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Copywork
About This Passage
Two sentences about one small hope: a single cloud — the first cloud Stanley can remember seeing at Camp Green Lake — and a whole camp of boys watching it, wishing it would slide in front of the sun and give them one minute of shade. Copy both sentences carefully. Notice the word 'teasing': the writer lets the cloud act like a person who holds something just out of reach. When shade is the biggest wish you have, even a cloud can seem to play games with you.
He and the other boys had been watching it all day, hoping it would move in front of the sun. Occasionally it got close, but it was just teasing them.
Full copywork activity with handwriting lines available in the complete study guide.
Discussion Questions
Narration Prompt
Tell the story of the gold tube from beginning to end: the glisten in the dirt pile, the climb out, the precious water used for cleaning, the heart with the letters K B, the boys' guesses, Stanley's idea about waiting until morning, and the new spot in line at the water truck. Keep the order. Then say which moment you think mattered most, and use the chapter's words to show why.
Discussion Questions
- Stanley keeps digging, and one sentence keeps coming back: 'He dug his shovel into the dirt.' It appears again and again, almost like a drumbeat. Why might the writer repeat the very same sentence so many times? Use the chapter's words about losing track of the days to explain what all that repeating helps you feel.
- All day the boys watch one cloud — the first cloud Stanley remembers seeing at Camp Green Lake — 'hoping it would move in front of the sun.' What part of the chapter shows how big that little hope was? And what does the word 'teasing' tell you about how the day ended? Use the chapter's words about the cloud to explain how the boys felt.
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Vocabulary Builder
Item 1
A white shape in the sky that can block the sun
Item 2
To shine and sparkle in the light
Item 3
A small container for carrying water
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Critical Thinking
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