Walk Two Moons, by Sharon Creech, is about a young girl named Sal who is embarking on a cross-country road trip with her grandparents to bring her mother back home. As she travels, she tells her grandparents the story of her friend Phoebe, a wacky tale that involves a lunatic, mysterious messages, and Phoebe’s mother’s disappearance. Phoebe’s story mirrors Sal’s and helps Sal come to terms with the loss of her mother.
Walk Two Moons deals with many character related topics: the issue of losing a loved one through separation or death, the danger of prejudging, what makes a “good person,” personal growth, empathy for others, family and how they shape our identity, and the importance of friendship and shared experiences.
In order to delve into these topics, I created several activities for teaching this novel which can be found on the assignments page. In the Read and Respond, students will analyze the mysterious messages received by Phoebe both in writing and through class discussions. Cooperative Learning features activities focused on teamwork. These activities will build a classroom community while creating a better understanding of the novel. The Perspectives lesson will use Mt. Rushmore and the Crazy Horse Memorial to create awareness of the lives of different people in America’s history, specifically Native Americans and their treatment. Finally, the links page includes videos and websites that relate to the novel or assignments.
