Moonpie and Ivy

 Teacher’s Guide for
Moonpie and Ivy by Barbara O’Connor

Prediction Guide
Pre-reading
1. Who do you suppose is Moonpie and Ivy? Do you think one is the main character?
2. Just by looking that the cover of the book, predict what you think the story will be about.
3. Read just the first page. “I hate to tell you this, honey, but your mama’s done gone off the deep end.” Predict what this means to Pearl, and what will happen to her Mama.
Chapter 1
1. Is her Momma just getting groceries at the 7-Eleven or buying cigarettes? What makes you think so?
2. Why do you think her granddaddy, “ liked to cried his eyes out at the site of that picture?”
3. Does Pearl really hate her Mama?
Chapter 2
1. Will Pearl and Ivy get along? What makes you think so?
2. Will her Mama be back today? Why or why not?
Chapter 3
1. Will Moonpie and Pearl become friends?
2. What will happen next?
Chapter 4
1. Why does Pearl keep shoving stuff back into her duffel bag? Will she keep doing this?
2. What did Pearl steal? Will she get caught?
Chapter 5
1. Do you think her Mama’s hurt? Why or why not.
2. Will they find Pearl’s father?
Chapter 6
1. Will Pearl ever go into Moonpie’s house?
2. Will Pearl send her Mama all those postcards? Why or why not?
Chapter 7
1. Will Pearl like John Dee or not?
2. What will happen with Moonpie’s social worker?
3. Will Pearl stay jealous of Moonpie, Ivy and John Dee?
Chapter 8
1. Will Pearl ask Ivy about what she saw in the woods?
2. Do you think Pearl will want to learn more about her family?
Chapter 9
1. What will happen with Mama Nell?
2. Will she end up going to Moonpie’s to play games?
Chapter 10
1. Will Ruby come back and make amends with both Pearl and Ivy?
2. Who will love Pearl too?
Chapter 11
1. Will Pearl go back to the cemetery? Why do you suppose she wants to?
2. Will Pearl keep the secret?
Chapter 12
1. Will the police find Ruby?
2. Will Pearl stay with Ivy? Why or why not?
3. Why does Pearl write that message on the postcard?
Chapter 13
1. Will Pearl be like Ruby someday?
2. Mama Nell could use some help, will Pearl help and become her friend?
Chapter 14
1. What will happen to Moonpie?
2. Do you think Pearl will keep the bird?
Chapter 15
1. What were John Dee and Ivy doing?
Chapter 16
1. Can Pearl be adopted too?
2. What will happen when they find out what she did?
Chapter 17
1. Can Pearl find happiness for herself?
2. Will Ivy someday say what Pearl wants to hear?
Chapter 18
1. How will Pearl be different in the future?
2. Do you think she’ll steal ever again? Why or why not.
Chapter 19
1. Will Pearl someday see Moonpie and Ivy again?
2. Who will Pearl be more like someday: Ivy or Ruby?
3. Where and when will she find hope growing? What makes you think so?
Comprehension/ Quiz Questions
Knowledge:
1. Tell who the main characters are in this story and their relationship to the main character, Pearl.
2. List at least three mistakes Pearl makes while staying at Ivy’s
Comprehension:
1. Retell the key events of the story in your own words.
2. Explain why Pearl is not very good at getting along in a “normal life.”
Application:
1. Decide what consequences Ruby should face when she returns for Pearl.
2. Make a list of things Pearl has learned in her brief stay with Ivy.
Analysis:
1. How would this story be different if told through the eyes of Moonpie?
2. How do the postcards that Pearl writes reflect how she is feeling at Ivy’s house?
Synthesis:
1. How would you feel if you were Pearl? Moonpie? Ivy?
2. 2. How would you have handled Pearl’s stealing of the necklace? Would you have confronted her?
Evaluation:
1. Predict what will happen in Arizona.
2. How do you think this story would have been different if there was no Moonpie?
Multiple Intelligence Projects for
Moonpie and Ivy by Barbara O’Connor
Verbal/ Linguistic (I could just copy the example from my website and paste it in here, if you prefer)
Create a found poem using Moonpie and Ivy as the text of inspiration. What you do is find your favorite scene and then condense all the words into the smallest amount to keep the meaning. Play with line breaks, and even single word sentences for impact. Be sure to give Barbara O’Connor original credit, but give yourself credit for unearthing a poem inside a prose piece! Find examples on http://www.tracievaughnzimmer.com
in the poetry resource pages, click on found poems for a student example.
Logical/ Mathematical
Create two venn diagrams (intersecting circles) comparing: Ruby and Ivy and another comparing Moonpie and Pearl. Be sure to brainstorm all the ways they can be compared: personality, family, looks, etc.
Visual/ Spatial
Create a collage to represent the themes of the novel. As a class, or on your own, think about what the book was overall about to you: (hope? family? love?) You can use newspapers for words, magazines to get pictures, even real objects (like a sunflower seed maybe?) to create your artwork. Be sure to put the title and author somewhere on the piece, and then display it!
Body/Kinesthetic
Brainstorm a list of several scenes where Pearl does not say or do what she is thinking. Many times Pearl could have made stronger connections with people had she simply trusted her own heart. After you’ve found one you’re particularly fond of, act out the scene with a partner, as if Pearl HAD followed her inner voice. Discuss then how the outcomes might have been different.
Musical
Pretend that you are scoring the movie version of Moonpie and Ivy. Choose a scene and also a song that you think would work well as background music, or in the CD that will be available to accompany it. Explain why you picked that piece of music in a short journal.
Interpersonal
Cooperative Learning:
In partners summarize each chapter in no more than two sentences. Be sure you’ve addressed the main idea!
Intrapersonal
In the final scene, Pearl is blocking out her mother’s crazy scheming, and concentrating on her own thoughts. She is repeating Ivy’s phone number over and again in her head to soothe her, kind of like a lullaby. What things do you say to yourself when you’re nervous or upset? Can you make a list of three things that you could turn to if you were in a negative situation? What item could you keep near you to remind you of others who love you (like the ballet necklace and the sunflower seeds)?

Greetings from Nowhere

Tracie Vaughn Zimmer Children's Author & Literacy Specialist Biography   |   Books by Tracie   |    Blog   |    Poetry House   |   School Visits  | Teacher Guides   |   Home

Greetings from Nowhere by Barb O’Connor About the book Aggie isn’t expecting visitors at the Sleepy Time Motel in the Great Smoky Mountains. Since Harold died, she is all alone with her cat, Ugly, and keeping up with the bills and repairs has become next to impossible. The pool is empty, the garden is overgrown, and not a soul has come to stay in nearly three months. When she reluctantly places a For Sale ad in the newspaper, Aggie doesn’t know that Kirby and his mom will need a room when their car breaks down on the way to Kirby’s new reform school. Or that Loretta and her parents will arrive in her dad’s plumbing company van on a trip meant to honor the memory of Loretta’s birth mother. Or that Cyde Dover will answer the For Sale ad in such a hurry and move in with his daughter, Willow, looking for a brand-new life to replace the one that was fractured when Willow’s mom left. Perhaps the biggest surprise of all is that Aggie and her guests find just the friends they need at the shabby motel in the middle of Nowhere. In Barbara O’Connor’s warmhearted novel, a cast of unforgettable characters learn that hope is sometimes discovered in the most unlikely places. About the author: Barbara O’Connor is the author of several notable books for children, including How to Steal a Dog; Fame and Glory in Freedom, Georgia; and Me and Rupert Goody, an ALA Notable Book. She grew up in Greenville, South Carolina, and currently lives in Duxbury, Massachusetts. Author Interview: When you start a book is it with a character or a problem first? Definitely character. And I need to know the character through and through – 100% - before I can begin to write anything. Since stories swirl around problems, I do need to know what my character’s problem is. But unless I know that character thoroughly, knowing the problem is useless. Which children’s authors have most influenced your work? Without a doubt, Cynthia Rylant. Her book, Missing May, was my lightbulb moment in my writing path. I had been struggling with several projects that just never seemed to work. Then I read Missing May and I recognized Rylant’s distinct voice. But even more enlightening than that was her strong sense of place and what an integral part of the story the setting was. It was obvious that she knew and loved those mountains of West Virginia, where the story is set. What’s the best piece of writing advice someone ever gave you? To write what you feel most passionate about. That advise came from my editor, Frances Foster, during a conversation we had once about that old adage, “Write what you know.”  While I do think it’s important to know what you write about so that your writing has authenticity, the passion and love of your subject is what most rings most true for the reader. Pre-reading: What do you think is the meaning of the title? Have you ever been somewhere before that felt like nowhere? Discussion guide: Describe the main setting of the novel. Why is it so important to the events in the story? How does setting influence character and plot? Compare  and contrast Willow to Loretta. Whose life is almost perfect, but not quite? Why? What questions haunt Loretta? Why are Kirby and his mother driving to the Smoky Mountains? Do you think Kirby deserves his destination or not? Why? Aggie is regretting her decision to sell. Have you ever regretted a big decision that you made? Why do you think it is so hard for her to leave it behind? Explain the importance of the box that Loretta gets in the mail. How does it lead them on an adventure? What do you think is the meaning behind the items in the box? How has Kirby’s time at the Sleepy Time Motel changed him? Do you consider what he did with Loretta’s pin stealing or not? Why? Predict what you think will happen with Kirby in his new school. Why do you think Aggie talks to Harold in the garden? What does she tell him? Why do you think Willow wants Aggie to stay on at the motel? O’Connor is the master of details (like the importance of Willow’s sandals). Find details which reveal an important aspect of each character. Who do you think has faced the most difficult losses in the book- Aggie, Willow, Loretta or Kirby? Why? Has everyone lost something?  How do these strangers begin to work together? What do they accomplish? How would you help?  Projects: Language Arts: Write letters from one character to another. Date the letters from before the opening of the novel, through the timeline of the story, to five years after the closing. Be sure to stay in the character’s voice. Letters you might consider writing:  Kirby to Burla or Aggie, Loretta to Willow, Aggie to Harold, Dorothy to Willow, etc. Reading; Fill out the following chart as you read the novel: Character: Description: Quote : Problem: In the end: Willow Mr. Dover Aggie Loretta Kirby Music: Research the traditional music associated with the Great Smoky Mountains. What instruments are common? What themes are often associated with the lyrics? Compare the rhythms and melodies to music from your own cultural tradition.  Art: Create a painting for one of the rooms at the Sleepy Time Motel inspired by one of the events or setting of the novel. Use pastels, watercolors or acrylics to bring your masterpiece to life. Explain your choices in a brief artist’s statement on the back. -or- Redesign a room at the Sleepy Time Motel. Find fabric and paint swatches, create a scaled drawing of a room and find light fixtures and other accessories (in catalogs) to create a story board for the room. Math: Plan a trip to the Great Smoky Mountains. Make a list (like Loretta does) of all the places you’d like to visit. Consider the following in your budget: transportation, accommodations, food, tickets for amusements and souvenirs.