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Copywork
About This Passage
Chosen for the way stillness gets built out of short sentences. White quiets the barn one sleeper at a time — sheep, goose, cows, horses, even the rat gone off on an errand — until only one small sound is left: the weather-vane scraping on the roof. That single leftover noise makes the silence feel real, and the last words tip the whole passage forward: 'waiting for light.' Copying it teaches how short sentences slow a scene down, and how one small detail can stand for a whole quiet world.
The barn was still dark. The sheep lay motionless. Even the goose was quiet. Overhead, on the main floor, nothing stirred: the cows were resting, the horses dozed. Templeton had quit work and gone off...
Full copywork activity with handwriting lines available in the complete study guide.
Discussion Questions
Narration Prompt
Retell the chapter in order so the long wait shows: the restless night and its wakings, the hush before dawn, the search and the embarrassing announcement, the sheep's correction, and then the meeting — 'Salutations!', the name Charlotte A. Cavatica, the fly lesson, and Wilbur's worried bedtime verdict about his fierce new friend.
Discussion Questions
- Charlotte keeps saying true things that upset Wilbur: 'I love blood,' she admits, and when he begs her to stop she answers, 'It's true, and I have to say what is true.' She could have hidden all of it on their very first day. Why do you think Charlotte chooses to tell Wilbur the uncomfortable truth about herself right away? Use her words about truth and her honest description of her diet to explain what kind of friend she is showing herself to be.
- When the fly lands in the web, Charlotte talks Wilbur through each step instead of hiding what she does: 'First, I dive at him,' then 'Next, I wrap him up.' Why do you think White has her explain the scene so plainly on the first morning of their friendship? Use her step-by-step words and Wilbur's reaction to show what this moment teaches him about her.
+ 3 more questions in the complete study guide
Vocabulary Builder
Item 1
Words of hello — what you say when you meet someone.
Item 2
Completely still, not moving at all.
Item 3
Carefully and completely, missing nothing.
+ 7 more vocabulary words in the complete study guide
Critical Thinking
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