Use this activity to engage all types of learners, while requiring that they refer to and incorporate details from the text over the course of the activity.

“The Mistake Tree”

In this activity, students will create a collection of items to “keep the ghosts away” for other characters in the novel.

Gloria Dump’s mistake tree is filled with a collection of bottles from her alcohol addiction. Opal asks Gloria what the bottles are for, and Gloria tells her it is to keep away the ghosts of things she has done wrong. Consider collections other characters might have that would keep the ghosts of their mistakes away or bring comfort to them during their hardships. Select five characters and create a sampling of each of their collections and describe how the items in your collection might keep the ghosts away for each of the characters.

• Choose five characters from the novel for your collection.
• Determine the symbolic items you will collect for each character.
• Create a written description of how each item represents the character and what it might do to bring comfort to them.

Share your collection of items with peers drawing connections to the text to justify your items.

Teaching Suggestion: Students may find it beneficial to analyze some of the sorrows, hardships, and disappointments of the characters before making connections to items that might represent those hardships to the characters.