Where The

Crawdads Sing
Delia Owens

Part 2
Discuss the effects of isolation on the body - How is John’s story similar to Kya’s?
 Summaries Chapters 22-26
Chapter 22 Kya is 19, and one day on Point Beach she sees the group of Chapter 25 Chase’s mother visits the police station. She
young adults she’s seen before. She spots Chase Andrews. tells Ed that Chase was wearing the shell
Looking back, he holds Kya’s gaze. Kya becomes infatuated necklace when he went to the fire tower but it
1965 with him. Not long afterward, Chase approaches Kya at Jumpin’s 1969 wasn’t on his body or with his personal effects.
wharf. He invites her to go on a picnic. A flashback tells of Tate’s Patti Love tells Ed and Joe that it was a gift
last visit to Kya’s marsh. Instead of visiting on the 4th of July, from Kya, the Marsh Girl, and she suspects
Tate went birdwatching with a professor. He did come two weeks Kya killed Chase because he married Pearl. Ed
later but realised Kya would not be able to adjust to the outside and Joe drive out on two separate mornings to
world. He left and felt like a coward for not saying good-bye.  find Kya at her shack but she eludes them.
Chapter 23 Chase and Kya go in Chase’s boat to a deserted beach. Later,
Chase begins to kiss her and becomes sexually aggressive. Kya
rolls away, offended. She describes his “hurried groping hands” Chapter 26 Tate drives his boat to Kya’s to apologize and
1965 as “only a taking, not a sharing or giving.” She runs back to her beg her forgiveness. However, when Tate
boat.  approaches, he sees Kya and Chase kissing in
1965 Chase’s boat, and he turns back.  Kya, sick of
Chapter 24 Ten days after the picnic, Kya sees Chase and his friends from waiting for Chase, who has been too busy for
her boat. When his friends have left, Chase meets Kya and her, goes to her reading cabin for a few days.
convinces her to go with him to the fire tower. Chase apologizes Over time she has used the library to get more
1965 for what happened at the picnic and Kya gives him a necklace advanced books. Kya starts to dream of
made out of the scallop shell. Then Chase convinces her to take marrying Chase, and he exerts more pressure
him to her house. He is impressed by her ability to live on her on her to have sex. Kya wants to meet Chase’s
own in the primitive shack. Chase says he wants to get to know friends and family, but when she runs into his
her better. parents, they shun her.
 Comprehension Questions
Theme or issue: Don’t forget to add
to your theme trackers!
1. How does chapter 26 further develop the theme of isolation?
2. In what ways is Kya taking a risk by becoming closer to Chase Andrews?
 Literary Genre:
3. Discuss how effectively Owen employs imagery to enhance the narrative in chapter 22.
4. “Kya stood and walked into the night, into the creamy light of a three-quarter moon. The marsh’s soft air
fell silklike around her shoulders. The moonlight chose an unexpected path through the pines, laying
shadows about in rhymes.” (Pg.97) What mood is presented in this passage?
General Vision and Viewpoint:
5. ’WTCS presents us with an outlook on life that is a combination of optimism and pessimism.’ To what
extent do you agree with the above statement?
Paper 1 Task

Imagine that you are Tate. You deeply regret

your decision not to confront Kya. You write
her an informal letter, explaining your
reasons for avoiding her, and seeking
forgiveness.
 Summaries Chapters 27-30
Chapter 27 Chase starts talking about marriage. He invites Kya to drive Chapter 29 Chase visits Kya at the shack through the winter.
with him on a business trip and says they will have to stay One spring day, she motors to town and runs into
in a motel. Kya knows this means they will have sex, and Chase and his friends on the dock. Chase has his
1966 she agrees to the trip. The motel room is ugly and cheap, 1967 arm around one of the girls. He pulls back and
and the sex is initially painful. introduces Kya to everyone. Chase leaves with his
Kya and Chase’s relationship continues at the shack. As friends, and Kya spends all her money on
Christmas approaches, Chase tells Kya he will need to stay ingredients for a birthday dinner and cake for
in town for family celebrations. Kya wants Chase to take Chase. She also buys a newspaper and when she
her to the family Christmas dinner and a dance, but he says gets home, she sees an engagement announcement
they’re unpleasant events. He doesn’t visit for a week.  for Chase and Pearl, the girl Kya called
Meanwhile, Tate comes to the lagoon and Kya is furious, “Alwayswearspearls.” Kya cries, and when she
throwing rocks at him and shouting. He warns her that hears Chase’s boat approaching, she hides,
Chase is seeing other women in town. Kya lets Tate come knowing he will see the newspaper on her kitchen
inside the shack, where he tells Kya she could publish her table. 
paintings of natural objects and takes a few to show a
publisher.

Chapter 30 In her anger and pain, Kya drives her boat right
into the rip tides and most dangerous part of the
sea. It tosses her and she is drenched in seawater
1967 before she slides up to a sandbar where the sea is
Chapter 28 At a local bar, Ed and Joe go looking for information. A calm. She calms herself by reciting her favourite
shrimper named Hal Miller tells them he and another man Amanda Hamilton poems. Back at the shack, she
on the crew saw “the Marsh Girl” in her boat at 1:45 a.m. returns to her natural history project, determined
1969 on the night of Chase’s murder, headed toward the fire to live out her life alone.
tower. Ed and Joe decide to get a warrant to question Kya.
 Comprehension Questions
Theme or issue: Don’t forget to add
to your theme trackers!
1. Why does Chase avoid bringing Kya home to his family?
2. In your opinion, why did Kya decide to sail into dangerous seas during her emotional outburst in Chapter
30?
 Literary Genre:
3. Throughout the story, we see Ed and Joe becoming closer to solving the murder of Chase Andrews. How
does the structure of this narrative help create tension?
4. What words or phrases make us feel that Kya is in danger in Chapter 30?
General Vision and Viewpoint:
5. ‘Chapter 29 helps clarify the general vision and viewpoint of Where The Crawdads Sing.’ Discuss how
Chase’s infidelity has helped clarify the general vision and viewpoint of the overall text.
Paper 1 Task

As officers Joe and Ed come closer to

solving the murder, they have enlisted your
help in finding the motive.
You have been asked to write an article for
the local police website, appealing to the
public for information about the crime.
Your article should list the known details of
the case and propose a reward for anyone
who comes forward with information.
 Andrews - Stone

Example

Newspaper Task
As Chase Andrews has proposed to Pearl Stone, his mother, Patti Love, has enlisted your help in sharing
the news in the local newspaper.
 
Write the article to be published informing readers of the newly engaged. Use the template provided.
 Summaries Chapters 31-37
Chapter Kya’s book, The Sea Shells of the Eastern Seaboard, Chapter 33 A man in a military uniform arrives at Kya’s shack, it’s Jodie.
by Catherine Danielle Clark, arrives in her mailbox. Jodie tells Kya he serves in the army and he has plans on
31 After Tate sent the samples to a publisher, Kya becoming an engineer. Jodie feels guilty for abandoning Kya
signed a contract with them for multiple books. Kya 1968 and asks for her forgiveness. He also tells her that Ma died two
1968 spent some of the money on improvements to the years earlier of leukemia. Kya is devastated and can’t
shack. Kya goes to the courthouse to see if there is a understand why Ma never came back. She learns that in the
deed to her land. Her grandfather had the property letter Pa burned Ma had asked to come for the children. Pa
surveyed and after she pays back taxes of $800, Kya wrote back and threatened to beat the children if she returned.
gets a deed in her name for 310 acres of lagoons,
marsh, oak forests, and a long private beach. Tate
arrives for a copy of the book, Kya is not sure
whether to trust him.
Chapter 34 Joe and Ed search Kya’s shack and find a red wool hat that
matches the red fibers found on Chase’s jacket at the scene.
1969
Chapter Joe reports to the sheriff that Jumpin’ said Kya was
32 in Greenville the night of the murder. Tate told Joe Chapter 35 Months after Jodie’s visit, Tate leaves his grandfather’s
that she went to Greenville to see her publisher and compass in a milk carton on the feather stump. Kya isn’t ready
1969 to trust Tate.
that he told Kya how to purchase a bus ticket. After
1969 lunch, Miss Pansy Price comes and tells the sheriff
that she saw Kya get on the bus at 2:30 pm on Chapter 36 A lab report matches the fibers from Kya’s red wool hat to the
fibers found on Chase’s jacket. A fisherman comes to the police
October 28th and return at 1:16 p.m. on the 30th. Ed 1969 station and talks about an incident he and a friend observed
and Joe check the bus schedules and determine Kya
could have come back and returned to Greenville from their boat at Cypress Cove, which establishes a motive for
late on the night of the murder without being seen. Kya to kill Chase.
Chapter 37 Kya drives her boat to Jumpin’s ahead of a storm. Her boat
strikes another, and two men jump onboard. They arrest her for
1969 the murder of Chase Andrews.
 Comprehension Questions
Theme or issue: Don’t forget to add
to your theme trackers!
1. After Kya's book is published, she is suddenly in ownership of sufficient money for the first time in her
life. What does she decide to do with the money? What do her purchases tell us about her character?
 Literary Genre:
2. Kya frequently quotes poems by poet Amanda Hamilton. How do these poems by Hamilton help us gain a
greater insight into Kya's character?
3. Find one example of a literary technique used in Chapter 32. Explain how it affects the reader.
Examples of literary techniques: Sample answer: In Chapter 32, Owens uses dialogue to reveal
• Exposition (Description of back story) details about the Chase Andrews murder investigation. The
• Dialogue dialogue between Ed and Joe is fast-paced, and casual. This
• Characterization (How a character is presented) helps the reader stay invested in the story, as it is almost like
• Mood/ Tone we're eavesdropping into a private conversation. As a reader, I
• Motif (A recurring object or idea in a story) remain interested in this timeline throughout the novel because
• Foreshadowing of this clever use of dialogue.
• Use of a protagonist or antagonist
Paper 1 Task

You have been asked to write the introduction to

Kya’s new book The Sea Shells of the Eastern
Seaboard, by Catherine Danielle Clark. In your
introduction you should: outline the reasons why
you think marsh preservation is important, discuss
some of the qualities you believe Kya has as a
wildlife expert/author, and explain why you
recommend this particular collection of stories to
readers.
 Summaries Chapters 38-42
Chapter 38 Kya’s trial begins on February 25, 1970. Her Chapter 40 The trial begins with the prosecutor, Eric Chastain,
lawyer, Tom Milton, volunteered to represent calling the fisherman Rodney Horn. Rodney testifies
1970 her for free when he heard about the case. Kya 1970 that he and his friend heard Kya “hollerin’” while
wouldn’t speak to him until he gained her trust they were fishing near Cypress Cove.
by bringing her a book of oil paintings of
shells. The courtroom is filled with people, and
Kya hears them whispering about the death Chapter 41 After the attack, Kya has a swollen black eye, torn
penalty. The jury includes the truant officer lip, bruises and scraped knees. Kya heads to her
Mrs. Culpepper and Teresa White, the cabin in the woods. She thinks people will blame
Methodist minister’s wife who once called her 1969
her for what happened with Chase.
“dirty.”

Chapter 42 Back in her cell, Kya is committing acts of self-

Chapter 39 In August 1969, Chase sneaks up on Kya at harm, scratching her arms and plucking out her hair
Cypress Cove, calling her “my Marsh Girl.” 1970 like gulls do. Kya hears two inmates down the hall
1969 Chase attacks her and tries to rape her, but Kya talking about the death penalty.
struggles free and kicks him in the groin. As
Kya escapes in her boat, she sees two She remembers a poem by Amanda Hamilton about
fishermen watching.  an injured gull.
 The Court Case
Mock Trial
Summary of Facts
The defendant is charged with the murder of Chase
Andrews which occurred on the night of the 29th of
October, 1969. The victim was found dead at the bottom
of an abandoned Fire Tower in Barkley Cove. The results
of the autopsy confirmed that the victim had fallen or was
pushed from the large structure. The defendant pleads not
guilty. A local fisherman saw someone fitting the
description of the defendant ‘hollerin’ while he was
fishing near Cypress Cove. The person screamed, “Leave
me alone, you bastard! You bother me again, I’ll kill ya.”
Red fibres were found at the scene, confirmed to be from
a red hat, which was later found in the defendant’s
residence. Numerous witnesses have claimed they saw the
defendant get on a bus out of town at 2:30 pm on October
28th and return at 1:16 p.m. on the 30th.

This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA

 The Court Case
Mock Trial
The Law
In North Carolina, First Degree Murder charges generally
require malice aforethought and premeditation. The murder
statute, N.C. General Statue 14-17, provides for a change of First
Degree murder for killings as a result of poison, lying in wait,
imprisonment, starving, torture, or any other killing that
evidences malice. A conviction for First Degree Murder carries a
penalty of death or life in prison.
The Issue
The issue will be whether the prosecution can prove to the jury
that the defendant had reasonable cause to murder Chase
Andrews. The prosecution has to prove the defendant’s guilt.
The jury must be satisfied so that they are sure that the defendant
committed the offence. Can the prosecution prove to the jury that
the defendant was, in fact, in town the night of the murder and
that the defendant has reasonable cause to commit the murder?
You will be assigned a witness. You must write a statement claiming the
defendant’s guilt or innocence.

You will then be asked to

present your findings with
the class.

A student will be assigned

as a judge, who will later
decide whether Kya is
innocent or guilty.
 THE CHASE ANDREWS MURDER TRIAL
PROSECUTION WITNESSES DEFENCE WITNESSES

• Hal Miller (Shrimper) • Mr. Lang Furlough (Hotel Owner)

• Allen Hunt (Shrimper) • Robert Foster (Harrison Morris Publishing)
• Tim O’Neal (Owner of Shrimp Business) • Sarah Singletary (Cashier Piggly Wiggly
• Patti Love Supermarket)
• Dr. Steward Cone (Coroner)
• Sheriff Ed Jackson
• Larry Price (Bus Driver)
BARKLEY COVE VS. CATHERINE DANIELLE
CLARK
1. Judge(s) – Opening Statement
 Prosecution Council: Your Honor and ladies and gentlemen of
the jury: the defendant has been charged with the crime of murder
in the first degree of Barkley Cove resident, Chase Andrews. The
evidence will prove that Miss Catherine Danielle Clark pushed
Mr. Andrews off the abandoned Fire Tower, and then carefully
calculated her steps back to the Three Mountains Hotel to avoid
being caught. There is sufficient evidence to prove that Miss
Clark was at the scene of the crime, including red fibres left on
the deceased. The evidence we will present will prove to you that
the defendant is guilty as charged.
 Defence Council: Your Honor and ladies and gentlemen of the
jury: under law my client is presumed innocent until proven
guilty. During this trial, you will hear no concrete evidence
against our client. Our client, Miss Clarke, has been subjugated to
relentless torment from Barkley Cove residents since she was a
young child. Unfortunately, this is another example of that
prejudice. There is proof that our client was in the Three
Mountains Hotel on the night of the supposed murder. Therefore,
Miss Clarke is innocent.
 Summaries Chapters 43-53
Chapter 43 Robert Foster invites Kya to meet him in Greenville. She runs into Tate Chapter 46
doing research and joins him. She is impressed by the boat but especially
by the microscope. They have coffee and Tate notices her bruised eye. 1969
1969 When Kya leaves, Tate throws her a red wool cap. As Kya arrives home, Robert Foster invites Kya to meet him in Greenville.
she sees Chase’s boat entering her channel and hides. She realizes Chase She runs into Tate doing research and joins him. She is
will keep coming after her. impressed by the boat but especially by the microscope.
They have coffee and Tate notices her bruised eye.
When Kya leaves, Tate throws her a red wool cap. As
Chapter 44 The guard, Jacob, brings Kya gifts from Jumpin’. She meets Tom who tells Kya arrives home, she sees Chase’s boat entering her
her she could get a plea deal for second-degree murder and spend only 6– channel and hides. She realises Chase will keep coming
1970 10 years in prison. Kya refuses the deal. Kya sees the courtroom cat, after her.
Sunday Justice, in the cell area. The cat sleeps with her all night. In the
morning Sunday Justice is gone, but Kya asks Jacob to let him in at night
when possible. Kya agrees to see Tate. She tells him to forget about her,
but he says he won’t.  Chapter 47
1969
Chapter 45 Kya turns around to see Jumpin’ and Mabel sitting with Tate in the Prosecutor Eric calls the sheriff as a witness. Sheriff Ed
courtroom, which gives her strength. The prosecution calls Dr. Steward testifies that someone must have covered up any
1970 Cone, the coroner, who testifies that Chase could have been pushed footprints at the scene. Defence attorney Tom points out
through the opening in the grate. He also testifies that the red wool fibers that if Chase arrived at low tide, the rising tide
found on Chase’s blue jacket were from Kya’s hat. Tom Milton cross- overnight would have washed away any footprints.
examines Dr. Cone, who admits there is no evidence Chase was pushed, Tom also shows evidence that months before Chase’s
that the fibers could have gotten on Chase’s jacket at any time, and that death, the sheriff sent a letter to the U.S. Forest Service
there was no evidence of Kya being present when Chase died. about how dangerous the fire tower was. 
 Summaries Chapters 43-53
Chapter 48 Kya goes to Greenville on the bus and Chapter 51 1970
everyone in town sees her. When she returns
1969 two days later, she goes home. When she tells Kya compares the people in the court to creatures she knows in the marsh. The prosecutor
Jumpin’ she is back the next day, he tells her calls Hal Miller who testifies that he and another shrimper in Tim O’Neal’s crew saw Kya in
about Chase’s death and that Chase’s wife her boat speeding toward the fire tower at 1:45 a.m. on the night of Chase’s death. The
Pearl is claiming the missing shell necklace prosecution rests its case.
proves he was murdered. Chapter 52 1970
Tom Milton calls Sarah Singletary, a clerk from the Piggly Wiggly, who testifies she saw Kya
get on the bus and come back two days later. Next, Mr. Lang Furlough, operator of the Three
Chapter 49 Eric calls two bus drivers as witnesses. Larry
Mountains Motel in Greenville, testifies that Kya stayed there two nights and he did not see
Price testifies that on the 11:50 p.m. bus from
1970 Greenwood to Barkley Cove, there was a tall, her leave during the night that Chase was killed. The prosecutor points out Mr. Furlough was
thin man who may have been Kya in disguise. busy that night. Scupper joins the group of Kya’s supporters. Tom calls Robert Foster, Kya’s
John King, the driver of the bus back to publisher, to the stand. He testifies he drove her to her hotel room the night of the murder at
Greenville, testifies that a tall woman with 10 p.m. and picked her up for breakfast at 7 a.m. the next morning. Tom calls the sheriff back
curly gray hair on the bus may have been Kya to the stand and questions the timeline on the night of the murder. He suggests that Kya would
in a different disguise. Tom undermines their not have had enough time to get from the bus stop to the scene of the murder, commit the
testimony in his cross-examination. murder, then return to catch the last bus. Sheriff Ed says she may have run by foot to the
murder scene, introducing another unproven theory.

Chapter Jodie joins Tate, Jumpin’, and Mabel behind

Chapter 53 1970
Kya in the courtroom. The next witness, Patti
50 Love, shows the court a journal of paintings Tom calls his final witness, the shrimper Tim O’Neal. Tim contradicts the testimony of Hal
Kya made for Chase. One painting shows Miller, saying that it would have been impossible to identify Kya in her boat. The two lawyers
1970 Kya giving Chase the shell necklace on top make their closing statements, and Tom asks the jury to look beyond their prejudices and the
of the fire tower.  rumours about Kya and see that she has a solid alibi and the prosecution has not proven their
case.
 Comprehension Questions
Don’t forget to add
to your theme trackers
Theme or issue: !
1. What letter does Kya receive in Chapter 43 and how does it effect the long-running theme of isolation?
2. 'No, I won't say anything that implies guilt. I will not go to prison.' Why do you think Kya refuses to plead guilty
for manslaughter, even though the odds are stacked against her? Do you think this is a smart decision to make?
Literary Genre
3. '..as a Mardi Gras of costumed players pirouetted and careened into view.' How does Owens describe Kya's view
of the amoebas? In what way does this vivid description effect the reader?
4. 'The language of the court was, of course, not as poetic as the language of the marsh. Yet Kya saw similarities.' In
your own words, outline the similarities Kya sees between the court and the marsh at the beginning of Chapter 51.
General Vision and Viewpoint
5. In Chapter 53, Tom calls his final witness Tim O' Neal. Tim O'Neal believes it would have been impossible to
identify Kya in her boat. Tom's final lines ask the jury to put all prejudices against the Marsh girl aside. How does
this request effect the GVV of the novel?
 Summaries Chapters 54-56
Chapter 54 1970
Tate, Scupper, Jodie, and Robert Foster wait in a conference room while the jury deliberates. Jumpin’ and Mabel have to wait outside with the other Black
people. Kya is alone waiting in her cell, more afraid of never seeing her marsh again than of being put to death. At 4:30 p.m., the jury returns with a verdict.
Kya, Miss Catherine Danielle Clark, is found not guilty. Several people in the courtroom are angry and blame the sheriff. Kya’s supporters surround her and
Jodie offers to drive her home. Kya thanks everyone. Walking outside, she feels the sea on her face.

Chapter 55 1970
Kya is overjoyed to see the marsh and her shack again. She runs to feed the gulls. When she returns, Jodie suggests he stay with her and asks her not to
draw further away from people. Kya makes it clear she feels everyone in her world, including the townspeople, have abandoned and rejected her, and the
verdict hasn’t changed her mind. After making her a chicken pot pie, Jodie leaves her alone as she desires. The next day, Kya plans to spend the day
collecting things, but she also hopes to see Tate and invite him to dinner. At the moment Kya sees Tate’s boat, the sheriff and two deputies arrive in a new
speedboat. Kya sees Tate get on board and standing, looking defeated, between the sheriff and a deputy, until they speed away. Kya realises how much she
has always depended on Tate’s presence in the marsh. 

Chapter 56 1970
The day after Scupper’s funeral, Tate goes to the grave with a portable record player and plays his father’s favourite opera. Tate feels guilty for thinking so
much about Kya and her case when his father may have needed him. Scupper had had a stroke and died suddenly, which is why the sheriff had come to
Tate’s boat. When Tate leaves the cemetery, he goes to his boat, where he finds a night heron feather on the seat and knows it is from Kya. He motors to her
shack. Kya comes out to greet Tate and he asks her if she loves him. She says she has always loved him and leads him to the oak grove. 
Graphic Organiser
 Class Project: Newspaper
Create a newspaper to be sold in Barkley
Cove. You will write two articles. Your first
article must be about the Chase Andrew's
murder and the subsequent trial. You will
choose whatever you want for your second
article. The second article can be humorous or
serious, fictional or non-fictional, but it must
be believable. Always use quotes from 'official'
sources i.e. witnesses. Your articles should
have a catchy headline, and accompanying
images. Write your articles on a word or pages
document.

This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA-NC

Comments from Goodreads
Discussion point: What are
your thoughts?
Comments from Goodreads
Post-reading: Hot Seat
Students will be chosen to act as a specific
character in the text, answering questions from the
class about the novel. The questions can be
creative where answers are not found or unclear.

KYA CHASE TATE JUMPIN’

Student: