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Copywork
About This Passage
This is the moment Wilbur first sees Charlotte's egg sac. White unveils it slowly, first 'a curious object,' then 'a sort of sac, or cocoon,' and finally the soft simile 'made of cotton candy.' The sweet, gentle image lets us admire the sac as something beautiful before we learn it is Charlotte's last great work. Copying it shows how a writer can reveal a thing step by step and use a simile to give an ordinary object wonder.
Next to her, attached to the ceiling, Wilbur saw a curious object. It was a sort of sac, or cocoon. It was peach-colored and looked as though it were made of cotton candy.
Full copywork activity with handwriting lines available in the complete study guide.
Discussion Questions
Narration Prompt
Retell what happens in this chapter in sequence, from Wilbur finding the egg sac to the family driving off to the judges' booth. Which moment do you think matters most this morning, and what in the chapter makes you choose it?
Discussion Questions
- Charlotte calls her egg sac her 'great work' and 'the finest thing I have ever made.' Why does Charlotte think her egg sac is the finest work of her whole life? Use Charlotte's own words about the egg sac to explain your thinking.
- Charlotte is clearly proud of her strong, beautiful sac, yet her voice sounds sad. How are Charlotte's pride and her sadness different sides of the same moment, and why does she feel both at once? Use the details of what Charlotte says to explain your thinking.
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Vocabulary
Item 1
Not proud, and modest; the web word the family reads about Wilbur this morning.
Item 2
Worn out and very tired; how Charlotte feels as she grows old.
Item 3
A soft, silky case a spider or insect makes; Charlotte's egg sac looks like one.
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Critical Thinking
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