Use these questions or activities to help gauge students’ familiarity with and spark their interest in the context of the work, giving them an entry point into the text itself.

Short Answer

1. What do you picture when you visualize mountains? What is unique about living in the mountains?

Teaching Suggestion: Charlie is uprooted from a city, Raleigh, and sent to a small town in the mountains. In fact, she talks about her new home leaning off the mountain on stilts. If students live in the mountains, incorporating that personal connection could add meaning to the novel. If not, the resources here would become even more important to students’ visualizing Charlie’s days. Since mountains are usually visually stunning, begin by having students imagine them. Then include photographs to continue that journey. Both resources here include multiple links and could be used for group or independent research. Alternatively, or in addition, presenting and discussing as a whole class specific images from the resources might lead to students hearing more of their classmates’ ideas.

• This resource from two outdoor and travel experts includes images and background information about the Blue Ridge mountains.
• This National Park Services site provides photographs, maps, and articles about the Blue Ridge Parkway.