Preview
Copywork
About This Passage
All morning the barn has been saved by saving: Templeton's hoarded egg broke and its stink chased Avery away before his stick could reach Charlotte. At supper, Wilbur does his own quiet arithmetic. He had planned to leave the rat half a noodle - then he remembers who helped save his best friend, and who is working to save him. The bigger share is a thank-you nobody asked for.
Then he remembered that the rat had been useful in saving Charlotte's life, and that Charlotte was trying to save his life. So he left a whole noodle, instead of a half.
Full copywork activity with handwriting lines available in the complete study guide.
Discussion Questions
Narration Prompt
Tell the day in order: Charlotte's idea coming in the morning, Avery and Fern's pie and frog trouble, the big barn swing, the raspberries, Avery's try at capturing Charlotte, the egg's explosion and the terrible smell, Wilbur's supper with the whole noodle, and Charlotte's secret night work on her web. Keep the egg in the right place - it has been waiting under the trough the whole time.
Discussion Questions
- Charlotte waits for her idea the same way she waits for her dinner: 'She knew from experience that if she waited long enough, a fly would come to her web.' She feels sure an idea will come to her too, if she thinks long enough. How does knowing about flies help Charlotte trust that a plan for Wilbur will come? Use the words of that sentence to explain why waiting feels safe to her.
- Avery sees Charlotte and says, 'That's a fine spider and I'm going to capture it.' He grabs a stick and his candy box. Fern tells him, 'Leave it alone! You've got a frog - isn't that enough?' Was Avery doing something wrong, or was he mostly excited about finding another creature to keep? Decide, then use the words of Fern's warning and the details of Avery's stick-and-box plan to explain why you decided that way.
+ 2 more questions in the complete study guide
Vocabulary
Item 1
Able to wait calmly without giving up.
Item 2
A clever plan to fool someone.
Item 3
A very bad smell.
+ 6 more vocabulary words in the complete study guide
Critical Thinking
+ 4 more questions in the complete study guide
Get the complete study guide — free
Sign up and get your first book with every chapter included. Copywork, discussion questions, vocabulary, and critical thinking.
Sign up free