do you know anyone who is Native American/Indian/etc.? What does she/he like to be called, and how do you feel about all of the different labels we put on each other and ourselves?
Chapters 13 and 14
1. Describe Mr. Birkway, and why might he be visiting Margaret Cadaver?
2. Do you ever ask your parents to do things for you that you know you can do yourself? Why or why not?
3. For many of us, it is important to feel needed. How do the people around you make you feel needed, and how do you make them feel needed?
Chapters 15 and 16
1. What does Tom Fleet do to save Sal=s grandma? Why doesn=t he take the fifty dollars?
2. Describe a time when you were scared, like Sal was at the river. What did you do?
3. Sometimes when we are very excited about a future event, our excitement suddenly turns to worry. Why do Sal=s Awhispers@ suddenly change to Aslow down@ at the end of chapter 16? How does this foreshadow what might come later in the book?
Chapters 17 and 18
1. Why is it ironic that just after the third message is read, Prudence continues whining about the cheerleading try-outs?
2. How does it make you feel when Phoebe and Prudence are inconsiderate to their mother? Have you ever hurt someone you care about by yelling at them for no reason?
3. Bravery and courage are two things that are much admired in our society. What is the most courageous thing you have ever seen someone do, and what is the most courageous thing you=ve done?
Chapters 19 and 20
1. What did he mean when Sal=s father said, Ayou=re trying to catch fish in the air@?
2. Do you think Athe lunatic@ is really a lunatic? Explain why or why not?
3. What are some reasons why people sometimes need to go away for awhile, like Phoebe=s mother? Do you ever feel as though you need to get away?
Chapters 21 and 22
1. What are Sal and Ben=s pictures supposed to be, and why might they have drawn what they did?
2. Have you ever pretended to be sick when you really weren=t? Explain what happened?
3. Sal=s father says at the end of chapter 22, AA person isn=t a bird. You can=t cage a person.@ What does that statement mean to you?
Chapters 23 and 24
1. What important story does Sal tell in chapter 23, and how is it related to her mother=s trip to Lewiston, Idaho?
2. In the middle of chapter 23, Gramps says that the pregnant woman in the Badlands looks Aworld-weary.@ Have you ever felt world-weary? Explain.
3. Many people use their dreams to guide them in real life. How can Sal=s dream at the beginning of chapter 24 guide her? How do your dreams guide you?
Chapters 25 and 26
1. What impulsive thing does Sal do at the end of chapter 25 that she hasn=t done since she has been in Euclid?
2. How would Phoebe fit into a dinner with your family? How would you fit into a dinner at the Finney=s?
3. Sometimes it is hard to recognize feelings that are new to us. Describe how Sal=s feelings for Ben have changed since she first met him, and why might those feelings seem strange to her?
Chapters 27 and 28
1. What revelation does Sal have at the end of chapter 27 and why is it so important?
2. In chapter 27, Phoebe tells her English class the story of Pandora and her box. Have you ever been so curious that you snooped into something you shouldn=t have? What happened?
3. Many Americans consider Mt. Rushmore to be a national treasure. Have you ever seen it, and how do you feel about the idea of carving four presidents into the Sioux=s holy hills?
Chapters 29 and 30
1. How does the poem that Mr. Birkway reads to the class effect Sal and Phoebe? What does it prompt them to do?
2. Was it a good idea for Phoebe to go to the police? If you were her friend, would you have gone with her? Why or why not?
3. People who are blind or deaf often have other senses that are more acute than those of people who can see and hear. What sorts of things does Mrs. Partridge sense that surprise Sal and Phoebe?
Chapters 31 and 32
1. Who is in the picture on Sergeant Bickle=s desk and why is it surprising?
2. Do you keep a journal and has anyone ever read it without your permission? If so, how did you react, and if not, how would you react if it did happen to you?
3. When something embarrassing happens to us, it is often very difficult to confront those who know about it. Yet, as difficult as it may be, that confrontation can also make us stronger. Why might it be a good thing that everyone knows about Sal and the blackberry kiss?
Chapters 33 and 34
1. How do the mysterious messages come together at the end of chapter 33 when Sal is thinking about Mrs. Cadaver? Who is sending the messages?
2. In chapter 33, Phoebe learns the importance of not jumping to conclusions about people. Has anyone ever made assumptions about you that were hurtful or painful? Explain.
3. There are many things in nature that move people in emotional ways, like Gram when she saw Old Faithful. Have you ever seen anything in nature that moved you? Describe it.
Chapters 35, 36, and 37
1. What is the plan that Sal and Phoebe execute in chapter 35, and what interesting information do they discover?
2. Have you ever had to do any undercover work, like when Sal calls Sergeant Bickle? Explain the situation and what you had to do?
3. Many people say that when you start to fall in love with someone you feel strange and awkward. Does this mean that Sal and Ben in love? If it isn=t love, what is it?
Chapters 38, 39, and 40
1. Who is the mysterious message leaver and who is Athe lunatic,@ or Mike Bickle?
2. What would you have done if it would have been your mother on the park bench with Athe lunatic@? Why didn=t Phoebe do anything?
3. Think back to the messages that Mrs. Partridge left. Were they really gifts? Do you know any people who could use those kind of gifts?
Chapters 41 and 42
1. What does Sal find below the overlook and why is it important? Who is the one survivor?
2. How would you feel about driving yourself through the mountains?
3. Sometimes it is very hard for us to let go of those we care about. How could Sal have ever thought her mother would come home, and how important is it when she realizes that she never will?
Chapters 43 and 44
1. Why is Mrs. Cadaver so important to Sal=s father, and what happens to Gram?
2. If you were Sal, would you regret leaving when your grandmother was so sick? What was more important for Sal to do, Asee@ her mother, or be with her grandmother?
3. Would the world be a better place if we could all walk in each other=s moccasins from time to time?