Objectives

• Analyse how Curtis uses Bud's first-person voice and 'Rules and Things' to present resilience and identity in Chapters 1–6.
• Explain how Curtis uses the Hooverville scene in Chapter 9 to explore race, class, and community during the Great Depression.
• Trace how Curtis develops the relationship between Bud and Herman E. Calloway across Chapters 11–19, using specific quotations.
• Write an evidenced analytical paragraph using the Point–Evidence–Explain structure on a named passage from the novel.
• Evaluate how Curtis uses the motif of Angela Janet Caldwell's flyers and rocks to connect the themes of memory, family, and hope across the whole novel.

The sequence

1. Lesson 1: Who Is Bud Caldwell? Voice, Rules, and Survival in Chapters 1–3

   55 min · ch. 2, 3

   Do now

   Read Rules and Things Number 83 from Chapter 3: 'When You Wake Up and Don't Know Where You Are, Don't Move, Just Open Your Eyes and Look Around.' This rule suggests that Bud has experienced disorientation upon waking, hinting at a life filled with uncertainty and possibly instability before the story even begins.

   Teacher input

   Model a close reading of the opening paragraph of Chapter 1, where Bud clarifies: 'My name is Bud, not Buddy.' Illustrate how the short, straightforward sentence asserts his identity—Bud claims ownership of his name, as it’s one of the few things he can control. Guide students in annotating for tone (defiant, wry), word choice ('not Buddy' as a negation that shapes his identity), and what this correction reveals about power dynamics and self-perception. Use a visual annotation on the board, identifying the technique, its effect, and its connection to the theme of identity.

   Independent task

   Students should read Rules and Things Number 3 (Chapter 2) and Number 118 (Chapter 3) thoroughly. After that, they will write an analytical paragraph consisting of at least eight sentences that explains what two of Bud's rules reveal about his character and his situation. The paragraph must directly quote from each rule, identify at least one language technique Curtis employs (such as humour, understatement, or list), and conclude with a sentence that links the rules to the theme of resilience. Students are to submit the annotated rules together with the paragraph.

   Exit ticket

   In exactly two sentences, explain why Curtis writes Bud's rules in capital letters and numbered format rather than as ordinary thoughts — what does that choice tell the reader about how Bud sees the world?

2. Lesson 2: Running and Remembering: Bud's Journey Begins in Chapters 4–7

   55 min · ch. 4, 5, 6, 7

   Do now

   1. Bud's mother, Angela Janet Caldwell, is deceased.
   2. She had a close relationship with Bud, who remembers her fondly.
   3. Angela's past includes a connection to a man named Herman E. Calloway.

   Her flyers might play a crucial role later in the novel by helping Bud uncover more about his mother's life and his own identity.

   Teacher input

   Model how to interpret the moment in Chapter 6 when Bud opens his suitcase and lists his belongings — the flyers, the rocks, the photograph. Highlight how Curtis intentionally slows down the narrative pace here: each item is given its own sentence, reflecting the careful way Bud treats them. Help students connect the suitcase motif to the theme of memory and the past by quoting the line 'These things are mine and they're all I've got' (Chapter 6) and discussing how the possessive pronoun 'mine' resonates with the name correction in Chapter 1.

   Independent task

   Students will independently re-read the suitcase passage in Chapter 6 and write a structured response consisting of two paragraphs. In Paragraph 1, analyze how Curtis uses the list of objects to reflect Bud's emotional state, incorporating quotes from at least two items in the list and identifying the structural technique of listing. In Paragraph 2, explain what one of the flyers — specifically the one advertising Herman E. Calloway and the Nubian Knights — indicates about Bud's hope for the future, making sure to use the term 'foreshadowing' correctly. Both paragraphs should be submitted with the relevant lines underlined in the text.

   Exit ticket

   Write one sentence that completes this claim and then justifies it: 'Curtis uses Bud's suitcase in Chapter 6 as a symbol of _______ because _______.'

3. Lesson 3: Hooverville: Race, Class, and Community in Chapter 9

   55 min · ch. 9

   Do now

   Look at the term 'Hooverville' on the board. Write a sentence about what you think it represents, and then write another sentence about what the name suggests regarding who people held responsible for the Great Depression—drawing from your historical knowledge or the context clues in the word itself.

   Teacher input

   Read aloud the passage in Chapter 9 where Bud and Bugs arrive at the Hooverville camp, and Bud observes how Black and white families are divided by an invisible line. Demonstrate how to identify Curtis's use of juxtaposition — the shared poverty experienced by both sides of the line contrasted with the enforced racial separation. Discuss how the phrase 'just like the rest of America' (Chapter 9) serves as social commentary, encapsulating a whole historical reality in a single simile. Teach students to write about context while staying connected to the text: each contextual reference should link back to a specific word or phrase.

   Independent task

   Students will compose two analytical paragraphs that respond to the following question: How does Curtis utilize the Hooverville scene in Chapter 9 to illustrate that poverty did not eliminate racial inequality in America during the 1930s? In the first paragraph, students should analyze the depiction of the divided camp, incorporating at least one quote and explaining its impact. The second paragraph should focus on Bud's reaction and what it indicates about his comprehension of his surroundings, also including a direct quotation. Additionally, students are required to use the term 'juxtaposition' or 'contrast' correctly in at least one of the paragraphs.

   Exit ticket

   In two or three sentences, explain what Curtis wants the reader to feel about 1930s America by showing that even in a camp of people who have lost everything, racial segregation is still enforced — and identify the specific word or phrase from Chapter 9 that made you think that.

4. Lesson 4: Grandfather and Grandson: Conflict and Recognition in Chapters 11–16

   55 min · ch. 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16

   Do now

   Read this line from Chapter 11, when Bud first meets Herman E. Calloway: 'He was old and mean-looking.' Write three questions you want answered about Herman E. Calloway by the end of the novel, then rank them in order of importance and explain why your top choice matters in one sentence.

   Teacher input

   Model a character-tracking analysis on the exchange between Bud and Herman E. Calloway in Chapter 15, where Herman dismisses Bud's claim of being connected to him, and Bud reveals the rocks with place names written on them. Highlight how Curtis employs dramatic irony in this scene — readers have an inkling of the truth before Herman acknowledges it — and illustrate how Curtis delays Herman's emotional reaction until the scene's conclusion, creating tension through brief, abrupt dialogue. Annotate the dialogue for sentence length, punctuation (notably the long pause before Herman responds), and the transition from Herman's dismissive tone to his silence.

   Independent task

   Students should revisit the confrontation scene in Chapter 15 and the moment of recognition in Chapter 16. Then, they need to craft three analytical paragraphs that answer this question: How does Curtis develop the relationship between Bud and Herman E. Calloway from hostility to recognition across Chapters 11–16? In the first paragraph, discuss Herman's initial hostility in Chapter 11 and include a quotation. The second paragraph should analyze the tension during the rock scene in Chapter 15, using a quotation and commenting on Curtis's use of dramatic irony. Finally, the third paragraph must explain what Herman's emotional response in Chapter 16 reveals about his character, including at least one quoted word or phrase. Each paragraph should consist of at least six sentences.

   Exit ticket

   Write one sentence explaining why Curtis chooses to make Herman E. Calloway hostile and unwelcoming at first, rather than warm — what does that structural choice add to the emotional impact of the revelation in Chapter 16?

5. Lesson 5: Summative Essay: Hope, Memory, and Identity Across the Whole Novel

   60 min · ch. 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19

   Do now

   Without referring to your notes, jot down three quotes from the novel that you feel most encapsulate the theme of hope. Rank them from 1 to 3 and provide a sentence for your top choice that clearly explains why that quote conveys a sense of hope.

   Teacher input

   Model the essay introduction on the board using the question that students are about to answer. Show them how to craft a thesis statement that includes Curtis, the theme, and a specific technique. For example, you might say: "Curtis uses the recurring motif of Angela Janet Caldwell's flyers and the labelled rocks to illustrate that hope and memory are inseparable for Bud, since the objects connecting him to his past are also the ones guiding him toward his future." Explain to the students that this sentence accomplishes three things at once: it identifies a technique (motif), connects two themes (hope and memory), and presents a debatable claim. Annotate this model sentence on the board so students can follow its structure in their own writing.

   Independent task

   Write a sustained analytical essay of four to five paragraphs—approximately 400–500 words—responding to the following question: How does Curtis use the motifs of Angela Janet Caldwell's flyers and Herman E. Calloway's labelled rocks to explore the themes of hope, memory, and family in Bud, Not Buddy? Your essay must include: a thesis-driven introduction that identifies Curtis and at least one technique; a paragraph discussing the flyers in Chapters 1–6 that quotes at least one specific line and explains how the language of that line conveys hope or longing; a paragraph on the rocks in Chapters 6 and 15 that quotes the place names or the moment of recognition and explains how Curtis uses these objects to connect the past with the present; a paragraph on the resolution in Chapters 17–19 that analyzes how Curtis brings the motifs together to suggest that family and identity are discovered, rather than simply inherited; and a conclusion that makes a final evaluative judgment about which motif Curtis employs more powerfully and why. You must use the words 'motif', 'foreshadowing', and 'juxtaposition' correctly at least once each. Write in formal analytical English throughout.

   Exit ticket

   Read back your thesis sentence — the one that names Curtis, a technique, and a claim — and then write one honest sentence explaining what you would change about it now that you have finished the essay and why that change would make your argument stronger.

Activities

Assessment

• Lesson 1 exit ticket: checks whether students can connect a specific authorial choice — capitalisation and numbering — to a thematic interpretation of Bud's worldview, rather than simply describing the rules.
• Lesson 2 paragraph hand-in: checks whether students can use the word 'foreshadowing' correctly in context and can link a concrete object (the flyer) to an abstract theme (hope).
• Lesson 3 exit ticket: checks whether students can move from textual evidence to social-historical commentary without losing the quotation as their anchor.
• Lesson 4 three-paragraph response: checks whether students can sustain a character-development argument across multiple chapters, using dramatic irony as a named technique.
• Motif Tracker activity (Lesson 5 preparation): checks whether students have identified every significant appearance of the flyers and rocks before they write the summative essay, ensuring the essay is grounded in the whole text rather than one or two moments.

Standards covered

Common Core 11 12

• RL.11-12.1 — Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
• RL.11-12.3 — Analyse the impact of the author's choices regarding how to develop and relate elements of a story or drama, including character, setting, and plot.
• RL.11-12.4 — Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyse the impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone.
• RL.11-12.6 — Analyse a case in which grasping a point of view or cultural experience reflected in a work of literature from outside the United States or from a non-dominant culture requires referencing both the text and the historical context in which it was written.
• W.11-12.9 — Draw evidence from literary texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.

AP Literature

• Literary Argumentation (LAN-1) — Develop a thesis that makes a defensible claim about an interpretation of literature and use evidence from the text to support and develop the line of reasoning.
• Figurative Language (FIG-1) — Explain the function of specific words and phrases in a literary text, including connotative meanings, metaphor, and symbol.
• Character (CHR-1) — Explain the function of a character, including how character development contributes to the meaning of a literary work as a whole.
• Narration (NAR-1) — Explain the function of point of view and narrative perspective, including how a first-person narrator's reliability and voice shape meaning.
• Structure (STR-1) — Explain how an author's structural choices, including the use of motif and foreshadowing, contribute to the overall meaning of a literary work.

AQA

• AO1 — Read, understand and respond to texts; sustain a critical stance and use textual references, including quotations, to support and illustrate interpretations.
• AO2 — Analyse the language, form and structure used by a writer to create meanings and effects, using relevant subject terminology where appropriate.
• AO3 — Show understanding of the relationships between texts and the contexts in which they were written, read and received.
• AO4 — Use a range of vocabulary and sentence structures for clarity, purpose and effect, with accurate spelling and punctuation.

Edexcel

• AO1 — Maintain a critical style and develop an informed personal response, using textual references including quotations to support and illustrate interpretations.
• AO2 — Analyse the language, form and structure used by a writer to create meanings and effects, using relevant subject terminology where appropriate.
• AO3 — Show understanding of the relationships between texts and the contexts in which they were written and received.

IB Lit

• Criterion A — Knowledge, understanding and interpretation: demonstrate detailed knowledge of the text and construct a sustained, well-supported interpretation.
• Criterion B — Analysis and evaluation: analyse how the author's choices of language, structure, technique and style shape meaning and achieve effects.
• Criterion C — Focus and organisation: organise ideas into a coherent, well-structured argument with a clear line of reasoning.