Preview
Copywork
About This Passage
This passage teaches a great example of cause and effect in storytelling. The first sentence tells us the result (Dad gave up), and the second sentence tells us the reason (Greg got lost during camping). Students learn how a writer can put the BIG news first and the explanation second. They also see the title phrase 'the last straw' used in real context — it means the final small thing that finally tips a person over the edge after many other small things.
By the end of the school year, Dad gave up trying to change me. I think it was the last straw when I got lost during the Wilderness Explorers camping trip and they had to use a search dog to find me.
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
- Greg's dad spent the whole book trying to change Greg. By the end, his dad gave up. Was Dad right to GIVE UP, or should Dad have kept trying? What in the story makes you think so?
- Greg got lost in the woods during the camping trip. Did Greg get lost ON PURPOSE because he did not want to be there, or did he get lost BY ACCIDENT because he is not a wilderness kid? What in the story makes you think so?
+ 2 more questions in the complete study guide
Critical Thinking
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