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Copywork
About This Passage
Opal has just decorated the yard and stepped back to look at it. The sight makes her heart feel 'swollen and full.' Notice the word 'desperately' — it tells us that the wish is not gentle or polite, it is urgent. Opal is not just mildly thinking of her mother; she is aching for her to be there. The words 'swollen and full' are doing double work too. They describe joy, but they also sound a little painful — swollen things are sore, and full things can burst. Joy and grief are living in the same heart. Copying this passage teaches a writer how a single description can carry two opposite feelings at once.
It made my heart feel funny, all swollen and full, and I wished desperately that I knew where my mama was so she could come to the party too.
Full copywork activity with handwriting lines available in the complete study guide.
Discussion Questions
Narration Prompt
Retell the chapter. The guests arrive one by one. Which arrival is the most important, and why?
Discussion Questions
- Opal decorates the yard even though Gloria cannot see well. Why does Opal make the yard pretty for a friend who cannot see it fully? And does Gloria notice?
- Otis shows up with a jar of pickles and cannot bring himself to walk into the backyard. Opal talks to him 'real soft and gentle and low, like he was a wild animal that I was trying to get to take food out of my hand.' What does this comparison tell us about Otis?
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Vocabulary Builder
Item 1
to add things to a space to make it look attractive or festive
Item 2
shining with a soft wavering light, as of sequins or satin in candlelight
Item 3
a place that looks magical, as if from a fairy tale
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Critical Thinking
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