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Copywork
About This Passage
Leslie speaks these words in the pine forest, and they transform a grove of trees into something holy. Paterson shows how imagination and language can change the meaning of a place — the same forest that once frightened Jess is now sacred because Leslie names it so. The passage models how precise word choice (strive, sacred, spirits, disturb) can elevate a simple moment into something solemn and important.
this is not an ordinary place she whispered even the gods of Terabithia come into it only at times of greatest sorrow or of greatest joy we must strive to keep it sacred it would not do to disturb the...
Full copywork activity with handwriting lines available in the complete study guide.
Discussion Questions
Narration Prompt
Tell someone what happened in this chapter in order. When you get to the most important part, slow down and tell it carefully — what happened, why it mattered, and what you think about it.
Discussion Questions
- Leslie suggests they create a secret country called Terabithia — 'like Narnia' — where they would be the rulers. Jess thinks: 'he'd like to be a ruler of something, even something that wasn't real.' Why does being a ruler of an imaginary place matter to Jess? What in the story makes you think so?
- The other kids make fun of Leslie because her family does not have a television. In chapter 2, they already thought she was strange for how she dressed and for winning the race. Is the class being cruel because Leslie is truly different, or are they looking for reasons to reject her? What in the story makes you think so?
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Critical Thinking
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