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Copywork
About This Passage
Selected because Mo Willems uses dialogue alone to tell almost the whole story. Notice the repetition of "big jump" — Piggie says it, then Gerald says the same words back. Willems teaches dialogue punctuation here, and the copywork shows how an honest friend can say "no, that wasn't really flying" without being mean.
"You did it! I flew!" said Piggie. "Thank you for your help." "You did not fly," said Gerald. "You jumped." "It was a big jump." "Yes, it was a big jump. But you did not fly."
Full copywork activity with handwriting lines available in the complete study guide.
Discussion Questions
Narration Prompt
Tell someone what happened in this story 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
- Piggie tells Gerald, "Today I will fly." Gerald says, "You will not fly." Then Piggie tries anyway. Why does Piggie try to fly even after her friend tells her she cannot? What in the story makes you think so?
- Gerald is honest with Piggie. He tells her she did not really fly — she jumped. He tells her tomorrow she will not fly either. Was Gerald being a mean friend or a good friend? What in the story makes you think so?
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Critical Thinking
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