Nested Frame & Plot
Clue: What is the 2,000-mile cross-country trip Sal takes with Gram and Gramps called in the novel's overall structure?
Answer: What is the outer frame narrative?
How does Phoebe serve as a character foil (opposite) to Sal?
While Sal internalizes her grief, Phoebe externalizes her fear and denial through overactive imagination and wild conspiracy theories.
Finish the first mysterious porch note: "Don't judge a man until you've walked two moons in his..."
What is "...moccasins"?
What natural symbol represents comfort, memory, and emotional healing for Sal?
What is the singing tree?
What does the acronym FAST stand for in characterization strategy (ELA.6.C.3.1.a)?
What is Feelings, Actions, Sayings, Thoughts?
To entertain her grandparents on the road trip, Sal spins a yarn about this eccentric friend from Euclid, Ohio.
Who is Phoebe Winterbottom?
Who is revealed as the sole survivor of the bus crash who held Sal's mother's hand in her final moments?
Who is Margaret Cadaver?
Which porch message reminds us that while grief is inevitable, we must not let sadness overtake or control our lives?
What is "You can't keep the birds of sadness from flying over your head, but you can keep them from nesting in your hair"?
What sweet taste represents fond memories of Sal's mother and blossoming affection between Sal and Ben?
What are blackberry kisses?
What narrative technique involves starting a story in the middle of action or dialogue rather than with a flat intro (ELA.6.C.3.1.c)?
What is in media res?
What city and state is the final destination of the road trip where Sal's mother's bus trip ended?
What is Lewiston, Idaho?
Who is revealed to be the anonymous person leaving mysterious blue notes on Phoebe's front porch?
Who is Mrs. Partridge?
Which porch message warns that people are often too consumed by their own internal worries to notice others?
What is "Everyone has his own agenda"?
What physical object represents deep family roots, enduring love, and belonging for Gram and Gramps?
What is the marriage bed?
Rewriting "She was terrified" into "Her knees buckled as an icy chill ran down her spine" follows what core ELA writing technique (ELA.6.C.3.1.d)?
What is "Show, Don't Tell"?
What famous national landmark in Wyoming do Gram, Gramps, and Sal visit where Gram experiences pure joy?
What is Old Faithful at Yellowstone National Park?
Who turns out to be Mrs. Winterbottom's long-lost son whom she gave up for adoption before her marriage?
Who is Mike Bickle ("The Lunatic")?
What figure from Greek mythology leaves all world evils in a box, but keeps Hope at the bottom?
Who is Pandora?
What physical reaction does Sal repeatedly exhibit when someone tries to touch her, showing her emotional guards?
What is flinching?
Words such as suddenly, meanwhile, and before long are known as what type of narrative writing transitions (ELA.6.C.3.1.e)?
What are temporal transitions?
What game do Sal and Gramps invent on their drive home from Idaho to practice seeing the world through other people's eyes?
What is the "moccasin game"?
What unexpected family relation exists between English teacher Mr. Birkway and Margaret Cadaver?
They are twin brother and sister.
How does the theme of "perfectionism" negatively impact the Winterbottom family?
Their obsession with neatness and respectability prevents them from expressing honest feelings or recognizing Mrs. Winterbottom's deep sadness.
What gift does Ben give Sal near the end of the story, which she names after a fruit?
What is a chicken named Blackberry?
How do authors control pacing during high-stakes climax moments in a narrative (ELA.6.C.3.1.f)?
By slowing down time and describing exact physical reactions and actions step-by-step.