Objectives

• Analyse how Creech uses a frame narrative — Sal's road trip with Gram and Gramps alongside her retelling of Phoebe's story — to delay and deepen the revelation of Sal's own loss.
• Identify and explain how Creech's imagery of nature (blackberries, the singing tree, the rhododendron) is connected to Sal's memories of her mother Sugar.
• Evaluate how Sal's narrative voice changes across the novel as she moves from denial to acceptance of her mother's death.
• Analyse how secondary characters — particularly Phoebe Winterbottom and Mrs Winterbottom — act as mirrors that help Sal understand her own family and grief.
• Write a sustained, evidenced analytical paragraph using the P-E-E structure, selecting and embedding quotations from named chapters.
• Construct a full analytical essay arguing how Creech uses journey — both literal and emotional — to explore the theme of loss.

The sequence

1. Lesson 1: Two Journeys at Once: Mapping the Frame Narrative

   55 min · ch. 1, 2, 3, 4

   Do now

   The novel's opening line in Chapter 1 states, "Gramps says that I am a country girl at heart." This suggests that Sal has a strong connection to her rural roots, hinting at a lifestyle or values tied to the countryside. It makes me wonder: what experiences shaped her identity as a country girl?

   Teacher input

   Model after Chapters 1 and 2: demonstrate to students how Creech initiates two parallel journeys — the car trip west with Gram and Gramps, and Sal's recounting of Phoebe's tale — by marking the moment in Chapter 2 ('The Chickabiddy Starts a Story') when Gramps prompts Sal to 'start from the beginning', leading her to narrate Phoebe. Discuss why Creech chooses to delay Sal's own story: what knowledge does the reader possess, what information is kept back, and how does this layered approach impact the narrative? Create a basic two-column timeline on the board labeled 'Road Trip' and 'Phoebe's Story', and organize events from Chapters 1 and 2 into each respective column.

   Independent task

   Using Chapters 1–4, students will fill out a two-column timeline with a structured worksheet. They need to include at least four events in the 'Road Trip' column and four in the 'Phoebe's Story' column. Below the timeline, students will write a complete P-E-E paragraph that responds to the question: 'How does Creech create suspense about Sal's own story in the opening of Chapter 2 when Gramps asks Sal to "start from the beginning"?'. They should include at least one quotation from either Chapter 1 or 2 and discuss why Creech opts to have Sal retell events instead of presenting them directly.

   Exit ticket

   In one sentence, explain what the frame narrative is and write one reason why Creech might have chosen to hide Sal's story inside Phoebe's story.

2. Lesson 2: Nature as Memory: Blackberries, Trees and Sugar

   55 min · ch. 6, 9, 14, 16

   Do now

   Revisit the section in Chapter 6 ('Blackberries') where Sal shares her experience of picking blackberries with her mother. Note three specific details that Creech mentions about the blackberries, and then write a sentence about what you believe blackberries symbolize for Sal at this stage in the story.

   Teacher input

   Model a close reading of the passage in Chapter 9 ('The Singing Tree'), where Sal talks about the tree her mother used to sing to. On the visualiser, highlight the personification of the tree when Sal notes that 'it was singing back.' Pay attention to the verbs Creech selects to describe Sugar's connection with nature, and examine how they contrast with Sal's current emotional numbness compared to the tree's vibrant life. Clearly identify the technique of using extended nature imagery as a way to evoke memory. Additionally, point out how this same imagery appears again in Chapter 16 ('The Singing Tree Revisited') but carries a different emotional tone, prompting students to consider what this change might signify.

   Independent task

   Students are tasked with writing two connected analytical paragraphs. In the first paragraph, they will analyze how Creech uses blackberry imagery in Chapter 6 to portray Sugar as a vivid, sensory presence in Sal's memory. They should include at least one quotation and explain the impact of a specific word or phrase. The second paragraph will focus on how the singing tree in Chapter 9 continues this trend of nature imagery, discussing what the tree symbolizes for Sal and how Creech's language choices (students must identify at least one technique) express Sal's grief. Finally, students should conclude with a sentence that links the two images: what does Creech imply about the connection between the natural world and Sal's capacity to remember her mother?

   Exit ticket

   Name one nature image from today's chapters and write a full sentence explaining what it reveals about Sal's feelings towards her mother.

3. Lesson 3: Phoebe as Mirror: What Mrs Winterbottom's Disappearance Reveals About Sal

   55 min · ch. 8, 11, 12, 13, 15

   Do now

   In Chapter 8 ('The Lunatic'), Phoebe refers to the mysterious visitor as a 'lunatic' and becomes convinced that her family is in danger. Phoebe tends to react to uncertainty with fear and suspicion, while Sal, who is more level-headed, likely feels a mix of concern for Phoebe and a desire to reassure her, as evidenced by her attempts to be supportive throughout the story.

   Teacher input

   Model a character comparison using Chapter 11 ('Fishes and Chickens') and Chapter 12 ('The Marriage Bed'). Highlight the moment when Sal notices Phoebe's anxiety about her mother's absence and recognizes — though she doesn't voice it yet — that Phoebe's fear reflects her own feelings of losing Sugar. Guide students on how to follow Sal's narrative voice for irony: while she narrates Phoebe's story with empathy, there's also a sense of distance that suggests Sal already understands this kind of loss. Show how to write a comparison sentence using the structure 'While Phoebe… Sal…' and illustrate how Creech uses Phoebe's experiences to help Sal confront her own grief from a slight distance.

   Independent task

   Students will compose a structured comparison paragraph (at least eight sentences) addressing the question: 'How does Creech use Phoebe's response to her mother's disappearance in Chapters 11 and 12 to highlight Sal's own hidden grief?' To complete this task, students must: (a) include a quote from at least one of Chapters 11 or 12 that illustrates Phoebe's behavior; (b) quote or closely paraphrase a moment where Sal's narrative voice reveals her own emotions; and (c) craft a concluding sentence that explains what Creech accomplishes by having Sal narrate a story that closely mirrors her own.

   Exit ticket

   Write one full sentence explaining why Creech might have given Sal a friend whose mother also disappears, rather than simply telling Sal's story directly.

4. Lesson 4: Voice and Acceptance: How Sal Changes by Chapter 23

   55 min · ch. 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23

   Do now

   In Chapter 17, titled 'In the Course of a Lifetime,' the character Sal poses the question, "In the course of a lifetime, what does it matter?" This line reflects her contemplation of the significance of her experiences and choices as she navigates her journey, suggesting a moment of introspection about what truly holds value for her at this stage.

   Teacher input

   Model a tracking-the-voice exercise using Chapters 17 and 23 from 'The Badlands.' On the board, place two short passages side by side: Sal's voice in Chapter 17, where she still deflects by using Phoebe's story as a shield, and her voice in Chapter 23 as she arrives in the Badlands and starts to confront the reality of her mother's death. Annotate the differences in sentence length, changes in pronoun use (noting when Sal shifts from referring to 'Phoebe's mother' to 'my mother'), and whether nature imagery is present or absent. This exercise will help students track narrative voice throughout the text. For example, you could say, "By Chapter 23, Creech indicates Sal's growing acceptance through…"

   Independent task

   Students will compose a three-paragraph analytical response to the question: "How does Sal's narrative voice evolve from Chapter 17 to Chapter 23 to illustrate her transition from denial to acceptance of her mother's death?" In the first paragraph, students should analyze Sal's voice in Chapter 17, including at least one quotation and identifying a specific technique. The second paragraph should focus on her voice in Chapter 23, again incorporating a quotation and naming a technique. The final paragraph must discuss what Creech accomplishes by situating this shift in Sal's voice at the moment she arrives in the Badlands, a landscape marked by exposed, stripped-down terrain, and connect this setting to Sal's emotional state.

   Exit ticket

   Write one full sentence identifying the single most important moment in Chapters 17–23 where you can see Sal beginning to accept her mother's death, and explain in a second sentence why that moment is significant.

5. Lesson 5: Journey's End: Writing a Full Analytical Essay on Loss and Home

   60 min · ch. 1, 2, 6, 9, 11, 12, 14, 19, 20, 23, 24, 25

   Do now

   Revisit the last paragraph of Chapter 24 ('Homecoming') and the first paragraph of Chapter 25 ('Salamanca's Story Ends'). In two sentences, reflect on what Sal has lost by the novel's conclusion and what she may have discovered, if anything. Don't stress about getting it perfect; just share your initial thoughts before we start writing.

   Teacher input

   Model the essay introduction based on Chapter 25: begin by demonstrating how to open with a clear argument rather than a plot summary. Write a model first sentence on the board: "In Walk Two Moons, Sharon Creech uses the journey from Ohio to Lewiston, Idaho to illustrate Sal's emotional transition from denial to acceptance of her mother's death." After that, annotate this sentence: it identifies the author, the technique (structural parallel), and the central argument (emotional arc). Next, show students how to select two quotations from Chapter 25 that could serve as anchors for the body paragraphs. Emphasize the importance of choosing quotations that highlight a technique worthy of analysis instead of simply stating a fact.

   Independent task

   Write a complete analytical essay consisting of four to five paragraphs (around 400–500 words) that addresses the question: 'How does Creech use the theme of journey to explore loss and the search for home in Walk Two Moons?' Your essay should include: an introduction that presents a clear argument about how the journey structure influences the novel's meaning; a paragraph discussing the road trip with Gram and Gramps (Chapters 1–4 and 23–25) that examines how the physical journey reflects Sal's emotional state, incorporating at least one embedded quotation; a paragraph focused on a nature image from Chapters 6, 9, or 14 that links Sal's memories of Sugar to her sense of home; a paragraph analyzing how Sal's relationship with Phoebe (Chapters 11–12 or 19–20) aids Sal in processing her own grief; and a conclusion that revisits your initial argument and clarifies what Sal comes to understand by the end of Chapter 25 that she did not grasp in Chapter 1. Your essay must include at least four quotations, reference at least two literary techniques, and maintain a formal analytical tone throughout.

   Exit ticket

   Read back your introduction and write one sentence explaining what your essay argues about the relationship between journey and loss in this novel — if you cannot write that sentence, revise your introduction before you leave.

Activities

Assessment

• Lesson 1 exit ticket: checks whether students can define the frame narrative and articulate one reason for Creech's structural choice, not merely describe what happens in Chapters 1–2.
• Lesson 2 exit ticket: checks whether students can name a specific nature image and connect it to Sal's emotional state, rather than giving a general statement about grief.
• Lesson 3 paragraph: checks whether students can write a comparison that moves between Phoebe's behaviour and Sal's unspoken feelings, embedding quotation from named chapters.
• Lesson 4 three-paragraph response: checks whether students can track a change in narrative voice across two chapters, naming technique and connecting setting (the Badlands) to character.
• Quotation Selection Challenge activity: checks whether students can distinguish between quotations that carry a technique worth analysing and those that merely state plot, before they write the summative essay.

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.
• RL.11-12.5 — Analyse how an author's choices concerning how to structure specific parts of a text contribute to its overall structure and meaning.
• 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 the literary work and supports it with evidence.
• Figurative Language (FIG-1) — Explain the function of figurative language in a literary text, including imagery and extended metaphor.
• Narrator and Point of View (NAR-1) — Analyse how the narrator's perspective shapes the reader's understanding of characters and events.
• Structure (STR-1) — Explain how the author's structural choices — including frame narrative and delayed revelation — contribute to the work's meaning.

AQA

• AO1 — Read, understand and respond to texts; maintain a critical style and develop an informed personal response; 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.
• AO3 — Show understanding of the relationships between texts and the contexts in which they were written and received.

Edexcel

• AO1 — Articulate informed, personal and creative responses to literary texts, using associated concepts and terminology, and coherent, accurate written expression.
• AO2 — Analyse ways in which meanings are shaped in literary texts, with particular attention to the use of narrative voice, imagery, and structural patterning.
• AO4 — Explore connections across literary texts, including how writers use parallel characters and mirroring to develop theme.

IB Lit

• Criterion A — Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the literary work, including its themes, characters, and narrative structure.
• Criterion B — Analyse how the author's use of language, imagery, and narrative technique creates meaning and effect.
• Criterion C — Develop and sustain a focused literary argument supported by well-chosen textual evidence.