Walk Two Moons - Study Guide



Study Guide

for

Walk Two

Moons

by Sharon Creech

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To the Teacher

The Glencoe Literature Library presents full-length novels, nonfiction, and plays bound

together with shorter selections of various genres that relate by theme or topic to the

main reading. Each work in the

Library has a two-part Study Guide that contains a

variety of resources for both you and your students. Use the Guide to plan your

instruction of the work and enrich your classroom presentations.

In

For the Teacher you will find these timesaving instruction aids:

•

About the Work: pertinent background information on the work, including a

character list, a plot synopsis, key themes, and an annotated bibliography

•

Media Links: annotated listings of audio, visual, electronic, and print resources

related to the work

•

Teaching Options: high-interest activities for introducing the work and

individualizing instructions

•

Assessment Options: alternative assessment activities for greater flexibility in

evaluating students’ understanding of the work

•

Options for Using Related Readings: suggested approaches to the Related Readings

included with the work

•

Answer Key and Assessment Rubrics: detailed answers to all questions and reading

activities and evaluation for alternative assessment activities

For the Student consists of these reproducible blackline masters:

•

Meet the Author: a lively overview of the author’s life

•

Introducing the Work: background information that provides a meaningful context

in which to read the work

•

Before You Read and Responding pages: pre- and post-reading questions and activities

•

Active Reading: graphic organizers for students to complete as they read

•

Test: a comprehensive two-part test of the work

NOTE: This novel focuses on the concerns of many contemporar y readers. Certain words, references,

or situations may offend some readers.

For the Teacher

About the Work 2

Character List 2

Synopsis 2

Major Themes in the Novel 3

Approaches to Teaching the Novel 3

RELATED READINGS

All My Relations

1. The author visits to make arrangements for the sweat lodge

ceremony.

2. She must bring fifty tobacco ties, wood, meat, and bread.

3. “All my relations” refers to all people and to the natural

world. It is an important phrase because it emphasizes the

key themes of the ceremony: relating with others and the

wholeness of creation.

4. The author realizes that she is not alone because she is

“part of something larger.”

5. In telling Phoebe’s story to Gram and Gramps, Sal begins

the healing of the pain she feels at her own mother’s loss.

from Pa-ha-sa-pah or The Black Hills of South Dakota

1. White settlers entered the territory, building towns and vil-

lages. The train, the telegraph, and the telephone aided

their advance.

2. The effect of the list is to show the abundance of animal

life in the earlier days and to stress how things have

changed.

3. They felt resentful. They told a story about a white giant

who was imprisoned in a mountain for invading their land.

4. Rocks are shaped like tall buildings, and, from a distance,

mountain sheep resemble people.

5. Sal sympathizes with the Native Americans. If they had

asked her for their land back, she says she would have

given it to them.

the little horse is newlY; The Tide Rises, the Tide Falls

1. The horse’s world is beautiful, fresh, amazing, fragrant,

bright, and welcoming.

2. Students may suggest that the joyful innocence of the little

horse is a quality possessed by young children.

3. The traveler drowns in the rising tide. The sea “calls” the

traveler, and the waves erase his footprints. He never

returns to shore; this suggests that he has drowned.

4. “The Tide Rises, the Tide Falls” implies a world full of

unexpected danger. No hint of such menace is found in

“the little horse is newlY.”

5. Sal has a joyous personality as depicted in the Cummings

poem. She loves nature, stories, people, and words. Her

mother’s death was sudden and unexpected, as was the

traveler’s in Longfellow’s poem.

Five Rounds; Celebration

1. The second and third poems can be read as complete

sentences.

2. The words run together, encouraging the reader to repeat

them, like a wheel turning on itself.

3. The mood is joyful. Words such as feasting, leaps, stomps,

laughter, and games contribute to this feeling.

4. The speaker dances in circles, the form in which “Five

Rounds” is written. Both poems suggest unity and

wholeness.

5. Like the circles featured in these poems, Estsanatlehi’s life

never ends; it rotates like a wheel.

Moon

1. Things that make Moon angry include his parents’ talking

about him as if he were absent, being called Morgan, being

told to keep his door open, and being interrupted by call

waiting on the telephone. He controls his anger by breath-

ing deeply and counting slowly.

2. Ashraf talks about boys in Pakistan being bought by factory

owners. Moon is startled by the revelation.

3. Ashraf plays very intently. He sweats and his eyes glow like

coals. Playing bongos might be Ashraf’s way of releasing

tension and anger.

4. Students might say that they learned that Moon is serious

and compassionate. He is furious about the death of Ashraf

and relieves his anger by playing the drums passionately at

the memorial assembly for him.

5. When Moon learns about Ashraf’s struggles and realizes

that they both share a common interest, he stops being

self-centered and begins to think about others.

TEST

Recall and Interpret

1. b 2. d 3. a 4. c 5. b

6. Sal’s father wants to leave the farm because of its con-

stant reminders of his wife. Sal is angry and does not

want to leave.

7. Sal remembers that Phoebe is unable to see that her

mother is unhappy with her life. She realizes that both

she and Phoebe do not want to accept the truth.

8. Sal once saw her mother kiss a tree after eating some

blackberries. Later that day, Sal kissed the same tree

and tasted blackberries. After that, all trees tasted of

blackberries to Sal.

9. Mr. Winterbottom shakes Mike’s hand and welcomes him

to the family as his son.

10. Sal does not want to see that a bird is responsible for the

singing. She wants to believe that the tree itself is singing,

as though it contained the spirit of her mother.

Evaluate and Connect (any 2)

1. Students should understand that Gram and Gramps are

giving Sal the opportunity to come to terms with her

mother’s death. Along the way she learns that her mother

was troubled by feelings of inferiority and failure and she

needed to be alone to find out who she was. Sal realizes

that her mother was an individual who was trying to find

herself and was in no way rejecting Sal.

2. Students may choose from a number of characters or

incidents. Among them are 1) Mrs. Cadaver, who seems

to be standing between Sal and her father; 2) the lunatic,

who seems to be harassing the Winterbottoms; 3) Mrs.

Winterbottom, who seems very respectable; 4) the mes-

sages, which seem to be coming from the lunatic; 5) the

boy at the river, who seems to be a liar; 6) Sal’s mother,

who seems to be a carefree farmer’s wife.

3. Students should understand that in thinking about Phoebe,

Sal learns that her mother was an individual in her own

right, who needed an identity apart from the one given

her by her family.

4. Responses may suggest that the singing tree is a symbol

of the survival of the human spirit after death or the unity

of humankind and nature. The marriage bed can be viewed

as a symbol of a loving, enduring relationship—the kind

that Gram and Gramps shared. The hidden fireplace might

represent the false appearances that hide the truth in life.

5. Students’ responses will vary. Some may find that the

characters are fully realized and believable because many

come across as being original. Others may find the charac-

ters’ antics unbelievable. Students may not agree that the

novel is contrived in certain instances. They may argue

that the details of plotting are not as important as the

self-knowledge that Sal gains at the end. Some may argue

further that deception is one of the book’s key themes.

Answer Key (continued from previous page)

Use the following criteria as guidelines

for evaluating students’ performances on

Assessment Options activities presented in

this Study Guide.

Writing

On the Road to Discovery

• The essay includes a thesis statement that

identifies the two principal characters and

summarizes points of comparison and con-

trast in their discovery process.

• The student clearly explains similarities

and differences, using specific examples

from the respective works.

• The student uses transitional words and

phrases to make relationships clear.

• The essay demonstrates competency in

grammar, mechanics, and usage.

Parallel Worlds

• The student’s thesis statement concisely

summarizes the relationship of the subplot

to the plot and its importance to Sal’s self-

development.

• The student selects relevant details from

the text to support his or her thesis.

• The details are organized effectively.

• The student observes the conventions

of grammar, usage, and mechanics.

A Tragicomedy?

• The student establishes the novel’s tone

in a concisely worded thesis statement.

• The student supports his or her arguments

with specific evidence from the book.

• The student uses logical reasoning when

expressing an opinion.

• The essay ends with a statement of the

student’s opinion about the author’s suc-

cess in establishing a distinct tone.

Listening and Speaking

Underage Driver

• Students’ scripts should be based on the

facts presented in the novel.

• Students’ dialogue should be believable

and appropriate to the situation.

• Presentations should be well rehearsed

and confidently performed.

Viewing and Representing

Westward Ho!

• Students effectively use the clues provided

in the novel to establish the route traveled

by Sal and her grandparents.

• Students’ maps clearly and accurately

identify important locations along the

route.

• Students’ quotations or illustrations are

aptly chosen to correlate with the journey.

Home Sweet Home

• Students’ scenes should depict a vividly

described landscape.

• Students’ pictures should accurately por-

tray what is stated or implied in the

description.

• Students’ pictures should reflect creativity

and imagination.

Interdisciplinary Connection

• Students’ estimates should fall within a

reasonable range of a hundred miles.

• Students should be able to cite their

source verifying the estimate.

• Students should be able to defend their

opinions of the accuracy and efficiency

of the Internet map that they choose as

a resource.

Head for the Black Hills

• The student demonstrates an understand-

ing of western frontier life during the late

nineteenth century.

• The student is able to bring his or her

information to life in an oral report.

• The historical details that the student

uses are relevant and interesting to the

audience.

• The student’s presentation is well orga-

nized and adequately rehearsed.

Assessment Rubrics

12 For the Teacher Walk Two Moons Study Guide

A Break with the Past In 1979 Creech made a

complete break with her past life by going to

teach at a school for American students near

London, England. As a single parent with two

children, she had to persuade the principal that

she could handle the job. It was there that her

writing skills bore fruit. According to her future

husband, Creech’s letter of application “was a

masterpiece of persuasion.”

Fame as a Writer Creech loved teaching and

began to write with imagination and passion.

Two novels for adults were followed by a book

for young readers—

Absolutely Normal Chaos.

The flow of ideas was by now unstoppable: the

kitchen-table stories had found their way onto

paper. “I’ve always thought that there were too

many ideas and not enough time to sit down

and develop them,” she once remarked.

With

Walk Two Moons, Creech’s second novel

for young people, she achieved sudden fame. It

happened one day in 1995 when her writing was

going particularly badly. She went out into the

backyard at her home in England to scream. The

telephone rang. Expecting the message to be

about a typical school emergency, she was sur-

prised by the news that she had won the Newbery

Medal for the year’s best novel for young readers.

“Every time I think of that phone call I get the

shivers,” she recalls.

Laughter and Tears Critics praise Creech’s clever

plots and eccentric characters and admire her abil-

ity to write about the most serious subjects with

wit and humor. Her first four novels for young

readers include deaths that affect the central

characters directly, yet each employs lighthearted

language and joyous imagery that evoke smiles

from readers in spite of the subject matter. It may

be Creech’s ability to write about serious subjects

in a way that makes readers laugh that contributes

to her popularity with readers of all ages.

Creech still lives in England, but in the sum-

mers she returns to the United States to join her

relatives who are “all part of a big, noisy, crazy

family.”

Meet Sharon Creech

When I was young, I loved books, although I

couldn’t tell you the titles of books I’ve read.

It was more the experience of reading that

was so memorable—to be able to be all those

different people. I could be a boy, I could be

a girl. I could be an Indian or a Greek

warrior. Eventually, I thought it had to be

the greatest thing in the world to be able to

make up all those things.

—Sharon Creech, “An Interview with Sharon

Creech, 1995 Newbery Medal Winner,”

The

Reading Teacher

, February 1996

S

haron Creech describes how, as a girl growing

up in Cleveland, Ohio, she had to compete

with “hordes of relatives telling stories around

the kitchen table.” If you weren’t good enough,

she explains, “your story was drowned out by

someone else’s more exciting one.”

Slow to Start Despite her practice as a story-

teller, Creech was slow to becoming a published

writer. Born in 1945, she was educated at Hiram

College and George Mason University in

Washington D.C. Creech wanted to write plays

but instead remained in Washington, working at

a dull job that she describes as “all politics and

facts.”

Walk Two Moons Study Guide 13

When I began to write, I was living in England

and I was missing the States. I was also missing

my grown children who had just gone off to

college there. I wrote

Walk Two Moons from

the notion of a parent/child separation, and I

decided to do it from the child’s point of view.

These were the kinds of things rolling around in

my mind.

“An Interview with Sharon Creech, 1995 Newbery

Medal Winner,”

The Reading Teacher, February 1996

BACKGROUND

Where does a writer get ideas for an imaginative

novel like

Walk Two Moons? Often they spring

from his or her own experiences. In the quotation

above, Sharon Creech tells why she wrote about

separation. She hadn’t actually lost her two chil-

dren, but they were far away and she missed

them. Like Sal, the narrator of

Walk Two Moons,

Creech was grieving. “I know that her longing is

also my longing,” she writes of Sal. “I was living

an ocean away, longing for my children, my larger

family, and for my own country.”

Several of the themes and incidents in

Walk

Two Moons

stem from Creech’s life. In the novel,

thirteen-year-old Sal takes a journey with her

grandparents from a Cleveland, Ohio, suburb to

Lewiston, Idaho. This is the same trip that

Creech took the summer that she turned twelve.

The journey remains a vivid memory for her:

“What a journey! What a country!” she recalls.

“What spectacular and unexpected sights reared

up around each bend!” Longing for her mother,

Sal is not so enthusiastic about the trip, but her

grandmother echoes Creech’s excitement.

During the trip west, the family stopped at

an Indian reservation and bought Creech a pair

of moccasins for her birthday. She was thrilled

because she loved reading Native American

stories. A cousin of hers had told her that one

of their ancestors was an Indian. “I loved that

notion,” Creech explains, “and often exaggerated

it by telling people that I was a full-blooded

Indian.” Similarly, in

Walk Two Moons, Sal is

proud of the fact that she is part Indian.

The Indian myths that Creech loved best

involved reincarnation—the belief that a person

returns to life after death, usually in another

form. “How magnificent and mysterious to be

Estsanatlehi, the ‘woman who never dies’,” she

writes. “I wanted to live a thousand, thousand

lives.” Not surprisingly, the theme of reincarna-

tion plays a major role in

Walk Two Moons. Sal

takes comfort in the belief that her mother’s

spirit inhabits a beautiful “singing tree.”

The book’s title has an unusual origin. One

day the author broke open a fortune cookie in a

Chinese restaurant. The message read, “Don’t

judge a man until you’ve walked two moons in his

moccasins.” Below it were the words “American

Indian proverb.”

THE TIME AND PLACE

The year in which the action of Walk Two Moons

occurs is never disclosed. The omission may be

because the author sought to give the novel a

sense of timelessness.

If the time of

Walk Two Moons is uncertain,

however, the places are not. Euclid, Ohio, is a

real city located northeast of Cleveland. Further,

during the trip west, they stop at several well-

known places of interest. Among them are

•

Pipestone National Monument, Minnesota

• Badlands National Park, South Dakota

• Black Hills, South Dakota

• Old Faithful, Wyoming

• Lewiston, Idaho

The map on the next page shows the route that

Sal and her grandparents travel, including their

main stops along the way.

Introducing the Novel

14 Walk Two Moons Study Guide

Walk Two Moons Study Guide 15

The Ohio Turnpike, which Sal describes in

chapter 2 as “the flattest, straightest piece of

road in God’s whole creation,” is one of several

roads that has been built in the eastern United

States since the late 1700s. They were built as

profit-making ventures. Turnpikes originated in

England in the mid-1600s, when the Parliament

permitted private companies to maintain roads

and to charge tolls for their use. The term

turnpike comes from the name of a revolving

frame bearing spikes that served as a barrier

to vehicles entering the road. After the driver

paid the toll, the pike was turned to allow

passage. In the United States, many turnpikes

failed to make a profit and were turned over to

the county for control by 1850. Besides the

Ohio Turnpike, other major turnpikes include

the Massachusetts Turnpike, the New Jersey

Turnpike, the Pennsylvania Turnpike, the New

York State Thruway, and the Indiana Toll Road.

Did You Know?

CRITIC’S CORNER

The following excerpt is from a review of Walk Two Moons that appeared in the

New York Times, May 21, 1995:

It’s great that the hero on the archetypal quest here is a young woman in search

of courage and identity. . . . As Sal retraces her mother’s steps through the

Badlands and the Black Hills, she tells stories about her friend’s mother, who

also left, and we learn Sal’s mother’s story and her grandparents’ story and her

own. The storytelling is comic and affectionate, each chapter building to its own

dramatic climax. Sal’s voice is sometimes lost and lonely, expressing her grief

and also her awe for the great country she’s traveling through. We recognize

that she’s been stuck physically and emotionally. She learns that “a person

couldn’t stay all locked up in the house. . . A person had to go out and do

things and see things.”

FLORIDA

ALABAMA

MARYLAND

CALIFORNIA

COLORADO

CONNECTICUT

DELAWARE

ARKANSAS

GEORGIA

IDAHO

IOWA

KANSAS

KENTUCKY

LOUISIANA

MAINE

MASSACHUSETTS

MICHIGAN

MINNESOTA

MISSISSIPPI

MISSOURI

MONTANA

NEBRASKA

NEVADA

NEW HAMPSHIRE

NEW JERSEY

NEW

YORK

NORTH

CAROLINA

NORTH

DAKOTA

OHIO

OKLAHOMA

OREGON

PENNSYLVANIA

RHODE ISLAND

SOUTH

CAROLINA

SOUTH DAKOTA

TENNESSEE

TEXAS

UTAH

VERMONT

VIRGINIA

WEST

VIRGINIA

WASHINGTON

WISCONSIN

WYOMING

INDIANA

ILLINOIS

NEW MEXICO

ARIZONA

NEW

BRUNSWICK

PRINCE

EDWARD

IS.

NOVA SCOTIA

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

P

la

t

e

Mississippi

Canadian

Red

Color

ado

R

io

G

r

a

n

d

e

A

l

a

b

a

m

a

Missour

i

C

o

l

o

r

a

d

o

M

i

s

i

s

i

p

i

M

i

s

o

u

r

i

PACIFIC

OCEAN

GULF OF MEXICO

ATLANTIC

OCEAN

Seattle

Los Angeles

San Francisco

San Diego

Denver

Phoenix

Boston

New York

Harrisburg

Toronto

Madison

Chicago

Jacksonville

Nashville

Baton Rouge

Houston

Dallas

Atlanta

Miami

St. Louis

Las Vegas

Helena

Boise

Cheyenne

Lincoln

Salt Lake City

Carson City

Sacramento

Santa Fe

Oklahoma City

Austin

Tallahassee

Columbia

Raleigh

Topeka

Bismarck

Jackson

Richmond

Augusta

Albany

Frankfort

Montgomery

Little

Rock

Dover

Annapolis

Des Moines

Hartford

Springfield

Jefferson

City

Trenton

Concord

Montpelier

Charleston

Providence

New Orleans

San Antonio

Tampa

Orlando

Savannah

El Paso

Thunder Bay

Halifax

Lewiston

Coeur d'Alene

Yellowstone

Black Hills

Pipeslane

National

Monument

Wisconsin

Dells

Euclid

FOCUS ACTIVITY

Think of a time when you took a long trip by car or bus. What was the purpose of the trip? How did you

pass the time?

Journal

In your journal, describe a road trip you have taken. Explain why you took the trip and how you passed

the time along the way. Describe what affected you most during the journey.

Setting a Purpose

Read to discover why Sal Hiddle set out on a two thousand-mile trip cross-country and how she passed

the time along the way.

BACKGROUND

Did You Know?

Sal Hiddle, the narrator of Walk Two Moons, is unhappy when she and her father leave their Kentucky

farm for the city of Euclid, Ohio. Unlike the fictional Bybanks, Euclid—like many of the locations men-

tioned in the book—actually exists. It is a city of about 55,000 located on the shores of Lake Erie, twelve

miles from Cleveland, Ohio. In the novel, Sal complains that the houses are “all jammed together.” She

might have preferred the Euclid of the early twentieth century, which was a small rural community known

for the table grapes its farms produced. During and after World War II, Euclid expanded rapidly. City plan-

ners kept the business and industrial sections separate from the residential parts of town. But Sal doesn’t

like the effect. She compares the houses to “little birdhouses in a row”!

Figurative Language: The Simile

Walk Two Moons is filled with figurative language that creates vivid pictures in readers’ minds. One type

of figurative language that appears throughout the novel is the

simile. A simile uses like or as to compare

two seemingly unlike things. Examples of the use of similes that appear early in the book are “My father

plucked me up like a weed”; “Trouble just naturally followed them like a filly trailing behind a mare,” and

“sometimes I am as ornery and stubborn as an old donkey.” As you read, take note of other similes that

you encounter.

VOCABULARY PREVIEW

diabolic [d¯ə bolik] adj. fiendish; wicked (p. 16)

divulge [di vulj] v. to make known, especially something secret (p. 16)

flinch [flinch] v. to draw back, as from something painful or unpleasant (p. 36)

gullible [ulə bəl] adj. easily fooled (p. 30)

huzza [hə za] interj. used to express joy (p. 20)

primly [primle¯ ] adv. excessively precisely or properly (p. 17)

roost [roo¯¯ st] v. to perch or settle, especially for the night (p. 1)

shrapnel [shrapnəl] n. fragments from an exploding shell or bomb (p. 30)

Before You Read

16 Walk Two Moons Study Guide

Before You Read

Walk Two Moons Chapters 1–11

Name  Date  Class Name  Date  Class 

The story of Sal’s journey west to Idaho alternates with the story she tells Gram and Gramps about

Phoebe Winterbottom. Using the boxes below, describe the principal events that occur in each story.

Record the details of Sal’s journey in column A and those of Phoebe’s story in column B. Follow the

arrows to keep the events in order.

Active Reading

Walk Two Moons Chapters 1–11

Name  Date  Class Name  Date  Class 

Walk Two Moons Study Guide 17

Sal, Gram, and Gramps set out west from

Euclid, Ohio.

Sal attends school and becomes friends with

Phoebe. They meet Mrs. Partridge. Phoebe

becomes suspicious ab out Mrs. Cadaver.

A: Sal’s Story B: Phoebe’s Story

Personal Response

What surprises you the most after reading this section?

Analyzing Literature

Recall and Interpret

1. What reasons do Gramps and Sal’s father give Sal for going on the trip? According to

Sal, what are the real reasons? Why might the real reasons have been left unspoken?

2. How does Sal feel about Mrs. Cadaver? Why, do you suppose, does she feel this way?

3. What does Sal notice about Phoebe’s parents that reminds her of the Pickfords, her

mother’s parents? Do you think she finds either couple very likeable? Explain.

4. Sal explains that the first mysterious message means that one shouldn’t judge people

until one has been in their shoes. Is this advice that Phoebe follows? Give reasons for

your answer.

5. By the end of this section, how has the author held the reader’s interest?

Responding

Walk Two Moons Chapters 1–11

Name  Date  Class Name  Date  Class 

18 Walk Two Moons Study Guide

Analyzing Literature (continued)

Evaluate and Connect

6. Why, do you suppose, does Sal pass the time by telling the story about Phoebe’s family?

How does her experience compare to yours as described in the

Focus Activity on page 16?

7. What does Sal’s tendency to flinch when someone touches her suggest about her character?

Literature and Writing

Describing Characters’ Behavior

Sal says that her father did not trust his own parents to behave themselves on the journey

west. Imagine that he had asked Sal to write him a letter reporting on what Gram and

Gramps were doing. Compose the letter that Sal might have written describing her grand-

parents’ behavior on the drive from Euclid to Minnesota. Support the letter with incidents

from the novel.

Extending Your Response

Literature Groups

The phrase politically correct, or PC, means avoiding the use of language and eliminating

practices that could offend certain groups of people. The novel

Walk Two Moons addresses

the issue of political correctness in its use of the term

Native American rather than Indian

to refer to North America’s first inhabitants. Sal does not like the sound of the term. She

prefers to be called an Indian. Many Americans strive toward political correctness in their

speech and behavior, but others believe that political correctness has gone too far. In your

group debate the issue of whether political correctness is a value that should guide our

speech and behavior.

Social Studies Connection

At the Wisconsin Dells, Gram joins a lively Native American dance. Why did the

American Indians dance and what forms did their dancing take? Using the Internet

or the print resources of the local library, research the significance of dancing among

North America’s first inhabitants. Prepare a three to five-minute presentation for the

class. Enhance your presentation with the use of visual aids or sound recordings.

Responding

Walk Two Moons Chapters 1–11

Name  Date  Class Name  Date  Class 

Save your work for your portfolio.

Walk Two Moons Study Guide 19

FOCUS ACTIVITY

What do you think your family and friends see when they see you? How do you see yourself? Do these

views agree? Why or why not?

Web It

Create a word web with your name in the center. Off to the sides, draw circles containing aspects of your

personality that other people may see. Include circles describing yourself as you really are.

Setting a Purpose

Read to discover what motivated Sal’s mother to leave home.

BACKGROUND

Did You Know?

The first Europeans to arrive in North America were struck by the Native Americans’ use of the calumet,

or peace pipe. For many of them smoking tobacco was not recreational. They believed that the smoke ris-

ing from their pipes was a way of communicating with the spirit world. For tribes across the continent,

smoking was a central part of many religious ceremonies. Indian pipes often were works of art. Their bowls

were carved from soft stone. Feathers and horsehair decorated their wooden stems, which might have

been more than three feet long. European settlers eagerly adopted the use of tobacco, but in their hands

the custom lost its religious significance and became little more than an unhealthy addiction.

The Frame Story

A frame story is a plot structure that features the telling of a story within a story. The frame is the outer

story. In most instances, it precedes and follows the inner, more important, story. In Walk Two Moons, for

example, the story of Sal and her grandparents traveling across the country is the frame. While they drive

west, Sal tells Gram and Gramps the story of Phoebe’s family in Euclid, Ohio. This is the story within the

story. But is this story the more important one? As you read about Sal’s and Phoebe’s adventures, decide

which story is the most important.

VOCABULARY PREVIEW

anonymous [ə nonə məs] adj. having an unknown author or origin (p. 46)

cantankerous [kan tankər əs] adj. bad tempered and quarrelsome (p. 54)

console [kən so¯l] v. to give comfort in a time of distress (p. 75)

flail [fla¯l] v. to wave about wildly, especially one’s arms and legs (p. 52)

malevolent [mə levə lənt] adj. doing or desiring to do evil to others (p. 44)

manna [manə] n. a miraculous gift (p. 81)

reassurance [re¯ə shoorəns] n. renewed confidence or belief (p. 71)

skeptical [skepti kəl] adj. doubtful or disbelieving (p. 47)

slather [slathər] v. to spread thickly (p. 45)

Before You Read

Walk Two Moons Chapters 12–22

20 Walk Two Moons Study Guide

Name  Date  Class Name  Date  Class 

In the diagram below find seven words that you think describe Sal. Then fill in the outer balloons with

specific details that support your one-word descriptions.

Active Reading

Walk Two Moons Chapters 12–22

Name  Date  Class Name  Date  Class 

Walk Two Moons Study Guide 21

Fu n n y

Says Mr. Birkway has

squirrels in his brain

Sal

Personal Response

Which part of this section made the greatest impression on you? Why?

Analyzing Literature

Recall and Interpret

1. What is the single most precious object in Gram and Gramps Hiddle’s house? What does

this suggest about their relationship?

2. What does Sal understand about Mrs. Winterbottom that Phoebe and Prudence do not?

What makes Sal conscious of something that Mrs. Winterbottom’s own daughters are

unaware of?

3. Why does hearing a bird outside the hospital remind Sal of home? Why does Gram

suggest that this is “a good sign”?

4. What name does Sal’s mother wish people would call her? How is this wish related to

the reason she gives for having to leave the farm?

5. When Phoebe’s father reads the note from his wife, Sal says, “I had a sinking, sinking

feeling.” What does the note say, and why does Sal react the way she does?

Responding

Walk Two Moons Chapters 12–22

Name  Date  Class Name  Date  Class 

22 Walk Two Moons Study Guide

Analyzing Literature (continued)

Evaluate and Connect

6. On a scale of 1 (poor) to 10 (perfect), how would you rate the marriage of Sal’s parents?

Explain your choice by considering such questions as: Was it a loving relationship? Were

they equal partners? Did they understand each other?

7. Look back at the web you made for the Focus Activity on page 20. What can happen

when the “real you” gets lost in other people’s perceptions of you? How did this affect

Sal’s mother, do you think?

Literature and Writing

Understanding Relationships

The relationships of Sal’s parents, of Phoebe’s parents, and of Gram and Gramps Hiddle are

important to the plot of

Walk Two Moons. What do you think makes a successful marriage?

Write a paragraph or two that describes the qualities that make Gram’s and Gramps’ mar-

riage a happy one. Provide support from the novel for your opinion.

Extending Your Response

Literature Groups

Several mysteries remain unanswered at this point in the novel. They include the following:

• Who is Mrs. Cadaver?

• Who is the lunatic?

• Why is someone leaving the mysterious messages?

• Why has Mrs. Winterbottom disappeared?

• What has happened to Sal’s mother?

In your group, come up with possible explanations for these mysteries. Try to reach a consen-

sus within your group on the most reasonable explanation for each mystery.

Learning for Life

By the end of this section, Phoebe has convinced herself that her mother’s disappearance is a

matter for the police to investigate. Imagine that she decides to notify the police in writing,

presenting all the evidence in an incident report. Compose the report that she might write.

Present the facts as Phoebe sees them, using details from the novel. End the report with an

analysis of what she thinks the evidence means.

Responding

Walk Two Moons Chapters 12–22

Name  Date  Class Name  Date  Class 

Save your work for your portfolio.

Walk Two Moons Study Guide 23

FOCUS ACTIVITY

Recall an instance when you formed an opinion about someone without knowing all the facts. How did

you feel when you learned the truth about that person?

Quickwrite

Recall a time when you formed an opinion about someone that turned out to be wrong. Write a brief

description of why you formed the opinion and what happened that made you change your mind.

Setting a Purpose

Read to discover why Sal is forced to change her opinion of Margaret Cadaver.

BACKGROUND

Did You Know?

In the late nineteenth century, the area now occupied by the state of South Dakota was a battleground

between Native Americans and European settlers. At the heart of the conflict was the beautiful Black

Hills, a forested region of about six thousand square miles in the west of the territory. The Sioux people

treasured this area. After much fighting and bargaining, they signed a treaty that guaranteed them posses-

sion of the Black Hills forever. This agreement lasted little more than five years, for in 1874, prospectors

discovered rich deposits of gold there. White miners swarmed west, invading Indian territory in their

quest for riches. The Sioux and Cheyenne fought back, winning a great victory over General George

Armstrong Custer in 1876. Their resistance was futile, however, as a tide of miners and settlers swept over

their land. In 1980 the U.S. Supreme Court admitted the wrong done to the Native American people. It

granted them $122.5 million for the seized land. The Sioux refused the offer. They want their Black Hills

returned to them. As you read about Sal’s visit to the Black Hills, reflect on how special they are to many

Native American people.

Appreciating Myths

A myth is a story whose author is unknown and that explains a people’s belief about nature, an event in

history, or the origin of a custom or practice. Myths usually involve gods and heroes. Myths were important

both to ancient Greeks and to Native Americans because they explained occurrences in their world. As

you read chapters 23–33 of

Walk Two Moons, be alert for the myths that surface as the plot unfolds.

VOCABULARY PREVIEW

besiege [bi se¯j] v. to surround; crowd around; harass with questions (p. 94)

careen [kə re¯n] v. to sway from side to side while moving, as if out of control (p. 83)

chaotic [ka¯ otik] adj. totally confused or disorderly (p. 87)

crucial [krooshəl] adj. of great importance (p. 107)

miscellaneous [misə la¯ne¯əs] adj. made up of a variety of ingredients (p. 87)

optimistic [op tə mistik] adj. having a positive frame of mind; hopeful (p. 87)

pious [p¯es] adj. devoutly religious, sometimes in appearance only (p. 110)

vaporize [va¯ pə r¯z] v. to change or be changed into vapor; disappear (p. 121)

Before You Read

Walk Two Moons Chapters 23–33

24 Walk Two Moons Study Guide

Name  Date  Class Name  Date  Class 

In the boxes to the left are mysteries about the world that puzzled ancient peoples. In the boxes to the

right, fill in the myth that was created to answer the mystery.

Active Reading

Walk Two Moons Chapters 23–33

Name  Date  Class Name  Date  Class 

Walk Two Moons Study Guide 25

Mystery:

Why is the sky so high?

Myth That Explains It:

People made long poles and pushed the sky high.

Mystery:

Where did fire come from?

Myth That Explains It:

Mystery:

Why is there evil in the world?

Myth That Explains It:

Personal Response

How do you feel about Mr. Birkway? Would you like to have him as a teacher? Why or

why not?

Analyzing Literature

Recall and Interpret

1. What does Sal believe may have caused her mother to lose her baby? How might that

belief affect Sal’s feelings?

2. What does Sal see on the roof of Mary Lou’s garage? Why does she say, “It made me feel

peculiar” (page 92)?

3. What mystery does the myth of Pandora’s box explain? Why may this story have such an

effect upon Sal?

4. What story does the poem “The Tide Rises, The Tide Falls” tell? Why does Sal analyze it

in class “as if it was my poem” (page 100)?

5. What does Sal learn about Mrs. Cadaver’s husband? How does this alter her attitude

toward Mrs. Cadaver?

Responding

Walk Two Moons Chapters 23–33

Name  Date  Class Name  Date  Class 

26 Walk Two Moons Study Guide

Analyzing Literature (continued)

Evaluate and Connect

6. Phoebe is not portrayed as a likeable character in this section, yet Sal remains a loyal

friend to her. Review the

Focus Activity on page 24. What fact about Phoebe’s situa-

tion influences Sal’s loyalty to her?

7. Do you feel that the author has made her a believable character? Explain your answer.

Literature and Writing

Expressing a Viewpoint

Five mysterious messages have arrived at Phoebe Winterbottom’s door. (The first four are

listed on page 102; the fifth appears on page 109.) Choose one that is particularly meaning-

ful to you and write a paragraph or two explaining why. Refer to specific incidents in your

life that make it important to you.

Extending Your Response

Literature Groups

In your group, review the events that occur in this section of Walk Two Moons. Select two

passages that are the most memorable and discuss your reasons for choosing them. Discuss

the impact that the passages have had on the development of the plot.

Internet Connection

• Sal and her grandparents’ cross-country trip was made possible by the U.S. Interstate

Highway System, a network of nearly 27,000 miles of highways. Use the Internet to find

out more about this road network and present your findings in a report to your class.

• On page 99, Sal says, referring to Mount Rushmore, “I wondered why whoever carved

[the heads of the presidents] couldn’t have put a couple of Indians up there too.” Largely

unknown to the general public is the fact that a monument to Chief Crazy Horse is being

carved out of a mountain in the Black Hills just seventeen miles from Mount Rushmore.

Crazy Horse was a Sioux chief whose warriors killed General Custer in the Battle of Little

Bighorn. Use the Internet to find out more about the battle, Crazy Horse, and the

sculpture being carved in his honor. Report your findings to the class.

Responding

Walk Two Moons Chapters 23–33

Name  Date  Class Name  Date  Class 

Save your work for your portfolio.

Walk Two Moons Study Guide 27

FOCUS ACTIVITY

Think of an instance when you denied the truth to protect yourself. What was the situation, and why was

the truth hard to accept?

Think-Pair-Share

Think of a time when you denied the truth to protect your feelings. Get together with a partner and share

your experiences. What did your reactions have in common? What led you to finally accept the truth?

Setting a Purpose

Read to discover the truth that Sal has denied since the beginning of the novel.

BACKGROUND

Did You Know?

Denial is a term that describes a state of mind in which a person refuses to accept something as true. In

the grieving process, for example, a survivor may simply not accept the reality that a loved one has died.

Denial protects us from painful truths until we are ready to cope with them. As you read the conclusion

of

Walk Two Moons, take note of Sal’s complicated feelings. Pay attention to the remarks that she lets

slip about her mother’s and her own behavior. Ask yourself these questions: What does Sal know about

her mother? What does she want to believe? What does she still have to learn?

Climax and Resolution

In novels and stories, the climax is the point of greatest emotional intensity, interest, or suspense. It usually

occurs at the turning point, where readers are eager to find out what happens next. The climax is followed

by the

resolution, or final outcome. This is the point where readers know or can figure out what will hap-

pen to the main characters. As you finish reading

Walk Two Moons, look for the climax. Because there are

two stories occurring simultaneously in this novel, there are two climaxes. As you wait to see what will

happen to Sal at the end of her journey, you also wonder how the story of Phoebe’s mother’s disappear-

ance will lend.

VOCABULARY PREVIEW

dissuade [di swa¯d] v. to persuade someone not to perform an action (p. 142)

infinitely [infə nit le¯ ] adv. endlessly (p. 138)

mill [mil] v. to move around as a group without apparent purpose (p. 130)

ogle [o¯ əl] v. to look at with desire (p. 125)

quizzical [kwizi kəl] adj. questioning; puzzled (p. 140)

roster [rostər] n. a list of names (p. 131)

Before You Read

Walk Two Moons Chapters 34–44

28 Walk Two Moons Study Guide

Name  Date  Class Name  Date  Class 

In Walk Two Moons, Sal’s story and Phoebe’s story are woven together. Using the Venn diagram below,

write descriptive words and phrases that show how the two stories are alike and how they are different.

Active Reading

Walk Two Moons Chapters 34–44

Name  Date  Class Name  Date  Class 

Walk Two Moons Study Guide 29

Sal’s Story Phoebe’s Story

Mother is dead.

Mother is alive.

Sal’s and

Phoebe’s Story

Both Mothers are

unhappy with themselves.

Personal Response

Were you able to predict what Sal would find in Lewiston? How did you feel about the out-

come of the novel?

Analyzing Literature

Recall and Interpret

1. What does Sal worry about as Gramps drives along the winding mountain roads? Why is

she so nervous?

2. What does Sal learn about Ben’s mother? How might this information bring Sal and Ben

closer together?

3. Why does Mr. Winterbottom tell his wife that he doesn’t think he knows her? Why does

this make Sal “sad down to my bones” (p. 138)?

4. What did Sal’s dog, Moody Blue, do with her puppies when they were about six weeks

old? Why does this remind Sal of her mother?

5. What does Sal find in Lewiston? How does this discovery change her?

Responding

Walk Two Moons Chapters 34–44

Name  Date  Class Name  Date  Class 

30 Walk Two Moons Study Guide

Analyzing Literature (continued)

Evaluate and Connect

6. Might it have been better if Sal’s father had taken her with him when he first went out

to Lewiston? Explain.

7. Review your Focus Activity on page 28. How does Sal’s denial of the truth compare with

your example of denial? Did you find her reaction to her mother’s death understandable?

Give reasons for you answer.

Literature and Writing

Understanding Character

What is the most important lesson that Sal learns at the end of Walk Two Moons? In a

paragraph or two, discuss the most important lesson that she learns that has made her a

different person than she was at the beginning of the novel.

Extending Your Response

Literature Groups

Several themes run through Walk Two Moons. In your group, discuss the themes that you

consider important in the novel. Select two themes that you can all agree upon and express

each one, using the following phrases: “

Walk Two Moons tells us that . . .We know this

because . . .” Complete the phrases by giving specific reasons. Present your statements of

theme to the class to determine whether the class arrived at the same conclusions.

Learning for Life

Imagine that a movie version of Walk Two Moons is being produced and that you have been

chosen to design the advertising poster. What image would you select to catch the eye of a

passerby? What brief description of the book would accompany your photo or visual art?

Create a poster that you feel captures the spirit of the novel.

Responding

Walk Two Moons Chapters 34–44

Name  Date  Class Name  Date  Class 

Save your work for your portfolio.

Walk Two Moons Study Guide 31

32 Walk Two Moons Study Guide

Before You Read

Focus Question

What are some of the activities that you participate in to feel a closer connection with nature?

Background

The ceremony of the sweat lodge is observed by Native Americans across the United States. Techniques

may differ, but the principle is the same: participants gather in a small structure that is heated with steam

or an open fire. Smoking tobacco often plays a part in the ritual. Native Americans participate in the

ceremony to communicate with the spirit world and to gain inner peace.

Responding to the Reading

1. Why does the author visit an Indian household at the opening of the essay?

2. What is the author required to bring to the ceremony?

3. What does the phrase all my relations refer to? Why is it an important part of the ceremony?

4. Near the end of the essay the author writes, “There is no real aloneness.” What does she mean by this

statement, do you think?

5. Making Connections The author explains that telling one’s story is crucial to healing. How does this

relate to the healing process Sal undergoes in

Walk Two Moons?

Celebrate the Natural World

Native Americans believe that humans should exist in a harmonious relationship with the spirits of the

natural world. Choose a living thing that is special to you—a tree, a flower, or an animal—and celebrate

its existence in a poem, song, story, or picture. Try to capture what it is about this life form that excites

your imagination or relates to your life.

Name  Date  Class 

All My Relations

Linda Hogan

Before You Read

Focus Question

Think of a place that is very special to you. How would you react if it were taken away from you?

Background

In 1875 the Black Hills of South Dakota became the center of a gold rush, transforming the area from a

peaceful wilderness to part of America’s “Wild West.” With the arrival of the railroad, the face of the

region changed forever. In 1880 the population of South Dakota was around 82,000. Ten years later it

stood at 348,600. This account, written in 1895, looks back at its earlier days.

Responding to the Reading

1. How did the Black Hills change between 1875 and the time that the author describes in his account?

What new technology helped bring about this change?

2. What effect does the author create by listing the wildlife that once abounded in the region?

3. How did the Native Americans feel about the white men? What myth did they tell that revealed their

emotions?

4. In what way do the Badlands resemble a city?

5. Making Connections Recall Sal’s reaction to the Black Hills when she visits with Gram and Gramps.

How would you compare her feelings to those of the Native Americans described in this selection?

Learning for Life

Mount Rushmore, a monument dedicated to four American presidents, is located in the Black Hills. Sal

thinks that “the Sioux would be mighty sad to have those white faces carved into their sacred hill.” Using

information from the novel and from this selection, design a monument that would represent the Native

American point of view. Mount your design on a poster and present it to the class, explaining the ideas

that led to its creation.

Name  Date  Class 

from Pa-ha-sa-pah or The

Black Hills of South Dakota

Rev.

Peter Rosen

Walk Two Moons Study Guide 33

34 Walk Two Moons Study Guide

Before You Read

Focus Question

Recall a time when everything seemed perfect with the world and another when life seemed sad. What

influenced your emotions on these occasions?

Background

The two American poems in this selection are very different in appearance. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

(1807–1882) wrote in a conventional poetic form, but E. E. Cummings (1894–1962) completely disre-

garded punctuation, syllable breaks, and capitalization. (His use of lower case letters began when a college

anthology accidentally printed his name as

e.e. cummings.) Cummings poems may look strange, but with

careful reading they often make perfect sense.

Responding to the Reading

1. In “the little horse is newlY,” how would you describe the little horse’s world? How do you think he

feels about it?

2. Do you think people ever experience life the way the little horse does? Explain.

3. In “The Tide Rises, the Tide Falls,” what happens to the traveler? Explain how you know this.

4. How is the world revealed in “The Tide Rises, the Tide Falls” different from that described in “the

little horse is newlY?”

5. In Walk Two Moons, Sal is struck by both of these poems when Mr. Birkway reads them to the class.

What in Sal’s experiences and personality might make them meaningful to her?

Performing

With a partner, choose a side of Sal’s personality that is reflected in these poems. One side should be the

optimistic “little horse”; the other the unfortunate “traveler.” Look for passages of dialogue in the novel

that capture each of these sides to Sal’s personality. Perform monologues based on the passages.

Name  Date  Class 

the little horse is newlY and

The Tide Rises, the Tide Falls

E. E. Cummings

Henry

Wadsworth

Longfellow

Before You Read

Focus Question

Why might the circle be considered a universal symbol?

Background

Lorenzo Baca and Alonzo Lopez are Native American poets from New Mexico. Lopez’s “Celebration” is a

conventional poem written in verse. Baca’s “Five Rounds” are concrete poems, poems in which the words

form a distinct shape. In concrete poetry, the shape contributes to the poem’s overall meaning.

Responding to the Reading

1. Read “Five Rounds” carefully. Which poems could be written out as complete sentences with periods

at the end?

2. What do you notice about the wording of “Five Rounds?” Why, do you suppose, did the author write

them as circles?

3. How would you describe the mood of “Celebration?” What words does the poet use to convey this

feeling?

4. What does the dance described in “Celebration” have in common with “Five Rounds?” What else do

these poems have in common?

5. Making Connections In Walk Two Moons, Sal describes the Navaho myth of Estsanatlehi, “a woman

who never dies. She grows from baby to mother to old woman and then turns into a baby again” (page

154). How does Estsanatlehi’s story relate to the poems in this selection?

Choreograph a Circle Dance

Many cultures perform traditional dances that resemble a circle in form and movement. Choose a suitable

theme for a circle dance. Form a group and choreograph the dance. Perform it for your class.

Name  Date  Class 

Five Rounds and

Celebration

Lorenzo Baca

Alonzo Lopez

Walk Two Moons Study Guide 35

36 Walk Two Moons Study Guide

Before You Read

Focus Question

What material advantages of being an American do you take for granted? Why?

Background

The short story Moon is based on a true story about a Pakistani youth who was sold into labor to work in

a carpet factory. At the age of ten, he escaped and began a campaign in the United States and Europe to

free the thousands of children enslaved in Pakistan’s many factories. When he returned to his homeland,

he was shot down in a village. His murder was never solved.

Responding to the Reading

1. Name two things that make Moon angry. How does he attempt to control his anger?

2. What does Ashraf say that captures Moon’s attention at the school assembly? Why, do you suppose,

does he respond this way?

3. What change comes over Ashraf when he plays Moon’s bongos? What might be a reasonable explana-

tion for this change in him?

4. What did you learn about Moon by the end of the story?

5. Making Connections Sal learns the importance of walking two moons in someone else’s moccasins.

How does Moon learn the same lesson?

Internet Connection

In many parts of the world, children work long hours for very little pay under intolerable conditions.

Conduct an Internet search to find out about child labor abuses. A key word search on

child labor or

children’s rights will produce many sites for your research. Based on what you learn, write a report on

this issue and present it to your class.

Name  Date  Class 

Moon

Chaim Potok

TEST: Walk Two Moons

Recall and Interpret (40 points total; 4 points each)

A. Write the letter of the best answer.

________ 1. Sal prays to trees on her journey west because

a. she doesn’t believe in a Supreme Being. c. Gramps suggested that she should.

b. a tree was nearly always nearby. d. her middle name is Tree.

________ 2. Who wrote the name Chanhassen in new cement on a brick wall?

a. Phoebe Winterbottom c. Sal

b. Gram d. Sal’s father

________ 3. Before Sal reaches her destination, Gram dies from a

a. stroke. c. car accident.

b. snake bite. d. heart attack.

________ 4. Sal and Phoebe visit the university in order to

a. spy on Ben. c. confront the lunatic.

b. find Mr. Winterbottom. d. do some research for Mr. Birkway.

________ 5. Over the course of the novel, Sal’s state of mind moves from

a. jealousy to rage. c. peace to confusion.

b. anger to acceptance. d. sorrow to suspicion.

B. Write a short answer for each question below.

6. What explanation does Sal’s father give for wanting to leave the farm? How does Sal react?

7. When Sal tells her father that she doesn’t want to know about Mrs. Cadaver, she is suddenly

reminded of Phoebe. Why?

8. What do trees taste of to Sal? Explain your answer.

9. What does Mr. Winterbottom do that Sal thinks is noble when his wife returns with Mike?

10. Why does Sal not look too closely at the singing tree near her mother’s grave in Lewiston?

Name  Date  Class 

Walk Two Moons Study Guide Test 37

Evaluate and Connect (60 points total; 30 points each)

C. Answer two of the following essay questions on a separate sheet of paper.

1. In the following passage, from the last chapter of Walk Two Moons, Sal explains the importance of her

trip out west. Why does she describe it as a “gift?” What did she come to understand about her mother

along the way that allowed her to accept the truth?

One day I realized that our whole trip out to Lewiston had been a gift from Gram and Gramps to me. They were

giving me a chance to walk in my mother’s moccasins—to see what she had seen and feel what she might have felt

on her last trip (p. 153).

2. An important lesson Sal learns is that things are not always what they seem to be. Choose any two

characters or incidents in the novel and describe how they appear at first to Sal. Then describe what

she later learns to be true.

3. Sal tells Phoebe’s story to entertain Gram and Gramps on the drive west. As the journey progresses,

however, it becomes clear that Sal is learning something from her narrative. How does thinking about

Phoebe’s predicament open Sal’s eyes about her own loss?

4. On one occasion, Mr. Birkway gives his class a lesson on symbols—things, people, or events that can

be understood on more than one level. For instance, Mr. Birkway points out that dark, snowy woods

in a poem can be merely woods on one level, but that they might also represent death or beauty.

Explain how symbols are used in this novel by discussing the meanings of two of the following sym-

bols: the singing tree, the marriage bed, and the fireplace behind the wall. Support your answer with

details from the novel.

5. The following passage, from a review of Walk Two Moons, appeared in Booklist, November 15, 1994.

In it the reviewer both praises and criticizes aspects of the novel. Explain the extent to which you

agree or disagree with these remarks, supporting your answer with examples from the novel.

The novel is ambitious and successful on many fronts: the characters, even the adults, are fully realized; the story

certainly keeps readers’ interest; and the pacing is good throughout. But Creech’s surprises—that Phoebe’s mother

has an illegitimate son and that Sugar is buried in Idaho, where she died after a bus accident—are obvious in the

first case and contrived in the second. Sal knows her mother is dead; that Creech makes readers think otherwise

seems a cheat.”

Name  Date  Class 

38 Test Walk Two Moons Study Guide

Walk Two Moons

Table of Contents

Novel Study Title Page for Students ............................. 3

Dictionary Detective! Chapters 1 – 5 ............................ 4

Vocabulary Study Chapters 1 – 5 ................................... 5

Understanding the Chapters 1 – 5 ................................ 6

Chapter Summary Chapters 1 – 5 .................................. 7

Dictionary Detective! Chapters 6 – 10 ......................... 8

Vocabulary Study Chapters 6 – 10 ................................. 9

Understanding the Story Chapters 6 – 10 .................. 10

Chapter Summary Chapters 6 – 10 ............................... 11

Dictionary Detective! Chapters 11 – 15 ....................... 12

Vocabulary Study Chapters 11 – 15 .............................. 13

Understanding the Story Chapters 11 – 15................ 14

Chapter Summary Chapters 11 – 15 ............................. 15

Dictionary Detective! Chapters 16 – 20 ....................... 16

Vocabulary Study Chapters 16 – 20 .............................. 17

Understanding the Story Chapters 16 – 20................ 18

Chapter Summary Chapters 16 – 20 ............................. 19

Dictionary Detective! Chapters 21 – 25 ....................... 20

Vocabulary Study Chapters 21 – 25 .............................. 21

Understanding the Story Chapters 21 – 25................ 22

Chapter Summary Chapters 21 – 25 ............................. 23

Dictionary Detective! Chapters 26 – 30 ....................... 24

Vocabulary Study Chapters 26 – 30 .............................. 25

Understanding the Story Chapters 26 – 30................ 26

Chapter Summary Chapters 26 – 30 ............................. 27

Dictionary Detective! Chapters 31 – 35 ....................... 28

Vocabulary Study Chapters 31 – 35 .............................. 29

Understanding the Story Chapters 31 – 35................ 30

Chapter Summary Chapters 31 – 35 ............................. 31

Dictionary Detective! Chapters 36 – 40 ....................... 32

Vocabulary Study Chapters 36 – 40 .............................. 33

Understanding the Story Chapters 36 – 40................ 34

Chapter Summary Chapters 36 – 40 ............................. 35

Dictionary Detective! Chapters 41 – 44 ....................... 36

Vocabulary Study Chapters 41 – 44 .............................. 37

Understanding the Story Chapters 41 – 44................ 38

Chapter Summary Chapters 41 – 44 ............................. 39

Time for a Test!...................................................................... 40

Answer Key ............................................................................. 42

Comprehension Worksheets ........................................... 62

Reading Log ........................................................................... 82

Common Core State Standards ...................................... 83

by Sharon Creech

A Novel Study by:

Walk Two Moons

Name:____________________________________________ Date:_______________________________________________

Dictionary Detective!

Chapters 1 - 5

peculiar

walloping

lunatic

ornery

wicker

scads

Denition:

Using a dictionary, nd the denitions for the words below.

Walk Two Moons

4

Sal often describes herself as ornery like a donkey. Do you ever have

moments when you are ornery? What makes you feel ornery?

_________________________________________________________________________

Name:

____________________________________________ Date:____________________________________________

Vocabulary Study

Chapters 1 - 5

peculiar •

walloping •

lunatic •

ornery •

wicker •

scads •

• bad-tempered and stubborn

• a large number or amount of something

• large and powerful

• flexible twigs used to make things like furniture

• unusual

• a person who is strange or acts crazy

peculiar walloping lunatic ornery wicker scads

A Little

Extra!

Fill in the Blank

Complete each sentence by lling in the blanks with the provided vocabulary.

Match Up

Match the words in the left column to their denitions in the right column.

Walk Two Moons

1. Dad slammed on the brakes when a _______________________________ bear ran out of the

woods and onto the road.

2. The _______________________________ chair broke as soon as I sat in it.

3. My neighbor is an _______________________________ old man who doesn’t like many people.

4. It was _______________________________ for the mailman to come by on a Sunday.

5. I always get _______________________________ of cards from my friends on my birthday.

6. I don’t think it’s fair to call Oscar a _______________________________ just because he’s a bit

dierent than most other people.

5

Name:____________________________________________ Date:____________________________________________

Understanding the Story

Chapters 1 - 5

A Little

Extra!

Sal admits in Chapter 3 that she is afraid of a lot of things. Can she still be

brave? What makes someone brave?

_________________________________________________________________________

1. Why does Sal call their new

house a birdhouse in Chapter 3?

(a) Birds like to live nearby.

(b) It is very small.

(c) It is very dirty.

(d) None of the above.

2. Why do the kids at school think Sal

is brave during the rst week of school?

(a) She came from a place far away.

(b) She is not afraid of the dark.

(c) She is not afraid of spiders.

(d) She can drive a car.

3. Why does Sal imagine that the wind is hurrying her on her road trip with her grandparents?

4. What do you think happened to Sal’s mom?

Multiple Choice

Short Answer

Long Answer

Walk Two Moons

6

Chapter Summary

Chapters 1 - 5

Name:____________________________________________ Date:__________________________________________

1. If you were to give a title to this section of the book, what would it be?

2. What happens in these chapters?

4. What new words did you learn

in these chapters?

5. Draw a picture of something you think

represents these chapters.

3. What is your favorite part of this section of the book?

Walk Two Moons

7

Name:____________________________________________ Date:_______________________________________________

Dictionary Detective!

Chapters 6 - 10

divulge

tremendously

ambush

vivid

civilized

pandemonium

Denition:

Using a dictionary, nd the denitions for the words below.

Walk Two Moons

8

Vocabulary Study

Chapters 6 - 10

Making Sentences

Make a sentence for each word below.

1. Divulge: ______________________________________________________________________________________

2. Tremendously: _______________________________________________________________________________

3. Ambush: _____________________________________________________________________________________

4. Vivid: ________________________________________________________________________________________

5. Civilized: _____________________________________________________________________________________

6. Pandemonium: ______________________________________________________________________________

1. Active and inventive. _____________________________

2. To a great extent. _____________________________

3. To share secret or private information. _____________________________

4. Well-mannered; sophisticated. _____________________________

5. To attack suddenly. _____________________________

6. A noisy and confused situation or place. _____________________________

divulge tremendously ambush vivid civilized pandemonium

A Little

Extra!

Phoebe divulges her secrets and wild imaginative thoughts to Sal. Who do you

tend to divulge your secrets to? Why do you choose this person to share your

secrets with?

_____________________________________________________________________________

Which Word?

On the provided lines, write the matching vocabulary word for each denition.

Name:____________________________________________ Date:___________________________________________

Walk Two Moons

9

Name:____________________________________________ Date:____________________________________________

Understanding the Story

Chapters 6 - 10

A Little

Extra!

Who do you think the young man is who visits Phoebe’s house?

Why do you think Phoebe’s mom is upset to hear about his visit?

__________________________________________________________________________

1. When the young man visits Phoebe’s

house looking for her mother, Phoebe is:

(a) Jealous.

(b) Flirtatious.

(c) Cautious.

(d) Annoyed.

2. How does Phoebe likely feel when she

visits Mary Lou’s house in Chapter 9?

(a) She thinks the Finneys are bad parents.

(b) She wishes she was part of Mary Lou’s family.

(c) She thinks Mary Lou’s house is too big.

(d) She wishes her parents were more playful.

3. Why does Sal like having Indian heritage?

4. What did Sal’s mom tell Sal about how to pick blackberries? What does her advice about picking

blackberries reveal about Sal’s mom’s character?

Multiple Choice

Short Answer

Long Answer

Walk Two Moons

10

Chapter Summary

Chapters 6 - 10

Name:____________________________________________ Date:__________________________________________

1. If you were to give a title to this section of the book, what would it be?

2. What happens in these chapters?

4. What new words did you learn

in these chapters?

5. Draw a picture of something you think

represents these chapters.

3. What is your favorite part of this section of the book?

Walk Two Moons

11

Name:____________________________________________

Dictionary Detective!

Chapters 11 - 15

conducting

defensive

accumulated

detour

malevolent

anonymous

Denition:

Using a dictionary, nd the denitions for the words below.

Walk Two Moons

12

Date:___________________________________________

What do you think Phoebe’s mom means when she says she lives a “tiny life”?

_________________________________________________________________________

Name:

____________________________________________

Vocabulary Study

Chapters 11 - 15

conducting •

defensive •

accumulated •

detour •

malevolent •

anonymous •

1. Our supervisor is ( accumulated / conducting ) job interviews to nd a new sales clerk.

2. Only a truly ( malevolent / anonymous ) person would hurt an animal.

3. She ( accumulated / defensive ) a large collection of foreign coins over years of travels.

4. The investigators were sent a tip from an ( detour / anonymous ) witness.

5. I took a ( malevolent / detour ) to the ice cream shop on my way home.

6. James became ( defensive / conducting ) when I asked him why he played video games

so much.

• oversensitive

• evil

• collected

• unnamed

• managing

• deviation

A Little

Extra!

Best Word

Circle the word which works best in each sentence.

Match Up

A synonym is a word that means the same as another word. For example, happy and joyful are synonyms.

Match the vocabulary words with their synonyms!

Date:___________________________________________

Walk Two Moons

13

Name:____________________________________________ Date:____________________________________________

Understanding the Story

Chapters 11 - 15

A Little

Extra!

What do you think of the boy by the riverbank who tells Gramps that

they are on private property? Is he mostly good or mostly bad? Why?

_________________________________________________________________________

1. Why is the “marriage bed”

so special to Gramps?

(a) He was born in that bed.

(b) It was a gift for his wedding.

(c) It was his parents’ bed.

(d) All of the above.

2. How does Sal react to the gift

Margaret gives her in Chapter 14?

(a) She loves it.

(b) She gives it to Phoebe.

(c) She doesn’t want the gift.

(d) The gift reminds her of her mother.

3. How did Sal’s grandmother decide that she would marry Sal’s grandfather?

4. Why does it bother Sal in Chapter 11 when Ben points out that she inches whenever someone

touches her?

Multiple Choice

Short Answer

Long Answer

Walk Two Moons

14

Chapter Summary

Chapters 11 - 15

Name:____________________________________________ Date:__________________________________________

1. If you were to give a title to this section of the book, what would it be?

2. What happens in these chapters?

4. What new words did you learn

in these chapters?

5. Draw a picture of something you think

represents these chapters.

3. What is your favorite part of this section of the book?

Walk Two Moons

15

Name:____________________________________________ Date:_______________________________________________

Dictionary Detective!

Chapters 16 - 20

cantankerous

sullen

trek

colossal

cavorted

distinctive

Denition:

Using a dictionary, nd the denitions for the words below.

Walk Two Moons

16

Sal can remember the dierent trees she has kissed because of the

distinctive taste of their tree bark. Each tree is special to her. What is a

distinctive characteristic about you that makes you stand out in a crowd?

_________________________________________________________________________

Name:

____________________________________________ Date:____________________________________________

Vocabulary Study

Chapters 16 - 20

cantankerous •

sullen •

trek •

colossal •

cavorted •

distinctive •

1. Our class became _______________________________ when the teacher started handing out the

surprise tests.

2. It took a team of artists fteen years to complete the _______________________________ statue.

3. My sister has a very _______________________________ and beautiful singing voice.

4. Our _______________________________ neighbor yells at us when our ball goes into her garden.

5. The children at the birthday party _______________________________ all around the room.

6. Many people must _______________________________ long distances to collect drinking water.

• jumped and danced around excitedly

• extremely large

• grouchy and easily angered

• gloomy and sad

• a slow difficult journey, usually on foot

• different from all others

cantankerous sullen trek colossal cavorted distinctive

A Little

Extra!

Fill in the Blank

Complete each sentence by lling in the blanks with the provided vocabulary.

Match Up

Match the words in the left column to their denitions in the right column.

Walk Two Moons

17

Name:____________________________________________ Date:____________________________________________

Understanding the Story

Chapters 16 - 20

A Little

Extra!

A note found on Phoebe’s porch reads, “In the course of a lifetime, what

does it matter?” What is an example of something in your life that seems

like a big deal now, but may not matter ten years from now?

_________________________________________________________________________

1. Sal’s dad doesn’t wear

work gloves because:

(a) He likes to touch the dirt and animals.

(b) Gloves hurt his hands.

(c) Sal’s mom didn’t like them.

(d) He lost his gloves.

2. Why is it a turning point in their

relationship when Ben reads Sal’s palm?

(a) He nds out more about her.

(b) She does not inch when he touches her.

(c) She learns he is part of her future.

(d) Phoebe becomes jealous.

3. In Chapter 16, Sal imagines hearing whispers telling her to “slow down” when she is driving with

her grandparents. What reason does she give for this?

4. What does Sal’s dad mean in Chapter 19 when he says she is “trying to catch sh in the air”?

Multiple Choice

Short Answer

Long Answer

Walk Two Moons

18

Chapter Summary

Chapters 16 - 20

Name:____________________________________________ Date:__________________________________________

1. If you were to give a title to this section of the book, what would it be?

2. What happens in these chapters?

4. What new words did you learn

in these chapters?

5. Draw a picture of something you think

represents these chapters.

3. What is your favorite part of this section of the book?

Walk Two Moons

19

Name:____________________________________________ Date:_______________________________________________

Dictionary Detective!

Chapters 21 - 25

duplicate

malinger

treacherous

ravines

mythology

optimistic

Denition:

Using a dictionary, nd the denitions for the words below.

Walk Two Moons

20

Vocabulary Study

Chapters 21 - 25

Making Sentences

Make a sentence for each word below.

1. Duplicate: ____________________________________________________________________________________

2. Malinger: ____________________________________________________________________________________

3. Treacherous: _________________________________________________________________________________

4. Ravines: ______________________________________________________________________________________

5. Mythology: __________________________________________________________________________________

6. Optimistic: ___________________________________________________________________________________

1. Full of hidden or unpredictable dangers. _____________________________

2. The stories of a particular culture or religion. _____________________________

3. Deep, narrow valleys with rocky walls. _____________________________

4. An exact copy of something. _____________________________

5. Having a hopeful and positive view of the future. _____________________________

6. To pretend to be sick in order to skip school or work. _____________________________

duplicate malinger treacherous ravines mythology optimistic

A Little

Extra!

What is something you are optimistic about?

______________________________________________________________________________

Which Word?

On the provided lines, write the matching vocabulary word for each denition.

Name:____________________________________________ Date:___________________________________________

Walk Two Moons

21

Name:____________________________________________ Date:____________________________________________

Understanding the Story

Chapters 21 - 25

A Little

Extra!

Gram tells Sal that sometimes your heart knows you love someone but

“you have to go away before your head can gure it out.” Do you agree

with this? Why or why not?

__________________________________________________________________________

1. What does Phoebe tell her friends

at school after her mother leaves?

(a) The truth.

(b) That her mother is sick.

(c) That her mother is on a business trip.

(d) She does not tell them anything.

2. What did Sal worry about after

the death of her baby sister?

(a) She worried that she was

responsible for the baby’s death.

(b) She was afraid she would also die.

(c) She was afraid her mother would die.

(d) She was afraid her mother wouldn’t

love her anymore.

3. What surprises Sal’s classmates when they are asked to “draw their souls”?

4. In Chapter 22, Phoebe and her father have diering opinions about what happened to her

mother. What does Phoebe think? What evidence does she collect as clues? What evidence does

her father use to dispute Phoebe’s claim?

Multiple Choice

Short Answer

Long Answer

Walk Two Moons

22

Chapter Summary

Chapters 21 - 25

Name:____________________________________________ Date:__________________________________________

1. If you were to give a title to this section of the book, what would it be?

2. What happens in these chapters?

4. What new words did you learn

in these chapters?

5. Draw a picture of something you think

represents these chapters.

3. What is your favorite part of this section of the book?

Walk Two Moons

23

Name:____________________________________________

Dictionary Detective!

Chapters 26 - 30

sympathetic

besieging

careening

partitions

reluctant

ghastly

Denition:

Using a dictionary, nd the denitions for the words below.

Walk Two Moons

24

Date:___________________________________________

In Chapter 30, Sal describes the ghastly home of Mrs. Cadaver.

Describe the most ghastly place you have seen.

_________________________________________________________________________

Name:

____________________________________________

Vocabulary Study

Chapters 26 - 30

sympathetic •

besieging •

careening •

partitions •

reluctant •

ghastly •

1. The paparazzi began ( besieging / careening ) the movie star when he came out of the shop.

2. Every Halloween, my friends have a competition to see who can come up with the most

( reluctant / ghastly ) costume.

3. Fabric ( sympathetic / partitions ) were hung between each hospital bed for privacy.

4. I was ( reluctant / besieging ) to go to the party but I ended up having a good time.

5. My mom was very ( sympathetic / partitions ) when I told her I got an ‘F’ on my test.

6. By ( ghastly / careening ) between the trees, I was able to reach the nish line of the skiing

race rst.

• hurtling

• dividers

• harassing

• frightening

• unwilling

• understanding

A Little

Extra!

Best Word

Circle the word which works best in each sentence.

Match Up

Match the vocabulary words with their synonyms!

Date:___________________________________________

Walk Two Moons

25

Name:____________________________________________ Date:____________________________________________

Understanding the Story

Chapters 26 - 30

A Little

Extra!

Reread the poem in Chapter 29. In your own words, explain what you

think the poem means.

_________________________________________________________________________

1. Why is Sal disappointed

when she sees Mt. Rushmore?

(a) She wishes it were bigger.

(b) She wanted to see it with her mother.

(c) She wants to stay longer

but they are running late.

(d) She wishes there were faces

of Indians on the mountain.

2. Why is it important to Sal that

the police listen to Phoebe when

they report her mother missing?

(a) Sal thinks Phoebe’s mother is dead.

(b) The girls know where Phoebe’s mother is.

(c) Sal wishes she had taken action

when her mother left.

(d) None of the above.

3. What does Sal realize about the departures of her mother and Phoebe’s mother in Chapter 27?

4. At the sleepover at Sal’s house, Sal is torn between being a good friend and sending Phoebe

home. Why does Sal end up letting Phoebe stay?

Multiple Choice

Short Answer

Long Answer

Walk Two Moons

26

Chapter Summary

Chapters 26 - 30

Name:____________________________________________ Date:__________________________________________

1. If you were to give a title to this section of the book, what would it be?

2. What happens in these chapters?

4. What new words did you learn

in these chapters?

5. Draw a picture of something you think

represents these chapters.

3. What is your favorite part of this section of the book?

Walk Two Moons

27

Name:____________________________________________ Date:_______________________________________________

Dictionary Detective!

Chapters 31 - 35

shivery

oend

nonchalantly

briskly

consecutive

refrained

Denition:

Using a dictionary, nd the denitions for the words below.

Walk Two Moons

28

Phoebe refers to Mike as “Mike the Lunatic”. What do you think Phoebe’s

nickname for Mike reveals about her and how she sees things?

_______________________________________________________________________________

Name:____________________________________________ Date:____________________________________________

Vocabulary Study

Chapters 31 - 35

shivery •

offend •

nonchalantly •

briskly •

consecutive •

refrained •

1. I set the table _______________________________ as our guests were expected to arrive

any minute.

2. The weather was quite _______________________________ this morning so I wore a coat.

3. Sarah is a vegetarian so she _______________________________ from eating the meatloaf.

4. Jan didn’t mean to _______________________________ Holly with her joke, but it seems she did.

5. I’ve gone to the basketball court after school for three _______________________________ days.

6. Kurt _______________________________ showed us how to do a very dicult skateboarding trick.

• quickly; with a lot of energy

• in a relaxed and casual way

• continuously; one after another

• stopped oneself from doing something

• causing one’s body to tremble

• to make someone feel hurt or upset

shivery offend nonchalantly briskly consecutive refrained

A Little

Extra!

Fill in the Blank

Complete each sentence by lling in the blanks with the provided vocabulary.

Match Up

Match the words in the left column to their denitions in the right column.

Walk Two Moons

29

Name:____________________________________________ Date:____________________________________________

Understanding the Story

Chapters 31 - 35

A Little

Extra!

Why do you think Sal’s teacher assigned the journal project?

Do you think it is an eective assignment? Why or why not?

_________________________________________________________________________

1. Why does Sal have a change of heart

about Mrs. Cadaver in Chapter 33?

(a) She has dinner with her

father and Mrs. Cadaver.

(b) Mrs. Cadaver gives her a gift.

(c) Mrs. Cadaver’s mother tells Sal about her.

(d) Sal learns what happened to Mr. Cadaver.

2. Who is Mike’s father?

(a) Phoebe’s father.

(b) Mr. Birkway.

(c) Sal’s father.

(d) Sergeant Bickle.

3. According to Sal’s English teacher in Chapter 32, why is symbolism in literature fascinating?

4. In Chapter 34, Sal describes the day as “probably one of the best, and surely the worst” days

for Gram and Gramps. What would you identify as the “best” and “worst” parts of the day?

Multiple Choice

Short Answer

Long Answer

Walk Two Moons

30

Chapter Summary

Chapters 31 - 35

Name:____________________________________________ Date:__________________________________________

1. If you were to give a title to this section of the book, what would it be?

2. What happens in these chapters?

4. What new words did you learn

in these chapters?

5. Draw a picture of something you think

represents these chapters.

3. What is your favorite part of this section of the book?

Walk Two Moons

31

Name:____________________________________________ Date:_______________________________________________

Dictionary Detective!

Chapters 36 - 40

dormitory

roster

hunch

agitated

ends

quizzical

Denition:

Using a dictionary, nd the denitions for the words below.

Walk Two Moons

32

Vocabulary Study

Chapters 36 - 40

Making Sentences

Make a sentence for each word below.

1. Dormitory: __________________________________________________________________________________

2. Roster: ______________________________________________________________________________________

3. Hunch: _______________________________________________________________________________________

4. Agitated: ____________________________________________________________________________________

5. Fiends: _______________________________________________________________________________________

6. Quizzical: ____________________________________________________________________________________

1. Troubled, nervous or worried. _____________________________

2. A list of people belonging to a certain group. _____________________________

3. Expressing confusion in an amused way. _____________________________

4. A building where students live. _____________________________

5. People who are overly fond of or addicted to something. _____________________________

6. An idea based on a gut feeling. _____________________________

dormitory roster hunch agitated ends quizzical

A Little

Extra!

Sal has a hunch where Ben’s mother is. Tell about a time you had a hunch about

something. Was your hunch correct?

_______________________________________________________________________________

Which Word?

On the provided lines, write the matching vocabulary word for each denition.

Name:____________________________________________ Date:___________________________________________

Walk Two Moons

33

Name:____________________________________________ Date:____________________________________________

Understanding the Story

Chapters 36 - 40

A Little

Extra!

Mrs. Partridge admits that she left the notes on Phoebe’s porch, saying

that they were meant to be gifts. Would you consider the messages she

left to be gifts? Why or why not?

__________________________________________________________________________

1. Why does Sal go into the hospital

after she sees Phoebe’s mom?

(a) She is visiting a family member.

(b) She is looking for Ben.

(c) She wants to volunteer.

(d) She feels very sick.

2. Where do Ben and Sal

share their rst real kiss?

(a) At Sal’s house.

(b) On the roof of Mary Lou’s house.

(c) At school.

(d) In the hospital’s garden.

3. Why is Phoebe’s dad upset when he nds out about Mike?

4. What secret does Sal learn about Ben in Chapter 37? How might this knowledge aect Ben and

Sal’s relationship?

Multiple Choice

Short Answer

Long Answer

Walk Two Moons

34

Chapter Summary

Chapters 36 - 40

Name:____________________________________________ Date:__________________________________________

1. If you were to give a title to this section of the book, what would it be?

2. What happens in these chapters?

4. What new words did you learn

in these chapters?

5. Draw a picture of something you think

represents these chapters.

3. What is your favorite part of this section of the book?

Walk Two Moons

35

Name:____________________________________________

Dictionary Detective!

Chapters 41 - 44

intern

independent

scour

incline

despairing

hankering

Denition:

Using a dictionary, nd the denitions for the words below.

Walk Two Moons

36

Date:___________________________________________

Sal feels that she became more independent after her mom left.

When do you feel independent from your parents? When do you feel

like you still need them?

_________________________________________________________________________

Name:

____________________________________________

Vocabulary Study

Chapters 41 - 44

intern •

independent •

scour •

incline •

despairing •

hankering •

1. As children grow up, they learn to become more and more ( despairing / independent ).

2. The hill’s steep ( incline / scour ) made for an exhausting hike.

3. I had a ( hankering / independent ) for apple pie, so I went to the market and bought one.

4. I plan to ( intern / scour ) the whole town until I nd my stolen bike.

5. After a hurricane destroyed our house, my family was ( despairing / hankering ) until our

neighbors oered to help.

6. The oce ( incline / intern ) delivers mail and makes coee.

• search

• slope

• trainee

• wanting

• hopeless

• self-reliant

A Little

Extra!

Best Word

Circle the word which works best in each sentence.

Match Up

Match the vocabulary words with their synonyms!

Date:___________________________________________

Walk Two Moons

37

Name:____________________________________________ Date:____________________________________________

Understanding the Story

Chapters 41 - 44

A Little

Extra!

Before Sal leaves the hospital to drive to Lewiston, she whispers something

in Gram’s ear. What do you think she whispers?

_________________________________________________________________________

1. How did Mrs. Cadaver

know Sal’s mother?

(a) They were in a bus accident together.

(b) They were friends from college.

(c) They are distant relatives.

(d) They both dated Sal’s father.

2. What loving act does Gramps

do when Gram is in the hospital?

(a) He buys her owers.

(b) He writes her a love letter.

(c) He sings her favorite song.

(d) He plants a tree for her.

3. Sal thinks that the trip to Idaho was a gift from her grandparents. In what way is the trip a gift?

4. What does Sal remember about her dog, Moody Blue, when she was trying to wean her puppies?

How does this relate to Sal’s mother leaving?

Multiple Choice

Short Answer

Long Answer

Walk Two Moons

38

Chapter Summary

Chapters 41 - 44

Name:____________________________________________ Date:__________________________________________

1. If you were to give a title to this section of the book, what would it be?

2. What happens in these chapters?

4. What new words did you learn

in these chapters?

5. Draw a picture of something you think

represents these chapters.

3. What is your favorite part of this section of the book?

Walk Two Moons

39

Name:____________________________________________ Date:___________________________________________

Time for a Test!

Walk Two Moons

1. Why isn’t Sal happy with

their new house in Ohio?

(a) There are very few trees.

(b) There is no barn.

(c) There is no river.

(d) All of the above.

2. What is Mrs. Cadaver’s

occupation?

(a) Nurse.

(b) Farmer.

(c) Teacher.

(d) Secretary.

3. Why do Sal and her

grandparents have to leave

the river in Chapter 15?

(a)

A boy tries to rob them.

(b) They are running late and

need to get to Idaho soon.

(c) Sal’s grandmother has

to go to the hospital.

(d) They are getting sunburned.

4. Which of the following

is NOT a reason Sal gives

in Chapter 18 for her

mother leaving?

(a) Sal’s father is too good.

(b) She needed to clear her head.

(c) She needed to learn

more about herself.

(d) She needed to visit

an old friend.

5. Which is true about

Sal’s friend, Phoebe?

(a) She is proud of her family.

(b) She is critical of others.

(c) She blames her father

for her mother leaving.

(d) A and B.

6. According to the story of

Pandora’s box in Chapter 27,

what can be found amongst

evil and disease?

(a) Hope.

(b) Truth.

(c) Faith.

(d) Love.

7. What do Sal and Phoebe

do when they discover who

the lunatic is?

(a) They confront him.

(b) They warn Phoebe’s father.

(c) They tell the police about him.

(d) They go to his house.

8. How does Mrs. Partridge

know that Mike is Phoebe’s

brother?

(a) He tells her.

(b) Phoebe’s mom calls

Mrs. Partridge and tells

her why she left.

(c) She feels his face and

it feels similar to Phoebe’s.

(d) She overhears the

family talking.

9. Gram dies while Sal is

driving to Lewiston. What

causes Gram’s death?

(a) A snake bite.

(b) Cancer.

(c) A car accident.

(d) A stroke.

Part A – Multiple Choice

Walk Two Moons

40

Name:____________________________________________ Date:__________________________________________

Time for a Test!

Walk Two Moons

Part B – Short Answer

1. Explain the signicance of the brick replace Sal’s dad nds behind the plaster wall.

Which character does this remind you of?

2. In Chapter 27, Sal admits she worries even when things seem ne. What in her life has caused her

to worry like this?

3. Why does Sal go to Lewiston with her grandparents? Why is it necessary for her to do this?

1. The title, Walk Two Moons, refers to the note left on Phoebe’s porch that says, “Don’t judge a man

until you’ve walked two moons in his moccasins.” Give an example of a character that judges

another character in the book only to be proven wrong.

2. Explain the moccasin game that Sal plays with Gramps at the end of the book. Could Sal have

played that game at the beginning of the book? Explain why or why not.

Part C – Long Answer

Walk Two Moons

41

Sal often describes herself as ornery like a donkey. Do you ever have

moments when you are ornery? What makes you feel ornery?

Answers will vary.

Name:____________________________________________ Date:____________________________________________

Vocabulary Study - Answer Key

Chapters 1 - 5

peculiar •

walloping •

lunatic •

ornery •

wicker •

scads •

• bad-tempered and stubborn

• a large number or amount of something

• large and powerful

• flexible twigs used to make things like furniture

• unusual

• a person who is strange or acts crazy

peculiar walloping lunatic ornery wicker scads

A Little

Extra!

Fill in the Blank

Complete each sentence by lling in the blanks with the provided vocabulary.

Match Up

Match the words in the left column to their denitions in the right column.

Walk Two Moons

1. Dad slammed on the brakes when a walloping bear ran out of the woods and onto the road.

2. The wicker chair broke as soon as I sat in it.

3. My neighbor is an ornery old man who doesn’t like many people.

4. It was peculiar for the mailman to come by on a Sunday.

5. I always get scads of cards from my friends on my birthday.

6. I don’t think it’s fair to call Oscar a lunatic just because he’s a bit dierent than most

other people.

42

Name:____________________________________________ Date:____________________________________________

Understanding the Story - Answer Key

Chapters 1 - 5

A Little

Extra!

Sal admits in Chapter 3 that she is afraid of a lot of things. Can she still be

brave? What makes someone brave?

Answers will vary.

1. Why does Sal call their new

house a birdhouse in Chapter 3?

(a) Birds like to live nearby.

(b) It is very small.

(c) It is very dirty.

(d) None of the above.

2. Why do the kids at school think Sal

is brave during the rst week of school?

(a) She came from a place far away.

(b) She is not afraid of the dark.

(c) She is not afraid of spiders.

(d) She can drive a car.

3. Why does Sal imagine that the wind is hurrying her on her road trip with her grandparents?

Example - Sal is in a hurry because she wants to get to Idaho by her mother’s birthday,

which is seven days away.

4. What do you think happened to Sal’s mom?

Answers will vary.

Multiple Choice

Short Answer

Long Answer

Walk Two Moons

43

Vocabulary Study - Answer Key

Chapters 6 - 10

Making Sentences

Make a sentence for each word below. - Answers will vary.

1. Divulge: ______________________________________________________________________________________

2. Tremendously: _______________________________________________________________________________

3. Ambush: _____________________________________________________________________________________

4. Vivid: ________________________________________________________________________________________

5. Civilized: _____________________________________________________________________________________

6. Pandemonium: ______________________________________________________________________________

1. Active and inventive. vivid

2. To a great extent. tremendously

3. To share secret or private information. divulge

4. Well-mannered; sophisticated. civilized

5. To attack suddenly. ambush

6. A noisy and confused situation or place. pandemonium

divulge tremendously ambush vivid civilized pandemonium

A Little

Extra!

Phoebe divulges her secrets and wild imaginative thoughts to Sal. Who do you

tend to divulge your secrets to? Why do you choose this person to share your

secrets with?

Answers will vary.

Which Word?

On the provided lines, write the matching vocabulary word for each denition.

Name:____________________________________________ Date:___________________________________________

Walk Two Moons

44

Name:____________________________________________ Date:____________________________________________

Understanding the Story - Answer Key

Chapters 6 - 10

A Little

Extra!

Who do you think the young man is who visits Phoebe’s house?

Why do you think Phoebe’s mom is upset to hear about his visit?

Answers will vary.

1. When the young man visits Phoebe’s

house looking for her mother, Phoebe is:

(a) Jealous.

(b) Flirtatious.

(c) Cautious.

(d) Annoyed.

2. How does Phoebe likely feel when she

visits Mary Lou’s house in Chapter 9?

(a) She thinks the Finneys are bad parents.

(b) She wishes she was part of Mary Lou’s family.

(c) She thinks Mary Lou’s house is too big.

(d) She wishes her parents were more playful.

3. Why does Sal like having Indian heritage?

Example - Her Indian heritage makes her feel more connected with nature.

4. What did Sal’s mom tell Sal about how to pick blackberries? What does her advice about picking

blackberries reveal about Sal’s mom’s character?

Example - Sal’s mom told Sal to pick blackberries from the middle of the vine. The

blackberries at the top are for the birds and the blackberries at the bottom are for the

rabbits. This shows that Sal’s mom cares about nature and is seless.

Multiple Choice

Short Answer

Long Answer

Walk Two Moons

45

What do you think Phoebe’s mom means when she says she lives a “tiny life”?

Answers will vary.

Name:____________________________________________

Vocabulary Study - Answer Key

Chapters 11 - 15

conducting •

defensive •

accumulated •

detour •

malevolent •

anonymous •

1. Our supervisor is ( accumulated / conducting ) job interviews to nd a new sales clerk.

2. Only a truly ( malevolent / anonymous ) person would hurt an animal.

3. She ( accumulated / defensive ) a large collection of foreign coins over years of travels.

4. The investigators were sent a tip from an ( detour / anonymous ) witness.

5. I took a ( malevolent / detour ) to the ice cream shop on my way home.

6. James became ( defensive / conducting ) when I asked him why he played video games

so much.

• oversensitive

• evil

• collected

• unnamed

• managing

• deviation

A Little

Extra!

Best Word

Circle the word which works best in each sentence.

Match Up

A synonym is a word that means the same as another word. For example, happy and joyful are synonyms.

Match the vocabulary words with their synonyms!

Date:___________________________________________

Walk Two Moons

46

Name:____________________________________________ Date:____________________________________________

Understanding the Story - Answer Key

Chapters 11 - 15

A Little

Extra!

What do you think of the boy by the riverbank who tells Gramps that

they are on private property? Is he mostly good or mostly bad? Why?

Answers will vary.

1. Why is the “marriage bed”

so special to Gramps?

(a) He was born in that bed.

(b) It was a gift for his wedding.

(c) It was his parents’ bed.

(d) All of the above.

2. How does Sal react to the gift

Margaret gives her in Chapter 14?

(a) She loves it.

(b) She gives it to Phoebe.

(c) She doesn’t want the gift.

(d) The gift reminds her of her mother.

3. How did Sal’s grandmother decide that she would marry Sal’s grandfather?

Example - She asked him about how he treats his dog. She knew that he would treat her even

better than he treats his dog.

4. Why does it bother Sal in Chapter 11 when Ben points out that she inches whenever someone

touches her?

Example - Sal has noticed that Phoebe pulls away from her mother. Sal is afraid she will end

up cold and avoiding aection like Phoebe’s family. She worries that, like Phoebe, she started

pulling away and drove her own mother away.

Multiple Choice

Short Answer

Long Answer

Walk Two Moons

47

Sal can remember the dierent trees she has kissed because of the

distinctive taste of their tree bark. Each tree is special to her. What is a

distinctive characteristic about you that makes you stand out in a crowd?

Answers will vary.

Name:____________________________________________ Date:____________________________________________

Vocabulary Study - Answer Key

Chapters 16 - 20

cantankerous •

sullen •

trek •

colossal •

cavorted •

distinctive •

1. Our class became sullen when the teacher started handing out the surprise tests.

2. It took a team of artists fteen years to complete the colossal statue.

3. My sister has a very distinctive and beautiful singing voice.

4. Our cantankerous neighbor yells at us when our ball goes into her garden.

5. The children at the birthday party cavorted all around the room.

6. Many people must trek long distances to collect drinking water.

• jumped and danced around excitedly

• extremely large

• grouchy and easily angered

• gloomy and sad

• a slow difficult journey, usually on foot

• different from all others

cantankerous sullen trek colossal cavorted distinctive

A Little

Extra!

Fill in the Blank

Complete each sentence by lling in the blanks with the provided vocabulary.

Match Up

Match the words in the left column to their denitions in the right column.

Walk Two Moons

48

Name:____________________________________________ Date:____________________________________________

Understanding the Story - Answer Key

Chapters 16 - 20

A Little

Extra!

A note found on Phoebe’s porch reads, “In the course of a lifetime, what

does it matter?” What is an example of something in your life that seems

like a big deal now, but may not matter ten years from now?

Answers will vary.

1. Sal’s dad doesn’t wear

work gloves because:

(a) He likes to touch the dirt and animals.

(b) Gloves hurt his hands.

(c) Sal’s mom didn’t like them.

(d) He lost his gloves.

2. Why is it a turning point in their

relationship when Ben reads Sal’s palm?

(a) He nds out more about her.

(b) She does not inch when he touches her.

(c) She learns he is part of her future.

(d) Phoebe becomes jealous.

3. In Chapter 16, Sal imagines hearing whispers telling her to “slow down” when she is driving

with her grandparents. What reason does she give for this?

Example - As Sal is approaching the last place her mom was, she is beginning to dread

coming face to face with her problems. She imagines the wind giving her a warning of

something bad to come.

4. What does Sal’s dad mean in Chapter 19 when he says she is “trying to catch sh in the air”?

Example - Sal is desperately trying to nd something wrong with Mrs. Cadaver because she

doesn’t want to accept that her dad may eventually move on and nd someone other than her

mother. She doesn’t really have evidence to back up her point.

Multiple Choice

Short Answer

Long Answer

Walk Two Moons

49

Vocabulary Study - Answer Key

Chapters 21 - 25

Making Sentences

Make a sentence for each word below. - Answers will vary.

1. Duplicate: ____________________________________________________________________________________

2. Malinger: ____________________________________________________________________________________

3. Treacherous: _________________________________________________________________________________

4. Ravines: ______________________________________________________________________________________

5. Mythology: __________________________________________________________________________________

6. Optimistic: ___________________________________________________________________________________

1. Full of hidden or unpredictable dangers. treacherous

2. The stories of a particular culture or religion. mythology

3. Deep, narrow valleys with rocky walls. ravines

4. An exact copy of something. duplicate

5. Having a hopeful and positive view of the future. optimistic

6. To pretend to be sick in order to skip school or work. malinger

duplicate malinger treacherous ravines mythology optimistic

A Little

Extra!

What is something you are optimistic about?

Answers will vary.

Which Word?

On the provided lines, write the matching vocabulary word for each denition.

Name:____________________________________________ Date:___________________________________________

Walk Two Moons

50

Name:____________________________________________ Date:____________________________________________

Understanding the Story - Answer Key

Chapters 21 - 25

A Little

Extra!

Gram tells Sal that sometimes your heart knows you love someone but

“you have to go away before your head can gure it out.” Do you agree

with this? Why or why not?

Answers will vary.

1. What does Phoebe tell her friends

at school after her mother leaves?

(a) The truth.

(b) That her mother is sick.

(c) That her mother is on a business trip.

(d) She does not tell them anything.

2. What did Sal worry about after

the death of her baby sister?

(a) She worried that she was

responsible for the baby’s death.

(b) She was afraid she would also die.

(c) She was afraid her mother would die.

(d) She was afraid her mother wouldn’t

love her anymore.

3. What surprises Sal’s classmates when they are asked to “draw their souls”?

Example - The classmates are surprised because Ben and Sal’s pictures are identical.

4. In Chapter 22, Phoebe and her father have diering opinions about what happened to her

mother. What does Phoebe think? What evidence does she collect as clues? What evidence does

her father use to dispute Phoebe’s claim?

Example - Phoebe thinks her mother was killed or kidnapped by a lunatic. She collects

stray hairs and marks strange spots that may be blood stains. Her father points out that

Phoebe’s mom would not have been able to prepare freezer meals if she had been kidnapped.

Multiple Choice

Short Answer

Long Answer

Walk Two Moons

51

In Chapter 30, Sal describes the ghastly home of Mrs. Cadaver.

Describe the most ghastly place you have seen.

Answers will vary.

Name:____________________________________________

Vocabulary Study - Answer Key

Chapters 26 - 30

sympathetic •

besieging •

careening •

partitions •

reluctant •

ghastly •

1. The paparazzi began ( besieging / careening ) the movie star when he came out of the shop.

2. Every Halloween, my friends have a competition to see who can come up with the most

( reluctant / ghastly ) costume.

3. Fabric ( sympathetic / partitions ) were hung between each hospital bed for privacy.

4. I was ( reluctant / besieging ) to go to the party but I ended up having a good time.

5. My mom was very ( sympathetic / partitions ) when I told her I got an ‘F’ on my test.

6. By ( ghastly / careening ) between the trees, I was able to reach the nish line of the skiing

race rst.

• hurtling

• dividers

• harassing

• frightening

• unwilling

• understanding

A Little

Extra!

Best Word

Circle the word which works best in each sentence.

Match Up

Match the vocabulary words with their synonyms!

Date:___________________________________________

Walk Two Moons

52

Name:____________________________________________ Date:____________________________________________

Understanding the Story - Answer Key

Chapters 26 - 30

A Little

Extra!

Reread the poem in Chapter 29. In your own words, explain what you

think the poem means.

Answers will vary.

1. Why is Sal disappointed

when she sees Mt. Rushmore?

(a) She wishes it were bigger.

(b) She wanted to see it with her mother.

(c) She wants to stay longer but

they are running late.

(d) She wishes there were faces

of Indians on the mountain.

2. Why is it important to Sal that

the police listen to Phoebe when

they report her mother missing?

(a) Sal thinks Phoebe’s mother is dead.

(b) The girls know where Phoebe’s mother is.

(c) Sal wishes she had taken action

when her mother left.

(d) None of the above.

3. What does Sal realize about the departures of her mother and Phoebe’s mother in Chapter 27?

Example - Sal realizes that the reasons that their moms left probably have nothing to do with

the girls. She is beginning to understand that her mom left because there was something she

needed to do for herself.

4. At the sleepover at Sal’s house, Sal is torn between being a good friend and sending Phoebe

home. Why does Sal end up letting Phoebe stay?

Example - Sal knows how Phoebe feels, and she is seeing how she probably acted toward

her father after her mom left. Sal understands what Phoebe is going through and she feels

sorry for her.

Multiple Choice

Short Answer

Long Answer

Walk Two Moons

53

Phoebe refers to Mike as “Mike the Lunatic”. What do you think Phoebe’s

nickname for Mike reveals about her and how she sees things?

Answers will vary.

Name:____________________________________________ Date:____________________________________________

Vocabulary Study - Answer Key

Chapters 31 - 35

shivery •

offend •

nonchalantly •

briskly •

consecutive •

refrained •

1. I set the table briskly as our guests were expected to arrive any minute.

2. The weather was quite shivery this morning so I wore a coat.

3. Sarah is a vegetarian so she refrained from eating the meatloaf.

4. Jan didn’t mean to oend Holly with her joke, but it seems she did.

5. I’ve gone to the basketball court after school for three consecutive days.

6. Kurt nonchalantly showed us how to do a very dicult skateboarding trick.

• quickly; with a lot of energy

• in a relaxed and casual way

• continuously; one after another

• stopped oneself from doing something

• causing one’s body to tremble

• to make someone feel hurt or upset

shivery offend nonchalantly briskly consecutive refrained

A Little

Extra!

Fill in the Blank

Complete each sentence by lling in the blanks with the provided vocabulary.

Match Up

Match the words in the left column to their denitions in the right column.

Walk Two Moons

54

Name:____________________________________________ Date:____________________________________________

Understanding the Story - Answer Key

Chapters 31 - 35

A Little

Extra!

Why do you think Sal’s teacher assigned the journal project? Do you think

it is an eective assignment? Why or why not?

Answers will vary.

1. Why does Sal have a change of heart

about Mrs. Cadaver in Chapter 33?

(a) She has dinner with her father

and Mrs. Cadaver.

(b) Mrs. Cadaver gives her a gift.

(c) Mrs. Cadaver’s mother tells Sal about her.

(d) Sal learns what happened to Mr. Cadaver.

2. Who is Mike’s father?

(a) Phoebe’s father.

(b) Mr. Birkway.

(c) Sal’s father.

(d) Sergeant Bickle.

3. According to Sal’s English teacher in Chapter 32, why is symbolism in literature fascinating?

Example - Symbols allow you to open your mind and see things from dierent perspectives.

4. In Chapter 34, Sal describes the day as “probably one of the best, and surely the worst” days

for Gram and Gramps. What would you identify as the “best” and “worst” parts of the day?

Answers will vary.

Multiple Choice

Short Answer

Long Answer

Walk Two Moons

55

Vocabulary Study - Answer Key

Chapters 36 - 40

Making Sentences - Answers will vary.

Make a sentence for each word below.

1. Dormitory: __________________________________________________________________________________

2. Roster: ______________________________________________________________________________________

3. Hunch: _______________________________________________________________________________________

4. Agitated: ____________________________________________________________________________________

5. Fiends: _______________________________________________________________________________________

6. Quizzical: ____________________________________________________________________________________

1. Troubled, nervous or worried. agitated

2. A list of people belonging to a certain group. roster

3. Expressing confusion in an amused way. quizzical

4. A building where students live. dormitory

5. People who are overly fond of or addicted to something. ends

6. An idea based on a gut feeling. hunch

dormitory roster hunch agitated ends quizzical

A Little

Extra!

Sal has a hunch where Ben’s mother is. Tell about a time you had a hunch about

something. Was your hunch correct?

Answers will vary.

Which Word?

On the provided lines, write the matching vocabulary word for each denition.

Name:____________________________________________ Date:___________________________________________

Walk Two Moons

56

Name:____________________________________________ Date:____________________________________________

Understanding the Story - Answer Key

Chapters 36 - 40

A Little

Extra!

Mrs. Partridge admits that she left the notes on Phoebe’s porch, saying

that they were meant to be gifts. Would you consider the messages she

left to be gifts? Why or why not?

Answers will vary.

1. Why does Sal go into the hospital

after she sees Phoebe’s mom?

(a) She is visiting a family member.

(b) She is looking for Ben.

(c) She wants to volunteer.

(d) She feels very sick.

2. Where do Ben and Sal

share their rst real kiss?

(a) At Sal’s house.

(b) On the roof of Mary Lou’s house.

(c) At school.

(d) In the hospital’s garden.

3. Why is Phoebe’s dad upset when he nds out about Mike?

Example - He feels betrayed that Phoebe’s mom didn’t tell him about Mike.

4. What secret does Sal learn about Ben in Chapter 37? How might this knowledge aect Ben and

Sal’s relationship?

Example - Sal learns that Ben’s mom is in the psychiatric ward at the hospital. She is sick and

isn’t there for him emotionally. Sal can empathize with Ben because both of their mothers

were unhappy and went away. Sal’s mom physically went away, and Ben’s mom pulled away

emotionally and then was admitted to the hospital. Both mothers had to leave their families

in order to heal. This may help to strengthen the bond between Ben and Sal.

Multiple Choice

Short Answer

Long Answer

Walk Two Moons

57

Sal feels that she became more independent after her mom left. When do

you feel independent from your parents? When do you feel like you still

need them?

Answers will vary.

Name:____________________________________________

Vocabulary Study - Answer Key

Chapters 41 - 44

intern •

independent •

scour •

incline •

despairing •

hankering •

1. As children grow up, they learn to become more and more ( despairing / independent ).

2. The hill’s steep ( incline / scour ) made for an exhausting hike.

3. I had a ( hankering / independent ) for apple pie, so I went to the market and bought one.

4. I plan to ( intern / scour ) the whole town until I nd my stolen bike.

5. After a hurricane destroyed our house, my family was ( despairing / hankering ) until our

neighbors oered to help.

6. The oce ( incline / intern ) delivers mail and makes coee.

• search

• slope

• trainee

• wanting

• hopeless

• self-reliant

A Little

Extra!

Best Word

Circle the word which works best in each sentence.

Match Up

Match the vocabulary words with their synonyms!

Date:___________________________________________

Walk Two Moons

58

Name:____________________________________________ Date:____________________________________________

Understanding the Story - Answer Key

Chapters 41 - 44

A Little

Extra!

Before Sal leaves the hospital to drive to Lewiston, she whispers something

in Gram’s ear. What do you think she whispers?

Answers will vary.

1. How did Mrs. Cadaver

know Sal’s mother?

(a) They were in a bus accident together.

(b) They were friends from college.

(c) They are distant relatives.

(d) They both dated Sal’s father.

2. What loving act does Gramps

do when Gram is in the hospital?

(a) He buys her owers.

(b) He writes her a love letter.

(c) He sings her favorite song.

(d) He plants a tree for her.

3. Sal thinks that the trip to Idaho was a gift from her grandparents. In what way is the trip a gift?

Example - The trip allows Sal to experience all of the things her mother did in her nal days.

It also gives her the closure she needs to admit that her mother is never coming back.

4. What does Sal remember about her dog, Moody Blue, when she was trying to wean her puppies?

How does this relate to Sal’s mother leaving?

Example - Sal recalls how Moody Blue pushed her puppies away and acted distant from them.

It seemed mean to Sal at the time. Sal now realizes that it was Moody Blue’s way of helping

her puppies become independent. Sal thinks one positive aspect of her mom leaving might be

that it helped her to separate from her mother and learn to take care of herself.

Multiple Choice

Short Answer

Long Answer

Walk Two Moons

59

Name:____________________________________________ Date:___________________________________________

Time for a Test! - Answer Key

Walk Two Moons

1. Why isn’t Sal happy with

their new house in Ohio?

(a) There are very few trees.

(b) There is no barn.

(c) There is no river.

(d) All of the above.

2. What is Mrs. Cadaver’s

occupation?

(a) Nurse.

(b) Farmer.

(c) Teacher.

(d) Secretary.

3. Why do Sal and her

grandparents have to leave

the river in Chapter 15?

(a)

A boy tries to rob them.

(b) They are running late and

need to get to Idaho soon.

(c) Sal’s grandmother has

to go to the hospital.

(d) They are getting sunburned.

4. Which of the following

is NOT a reason Sal gives

in Chapter 18 for her

mother leaving?

(a) Sal’s father is too good.

(b) She needed to clear her head.

(c) She needed to learn

more about herself.

(d) She needed to visit

an old friend.

5. Which is true about

Sal’s friend, Phoebe?

(a) She is proud of her family.

(b) She is critical of others.

(c) She blames her father

for her mother leaving.

(d) A and B.

6. According to the story

of Pandora’s box in Chapter 27,

what can be found amongst

evil and disease?

(a) Hope.

(b) Truth.

(c) Faith.

(d) Love.

7. What do Sal and Phoebe

do when they discover who

the lunatic is?

(a) They confront him.

(b) They warn Phoebe’s father.

(c) They tell the police about him.

(d) They go to his house.

8. How does Mrs. Partridge

know that Mike is Phoebe’s

brother?

(a) He tells her.

(b) Phoebe’s mom calls

Mrs. Partridge and tells

her why she left.

(c) She feels his face and it

feels similar to Phoebe’s.

(d) She overhears the

family talking.

9. Gram dies while Sal is

driving to Lewiston. What

causes Gram’s death?

(a) A snake bite.

(b) Cancer.

(c) A car accident.

(d) A stroke.

Part A – Multiple Choice

Walk Two Moons

60

Name:____________________________________________ Date:__________________________________________

Time for a Test! - Answer Key

Walk Two Moons

Part B – Short Answer

1. Explain the signicance of the brick replace Sal’s dad nds behind the plaster wall.

Which character does this remind you of?

Example - The replace signies the human tendency to put up a false front, and one’s

appearance and behavior sometimes mask their true feelings. False appearances can hide the

truth. Sal’s mother, Phoebe’s mother, and Phoebe are characters who behave in a false way to

hide truths about themselves.

2. In Chapter 27, Sal admits she worries even when things seem ne. What in her life has caused her

to worry like this?

Example - Sal is reminded of how her family seemed happy and healthy when preparing for

the arrival of a new baby, and then they were shocked when the baby was stillborn and her

mother would not be able to have any more children. Sal’s mother also left without warning.

Because of these events, she does not trust that things will not go wrong.

3. Why does Sal go to Lewiston with her grandparents? Why is it necessary for her to do this?

Example - Sal goes to Lewiston to visit her mother’s grave. This is the only way she is able to

face her mother’s death and admit that her mother is not coming home.

1. The title, Walk Two Moons, refers to the note left on Phoebe’s porch that says, “Don’t judge a man

until you’ve walked two moons in his moccasins.” Give an example of a character that judges

another character in the book only to be proven wrong.

Answers will vary.

2. Explain the moccasin game that Sal plays with Gramps at the end of the book. Could Sal have

played that game at the beginning of the book? Explain why or why not.

Example - Sal and Gramps take turns looking at things from another person’s perspective and

putting themselves in the other person’s “moccasins.” By telling Phoebe’s story, traveling to

visit her mother’s grave, and learning about Mrs. Cadaver, Sal has learned to step back and

analyze the reasons behind people’s actions. She was not able to do that at the beginning of

the book, so the moccasin game is much more meaningful to her now than it would have been

at the beginning of the book.

Part C – Long Answer

Walk Two Moons

61

Name:____________________________________________ Date:_________________________________________

Before Reading

Title of Book:

Author of Book:

Have you read anything by this author before? If so, what was it?

Read the back cover. What do you learn about the story from the back cover?

Look at the front cover. What hints do you think it gives about the story?

Based on the front and back covers, do you want to read this book? Why or why not?

Walk Two Moons

62

Who is Sharon Creech?

Use the internet and other resources to research the author of Walk Two Moons, Sharon Creech.

Name:____________________________________________ Date:____________________________________________

1. What do you already know about Sharon Creech?

2. What do you want to nd out about Sharon Creech?

3. What have you learned from your research?

4. Where did you get your information?

Before Researching

After Researching

Walk Two Moons

63

My Character Chart

Draw a picture and record important information about each important character as you read the text.

Name:____________________________________________ Date:_____________________________________

Walk Two Moons

64

My Character Chart (Cont’d)

Name:____________________________________________ Date:_____________________________________________

Walk Two Moons

65

Did any of your predictions come true?

What ended up happening in the story?

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Making Predictions

Can you predict the future? What do you think will happen next in the story? Write down two

predictions inside the crystal balls. Revisit this page later to answer the last question.

Name:____________________________________________ Date:_____________________________________

Walk Two Moons

66

_______________________________________

Why do you think this will happen?

3. Climax

The most exciting and emotional part of the story.

1. Exposition

We learn background information about the

story’s characters, setting, and basic plot.

5. Conclusion

The story comes to an end.

2. Rising Action

The things that happen to push

the story forward as we head

toward the climax.

4. Falling Action

The events that happened

during the climax are dealt with.

_______________________________

_____________________________

___________________________

__________________________

________________________

_______________________________

_____________________________

___________________________

__________________________

________________________

____________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________

Plot Mountain

A story’s plot is made up of ve parts: exposition, rising action, climax, falling action and

conclusion. After you’ve nished reading Walk Two Moons, ll in the spaces below.

Name:

____________________________________________ Date:_____________________________________

Walk Two Moons

67

Beginning

End

1

3

5

7

2

4

6

8

Story Timeline

Fill in the plot timeline by deciding on the most important plot points of Walk Two Moons

and recording them in the order they happen.

Name:

____________________________________________ Date:_____________________________________

Walk Two Moons

68

Example of Conflict Type of Conflict

Look for some examples of conict in Walk Two Moons

and add them to the chart below.

Man Versus Man

Two or more characters

struggle against each other.

Man Versus Society

A character struggles against

a part of society such as a

company, religion, school, etc.

Man Versus Nature

A character struggles against

a force of nature such as the

weather or an animal.

Man Versus Self

A character struggles

to overcome his or her

own weaknesses.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

What is Conflict?

Conict refers to the problems and challenges that make stories interesting and

move plots along. Conict is an important part of any story. Below are some of the

dierent conict types you may encounter as you read.

Name:

____________________________________________ Date:_____________________________________

Walk Two Moons

69

1. Describe the setting of Walk Two Moons. When and where does it take place?

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

3. Explain what you have drawn above.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2. Draw a picture of a setting described in the story.

Story Setting

The setting is the time and/or place in which a story happens.

Name:

____________________________________________ Date:_____________________________________

Walk Two Moons

70

Find three examples from the book that supports this as one of the themes.

One theme of Walk Two Moons is...

1. ____________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________

2. ____________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________

3. ____________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________

What is a Theme?

The theme a central topic or idea of a story. A story can have one or more themes.

Some examples of themes are acceptance, cooperation, bravery and determination.

What do you think one theme of Walk Two Moons is?

Name:

____________________________________________ Date:_____________________________________

Walk Two Moons

71

The Main Problem of the Story

Solution Idea 1

____________________________________

Solution Idea 3

____________________________________

Solution Idea 2

____________________________________

Solution Idea 4

____________________________________

Problem Solving

An important part of any story is the problem which the main character faces.

Write down the main problem faced in Walk Two Moons below, then brainstorm some

possible solutions to the problem.

Name:

____________________________________________ Date:_____________________________________

Walk Two Moons

72

Cause

Effect

Cause

Effect

Cause

Effect

Cause and Effect

An action or development in a story is the ‘cause’. The result of the action or

development is the ‘eect’. Find some examples of cause and eect in

Walk Two Moons and record them below.

Name:

____________________________________________ Date:_____________________________________

Walk Two Moons

73

Major Characters

Major characters play a big part in the story.

They inuence the plot and take part in solving

the main problem of the story.

Example(s) from the book:

Dynamic Characters

Dynamic characters change through the story,

usually because they overcome a challenge

which makes them grow as a person.

Example(s) from the book:

The Protagonist

The protagonist is the main character of

the story. Stories are often told from their

point of view.

Example(s) from the book:

Round Characters

Round characters have complicated

personalities and more than one character trait.

Example(s) from the book:

Minor Characters

Minor characters pop up to help (or hurt)

the story’s major characters.

Example(s) from the book:

Static Characters

Static characters do not change. Their

personalities and attitudes are the same at the

end of the story as they were at the beginning.

Example(s) from the book:

The Antagonist

The antagonist is the character

(or characters) who causes problems

for the protagonist.

Example(s) from the book:

Flat Characters

Flat characters don’t have complicated

personalities. Readers know them by only

one character trait.

Example(s) from the book:

Character Types

In ctional stories, there are many dierent types of characters that play dierent roles.

Read about dierent character types below, and decide which character from Walk Two Moons ts

each character type. (Some characters may t more than one character type).

Name:____________________________________________ Date:_____________________________________

Walk Two Moons

74

Relationship Key

Friends

Family

Enemies

Classmates/Co-workers

Teacher/Boss

Other

Character Map

Write a dierent character name in each bubble below. Then, draw dierent styles

of lines in dierent colors (as shown in the Relationship Key) to show the relationships

between each character.

Name:____________________________________________ Date:_____________________________________

Walk Two Moons

75

1. ________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

2. ________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

3. ________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

4. _______________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

O

P

I

N

I

O

N

S

A fact is something that is proven to be true.

An example of a fact is, “The month after July is August”.

An opinion is a feeling or belief about something.

An example of an opinion is, “July is the best month of the year!”

In the spaces below, record four facts and four opinions about Walk Two Moons.